Amysue's Read-o-rama

#76 Beautiful Creatures (also #77)

Could not put this down.  I was completely drawn into the humid southern gothic world that the writers (Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl) created.  It's a magical story.  Beautiful Creatures continues the incredible run of exquisite fantasy novels that seem to be soley part of the YA publishing world.  The novel had a few moments where I wished that characters who certainly loved each other quite a bit actually gave useful information to each other (a pet peeve) but by and large I was happily immersed in the plight of the two main protagonists as they tried to find a way out from under a curse and towards the love they feel for each other. The main theme of the novel seemed to be simple that everything comes at a price, and that theme is driven home for more than a few characters as the story unfolds.

Oh and I also read and loved every moment of Muse and Reverie a collection of Newford stories, by Charles DeLint.  He pretty much pioneered the whole "urban fantasy" movement that is my favorite genre and revisiting some of my favorite characters from Newford, however briefly, is a nice.

still reading...

#66 The Amaranth Enchantment, Julie Berry

#67 Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, Rhoda Janzen

#68 Agyar, Steven Brust: First Brust novel I didn't like.  To be fair, I was in a bad mood wheh I read it and it just made me sadder.

#69 Darkfever, Karen Marie Moning : Could not put this down.  Luckily my girlfriend has the next three and lent them to me.  I suspect some late nights reading are about to occur.

#70 BloodFever, KMM

#71 Faefever, KMM

#72 Dreamfever, KMM

#73 On the Edge, Ilona Andrews

#73 Magic Bites, Ilona Andrews

#74 Magic Burns, Ilona Andrews

#75 Magic Strikes, Ilona Andrews

I really enjoyed that batch of paranormal fantasy (#69-75).  It's good to get engrossed in something fun and fast-paced, especially when it requires very little intellectual energy (this is not a negative comment).  I'm thinking that unless I count knitting books i will not be making it to 100 on my books read this year list.  I know I probably missed a few but even with that 25 in just over 2 weeks is nearly 2 books a day!

#65 Eating the Dinosaur

Chuck Klosterman is another essayist I truly love to read.  Eating the Dinosaur was no exception.  I don't think there are many writers who could get me to read an entire essay on football. I loathe most organized sports and football is a sport I care less then nothing about.  However, Klosterman always goes to interesting places in his essays so I slogged through and it was worth it.

I found the essay, FAIL to be the hardest to read.  It was mostly about examining the ideas of  Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber) and because I found his actions so repugnant and evil I was very disturbed to have to read anythign about what he might have thought.  I guess that I just didn't want to give a serial killer that much credibility-it really upset me.  That said, Klosterman made some interesting points by going someplace I would never have had the stomach to.

I'm on an essay reading kick this week-currently in the middle of Rhoda Janzen's, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress.

Listing a few more...

#60 A Touch of Dead, Charlaine Harris

#61 Covet, J.R.Ward

    Paranormal romance given to me by a friend while I was sick. Almost completely unreadable by me, had to skim a lot.

#62 Manhood for Amateurs:The pleasures and regrets of a husband, father and son, Michael Chabon

#63 Wicked Plants:The weed that killed Lincoln's mother and other botanical atrocities, Amy Stewart

    I really enjoyed this little book.  Oddly enough I first heard about it on Cake Boss (at one point during my flu drama that show was the only thing my brain could process) when the shop made a cake for her book debut and signing.  I had no idea that so many plants growing inside and around my home were dangerous or even deadly!! Her writing style is entertaining so it was a ,lot of fun.  I am now suspicious of all plants-they're out to get me.

#64 Juliet,Naked, Nick Hornby

    Once again Nick Hornby has disrupted my sleep by writing a novel I cannot put down once I start reading.  This story of a faded reclusive rock star and a lonely woman is sweet and charming.  The character of Duncan, a fan obsessed with the obscure musician though is spot on brilliant.  I have met this kind of person both on the internet and in person.  Hornby totally nailed their obsessive almost stalkerish qualities combined with their extreme need to be taken seriously by both their virtual audience on all the websites and wikis etc and ultimately by the object of their fannish obsession. In some ways, I think Duncan was the character I felt the most empathy for.  

    In any event, Nick Hornby's writing, both his fiction and non-fiction (and to be honest once he stopped writing for The Believer I let by subscription lapse) always appears effortless and spare and compelling.  That said, the ending was a little abrupt for me, but this is often true about most novels I read.  I didn't dislike it the ending it just sort of.......happened and left me with a few questions, none of them burning.

Just Listing some now:

#50 Wormwood, Susan Wittig Albert

#51 The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

I was absolutely riveted by this YA novel set in a future dystopia.  I loved the protagonist, a resiliant and resourceful girl named Katniss but loved even more the fact that what appeared to be tropes we're still dealt with in a unique and meaningful way.  I believed the emotions that Peeta and Katniss were feeling as they strove to remain alive during the titled Hunger Games.  I look forward to the sequel and hope that we learn more about the totalitarian government that rules their world.

#52 This is Where I Leave You, Jonathan Tropper

#53 Casting Spells, Barbara Bretton

#54 Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins

#55 Street Magic, Caitlin Kittredge

#56 Night Life, Caitlin Kittredge

#57 Second Skin, Caitlin Kittredge

#58 Witch Craft, Caitlin Kitredge

#59 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson

I had really planned some sort of book reviews, but have the H1N1 virus now and basically just think I'll put what I have up and that's that.

#49 The Rebel Princess

Judith Koll Healey's mystery, The Rebel Princess was simply lovely.  I enjoyed the well researched medieval era that it takes place in and totally lost myself in it and in the characters, especially that of Princess Alais, our very independent protaganist.  

#49 Backup

Backup:A story of the Dresden Files, Jim Butcher.

This was a brief novella from the perspective of Thomas, a supporting character in the series that Butcher wirtes about Harry Dresden, wizard.  It was fun...also brief...what with being a novella and all.

#48 Cape Storm

Cape Storm, Rachel Caine

# 47 How to Buy a Love of Reading

I read this in one sitting and didn't skim anything so it certainly held my attention...and yet.  Tanya Egan Gibson's, How to Buy a Lovel of Reading ultimately depressed me with the emptyness of the lives of the teens it was about.  They are super wealthy, super self-centered, have no parental oversight and as near as I can tell live on booze, drugs and sex.  There was some cool stuff going on in this book, but I was so distracted by the complete dissolution of the lives of it's characters that I simply couldn't care.

Oh and finally?  Hunter, one of the most frustrating characters (loved and worshiped by all-adult and teen alike and yet he is as emptyheaded and drug/booze addled as the rest) is always sick, it's a theme that runs throughout the novel but we never find out why.  Is it psychosomatic?  Does he have a real underlying illness?  Allergies?  A wonky immune system?  No one, least of all him, seems to care.  At the end oi the novel it's a moot point, but still?

Like I said, I kept reading until I finished so clearly it was compelling on some level but for the life of me I can't think of who I would reccomend this to.

Oh, I did like one concept that the main character, Carly, uses-her idea of "aftermemory" where she rewrites her encounters with others in her head and there makes better comebacks or is better treated.  It's a kind of active daydreaming.

#46 My Most Excellent Year

Steve Kluger's, My Most Excellent Year: A novel of love, Mary Poppins and Fenway Park was one of the sweetest (not sickly sweet though) YA novels I've read in a long time.  I could not put it down once I started it and loved being thrown into the lives of some amazing teens as they navigated their first couple of years of High School.

One of the character's  lists some of the things he's learned and included this "Always remember what is was like to be six." which I found to be true and so wonderful.

My daughter will be starting her freshman year in a few days and if she goes through her HS years with a crew like this and their attitude of acceptance and love then I really won't need to worry much at all.