Just going to dump it all here. This list does NOT contain rereads:
1. The Mermaid's Sister (Carrie Anne Noble)
2. Ethics and Infinity (Emmanuel Levinas)
3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens Novelization (Alan Dean Foster)
4. Shadow and Bone (Leigh Bardugo)
5. My Reckless Valentine (Olivia Dade)
6. Tatooine Ghost (Troy Denning)
7. Proposal - The Mediator (Meg Cabot)
8. Remembrance - The Mediator (Meg Cabot)
9. The Bye-Bye Bouquet (Chi Yu Rodriguez)
10. Java Frost (Courtney Hunt)
11. Skating on Thin Ice (Jami Davenport)
12. The Opposite of Wild (Kylie Gilmore)
13. Sweet Reunion (Melanie Shawn)
14. True Pretenses (Rose Lerner)
15. Listen to the Moon (Rose Lerner)
16. In for a Penny (Rose Lerner)
17. Yours Until Dawn (Teresa Medeiros)
18. A New Dawn (John Jackson Miller)
19. Seducing Mr. Knightley (Maya Rodale)
20. The Danger in Tempting an Earl (Sophie Barnes)
21. The Bad Boy Billionaire's Wicked Arrangement (Maya Rodale)
22. The Bad Boy Billionaire's Girl Gone Wild (Maya Rodale)
23. The Rogue Not Taken (Sarah MacLean)
24. It Takes a Scandal (Caroline Linden)
25. Love and Other Scandals (Caroline Linden)
26. Finding Miss MacFarland (Vivienne Lorret)
27. How the Marquess was Won (Julie Anne Long)
28. The Elusive Lord Everheart (Vivienne Lorret)
29. I Married a Duke (Katharine Ashe)
30. I Loved a Rogue (Katharine Ashe)
31. All I Want for Christmas (collection)
32. How to Rescue a Rake (Jayne Fresina)
33. A Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin (Sophie Jordan)
34. Save the Last Dance for Me (Cora Lee)
35. How to Dance with a Duke (Manda Collins)
36. How to Romance a Rake (Manda Collins)
37. How to Entice an Earl (Manda Collins)
38. How to Catch a Wild Viscount (Tessa Dare)
39. Diary of an Accidental Wildflower (Jennifer McQuiston)
40. What Happens in Scotland (Jennifer McQuiston)
41. Her Highland Fling (Jennifer McQuiston)
42. The Dress of the Season (Kate Noble)
43. Love Match (Lily Maxton)
44. The Short and Fascinating Tale of Angelina Whitcombe (Sabrina Darby)
45. I Kissed a Rogue (Shana Galen)
46. Married to a Perfect Stranger (Jane Ashford)
47. The Game and the Governess (Kate Noble)
48. The Proposition (Judith Ivory)
49. Follow My Lead (Kate Noble)
50. If I Fall (Kate Noble)
51. Let It Be Me (Kate Noble)
52. The Spinster's Guide to Scandalous Behavior (Jennifer McQuiston)
53. A Matter of Class (Mary Balogh)
54. Lady with a Black Umbrella (Mary Balogh)
55. Slightly Married (Mary Balogh)
56. Slightly Wicked (Mary Balogh)
57. Full Steam Ahead (Kate Witemeyer)
58. To Win Her Heart (Kate Witemeyer)
59. Head in the Clouds (Kate Witemeyer)
60. A Tailor-Made Bride (Kate Witemeyer)
61. Short Straw Bride (Kate Witemeyer)
62. Stealing the Preacher (Kate Witemeyer)
63. With This Ring (Kate Witemeyer)
64. Fancy Pants (Cathy Marie Hake)
65. Serendipity (Cathy Marie Hake)
66. That Certain Spark (Cathy Marie Hake)
67. Bittersweet (Cathy Marie Hake)
68. Love on the Mend (Kate Witemeyer)
69. Meeting Her Match (Mary Connealy)
70. Slightly Sinful (Mary Balogh)
71. Slightly Scandalous (Mary Balogh)
72. Simply Love (Mary Balogh)
73. A Most Inconvenient Marriage (Regina Jennings)
74. Because of Miss Bridgerton (Julia Quinn)
75. Tempted by a Lady's Smile (Christi Caldwell)
76. Heir to the Duke (Jane Ashford)
77. Kiss Me Annabel (Eloisa James)
78. Happily Bedded Bliss (Tracy Anne Warren)
79. The Ugly Duchess (Eloisa James)
80. The Wrong Bride (Gayle Callen)
81. The Colonel's Lady (Laura Frantz)
82. The Forbidden Lady (Kerrelyn Sparks)
83. Less Than a Gentleman (Kerrelyn Sparks)
84. The Groom Wore Plaid (Gayle Callen)
85. Suddenly You (Lisa Kleypas)
86. Every Heart a Doorway (Seanan McGuire)
87. I Adored a Lord (Katherine Ashe)
88. Beyond All Dreams (Elizabeth Camden)
89. With Every Breath (Elizabeth Camden)
90. The Lady Most Likely (Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Connie Brockway)
91. The Earl Next Door (Charis Michaels)
92. The Lady of Bolton Hill (Elizabeth Camden)
93. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (Julia Quinn)
94. To Wed a Wicked Earl (Olivia Parker)
95. Guarding a Notorious Lady (Olivia Parker)
96. Devil in Winter (Lisa Kleypas)
97. Uprooted (Naomi Novak)
98. Kindred Spirits (Rainbow Rowell)
99. Rebel of the Sands (Alwyn Hamilton)
100. Bama Boy (Sheri Cobb South)
101. It's a Match (Ana Tejano)
102. The Scandalous Miss Sophie Valentine (Jayne Fresina)
103. Quiet Neighbors (Catriona McPherson)
104. The Autumn Bride (Anne Gracie)
105. The Runaway Duke (Julie Ann Long)
106. A Bride in the Bargain (Deanne Gist)
107. P.S. I Like You (Kasie West)
108. Heroes are My Weakness (Susan Elizabeth Phillips)
109. The Secret History (Donna Tartt)
110. The Weaver Takes a Wife (Sheri Cobb South)
111. Brighton Honeymoon (Sheri Cobb South)
112. Miss Darby's Duenna (Sheri Cobb South)
113. The Heiress of Winterwood (Sarah E. Ladd)
114. Clean Sweep (Ilona Andrews)
115. Sweep in Peace (Ilona Andrews)
116. The Reluctant Widow (Georgette Heyer)
117. Miss Wonderful (Loretta Chase)
118. Keep the Faith (Ana Tejano)
119. Nice Dragons Finish Last (Rachel Aaron)
119. One Good Dragon Deserves Another (Rachel Aaron)
120. No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished (Rachel Aaron)
121. Spotless (Camilla Monk)
122. Beating Ruby (Camilla Monk)
123. To Kiss a Thief (Susanna Craig)
124. The Best Man (Kristan Higgins)
125. The Perfect Match (Kristan Higgins)
126. Goddess of the Hunt (Tessa Dare)
127. Surrender of a Siren (Tessa Dare)
128. The Talisman Ring (Georgette Heyer)
129. Friday's Child (Georgette Heyer)
130. False Colours (Georgette Heyer)
131. The Nonesuch (Georgette Heyer)
132. The Tollgate (Georgette Heyer)
133. The Corinthian (Georgette Heyer)
134. The Grand Sophy (Georgette Heyer)
135. A Madness in Spring (Kate Noble)
136. A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong (Cecilia Grant)
137. The Devil's Delilah (Loretta Chase)
138. Mr Impossible (Loretta Chase)
139. The Season (Sarah MacLean)
140. The Virgin and the Viscount (Charis Michaels)
141. Revealed (Kate Noble)
142. The Summer of You (Kate Noble)
143. Miss Goodhue Lives for a Night (Kate Noble)
144. Kiss Me, Kill Me (Lauren Henderson)
145. Get in Trouble (Kelly Link)
146. The Public Has the Right to Know (Bienvenido A Tan)
147. The Perks of Loving a Scoundrel (Jennifer McQuiston)
148. Do You Want to Start a Scandal (Tessa Dare)
149. Tarnished Knight (Bec McMaster)
150. The Curious Case of the Clockwork Menace (Bec McMaster)
151. Kiss of Steel (Bec McMaster)
152. Heart of Iron (Bec McMaster)
153. Prep and Prejudice (Miren B. Flores)
154. Another Word for Happy (Agay Llanera)
155. If the Dress Fits (Carla de Guzman)
156. Settle the Score/Hustle Play (Tara Frejas)
157. Desperately Seeking Suzanna (Elizabeth Michels)
158. This Modern Love (Will Darbyshire)
159. Shuffle, Repeat (Jen Klein)
160. A Summer for Scandal (Lydia San Andres)
161. Slade House (David Mitchell)
162. Dare to Love (CP Santi)
163. Coma Girl (Stephanie Bond)
164. The Crystal Whisperer (Camilla Monk)
165. The Communist Manifesto (Karl Marx and Fredreich Engels)
166. The Analects of Confucius (Confucius)
167. The Nakano Thrift Store (Hiromi Kawakama)
168. Njal's Saga
169. The Mountain of Kept Memory (Rachel Neumeier)
170. A Scot in the Dark (Sarah Maclean)
171. After Lambana (Eliza Victoria and Merv Malonzo)
172. Changing His Game (Megan Erickson)
173. How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days or Less (Elizabeth Michels)
174. Mai Tai'd Up (Alice Clayton)
175. Screwdrivered (Alice Clayton)
• I read a lot of romances (unsurprising) and of those, a lot of historical romances. I'd like to think this was my year of historical romances, when I really tried to consume as many books from my favorite romance authors (Georgette Heyer, .
• Discovered instant favorites, like Kate Noble (with every book, she teaches me how to write a line that goes beyond how I would write it), Rose Lerner (such well-rounded characters in 'trope' situations, with very human, relatable struggles and fears), and the cheeky, cheeky Camilla Monk.
• Enjoyed the growing #romanceclass titles -- why can't there be more hours in a day to help me read everything?
• I went through an inspirational romance phase, a steampunk phase, and an urban fantasy phase this year. I want more.
• I read more books by female authors.
• I bought a lot of books on sale. The Georgette Heyer e-books, for instance, were purchased during a sale. I'd give myself a ceiling price each time. It now hurts to be without a corporate (foundation) job.
• I also read a lot of fanfiction. I always read fanfiction.
• Work-related stress helped me tackle my reading list. I'd start a book before going to bed, then read it when I woke up, take it with me as I ate breakfast, showered, and got ready, read it on the bus, on the jeep, in between breaks, during lunch, while waiting in line, on the way home. Some books I finish during lunch, others right before I sleep -- it all depends on how good the story is. Then rinse and repeat. When I resigned from my job, my reading pace took a major hit!
• I don't think I can ever read 175 books in a year again. But I shall try!
Showing posts with label science fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science fiction. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Sideways in Crime (Edited by Lou Anders)
Each story postulates an alternate reality, letting history fork at certain crossroads so that the world will go on a different path. This is already a daunting challenge in itself; to do so in just a few pages (the stories' length is excellent) is quite admirable. The collection offer glimpses into worlds that have highly deviated from ours (such as an England that has remained longer under the Roman Empire) and into those that are remarkably similar save for one small element (a world where Arthur Conan Doyle never published his famous detective). The results are a mixed bag, with some ultimately appealing to my tastes more than others. I found that some of these stories can intriguingly posit a 'what if' scenario only to stumble into predictable territory once the mystery elements are introduced.
In his Introduction 'Worlds of If,' Mr Anders puts forth that 'every science fiction author is a natural born mystery writer, whether they know it or not.' I won't refute that except to say that some are just more successful at the mystery part than others, while others have an easier time of luring the reader into their richly-imagined worlds. A few of my favorites in the collection were Kristine Kathryn Rusch's 'G-Men,' an investigation into a sensitive crime involving J Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson and certain lifestyle choices, as well as Paul Di Filippo's 'Murder in Geektopia,' which I thought created a believable second world through clever geek and pop culture references. Mike Resnick & Eric Flint's 'Conspiracies: A Very Condensed 937-Page Novel' opens like a hardboiled detective story and combines alien and government conspiracy references (Hoffa and Kennedy, anyone?) with much success. Mystery and science fiction fans won't go wrong with Sideways in Crime.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Across the Universe (Beth Revis)
I picked up Beth Revis' Across the Universe on the strength of my fifteen-year old sister's recommendation. She knew I liked sci-fi and YA and thought that I might appreciate something like this. Solid premise. Lovely title. Rest = history.
In the simplest terms, Across the Universe is a sci-fi mystery. Sometime in the unknown future, a powerful international alliance called the Financial Resource Exchange has made space travel possible. Amy's parents -- her father a military man, her mother a scientist -- have been chosen for its first mission to make Centauri-Earth a habitable place. Along with Amy, they have been cryogenically frozen, traveling three hundred years through space in the Godspeed. But Amy is mysteriously unplugged from her cryo-chamber fifty years before their scheduled landing and wakes to a ship led by an autocrat named Eldest. Before she can find out the truth about her re-animation, one that nearly cost her her life, she must first learn to live within the ship's rules. But Godspeed has its own people, its own culture, its own morals. With the help of Eldest's successor Elder, she uncovers the truth behind Godspeed and Eldest and the fate of everyone on the ship.
The strength of novel lies in the way it boldly raises issues of freedom, race, and morality, among others. I find it very admirable that these find a place in the middle of an already engaging mystery. Similar to Paolo Bacigalupi's near-future scenarios that depict grim ecological consequences, the novel does not flinch from showing the darker side of good intentions. It is much more than the love story that the cover promises. In fact, I didn't find the romance essential to the story; I thought it would have been even more natural without it. I also thought that it tackles a little too much and that tying up all those loose ends resulted in a rather cramped denouement. I'm hopeful that in the succeeding novels, these issues can be better paced and further explored then.
I do have some misgivings. Ms Revis appears to have most of her work grounded in real science (or to be safe, reasonable conjecture on how science can develop years into the future). If it had been the science of a space opera like Star Wars, where interplanetary travel is a given and parsecs are a unit of time and not distance, then I probably wouldn't have the discomfort I have with it now. I think it's one thing to suspend disbelief about something that happens in a galaxy far, far away; it's quite another when a story grounds itself in something plausible and then misses the mark down the line.
There were tiny but very forgivable hiccups, like the mundane complaint I have on how Amy turned her bedroom lights on and off. She had to flick a switch and then speak to a computer program to make it work. I guess I just found the extraneous action off-putting because it didn't make a lot of sense for it to be developed in the first place. But I can set that aside. What really bothered me was an important piece of information revealed in the middle of the story. It's a pretty big spoiler so I won't discuss it here. Even though I'm not an expert I thought it was a rather significant flaw. If that had really happened, then Godspeed could have easily taken a better course of action than the one they ultimately did, which was presented as if it were the only solution available. I guess that really didn't sit well with me. But don't believe me; maybe I got the science all wrong.
Still, despite my apprehension over certain things, I believe Across the Universe is worth reading and recommending -- and not just to teenagers who would like a break from the dozens of paranormal romances on their shelves. There are a lot of other themes worth pursuing here and I really think it can inspire spirited discussions in classrooms everywhere. Like Amy, it is strong and fearless, and clearly echoes with the undying message of hope.
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Strain (Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan)
After including The Strain on my Want Books? list late last year, I went looking for a copy. A friend of mine found one before I did and lent it to me when I went back to the city for the new year. Good, I thought, one thing to cross off my list.
Somehow, though, the book didn't quite live up to my expectations. Did I set them unbelievably high? I don't think so; I only had to look at a website that was already available to the public to whet my appetite. I suppose my biggest discomfort would be the fact that the site already revealed a lot that the book took a hundred pages to get to. Basic premise: Vampirism is a virus, released onto New York via four survivors of a mysterious plane incident. (Also worth noting: vampires in this book are a lot like your Hollywood zombies: mindlessly feeding, clustering in hives, although the book hints that they become smarter as they adapt.) Dr. Eph Goodweather of the Center for Disease Control is the only one who believes something is amiss. Aided by a Holocaust survivor/professor with a vendetta, Dr. Goodweather sets out to uncover the gruesome fate that has befallen New York.
Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's The Strain reads like an action-packed screenplay though. They don't scrimp on the details, so much so that sometimes I felt as if I was reading an encyclopedia entry in fiction format. (That's no exaggeration: the bit about the eclipse--I'm an astronomy enthusiast so I've done my reading--really feels as if someone had opened an astronomy book and copied every phenomenon that would occur during a solar eclipse.) Can't blame them from trying to put things into proper perspective or giving the reader a very clear picture of the action. It's definitely not lacking in the action department. The thrilling encounters, the chase scenes... they all make the novel very enjoyable. Just take it for what it is: an exciting read with marked bloodthirsty vampiric leanings.
For all the care and precision that the authors placed in setting up the story, I felt that they might have rushed the ending a bit. The climax of The Strain felt more like a TV movie ending to a Hollywood blockbuster. It wasn't bad, really; just more hurried, I suppose, and not as thought-out as the rest of the novel was. I know they're not supposed to get the bad guy right then (this is the first of a trilogy) but I just wish that there had been more of an investment in that confrontation as there had been in the other parts of the book. They meant to kill the Big Bad in the middle of a vampire hive; couldn't three guys find any other cannon fodder to assist them in their quest? Still, despite its faults, The Strain has lured me in enough to want to keep reading more. Time will tell if I'd blame this decision on glamour or just poor judgment, but right now I'd rather blame it on that good old vampire mystique.
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