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catherinehaines found this list via Bella who in turn found it via Neil Gaiman: it’s Borders Australia’s 100 Favourite Books Of All Time, as voted by their customers.The meme rules are:
Books that one has read should be bolded
Books for which one has seen the movie should be italicized
Books that are on one's “to read” pile should be marked with an asterisk (*).
( Read more... )
It was a good decision to change the cover immediately, but, REALLY, Bloomsbury? The best you could do at spin was, "We just don't see why putting a long, straight-haired white girl on the cover of a book about an African-American girl with short, natural hair could possibly be construed as racist! I mean, it was a picture representing the character's 'complex psychological makeup' which is OF COURSE white! That's the default setting for all humans, duh!"*
* above quote not actually a quote; quote within quote IS actual quote.
It was wonderful and wide-ranging and satisfying and made me want to reread the preceding three books. It also had the ending I wanted all along for two of the characters while the ending I wanted all along for two of the other characters is strongly hinted at.
...too bad my books are already packed or I'd start over with Inda probably even tonight. Or rather, it's just as well my books are already packed -- I have a lot to do and once I'm in Inda's world, I can't seem to step away from it to do anything else.
About ten days into Knowing I'm Allergic To Cats, and I can really tell the various changes I've made are working. I am no longer going through kleenexes like there's no tomorrow. I can breathe with ease most of the time and don't feel like my entire head is stuffed. I don't have inner ear weirdness, nausea, dizziness, etc., from being totally stuffed-up. Keeping the cats out of the bedroom (except Nuala at night) has been, I think, the biggest game-changer, that and the Nasonex.
The weather is hovering on the edge of turning nice, and this evening we got a bit of sun and warm weather after a day of drizzle and gloom. Tomorrow is Wolverine at last, next week is Star Trek for which I've become very excited, and soon after, Up. May will be a great movie month. Yay!
Anime Central is also next week -- I'm hoping that even though it's just started, the new Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood series will have spawned tie-ins and costuming. There hasn't been a really big new anime in a few years -- nothing like FMA or even Naruto as far as being the big thing everyone knows about -- so even a resurgence of an old favorite would be good to get the enthusiasm going.
I finally dragged my butt back to the gym this week (rather literally, for when one sits more than one does anything else, it is la patootie that demonstrates this to the world) and have gone three days in a row. I'm trying to change up my routine in several ways, and though it's only a couple of days in, I can already tell its making a difference. For one, I have more energy: I ran errands after my workout and then, after I got home and had supper, I did the dishes, did some laundry, changed the bedding (something I've been lacksadaisical about but which will now become an at-least weekly thing to keep any dander that does accumulate to a minimum), cleaned the bathroom, and took out the trash.
I recently finished reading the arc version of lisamantchev's sparkly wonderful Eyes Like Stars. I've had the privilege of reading several versions of this book while it was in-progress, and I think it's turned out simply wonderfully. And I still think it has one of the best first lines in the history of ever. I hope you've all pre-ordered it.
Now to finish my semi-annual reread of A College of Magics (so much love), and then I'll likely start Laurie R. King's new Mary Russell novel, The Language of Bees -- in which they FINALLY get back to England! YAY!
Three high school girls -- life-long friends -- must deal with major changes in their relationship -- especially the changes that a romance between two of them brings about.
This is only the THIRD book I finished this year (one per month = not good!) It was a good story well told and a bit on the light side. I like all three of the main characters, but I think there may have been too many voices for the book to dig as deeply as it might have into the subjects it was grappling (the other major plot deals with the third friend's difficult long-distance relationship with her first true boyfriend).
There are a few too many characters overall and a few too many minor threads and plots which distract from the focus (or focii) and a rather distracting subplot that I think the book would have been better without involving a hapless young man who gets involved in the trio's dramas.
But I kept reading which, y'know, considering my attention span, says a lot about the book -- it is interesting, engaging, and moves along well, and I was happy with the ending and how things were kind-of resolved but not all tied up in big bows.
Another of the author's books, Suite Scarlett, is a recent favorite of mine which I neglected to review last year when I read it but which I *highly* recommend.
Sadly, this is only the second book I've read this year.
Well, that isn't quite true; I've listened to a few books on audio as well, but they were all re-reads and audio is often something I only half-listen to (which is why re-reads are good for that since I'm usually working while listening so can't commit my full attention to catch every nuance and detail). But Graceling is only the second novel I've read with my eyes rather than my ears and only the second first-read book of the year for me.
*sigh* To think I once burned through books like fire through straw... Ah, youth.
( Onward to the kind-of review of Graceling! )
I was alerted by several squeeing emails that Meg Cabot linked (and said nice things about) my review of Forever Princess! It's down toward the end of the entry right after the picture of Meg on a bicycle.
So THAT is supercool!
(First book read in 2009!)
I've been reading the Princess Diaries books for a long time. I can't at this great remove remember whether I read them before or after the first movie came out, but I was a fairly early adopter and I've stuck with the series through all ten major and most of the minor volumes.
I love YA books. I used to clerk in the Young Adults Services department in a very large main branch of an extensive library system back before the publishing niche became what it is today. Back then it was serious books about Social Issues and flimsy paperback series about high school, but now it is probably the most vibrant area of publishing there is, and some of the best books, period, are interfiled under the broad YA banner.
( This way for musings on Forever Princess and the series... )
I didn't keep track at all of what I was reading this last year, so I've had to pull this list together from memory and a bit of research, but I want to make a start on my non-resolution to keep track of what I'm reading.
If I don't like something, I generally don't finish it, so you can safely assume I enjoyed all the books listed below. I'm going to gray out the ones I liked a bit less than the others and bold the ones I really loved.
New Reads
- The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett
- Chalice by Robin McKinley
- Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
- A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
- His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
- Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik
- House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
- Ever by Gail Carson Levine
- Stranger to Command by Sherwood Smith
- King's Shield by Sherwood Smith
- All Seated on the Ground by Connie Willis
- Janes in Love by Cecil Castelucci
- Don't Hex with Texas by Shana Swendson
- Warchild by Karin Lowachee
- Big Boned by Meg Cabot
- Princess Mia by Meg Cabot
- Magic and the Modern Girl by Mindy Klasky
- Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
- Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan
- Austenland by Shannon Hale
- Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
- Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
- Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson
- Countess Belowstairs by Eva Ibbotson
- Posse of Princesses by Sherwood Smith
- Rites of Spring by Diana Peterfreund
- Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
- Oyayubihime Infinity by Toru Fujieda (CMX)
- Emma by Kaoru Mori (CMX)
(It's safe to assume I loved all of these)
- Sunshine by Robin McKinley
- King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
- To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
- Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
- Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold
- A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold
- Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold
- Inside Job by Connie Willis
- Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne Jones
- Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughan (Wildstorm)
- DMZ by Brian Wood (Vertigo)
- Echo by Terry Moore (Abstract Studios)
- Blue Beetle (DC)
- Green Arrow/Black Canary (DC)
- Wonder Woman (DC)
- Supergirl (DC)
- Birds of Prey (DC)
- Runaways (Marvel)
- Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa (Viz)
- Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya (Tokyopop)
- Gentlemen's Alliance Cross by Arina Tanemura (Shojo Beat/Viz)
- Penguin Revolution by Sakura Tsukuba (CMX)
Hmmm. This looks much more impressive than I thought. I don't read as much as I used to so I often feel as if I'm not reading at all. This list puts the lie to that!
As he said in his helpful comment on my original post, "Wasn't anything to do with The Big Read."
So the meme-maker played us false -- FALSE, I SAY!
And yet, were we not entertained?!
- Location:the 847 area code
- Mood:
ditzy - Music:a/c
ckocher.My notes marked with [ ]. I've read 33% of the list or thereabouts -- a bit less with the few marked as partial completions. I disapprove of the list lumping series in as single items and then relisting single items -- sloppy. If you count titles, I've read more than the apparent 33 books -- more like 45 plus several Shakespeare plays I haven't time to go count and how DO you count "books" of the Bible? At a guess with the Shakespeare, we're looking at closer to 60 and I'd guess I've at least read 20-25 complete Bible "books."
edit:
"The Big Read" apparently refers to that "get your community to read the same book" National Endowment for the Arts project, so these books or groups of books must be selections by the various cities and groups doing the project.
edit, mk 2:
Or not -- I can't find any info on the site that matches this list. One wishes Meme Makers would Cite Their Sources!
++++ actual meme bits ensue ++++
The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed.
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE. [I set the "love" bar very high so I didn't underline everything ;) ]
4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them ;-)
[ Please post comments only below -- I want to see your list on YOUR blog :) ]
- Music:Aerial by Kate Bush
lisamantchev has written two beautiful companion stories with wintry settings, both available at Clarkesworld Magazine. Read "A Dance Across Embers" and follow it up with "Threads of Red and White." You won't be sorry.deathquaker!These are the top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing's users (as of whenever this meme began). As usual, bold what you have read, italicize what you started but couldn't finish, and
I've read 23% of the listed titles and tried to read a few more... Not bad! Occasional comments are added after the listing in brackets.
- Music:"Summer Sunshine" by the Corrs
A list of random moments, in no order, which I *LOVED* or which struck me as most memorable in Deathly Hallows (sorry if anyone saw this during the three seconds it was up without an lj-cut. I swear I put one in, and the typing window showed it was there, so I have no idea why it didn't work.)
( Yet more spoilers... )'Cause it took me about twelve hours to read it, including short breaks. I had lunch delivered by Jimmy Johns. I went out for a late, post-read discussion supper with litl_iruka after where we both tried to keep our squeeing as quiet as possible so as not to spoil things for any unwary passersby.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
finished 7/21
( Here be spoilers... consider yourself warned... )
I have my little wrist band certifying my ability to plan ahead adn tonight I will go queue for my official 12:01 CDT sanctioned copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and then I shall read and read until I finish it.
Amen.
( Not a spoiler but for those who are really worried about ANY hints of what's to come... )
Super-fail. There is *no way* I can get through Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince by Friday night, so I've decided to skip on to Prince directly (I'm 1/5th of the way through the very longest-book, Phoenix) since I did just see the Phoenix movie. I know most details were left out of that and some things are slightly different, but I want the specifics from Prince fresh in my mind when I read Deathly Hallows. Which is annoying because I've been enjoying the read-thru... I just was going far too slowly and/or started too late.
If the last book doesn't upset me too much to enjoy the HP books for awhile (no spoilerizing there -- just one of the many possible outcomes anticipated), I'll hop back and finish book five afterwards.
I really enjoyed this book:
Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund
finished 7/7
The main character, Amy Haskel, is sort of an everygirl--if every girl is smart, funny, verbal, and ambitious--who finds herself "tapped" for membership into THE most exclusive secret society going. Talented and hard-working enough to have received early admission to Eli University (the novel's obvious alias for Yale with its secret society Rose & Grave being an equally obvious stand-in for Yale's famous Skull & Bones), Amy is nevertheless shocked to find herself courted by Rose & Grave which she didn't even think had women members let along any who ran the university's lit magazine instead of running her own company or inventing a million-dollar internet technology.
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