and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

Hard months are hard. Thank heaven for fiction, at least. I think taking a break to see Despicable Me went a long way toward keeping me from exploding, or imploding. It's so fluffy!

And the new Sherlock BBC series! That's really engaging - although I like the direction they've taken, part of me wants an even more alternate take on Holmes canon: why not set it in the future? Why not have Holmes or Watson or Lestrade a different race, or gender? They could have played with the concept even more, I feel, for what's essentially fanfiction on tv. (Will I still be watching it avidly? Oh hells yes. :D )

More piecemeal booklogging:

7. Out by Natsuo Kirino.
( Wow. How to describe Out. I loved it? Dark, violent, gripping and beautiful... )

8. Death By Chick Lit by Lynn Harris.
( Okay, I picked this up because the title made me double-take, but it turned out to be a funny, catty, well done little murder mystery... )

9. Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman.
( I do love people running around in spandex and capes... )

10. Pigeons From Hell by Joe Lansdale and Nathan Fox.
( Thoroughly spooky and violent, but artistically quite lovely... )




Previously:

1. Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie [5/5]
2. The Summoner by Gail Z. Martin [4.5/5]
3. The Blood King by Gail Z. Martin [4/5]
4. Witch & Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet [2/5]
5. Daisy Kutter: The Last Train Job by Kazu Kibuishi [5/5]
6. Box Office Poison by Alex Robinson [4/5]

If I'd remembered to keep track, I probably would have reached the goal number the last time around. Oh well. Time for a restart. :)

Let's see now. New time period: from the last week of December 2009 to the last week of December 2010, since I'm including books read in the last month. Goal: 50 books. Children's books will count as 1/2 a book, rereads as a full book unless I change my mind.

1. Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie: These are stories about love, loss, sacrifice, and what shapes us, whether it's basketball, the love for the written word, or infidelity. Mostly happening in and around Seattle, the main characters are Indian, primarily from the Spokane tribe - which makes sense, since Alexie himself is Spokane. I really enjoyed this short story collection; the characters are varied and thoroughly fleshed-out. 5 out of 5.

2. The Summoner by Gail Z. Martin: First in a fantasy trilogy called Chronicles of the Necromancer, the story introduces a nicely built fantasy world of magic, goddesses, and ghosts. While 'a prince on the run and a ragtag group he finds along the way must stop an evil power from taking over their world' is not anything new, the characters are interesting, gender-varied and believable, and I like the system of magic and politics between the various countries. 4 and 1/2 out of 5.

3. The Blood King by Gail Z. Martin: Second in the trilogy. The drama and anticipation built up nicely, but I thought the conclusion itself was kind of abrupt. We'll see if the third book picks up speed or meanders... Even with the pacing, I enjoyed the story and new plot entanglements. 4 out of 5.

4. Witch & Wizard by James Patterson (and in small print Gabrielle Charbonnet): This was a christmas gift from a friend, sweet but misguided. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone else. It seems to be trying to appeal to YA and fantasy readers, but the language and style isn't really coherent. There are randomly invented slang words, abrupt violence mixed with childish language, and no real depth to the story or characters. It feels deliberately dumbed down to create a (false) sense of mystery: if I had to describe it with one phrase, I'd say it was ham-handed. Honestly, there's a distinct difference between a story for young adults and a story that hasn't been written well. 2 out of 5.

D'oh, something I forgot to say: One thing I like about the two graphic novels in the last post (Re-Gifters, My Faith In Frankie) is that, for stories written and illustrated by men, they're filled with engaging, kickass, interesting women and girls. Everyone regardless of gender is three-dimensional, complicated and silly and unique and imperfect and depicted with realistic body shapes (well, stylized, sure, but nobody looks like Barbie or Ken, or Pamela Anderson or the men from 300). In the comics industry, that is something that can be hard to find - humor and caricature without being derogatory, respect without it being some kind of statement. These are good storytellers, good artists.

The lineup:

7. Funny Accent by Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
8. Searching For Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
9. Calling On Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
10. Strange Attractors by Rebecca Goldstein
11A. Samurai Champloo Roman Album by Dark Horse Manga/ Shinichiro Watanabe
11B. The Good Times by James Kelman

( What I thought of them...  )


Books Read So Far: (new in bold)

1. The Book Thief (5/5)
2A. The Golden Compass (5/5)
2B. a softer world: truth and beauty bombs (4.5/5)
3. How To Build A Robot Army (5/5)
4. Light (3/5)
5. World War Z (5/5)
6. Dealing With Dragons (4.5/5)
7. Funny Accent (5/5)
8. Searching For Dragons (4/5)
9. Calling On Dragons (4/5)
10. Strange Attractors (5/5)
11A. Samurai Champloo Roman Album (4/5)
11B. The Good Times (2/5)

Crossposted to 50bookchallenge

so. what else have I been reading? ( let's see here... )


Books Read So Far: (new in bold)

1. The Book Thief (5/5)
2A. The Golden Compass(5/5)
2B. a softer world: truth and beauty bombs(4.5/5)
3. How To Build A Robot Army(5/5)

So I picked up The Book Thief by Markus Zusak the other day, along with some bargain nonfiction, and thought I'd give it a try. It was the title that got me, though the well done cover didn't hurt. :)

( more behind the cut )

I think I'm going to try the 50 book challenge this year. We'll see how it goes.