Whoo! Being unemployed certainly gives you time to read... and watch full seasons of How I Met Your Mother and Firefly, and play an exorbitant number of Pogo games (they have Monopoly!).
But what matters here are the books, of course.
Days spent reading: 28
Books read: 11
...in fiction: 11
...in science fiction: 1
...in mystery: 2
...in humor: 2
...in fantasy: 2
...in thriller: 1
...in short stories: 1
...in graphic format: 1
Series reads: Thursday Next, Old Man's War, Codex Alera, Nursery Crime
Favorite book: Old Man's War, by John Scalzi (Review) 8.5/10
Challenges
Countdown Challenge: +9 books for 28/45
Chunkster Challenge: +1 book for 1/6
The Baker Street Challenge: +0 books for 0/3
My Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge: +0 for 0/12
Support Your Local Library Challenge: +10 for 10/50
31 January 2009
The Big Over Easy, by Jasper Fforde (29 January — 30 January)
Oh, Jasper Fforde, you've done it again! This is the first book of Fforde's Nursery Crime series, which first shows up in The Well of Lost Plots and exists in tandem with the Thursday Next universe.
The conceit here is that nursery rhyme characters are real but don't know they're from nursery rhymes, and that they now get prosecuted for their crimes (they are, of course, Brothers Grimm versions).
So when Humpty Dumpty is found dead and cracked at the bottom of a wall, it's up to Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and Detective Sergeant Mary Mary to find out whodunnit and why. Was it suicide? Was it one of Humpty's hundreds of ex-lovers? Was it, perhaps, Solomon Grundy (born on Monday), who is poised to absorb the failing Spongg footcare dynasty into his own chiropody company, Winsum & Loosum?
Of course, the unpublished Spratt is having a hard time with his case because he's not a Guild member. His cheating upstart former partner, Friedland Chymes, is, and he's ready to steal this case any way he can to get a new story in Amazing Crime Stories and have even more accolades heaped upon him.
Oh yes. It is that ridiculous, and that awesome. Each chapter begins with an excerpt about other nursery crimes or the Guild of Detectives, and there are so many references to nursery rhymes that it could be a bit overwhelming, but it's not. I also like that Fforde has trotted out all of the mystery genre traits (I did take a course on mysteries, after all!) and used them well. If you don't mind a bit of fancy with your murder mystery, I would heartily suggest picking up this book.
Rating: 8/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge)
The conceit here is that nursery rhyme characters are real but don't know they're from nursery rhymes, and that they now get prosecuted for their crimes (they are, of course, Brothers Grimm versions).
So when Humpty Dumpty is found dead and cracked at the bottom of a wall, it's up to Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and Detective Sergeant Mary Mary to find out whodunnit and why. Was it suicide? Was it one of Humpty's hundreds of ex-lovers? Was it, perhaps, Solomon Grundy (born on Monday), who is poised to absorb the failing Spongg footcare dynasty into his own chiropody company, Winsum & Loosum?
Of course, the unpublished Spratt is having a hard time with his case because he's not a Guild member. His cheating upstart former partner, Friedland Chymes, is, and he's ready to steal this case any way he can to get a new story in Amazing Crime Stories and have even more accolades heaped upon him.
Oh yes. It is that ridiculous, and that awesome. Each chapter begins with an excerpt about other nursery crimes or the Guild of Detectives, and there are so many references to nursery rhymes that it could be a bit overwhelming, but it's not. I also like that Fforde has trotted out all of the mystery genre traits (I did take a course on mysteries, after all!) and used them well. If you don't mind a bit of fancy with your murder mystery, I would heartily suggest picking up this book.
Rating: 8/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge)
28 January 2009
Academ's Fury, by Jim Butcher (26 January — 28 January)
This is the second novel of the Codex Alera series wherein elements can do awesome things if you know how to use them.
Tavi is now at the Academy, training to become a Cursor but still getting his butt kicked by bullies since he doesn't have the ability to furycraft. When the First Lord falls ill, it falls on Tavi to figure out a way to keep the warring factions from finding out and declaring a civil war.
Meanwhile, Tavi's aunt, Isana, is headed to the capital with news for the First Lord — creatures called the vord have begun to take over Calderon and are probably headed for the capital city as well. Her brother, now Count Bernard, and his men are fighting them off as best they can, but it might not be enough.
Certainly as good as the first book. Butcher adds in a few more puzzles that make me want to keep on reading the series and starts slowly answering the questions I had before. I'm very curious to find out just what's up with Tavi's heritage.
Rating: 7/10
(Countdown Challenge: 2005, Chunkster Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge)
Tavi is now at the Academy, training to become a Cursor but still getting his butt kicked by bullies since he doesn't have the ability to furycraft. When the First Lord falls ill, it falls on Tavi to figure out a way to keep the warring factions from finding out and declaring a civil war.
Meanwhile, Tavi's aunt, Isana, is headed to the capital with news for the First Lord — creatures called the vord have begun to take over Calderon and are probably headed for the capital city as well. Her brother, now Count Bernard, and his men are fighting them off as best they can, but it might not be enough.
Certainly as good as the first book. Butcher adds in a few more puzzles that make me want to keep on reading the series and starts slowly answering the questions I had before. I'm very curious to find out just what's up with Tavi's heritage.
Rating: 7/10
(Countdown Challenge: 2005, Chunkster Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge)
25 January 2009
Old Man's War, by John Scalzi (24 January — 25 January)
I read Zoe's Tale, this most recent in this series, last month and it was quite good, so when I saw this first novel on the shelf at the library, I had to grab it.
The premise of Old Man's War is that Earth, with its surplus of population, is off colonizing other planets, but then so are a whole bunch of other intelligent races. To make sure that humans get enough planets, the Colonial Defense Forces keep their ranks healthily supplied — with 75-year-olds.
John Perry is one of these "old farts." The novel follows his story, from why he decided to join up to how 75-year-olds are prepared for intergalactic war and just what war means on a universal scale.
It's a good time and a quick read and I definitely need to grab the next book tout de suite.
Rating: 8.5/10
(Countdown Challenge: 2005, Support Your Local Library Challenge)
The premise of Old Man's War is that Earth, with its surplus of population, is off colonizing other planets, but then so are a whole bunch of other intelligent races. To make sure that humans get enough planets, the Colonial Defense Forces keep their ranks healthily supplied — with 75-year-olds.
John Perry is one of these "old farts." The novel follows his story, from why he decided to join up to how 75-year-olds are prepared for intergalactic war and just what war means on a universal scale.
It's a good time and a quick read and I definitely need to grab the next book tout de suite.
Rating: 8.5/10
(Countdown Challenge: 2005, Support Your Local Library Challenge)
23 January 2009
When We Were Romans, by Matthew Kneale (21 January — 23 January)
I'm not gonna lie, I read this book because of its cover. Luckily, the book was pretty darn good as well!
Our narrator, 9-year-old Lawrence, lives with his mother Hannah and sister Jemima in England. His father, who lives in Scotland, has been bothering Lawrence's mother so she decides to pack up the kids and go on a little vacation — to Rome, in the middle of the school year. They try to live a moderately normal life while being shuffled from house to house among Hannah's old friends and hoping that their father doesn't find them.
Hmm. That doesn't sound all that exciting, but it really was. The book is written as if by Lawrence so it's riddled with spelling errors and general kid misunderstandings, but it's fun to read about what's going through his mind before he decides what he's going to say. Lawrence is also a smart little kid, so each section of his narrative begins with some information from his book about space or books about Roman emperors that pertains to the story and is also educational!
Having Lawrence as the narrator helps keep the true nature of things hidden for a while, and as it started to fall into place for me I was just hoping he would figure it out too. Definitely a great conceit.
Rating: 8/10
(Countdown Challenge: 2008, Support Your Local Library Challenge)
Our narrator, 9-year-old Lawrence, lives with his mother Hannah and sister Jemima in England. His father, who lives in Scotland, has been bothering Lawrence's mother so she decides to pack up the kids and go on a little vacation — to Rome, in the middle of the school year. They try to live a moderately normal life while being shuffled from house to house among Hannah's old friends and hoping that their father doesn't find them.
Hmm. That doesn't sound all that exciting, but it really was. The book is written as if by Lawrence so it's riddled with spelling errors and general kid misunderstandings, but it's fun to read about what's going through his mind before he decides what he's going to say. Lawrence is also a smart little kid, so each section of his narrative begins with some information from his book about space or books about Roman emperors that pertains to the story and is also educational!
Having Lawrence as the narrator helps keep the true nature of things hidden for a while, and as it started to fall into place for me I was just hoping he would figure it out too. Definitely a great conceit.
Rating: 8/10
(Countdown Challenge: 2008, Support Your Local Library Challenge)
20 January 2009
Just After Sunset, by Stephen King (17 January — 20 January)
I'm not the world's biggest fan of short stories, but I do like Stephen King and I really like the cover of this book (sunset-y and out of focus), so I picked it up.
As I figured, some of the stories were cool and some were lame (mostly the ones that King describes in his endnotes as more dictation than fiction). They cover topics including what happens after we die, what you should do if someone wants to murder you, why you should (or shouldn't, I suppose...) pick up hitchhikers, and why you should never become a psychiatrist. One of these stories also contains feces.
All in all a good set of short stories.
Rating: 7/10 (for 8/13 stories enjoyed and the lame ones being short)
(Countdown Challenge: 2008, Support Your Local Library Challenge)
As I figured, some of the stories were cool and some were lame (mostly the ones that King describes in his endnotes as more dictation than fiction). They cover topics including what happens after we die, what you should do if someone wants to murder you, why you should (or shouldn't, I suppose...) pick up hitchhikers, and why you should never become a psychiatrist. One of these stories also contains feces.
All in all a good set of short stories.
Rating: 7/10 (for 8/13 stories enjoyed and the lame ones being short)
(Countdown Challenge: 2008, Support Your Local Library Challenge)
16 January 2009
Plain Truth, by Jodi Picoult (15 January — 16 January)
Oh, Jodi Picoult. Just when I'm so angry at you, the library suddenly has all of your books. I remembered this as one of Picoult's books that Laura loved a bunch, so I grabbed it. Thank goodness I did!
Plain Truth starts with a girl secretly giving birth in a barn and hoping for God to solve her problem. She falls asleep holding her baby, but when she wakes up it's gone, and that makes her pretty happy. Unfortunately, it is found in the morning, dead and hidden in a pile of clothing. Katie, eighteen years old and found bleeding from her vagina, is the prime suspect in the baby's murder, but she is saying she never even had a baby.
Ellie, a high-powered defense attorney, has just completed the case of her life in acquitting a child molester and is feeling pretty dirty about the whole thing. She leaves Philadelphia and her lame-tastic boyfriend for some relaxing time near Amish country with her cousin Leda. Unfortunately for Ellie, Katie is Leda's niece and Ellie finds herself not only representing an alleged baby-killer but also living and working on her farm as well.
I thought this novel was just great. I enjoyed learning about the Amish culture, and seeing how Ellie and Katie both had to make concessions to the other to make their partnership work. There was, as always, a bit of melodrama, and a nice neat little ending (I would love to cut out that page and just leave some ambiguity for the next reader, but the library probably frowns on that), but overall a good time and a much more engaging read than most of the books I've grabbed recently.
Rating: 8/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge)
Plain Truth starts with a girl secretly giving birth in a barn and hoping for God to solve her problem. She falls asleep holding her baby, but when she wakes up it's gone, and that makes her pretty happy. Unfortunately, it is found in the morning, dead and hidden in a pile of clothing. Katie, eighteen years old and found bleeding from her vagina, is the prime suspect in the baby's murder, but she is saying she never even had a baby.
Ellie, a high-powered defense attorney, has just completed the case of her life in acquitting a child molester and is feeling pretty dirty about the whole thing. She leaves Philadelphia and her lame-tastic boyfriend for some relaxing time near Amish country with her cousin Leda. Unfortunately for Ellie, Katie is Leda's niece and Ellie finds herself not only representing an alleged baby-killer but also living and working on her farm as well.
I thought this novel was just great. I enjoyed learning about the Amish culture, and seeing how Ellie and Katie both had to make concessions to the other to make their partnership work. There was, as always, a bit of melodrama, and a nice neat little ending (I would love to cut out that page and just leave some ambiguity for the next reader, but the library probably frowns on that), but overall a good time and a much more engaging read than most of the books I've grabbed recently.
Rating: 8/10
(Support Your Local Library Challenge)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)