Books read in 2010
Jan. 14th, 2011 05:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fenchurchSo, the final tally came in at 19 books. Ugh. That's down two books from 2009, but still much better than previous years. There was a time in my life, though, when that wouldn't have been an uncommon number to read in a month! I can't believe it's been so difficult to pick up the habit again, even five years after the car accident (I spent about the first third of 2006 unable to hold a book -- as I've said before, I didn't even realize reading *was* a habit until I lost it).
First up, the books I've already mentioned on LJ:
The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner
Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
Heat Wave by Richard Castle
Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings
Psych: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Read by William Rabkin
Magician's Gambit by David Eddings
Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs
Changes by Jim Butcher
Split Infinity by Piers Anthony
Soulless by Gail Carriger
To the Nines by Janet Evanovich
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Infinity Beach by Jack McDevitt
And now the last few I read in 2010:
Naked Heat by Richard Castle
I'm amazed at how good these books have been and really quite curious about the ghostwriter. Whoever is in charge of these things has certainly come up with an excellent way to do tie-in novels for the TV show... by making it the fictional creation of a fictional character. You've got most of the characters from the show present (I do miss Alexis in these books), with only slight alterations to make them different from the "real people" they represent... the voices for each are spot on and the plot uses elements from episodes in the last season of the show, as if those events have really been gleaned for ideas by an author who experienced them (and then given new twists so that even if you watched the show, you won't necessarily guess where things are going). Wonderfully done!
And just to give it that added edge of surreality, there's the Acknowledgments in the back... a combination of thanks from the fictional author to the fictional people who helped him "create" his work intermingled with thanks to the very real people who help bring the show to life. Love it and can't wait for the next book!
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
After seeing the previews for Dirk Gently on the BBC, I got a yen to reread this one. It's probably been over a decade and there was a lot I'd forgotten! I do think I may actually enjoy this series more than the Hitchhiker's series (which I really do love) and I wish there'd been more of them.
One of the things that struck me again this time was exactly how much of the plot was lifted directly from the classic Doctor Who episode "City of Death" (Douglas Adams is allowed, though, since he wrote that episode under a pseudonym). The book is a lot of fun in itself, but I also loved the glimpses it gives into the state of computers and software in the 1980s (when Mr. Adams was actually involved somewhat in computer game development).
Altactraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson
If you haven't read these books already, well... go out and buy them! Right now! Or surf over to your favorite online bookseller and buy them! Seriously, you won't be sorry.
I love this series. There's a reason the first book is the one I immediately recommend to people asking advice on books to read... and sure, they're billed as Young Adult novels, but don't let that fool you into thinking they're only for kids. Also, I don't believe I've run across books more deserving of being read out loud (it made reading this book a bit tricky, because I kept wanting to read parts of it to people around me who had never even read the first book in the series, let alone the first three leading up to this one). Or that made me giggle and chuckle out loud so uncontrollably.
I was a bit surprised to realize that this was, essentially, the last book in the series... since I'd assumed there would be five (and, in fact, it looks like there's still the possibility of five, someday). While many things were wrapped up quite nicely, there's still another whole book's worth of plot to be tied up, but really, if Brandon Sanderson had to leave the series anywhere, this wasn't a bad place to do it. I found the ending satisfying even while it left me wanting more. Because of the way these stories are told, you have an idea of how the characters ultimately end up and, in fact, Alcatraz even outright reveals the resolutions to several loose plots threads at the end of this book, but the way it's done still managed to leave me wanting to read how it happens!
I have no idea if we'll ever get another Alcatraz book, but I sincerely hope we do.
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Wow, that as a bit of a downer (probably shouldn't have read it right after the clever, silly fun of Alcatraz vs the Shattered Lens -- what a contrast!). It was a very easy read... I think it took me all of 90 minutes to get through and it was quite good, but oddly dark for a book obviously aimed at the fifth grade set (judging by font size and vocabulary). Not sure I would ever recommend it to someone in its target market... in fact, despite really liking it and wanting to read more, I'm not entirely sure I would be comfortable recommending it to anyone. An odd situation.
Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich
These books remain one of my favorite forms of brain candy. Nothing deep, just enjoyable and entertaining... and I have to say I liked this one better than the last few. The zany plot didn't feel anywhere near as artificial and the resolution actually made some sense, plus made for an hysterical mental image. I also thought that the will she/won't she stuff with Morelli and Ranger actually made some sense in this one (as opposed to, well, feeling a bit forced). Overall, there was a nice balance through most of the book... hope the rest of the series manages to work things out as well as this one did!
Crossposted from my LiveJournal
First up, the books I've already mentioned on LJ:
The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner
Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
Heat Wave by Richard Castle
Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings
Psych: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Read by William Rabkin
Magician's Gambit by David Eddings
Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
Death du Jour by Kathy Reichs
Changes by Jim Butcher
Split Infinity by Piers Anthony
Soulless by Gail Carriger
To the Nines by Janet Evanovich
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Infinity Beach by Jack McDevitt
And now the last few I read in 2010:
Naked Heat by Richard Castle
I'm amazed at how good these books have been and really quite curious about the ghostwriter. Whoever is in charge of these things has certainly come up with an excellent way to do tie-in novels for the TV show... by making it the fictional creation of a fictional character. You've got most of the characters from the show present (I do miss Alexis in these books), with only slight alterations to make them different from the "real people" they represent... the voices for each are spot on and the plot uses elements from episodes in the last season of the show, as if those events have really been gleaned for ideas by an author who experienced them (and then given new twists so that even if you watched the show, you won't necessarily guess where things are going). Wonderfully done!
And just to give it that added edge of surreality, there's the Acknowledgments in the back... a combination of thanks from the fictional author to the fictional people who helped him "create" his work intermingled with thanks to the very real people who help bring the show to life. Love it and can't wait for the next book!
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
After seeing the previews for Dirk Gently on the BBC, I got a yen to reread this one. It's probably been over a decade and there was a lot I'd forgotten! I do think I may actually enjoy this series more than the Hitchhiker's series (which I really do love) and I wish there'd been more of them.
One of the things that struck me again this time was exactly how much of the plot was lifted directly from the classic Doctor Who episode "City of Death" (Douglas Adams is allowed, though, since he wrote that episode under a pseudonym). The book is a lot of fun in itself, but I also loved the glimpses it gives into the state of computers and software in the 1980s (when Mr. Adams was actually involved somewhat in computer game development).
Altactraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson
If you haven't read these books already, well... go out and buy them! Right now! Or surf over to your favorite online bookseller and buy them! Seriously, you won't be sorry.
I love this series. There's a reason the first book is the one I immediately recommend to people asking advice on books to read... and sure, they're billed as Young Adult novels, but don't let that fool you into thinking they're only for kids. Also, I don't believe I've run across books more deserving of being read out loud (it made reading this book a bit tricky, because I kept wanting to read parts of it to people around me who had never even read the first book in the series, let alone the first three leading up to this one). Or that made me giggle and chuckle out loud so uncontrollably.
I was a bit surprised to realize that this was, essentially, the last book in the series... since I'd assumed there would be five (and, in fact, it looks like there's still the possibility of five, someday). While many things were wrapped up quite nicely, there's still another whole book's worth of plot to be tied up, but really, if Brandon Sanderson had to leave the series anywhere, this wasn't a bad place to do it. I found the ending satisfying even while it left me wanting more. Because of the way these stories are told, you have an idea of how the characters ultimately end up and, in fact, Alcatraz even outright reveals the resolutions to several loose plots threads at the end of this book, but the way it's done still managed to leave me wanting to read how it happens!
I have no idea if we'll ever get another Alcatraz book, but I sincerely hope we do.
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Wow, that as a bit of a downer (probably shouldn't have read it right after the clever, silly fun of Alcatraz vs the Shattered Lens -- what a contrast!). It was a very easy read... I think it took me all of 90 minutes to get through and it was quite good, but oddly dark for a book obviously aimed at the fifth grade set (judging by font size and vocabulary). Not sure I would ever recommend it to someone in its target market... in fact, despite really liking it and wanting to read more, I'm not entirely sure I would be comfortable recommending it to anyone. An odd situation.
Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich
These books remain one of my favorite forms of brain candy. Nothing deep, just enjoyable and entertaining... and I have to say I liked this one better than the last few. The zany plot didn't feel anywhere near as artificial and the resolution actually made some sense, plus made for an hysterical mental image. I also thought that the will she/won't she stuff with Morelli and Ranger actually made some sense in this one (as opposed to, well, feeling a bit forced). Overall, there was a nice balance through most of the book... hope the rest of the series manages to work things out as well as this one did!
Crossposted from my LiveJournal
