filkferengi | Entries tagged with books read--2015

November, 2015
Tamora Pierce--The Will Of The Empress [reread--Mark Reads]
Marissa Lingen--”Points Of Origin”
Elizabeth Bear--”This Chance Planet”
Daniel Polanski & Lawrence M. Schoen--”A Kippled Meal”
Carlie St. George--”The Case Of The Bloody Little Slipper”
Geoff Johns--Justice League Volume 1: Origin
Marie Brennan--The Voyage Of ‘The Basilisk’
Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire--Leif The Lucky
Mme. La Comtesse d’Aulnoy--The White Cat
Georgette Heyer--The Unknown Ajax [reread]
Seanan McGuire--”The Opening Band”
Ursula Vernon--”Toad Words”
Deborah Blake--Wickedly Dangerous
Mary Jo Putney--Carousel Of Hearts

December, 2015
Terry Pratchett--Lords And Ladies [reread--Mark Reads]
Mary Jo Putney--The Bargain
Seanan McGuire--”Fiber” [Fighting Pumpkins story]
Geoff Johns--Justice League Volume 2: The Villain’s Journey
Wilanne Schneider Belden--Mind-Call [reread]
Ursula Vernon--”The Sea Witch Sets The Record Straight”
Oscar Wilde--”The Fisherman And His Soul”
Kim Stanley Robinson--”Oral Argument”
Katharine Kerr--”Leaf” [Nola O’Grady story]
Mary Jo Putney--One Perfect Rose [reread]
Brian Stavely--”The Log Goblin”
Georgette Heyer--A Civil Contract [reread]
Charles Dickens--”A Christmas Carol” [read by Neil Gaiman]
Deborah Blake--Wickedly Wonderful
Debbie Macomber--Dashing Through The Snow
Noelle Stevenson--Nimona
Jim C. Hines--”Crimson Frost”
Seanan McGuire--”Velveteen Presents Action Dude Vs. Doing The Right Thing”
Barbara Bretton--Just Desserts [reread]

Lots of short stories this time, most either by Seanan or from tor.com, along with just a sprinkling of romance, something I hadn't read in quite a while. Over the year, I also read lots of graphic novels. Thank goodness for libraries; I'd have neither the cash nor the space for all the good things without them [& their booksales].

What have y'all read that was new or unusual for you?

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Jed Marum--The Way Your Earth Moves

September, 2015
Marie Brennan--A Natural History Of Dragons
Gene Luen Yang--The Eternal Smile
Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire--D’Aulaires’ Book Of Norse Myths
Judy Corbalis--Porcellus, The Flying Pig
Sophie Hannah--The Monogram Murders
Tamora Pierce--Shatterglass [reread--Mark Reads]
Ian McDonald--”The Fifth Dragon”
Gene Luen Yang--The Shadow Hero
Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire--D’Aulaires’ Book Of Trolls
Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire--George Washington
Molly MacRae--Lawn Order

October, 2015
Gene Luen Yang & Ursula Vernon--Comics Squad: Recess!
Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire--Too Big
Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire--Foxie The Singing Dog
Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire--Buffalo Bill
Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire--Animals Everywhere
Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire--Children Of The Northlights
Elizabeth Coatsworth--Boston Bells
Paul Galdone--Obedient Jack
Seanan McGuire--”Velveteen Vs. A Disturbing Number Of Crows”
Mark Clifton--The Science Fiction Of Mark Clifton [reread]
Terry Pratchett--Small Gods [reread--Mark Reads]
Marie Brennan--The Tropic Of Serpents
Delia Sherman--”The Fiddler Of Bayou Teche”
Delia Sherman--”The Faerie Cony-Catcher”
Seanan McGuire--”The Way Home”
Delia Sherman--”Cotillion”
Jack Zipes--The Irresistible Fairy Tale - The Cultural & Social History Of A Genre
Clare B. Dunkle--The Hollow Kingdom
Georgette Heyer--Frederica [reread]
Seanan McGuire--”Velveteen Vs. Trick Or Treat”
Patricia Wentworth--The Case Of William Smith

Current Mood: amused
Current Music: Mississippi John Hurt--Worried Blues

July, 2015
Agatha Christie--The Mirror Crack’d [reread]
Agatha Christie--A Caribbean Mystery [reread]
Agatha Christie--Nemesis [reread]
Agatha Christie--What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw [reread]
Agatha Christie--The Body In The Library [reread]
Agatha Christie--Murder At The Vicarage [reread]
Mercedes Lackey--From A High Tower
Jack Zipes, ed.--The Outspoken Princess & The Gentle Knight
Michael Livingston--”At The End Of Babel”
Terry Pratchett--Reaper Man [reread--Mark Reads]
Agatha Christie--A Murder Is Announced [reread]
Jane Yolen--Not One Damsel In Distress
John Lithgow--Never Play Music Right Next To The Zoo
Sibylle von Olfers--Mother Earth And Her Children
Gail Oust--Shake, Murder, And Roll
Sarah Addison Allen--Garden Spells [reread]
Agatha Christie--There Is A Tide
Agatha Christie--Sad Cypress [reread]
Agatha Christie--The Patriotic Murders
Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples--Saga Volume 1
Tamora Pierce--Cold Fire [reread--Mark Reads]
Agatha Christie--Surprise! Surprise! [reread]
Agatha Christie--The Regatta Mystery & Other Stories [reread]
Seanan McGuire--”Velveteen Vs. The Melancholy Of Autumn”
Katie Fforde--A Perfect Proposal
Nora Roberts--Boundary Lines
Judy Corbalis--The Wrestling Princess & Other Stories

August, 2015
Mary Kennedy--Nightmares Can Be Murder
Georgette Heyer--The Quiet Gentleman [reread]
Agatha Christie--A Pocket Full Of Rye [reread]
Agatha Christie--At Bertram‘s Hotel [reread]
Agatha Christie--The Moving Finger
Noelle Stevenson--Lumberjanes Volume 1
Agatha Christie--Elephants Can Remember [reread]
F. Paul Wilson--Healer
Terry Pratchett--Witches Abroad [reread--Mark Reads]
Mercedes Lackey--The House Of The Four Winds
Jane Yolen--Pirates In Petticoats
Jill Murphy--The Worst Witch
Gene Luen Yang--Prime Baby
Merrie Haskell--The Castle Behind Thorns
Dennis Danvers--”Adult Children Of Alien Beings”
Judy Corbalis--The Cuckoo Bird
Jean Marie Ward--”District Coincidental”
Gene Luen Yang--Animal Crackers
Gene Luen Yang--Level Up
Tina Connolly--”That Seriously Obnoxious Time I Was Stuck At Witch Rimelda’s One Hundredth Birthday Party”

I read lots of fun & interesting new things: lots of comic/graphic novel goodness, & Judy Corbalis is a hoot! F. Paul Wilson was solid, old-school sf, & time was, I would've been thrilled to pieces that there were two women characters with some agency. It's a solid story, but I disliked the way the women were sidelined. The bar's been raised a lot over the last 2-3 decades. The kid books were lots of fun, but it's astonishing just how addictive & "can't stop with just one" Christie is, even after all these years.

Current Mood: introspective
Current Music: Dave Brubeck--Take Five

May, 2015
Alex Bledsoe--”The Two Weddings Of Bronwyn Hyatt” [Tufa]
Goscinny & Uderzo--Asterix & The Big Fight
Goscinny & Uderzo--Asterix In Britain
Goscinny & Uderzo--Asterix & The Normans
Gail Oust--Rosemary And Crime
Esther Friesner--”A Place For Everything”
Monica Ferris--Darned If You Do
Terry Pratchett--Moving Pictures [reread--Mark Reads]
Monica Ferris--Threadbare [reread]
Monica Ferris--And Then You Dye [reread]
Monica Ferris--The Drowning Spool [reread]
Gail Oust--Whack ‘N Roll
Susan Easton Black--The Son Of Man: The Early Years
Susan Easton Black--The Son Of Man: The King Of Kings
Monica Ferris--Crewel World [reread]
Monica Ferris--Framed In Lace [reread]
Monica Ferris--A Stitch In Time [reread]
Monica Ferris--Unraveled Sleeve [reread]
Monica Ferris--A Murderous Yarn [reread]
Monica Ferris--Cutwork [reread]
Monica Ferris--Crewel Yule [reread]
Monica Ferris--Embroidered Truths [reread]

June, 2015
Monica Ferris--Sins And Needles [reread]
Monica Ferris--Knitting Bones [reread]
Monica Ferris--Thai Die [reread]
Monica Ferris--Blackwork [reread]
Monica Ferris--Buttons And Bones [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity And The Summer King
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity And The Wishing Well [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity’s Death [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity And The Duke [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity Digs In [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity's Christmas [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity Beats The Devil [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity: Detective [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity Takes A Holiday [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity: Snowbound [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity And The Deep Blue Sea [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity Goes West [reread]
Linda Tirado--Hand To Mouth: Living In Bootstrap America
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity Slays The Dragon [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity Down Under [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity And The Family Tree [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity And The Village Witch [reread]
Nancy Atherton--Aunt Dimity And The Lost Prince [reread]
Terrie Farley Moran--Well Read, Then Dead
Tamora Pierce--Street Magic [reread--Mark Reads]
Shelley Freydont--Serial Killer Sudoku
Courtney Alameda--”Trigger”
Sharon Pape--To Sketch A Thief
Gail Oust--’Til Dice Do Us Part
Wiebe & Upchurch--Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass And Sorcery
McGuire, Seanan--”Polychrome Vs. The Court Of Public Opinion And Not Punching Anyone”
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller--”Chimera” [Liaden story]
Frances Hodgson Burnett--The Lost Prince [reread]
Goscinny & Uderzo--Asterix & The Magic Carpet
Katherine Addison [Sarah Monette]--The Goblin Emperor [reread]
Goscinny & Uderzo--Asterix & The Secret Weapon
Goscinny & Uderzo--Asterix & Obelix All At Sea
Jim Henson--It’s Not Easy Being Green

My official definition of an acid-test author is, being able to read 10 or more of their books in two weeks and not burning out. [That's how I first read Charlotte MacLeod years & years ago, 10 books from 4 series in 2 weeks & didn't burn out, hence the coinage of the term.]

That was certainly put to the test here, when new releases in two favorite series incited re-reads of the whole thing. Sometimes it's getting reacquainted with old friends, sometimes it's to see if a particular scene or bit of business is as delicious as you remember. It gets stuck in your head, kind of like an earworm, only for books.

So, what books have been earworming y'all lately?

Current Mood: accomplished

March, 2015
Wilanne Schneider Belden--Mind-Find [reread]
Sheila Roberts--Merry Ex-Mas
Erika Chase--Read And Buried
Terry Pratchett--Guards! Guards! [reread--Mark Reads]
Tamora Pierce--Briar’s Book [reread--Mark Reads]
Erika Chase--Cover Story
Holly Black--“Ten Rules for Being an Intergalactic Smuggler”
Faith Erin Hicks--The Adventures Of Superhero Girl
Elizabeth Enright--The Sea Is All Around
Jennifer Ashley--The Seduction Of Elliot McBride
Shelley Freydont--The Sudoku Murder
Elizabeth Enright--Spiderweb For Two
Seanan McGuire--“Velveteen Vs. Balance” [reread]
Seanan McGuire--“Velveteen Vs. Spring Cleaning”
Sheila Roberts--What She Wants
Shelley Freydont--Halloween Murder
Terry Pratchett--Eric [Mark Reads]
Elly Griffiths--The Crossing Places
Ann Waldron--The Princeton Murders
Sharon Pape--Sketch Me If You Can

April, 2015
Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire--Abraham Lincoln
Jacklyn Brady--A Sheetcake Named Desire
Deb Baker--Murder Passes The Buck
Erika Chase--Book Fair And Foul
Shelley Freydont--A Merry Little Murder
Shelley Freydont--Sudden Death Sudoku
Jennifer Crusie--What The Lady Wants [reread]
Jennifer Crusie--Getting Rid Of Bradley [reread]
Tamora Pierce--Magic Steps [reread--Mark Reads]
Shelley Costa--You Cannoli Die Once
Jacklyn Brady--Cake On A Hot Tin Roof
Sarah Addison Allen--Lost Lake

This time I read lots more mysteries, most of them fairly fun. Some were good enough to read one or even two in a series, but not continue thereafter; others are definite keepers.

The Sarah Addison Allen was one of her more immersive books; I do enjoy them so.

When only the best will do, Mark Reads is alternating between Tamora Pierce and Terry Pratchett. There's nothing like taking time to savor great books, especially with a thriving community to show one whole new ways to experience them.

January, 2015
Kaoru Mori--A Bride’s Story Volume 1
Sheila Roberts--The Nine Lives Of Christmas
Mary Roberts Rinehart--The Best Of Tish
Katherine Addison [Sarah Monette]--The Goblin Emperor
Elizabeth Enright--The Four-Story Mistake
Terry Pratchett--Pyramids [reread--Mark Reads]
Tate Hallaway--Precinct 13
Sheila Roberts--Better Than Chocolate
Dawn Eastman--Pall In The Family
Goscinny & Uderzo--Asterix The Gladiator
Goscinny & Uderzo--Asterix & The Banquet
Goscinny & Uderzo--Asterix & Cleopatra
Seanan McGuire--“Velveteen Vs. The Thaw” [reread]
Seanan McGuire--“Velveteen Vs. Balance”
Sharon Lee--”The Gift Of Music” [Archers Beach reread]
Shelley Freydont--High Seas Murder

February, 2015
Shelley Freydont--Silent Knife
Jennifer Ashley--The Many Sins Of Lord Cameron
Tamora Pierce--Daja’s Book [reread--Mark Reads]
Erika Chase--A Killer Read
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson--Bad News For Outlaws: Bass Reeves
Goscinny & Uderzo--Asterix & The Cauldron
Jennifer Ashley--The Duke’s Perfect Wife
Goscinny & Uderzo--Asterix In Spain
Kaoru Mori--A Bride’s Story Volume 2
Goscinny & Uderzo--Asterix & The Roman Agent
Elizabeth Enright--Then There Were Five
Shelley Freydont--Midsummer Murder

So many delights and new discoveries! Although _The Madness Of Lord Ian McKenzie_ is my favorite of the Jennifer Ashley series, the others are quite entertaining. I'd not read much romance for a while, so it was a nice re-introduction.

I'd never read Astérix in English before, so it was delicious to discover that the puns are ever bit as dire in English [only I get more of the references].

Elizabeth Enright continued to be a revelation of complicated, intelligently written *fun* I wish I'd found decades earlier. Only, would I have been able to savor the lyrical moments as much then?

The Kaoru Mori series is so fabulously illustrated & has such vivid characters!

I don't read nearly as much sf/fantasy as I used to, in part because of the time and opportunity cost, but _Goblin Emperor_ was so immersive! Languages & cultures & world-building & a sweet, insightful protagonist who was a delight to spend time with, oh, my!

Mark [Oshiro] still flails epically over at Mark Reads, & cosy mysteries with punny titles are still fun.