2009: Ruth's Year in Books
Jan. 3rd, 2010 04:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rsadelleBest of the Year
These are my top five books of the year, with first lines:
A couple of years ago, I decided that I would keep a list of all the books I read. It would be, I thought, interesting to see how much, and what, I actually read. So when I read a book, I wrote it down in my writing binder. I liked the whole project so much that I've been doing it again each year.
What's here:
January 3-8 The Annotated Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and Michael Patrick Hearn. Fascinating, but I think I would have liked The Wizard of Oz better if I'd read it without annotation. First reading.
January 8-9 Double Helix by Nancy Werlin. Disappointing in comparison to the other book I read by her. Too obvious. First reading.
January 16-21 Proust Was a Neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrer. Interesting, but I didn't believe his manifesto. Review. First reading.
January 21-22 The Luxe by Anna Godberson. Totally ridiculous, and completely addictive. Kind of like Gossip Girl, only in the past and with more sympathetic characters. First reading.
January 22-23 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Fantastic YA totalitarian sci fi. First reading.
January 24-25 Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr. Good, but I had trouble connecting with the protagonist since it was a different one from the previous book. First reading.
January 25 The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming by Lemony Snicket. Entertaining. First reading.
January 28 Sweethearts by Sara Zarr. Heartbreaking. In a good way. First reading.
January 30 Retreat From Love by Samantha Kane. Trashy! This is not a complaint. First reading.
January 31-February 4 Midnight's Daughter by Karen Chance. Disappointing. Dorina is nowhere near as awesome as Cassie. First reading.
February 5-18 Secrets of the Savanna by Mark and Delia Owens. Interesting. More about people than elephants, which is not what I was expecting. Review. First reading.
February 23 The Sharing Knife: Horizon by Lois McMaster Bujold. Fourth in a series. Still excellent. First reading.
March 1 Caught Running by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux. Interesting POV, good love story, abrupt ending. First reading.
March 2-3 Bent by Sean Michael. BDSM erotica novel. Not enough emotional oomph, consent issues, and never ends. First reading.
March 4 Love Bites by Edited by S. A. Clements. Threesome short stories. Variable quality with a couple of standouts. First reading.
March 4-5 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Classic children's sci fi. Okay, but not fantastic. (To be fair, I think I liked some of her other books better than this one when I was younger too.) Second reading.
March 6 In Service by Mima. Trashy novel. Not enough emotional oomph, tried too hard to keep one of the characters straight. First reading.
March 9-12 Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. Interesting. Probably more interesting if you've read more of the books she's referenced. Disappointing in that the content doesn't quite match the back of the book blurb. Review. First reading.
March 14-15 Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs. Fourth in a series. I finally got the emotional resolution I expected but didn't get from the third book, but it also seemed to take back the ending of the third book. First reading.
March 16 Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand by Carrie Vaughn. Fifth in the series, and the last one I think I'm going to read. I still feel betrayed about something that happened two books ago. First reading.
March 17-19 Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling. Fourth in a series. It had been a long time since I read the first three, but this put me right back into the world. First reading.
March 20 Hero by Perry Moore. Overrated. The romantic relationship stuff was well done, but the other relationships weren't always firm enough for me to care about the characters. First reading.
March 22-23 Deviations: Bondage by Chris Owen and Jodi Payne. Fourth in the series. Still totally hot. First reading.
March 27 Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. I really liked Lies of Locke Lamora, but I just couldn't get into this. First reading (unfinished).
April 6-8 Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. Good, if a little stilted due to having been written in the 70s. Review. First reading.
April 10 Savvy by Ingrid Law. A friend recced this, but I just couldn't get into it. First reading (unfinished).
April 27-May 11 Bodies We've Buried by Jarrett Hallcox and Amy Welch. Fascinating look at forensics. Review. First reading.
May 20 Head Cases by Michael Paul Mason. Depressing, but well written. Review. First reading.
May 24-31 Babylon Babies by Maurice G. Dantec. I need to remember that I don't like cyberpunk. I struggled through this because I loved the movie, but I hated it. It did have a nice bit about three pages from the end. First reading.
June 1 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Depressing, but well written. Review. First reading.
June 4-6 Austenland by Shannon Hale. Wow. I don't even remember this book now, so I can't have liked it very much, although I didn't hate it enough to give up on it. First reading.
June 10-11 Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. I still love this book. I keep thinking I should just buy a copy, but I just keep checking it out from the library instead. Third reading.
June 13-17 Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville. This is a romance novel, and yet it's about 90% plot. It also has some serious flaws in the sex scenes (anal sex without lube is not a good idea), some really unsexy similes in the sex scenes, and some inexplicable pov changes. Most of this could have been fixed by a good editor. First reading.
June 22-25 Spook by Mary Roach. This was excellently well written. I will definitely read more of Mary Roach's work. Review. First reading.
July 4-7 Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance. The most recent Cassie Palmer book. Lots of fun. First reading.
July 14 The Arrival by Shaun Tan. Good, if not quite my thing due to the lack of words. Review. First reading.
July 14 Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie. Still fun reading! Third reading.
July 15 Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. I love this series, and I felt like rereading it this year. Third reading.
July 17-18 Geek High by Piper Banks. Huh. I don't remember this either. Maybe I need to be more selective about my reading. First reading.
July 20 Rain Is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith. Excellent. Review. First reading.
July 22-31 It's Greek To Me! by Michael Macrone. Okay, if a little tiring to read all at once. Review. First reading.
August 1-2 Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. Second in the series. Third reading.
August 2-4 Rapture Ready! by Daniel Radosh. Fantastic. Review. First reading.
August 13-14 Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman. Suitably engrossing YA novel. Review. First reading.
August 16-23 Valor's Trial by Tanya Huff. Most recent, and possibly final, book in the Valor series. I still love this series. First reading.
August 30-September 6 Calling On Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. Third in the series. Third reading.
September 7-10 Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. This is such a good book. I felt like reading it again this year. Fourth reading.
September 13-14 Talking To Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. Fourth in the series. Third reading.
September 19-20 Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley. Fantastic YA. I will definitely be reading more of her work. Review. First reading.
September 22-October 3 The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. Better as a travelogue than a happiness book. Review. First reading.
November 3-28 Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles. Interesting enough. Review. First reading.
December 3-26 The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. Excellent. Review. First reading.
These are my top five books of the year, with first lines:
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.
- Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley.
The worst part of having it all is having to deal with it all - the good, the bad, and the just plain weird.
- Valor's Trial by Tanya Huff.
"Gunnery Sargeant Kerr! Good to have you back!"
- Deviations: Bondage by Chris Owen and Jodi Payne.
Noah didn't have much in the way of souvenirs from his vacation in Paris.
- Rapture Ready! by Daniel Radosh.
An affable middle-aged man in a bargain-basement pirate costume - striped pantaloons and puffy shirt, vinyl boots and plastic sword - is going to save your immortal soul.
A couple of years ago, I decided that I would keep a list of all the books I read. It would be, I thought, interesting to see how much, and what, I actually read. So when I read a book, I wrote it down in my writing binder. I liked the whole project so much that I've been doing it again each year.
What's here:
- Books I read in 2008.
- Authors of the books.
- Dates I read the books.
- Short notes about each book.
- Approximately how many times I've read the book.
- Magazine and newspaper articles I read, either for work or for fun.
- Web-published fiction I read.
- Short stories and individual chapters I read to remind myself of what the book was about.
January 3-8 The Annotated Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and Michael Patrick Hearn. Fascinating, but I think I would have liked The Wizard of Oz better if I'd read it without annotation. First reading.
January 8-9 Double Helix by Nancy Werlin. Disappointing in comparison to the other book I read by her. Too obvious. First reading.
January 16-21 Proust Was a Neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrer. Interesting, but I didn't believe his manifesto. Review. First reading.
January 21-22 The Luxe by Anna Godberson. Totally ridiculous, and completely addictive. Kind of like Gossip Girl, only in the past and with more sympathetic characters. First reading.
January 22-23 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Fantastic YA totalitarian sci fi. First reading.
January 24-25 Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr. Good, but I had trouble connecting with the protagonist since it was a different one from the previous book. First reading.
January 25 The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming by Lemony Snicket. Entertaining. First reading.
January 28 Sweethearts by Sara Zarr. Heartbreaking. In a good way. First reading.
January 30 Retreat From Love by Samantha Kane. Trashy! This is not a complaint. First reading.
January 31-February 4 Midnight's Daughter by Karen Chance. Disappointing. Dorina is nowhere near as awesome as Cassie. First reading.
February 5-18 Secrets of the Savanna by Mark and Delia Owens. Interesting. More about people than elephants, which is not what I was expecting. Review. First reading.
February 23 The Sharing Knife: Horizon by Lois McMaster Bujold. Fourth in a series. Still excellent. First reading.
March 1 Caught Running by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux. Interesting POV, good love story, abrupt ending. First reading.
March 2-3 Bent by Sean Michael. BDSM erotica novel. Not enough emotional oomph, consent issues, and never ends. First reading.
March 4 Love Bites by Edited by S. A. Clements. Threesome short stories. Variable quality with a couple of standouts. First reading.
March 4-5 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Classic children's sci fi. Okay, but not fantastic. (To be fair, I think I liked some of her other books better than this one when I was younger too.) Second reading.
March 6 In Service by Mima. Trashy novel. Not enough emotional oomph, tried too hard to keep one of the characters straight. First reading.
March 9-12 Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. Interesting. Probably more interesting if you've read more of the books she's referenced. Disappointing in that the content doesn't quite match the back of the book blurb. Review. First reading.
March 14-15 Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs. Fourth in a series. I finally got the emotional resolution I expected but didn't get from the third book, but it also seemed to take back the ending of the third book. First reading.
March 16 Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand by Carrie Vaughn. Fifth in the series, and the last one I think I'm going to read. I still feel betrayed about something that happened two books ago. First reading.
March 17-19 Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling. Fourth in a series. It had been a long time since I read the first three, but this put me right back into the world. First reading.
March 20 Hero by Perry Moore. Overrated. The romantic relationship stuff was well done, but the other relationships weren't always firm enough for me to care about the characters. First reading.
March 22-23 Deviations: Bondage by Chris Owen and Jodi Payne. Fourth in the series. Still totally hot. First reading.
March 27 Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. I really liked Lies of Locke Lamora, but I just couldn't get into this. First reading (unfinished).
April 6-8 Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. Good, if a little stilted due to having been written in the 70s. Review. First reading.
April 10 Savvy by Ingrid Law. A friend recced this, but I just couldn't get into it. First reading (unfinished).
April 27-May 11 Bodies We've Buried by Jarrett Hallcox and Amy Welch. Fascinating look at forensics. Review. First reading.
May 20 Head Cases by Michael Paul Mason. Depressing, but well written. Review. First reading.
May 24-31 Babylon Babies by Maurice G. Dantec. I need to remember that I don't like cyberpunk. I struggled through this because I loved the movie, but I hated it. It did have a nice bit about three pages from the end. First reading.
June 1 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Depressing, but well written. Review. First reading.
June 4-6 Austenland by Shannon Hale. Wow. I don't even remember this book now, so I can't have liked it very much, although I didn't hate it enough to give up on it. First reading.
June 10-11 Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. I still love this book. I keep thinking I should just buy a copy, but I just keep checking it out from the library instead. Third reading.
June 13-17 Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville. This is a romance novel, and yet it's about 90% plot. It also has some serious flaws in the sex scenes (anal sex without lube is not a good idea), some really unsexy similes in the sex scenes, and some inexplicable pov changes. Most of this could have been fixed by a good editor. First reading.
June 22-25 Spook by Mary Roach. This was excellently well written. I will definitely read more of Mary Roach's work. Review. First reading.
July 4-7 Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance. The most recent Cassie Palmer book. Lots of fun. First reading.
July 14 The Arrival by Shaun Tan. Good, if not quite my thing due to the lack of words. Review. First reading.
July 14 Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie. Still fun reading! Third reading.
July 15 Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. I love this series, and I felt like rereading it this year. Third reading.
July 17-18 Geek High by Piper Banks. Huh. I don't remember this either. Maybe I need to be more selective about my reading. First reading.
July 20 Rain Is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith. Excellent. Review. First reading.
July 22-31 It's Greek To Me! by Michael Macrone. Okay, if a little tiring to read all at once. Review. First reading.
August 1-2 Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. Second in the series. Third reading.
August 2-4 Rapture Ready! by Daniel Radosh. Fantastic. Review. First reading.
August 13-14 Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman. Suitably engrossing YA novel. Review. First reading.
August 16-23 Valor's Trial by Tanya Huff. Most recent, and possibly final, book in the Valor series. I still love this series. First reading.
August 30-September 6 Calling On Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. Third in the series. Third reading.
September 7-10 Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. This is such a good book. I felt like reading it again this year. Fourth reading.
September 13-14 Talking To Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. Fourth in the series. Third reading.
September 19-20 Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley. Fantastic YA. I will definitely be reading more of her work. Review. First reading.
September 22-October 3 The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. Better as a travelogue than a happiness book. Review. First reading.
November 3-28 Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles. Interesting enough. Review. First reading.
December 3-26 The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. Excellent. Review. First reading.