Bookoholic13's 2011 Category Challenge - PART 2

This thread is a continuation from Part 1 over HERE.

I'll be aiming for 9 books in each category for a total of 99 books, which should be about right for me, barring anything unforeseen. Again, the goal is to make the TBR-pile that lives in my house become small(er), although I already know that's unlikely to happen.

A few of the categories may be will most likely be have already changed, but for now, they are as follows:

1. Tartan Noir (changed category) - COMPLETED CATEGORY
2. Nordic writers - COMPLETED CATEGORY
3. Ian Rankin's Rebus-series (changed category) - COMPLETED CATEGORY
4. Read and Send to a New Home (changed category) - COMPLETED CATEGORY
5. YA novels - COMPLETED CATEGORY
6. Graphic novels - COMPLETED CATEGORY
7. Buzzed books (incl. LTER) / Classics (modified category) - COMPLETED CATEGORY
8. Mystery & Thrillers - COMPLETED CATEGORY
9. China Miéville Œuvre (changed category) - COMPLETED CATEGORY
10. Books (or editions) that have no reviews on LT yet - COMPLETED CATEGORY
11. "Whatevers" - COMPLETED CATEGORY

Tartan Noir - COMPLETED CATEGORY

1. Fleshmarket Alley by Ian Rankin Finished May 16th
2. The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin Finished May 24th
3. Exit Music by Ian Rankin Finished May 27th
4. Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride Finished July 5th
5. Dying Light by Stuart MacBride Finished July 22nd
6. When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson Finished August 20th
7. Garnethill by Denise Mina Finished October 13th
8. Exile by Denise Mina Finished October 15th
9. Resolution by Denise Mina Finished October 18th

Nordic writers - COMPLETED CATEGORY

1. De fattiga i Łódź by Steve Sem-Sandberg (Sweden/Norway) Finished January 6th
2. Stum sitter guden by Anna Jansson (Sweden) Finished April 17th
3. Cirkeln by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergmark Elfgren (Sweden) Finished May 21st
4. Människohamn (Eng. title Harbor) by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Sweden) Finished July 19th
5. Pepparkakshuset by Carin Gerhardsen (Sweden) Finished August 28th
6. Tordyveln flyger i skymningen by Maria Gripe (Sweden) Finished September 5th
7. Döden på en blek häst (Eng. trans. Death on a Pale Horse) by Amanda Hellberg (Sweden) Finished November 7th
8. My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (Iceland) Finished November 23rd
9. Ashes to Dust by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (Iceland) Finished Deccember 1st

Ian Rankin's Rebus-series - COMPLETED CATEGORY

1. Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin Finished March 5th
2. Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin Finished March 6th
3. Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin Finished March 11th
4. Strip Jack by Ian Rankin Finished March 17th
5. Let It Bleed by Ian Rankin Finished March 26th
6. Black and Blue by Ian Rankin Finished March 28th
7. The Hanging Garden by Ian Rankin Finished April 2nd
8. Dead Souls by Ian Rankin Finished April 4th
9. Set in Darkness by Ian Rankin Finished April 9th

Read and Send to a New Home - COMPLETED CATEGORY

1. Israel for Beginners: A Field Guide for Encountering the Israelis in Their Natural Habitat by Angelo Colorni Finished March 6th
2. Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis by Lisa Sanders Finished May 5th
3. On Call: A Doctor's Days and Nights in Residency by Emily R. Transue, MD Finished June 11th
4. Field of Blood by Denise Mina Finished July 31st
5. The Dead Hour by Denise Mina Finished August 30th
6. Slip of the Knife by Denise Mina Finished September 8th
7. Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mecum Finished October 22nd
8. Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir Finished November 5th
9. Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi Finished November 24th

YA novels - COMPLETED CATEGORY

1. Tithe by Holly Black Finished January 22nd
2. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld Finished May 10th
3. Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld Finished May 18th
4. Confessions of a Closet Catholic By Sarah Darer Littman Finished May 28th
5. The Borribles by Michael de Larrabeiti Finished June 20th
6. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Finished August 23rd
7. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick Finished September 27th
8. Goliath by Scott Westerfeld Finished October 27th
9. Soumchi by Amos Oz Finished December 9th

Graphic novels - COMPLETED CATEGORY

1. How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden Finished February 21st
2. Box Office Poison by Alex Robinson Finished March 1st
3. Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch Finished March 26th
4. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger Finished May 21st
5. With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, Volume 1 by Keiko Tobe Finished September 30th
6. Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi Finished November 24th
7. The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Finished December 6th
8. Klezmer by Joann Sfar Finished December 8th
9. Dark Entries by Ian Rankin Finished December 11th

Buzzed books (incl. LTER) / Classics - COMPLETED CATEGORY

1. One Day by David Nicholls Finished January 10th
2. We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver Finished February 4th
3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Finished February 27th
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett Finished March 13th
5. Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach and Ricardo Cortés Finished July 2nd
6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Finished July 3rd
7. The Burning by Jane Casey Finished August 6th
8. The Man in the White Suit: The Stig, Le Mans, The Fast Lane and Me by Ben Collins Finished October 7th
9. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley Finished November 21st

Mystery & Thrillers - COMPLETED CATEGORY

1. Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs Finished January 26th
2.The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund Finished February 26th
3. The Falls by Ian Rankin Finished April 25th
4. Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin Finished May 3rd
5. A Question of Blood by Ian Rankin Finished May 7th
6. The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid Finished July 26th
7. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson Finished August 13th
8. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson Finished August 15th
9. Double Dexter by Jeff Lindsay Finished November 17th

China Miéville Œuvre

1. Un Lun Dun by China Miéville Finished February 13th
2. King Rat by China Miéville Finished April 8th
3. Perdido Street Station by China Miéville Finished April 15th
4. Embassytown by China Miéville Finished April 21st
5. The Scar by China Miéville Finished July 15th
6. Iron Council by China Miéville Finished October 31st
7. The City & the City by China Miéville Finished November 27th
8. Looking for Jake by China Miéville Finished December 8th
9. Kraken by China Miéville Finished December 18th

Books (or editions) that have no reviews on LT yet - COMPLETED CATEGORY

1. The Tattoo Chronicles by Kat Von D Finished January 18th
2. OKEJ - 80-talets största poptidning by Jörgen Holmstedt Finished January 30th
3. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley Finished February 11th
4. The Black Book by Ian Rankin Finished March 20th
5. Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin Finished March 21st
6. Den röda damcykeln by Mats Ahlstedt Finished June 9th
7. The Borribles Go For Broke by Michael de Larrabeiti Finished June 27th
8. The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis by Michael de Larrabeiti Finished June 28th
9. Happy End by Actus Finished December 11th

"Whatevers" - COMPLETED CATEGORY

1. The Zigzag Kid by David Grossman Finished January 17th
2. War Dances by Sherman Alexie Finished January 31st
3. A Week at the Airport by Alain de Botton Finished February 5th
4. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts Finished February 25th
5. Limassol by Yishai Sarid Finished March 9th
6. Doctor Who: Peacemaker by James Swallow Finished March 15th
7. The Restraint of Beasts by Magnus Mills Finished August 4th
8. Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey by Bob McCabe Finished December 5th
9. How To Love by Actus Finished December 11th

Placeholder for potential bonus category

#52

The Borribles by Michael de Larrabeiti

Borribles are runaway children whose ears grow pointy as they get savvier about life on the street, thieving, evading the police, and fighting any sort of authority who tries to tell them how to live. This first part of the trilogy takes a select group of Borribles to Rumbledon to fight the Rumbles, who may or may not be trying to take over Borrible territory. Their journey is littered with action, high jinks, danger, death, pain, and hilarity. A bunch of anarchist children taking on anyone who comes in their way makes for quite an entertaining story and although the whole thing takes a little time getting going, once it does, you'll find yourself cheering on the maiming and killing and, most likely, you'll be wishing you were a Borrible too and you'll feel just as bad for those lost as the Borribles in the story.

#53

The Borribles Go For Broke by Michael de Larrabeiti

In this second part of the Borribles trilogy, our friends gets the message that Sam, the horse who saved their lives during The Great Rumble Hunt, is in danger and they set off on another journey to save their friend. This time, however, the police have gotten really organized and our Borribles need to use all their savvy to outwit Inspector Sussworth and his SBG forces. With stakes even higher than during The Great Rumble Hunt and with a twist that raises them further still, this installment is, if not as bloody, quite more exciting than its predecessor, which is saying a lot. Mayhem galore with these rebel children.

#54

The Borribles Across the Dark Metropolis by Michael de Larrabeiti

This final installment of the Borribles trilogy does not disappoint - it is instead the most action-filled, scariest, funniest, and, on occasion, saddest of the lot. In a final push to get Sam the horse to safety, our band of Borribles set out yet again across London and with a little bit of help from other Borrible groups, they aim to beat the SBG and the horrible Inspector Sussworth once and for all. With stakes mile-high and a neck-break speed, de Larrabeiti finishes off one of the most original series I've ever read, and, although the ending may be a little sad, there's a cool twist that I think any Borrible-fan will love! (MAYBE-SORT-OF-SPOILER: Who is Knocker really?)

So happy that you loved the Borribles. I have 50-odd books left to read as well and some categories really looking neglected.

The Borribles looks like lots of fun.

I'm always a little horrified when I plan my monthly reading to find that MOST books on my list are NOT from my shelves, and if they are, it's because I've just acquired them. And and and... I have so many great books on my TBR, so what gives?! (Rhetorical question)

I had the same problem, so I just cataloged my TBR pile and every time I find something new to read, I add that to it, whether I own it or not. Now, everything I read is from my digital TBR pile (which is nearing 1000 books, and that scares me). (Non-rhetorical answer)

->17 avatiakh:

Oh, yes, they really spoke to my inner anarchist!! I vaguely remember reading them when I was a kid (which is why I bought the set in the first place), but I'm actually still not sure if I'm thinking of the same thing and I can't seem to find out if they were ever translated into Swedish. They were great in any case!

I've been changing categories to fit my moods rather than pushing the categories I should be reading, but oh well - I think we're all suffering from a chronic "illness" when it comes to books (we wouldn't be hanging out on LT otherwise...). I've even made a whole new Tartan Noir category now since you and Ilana forced encouraged me to read Rebus! :)

->18 Smiler69:

If they fit your mood, I'd say they're just about perfect. They're pretty violent, though, but so, so funny!

I decided to keep track this year of where my reads come from and so far 18 were acquired before 2011 and 36 were new.... FAIL! :)

->19 casvelyn:

Nice little loophole - I like it!! I have a "To Read and Give Away" collection, which I should be reading from exclusively, but somehow there are always new books that are shinier. :)

Got to love something that appeals to "the inner anarchist." I too haven't done so well on the Books of the Shelf challenge. Too many shiny new books coming out... and then there's the library, drat it! ;)

->23 cammykitty:

All of LT is littered with good intentions!! :) At least we have other addicts to hang out with, but that too is a double-edged sword since most of the ideas about the new shiny books come from those fellow addicts! And, don't get me started on the darn liberry! :)

*nodding in agreement over comments above*

I wasn't even going to make this a part of my challenge, but it's just too great to skip! I've already bought and given away four copies of this to friends who have kids or who are expecting and it's been a big hit!



#55

Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach and Ricardo Cortés

This may look like a book for children with its verse format and beautiful illustrations, but instead it's about the funniest book on the frustrations of parenting I've ever read. Do not read this to your child! However, take comfort in knowing that you are far from the only one who struggles with bedtime malaise. Every parent with a small child will need to read this book to get a well-deserved, albeit exhausted, laugh.

#56

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

A turn-of-the-century enchanted circus provides the battlefield for a magicians' duel between star-crossed lovers to be, Celia and Marco. Intrigued as they are at first, it is soon clear that the two combatants are not the only ones affected by the competition, which complicates things enormously for the pair.

It is so lovely to get to be completely immersed in a novel that transports you to a world similar to your own, yet not, filled with wondrous elements, events, and characters. The intrigue lies in the meticulously detailed descriptions and rather than feeling like you're living the events while reading, it is more like watching an aesthetically breathtaking film. Normally, this would alienate me as a reader, but because I am greeted in regularly occurring sections of the novel as a visiting spectator, the slightly detached style works wonders for me.

Mood-wise, it's a similar reading experience to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but less complex, with a hint of The Prestige and a dab, albeit small, of Romeo and Juliet. It's a debut novel, but not an obvious one, and I'll definitely be reading anything Ms. Morgenstern writes in the future.

Hi Eva - Nice review of The Night Circus! I was debating about that one so it is nice to see you enjoyed it! Hold now placed with my local library ;-)

Beatrice and Benedict? The Night Circus sounds like a book to look for.

It was quite a lovely read - apparently the film rights have already been sold (well, optioned) and I have a feeling it could be quite a pretty movie in the right hands. Fingers Xed! :)

#57

Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride

DS Logan McRae returns to the Aberdeen police force after having had a year off to recuperate from being stabbed 23 times and gets thrown into a case involving a pedophilic serial killer. Although the characters are not cynical enough to completely warrant the Noir label, the story is certainly grim and gruesome enough. And rainy and snowy and cold. And really, really good. This is MacBride's first novel, but there is no sign of that - talk about hitting the ground running (including the little nod to Ian Rankin)! Our hero is a reasonably clever guy without having any "magic" inspiration and the numerous plotlines (which all get tied up at the end) keep the interest at a pique. The stakes are high, the characters utterly believable, and the resolution not an easy guess, albeit a little bit overdramatic. Not at all shabby for a first novel - I'm definitely going to read more of this locale and these characters.

I really do need to get to that series sooner rather than later. Thanks for the reminder.

Oh yes, these Scots are keeping me very happy so far!! :)

I haven't read any of these, looks like a series I might like. The Night Circus came up top of LT recommended books for me so I'm having to add that to my tbr as well.

If the first book is anything to go by, it'll be a good series - I looked at the LT ratings for the others and they look consistenly high, so fingers Xed! The Night Circus was quite a lovely book - I think its mood is one you'll like.

I am a huge fan of Stuart MacBrides' and I think his Logan McRae series keeps getting better. There really hasn't been a weak one in the bunch.

->36 DeltaQueen50:

Great to know - I'll be getting the second one in the mail soon and am on the lookout for the others!

Congrats on a very succesfull halfway mark.

This year I promised I would read more books than I buy and so far have been a good boy. But only just about. LOL

->38 IrishHolger:

Thanks! Well, even if you're close, you're still doing so much better than me. It's those darn LT-people who just tease you with new shiny books that get to me. :) Nope, no personal responsibility taken!

Me and Flea are both on a strict buy-one-book-a-month program, which has served us well for the last year and a half. It's kind of like nictotine patches. Even despite loopholes like gifts, we are making steady progress in reducing the TBR mound. (Which, it should be stressed, is still massive.)

I wish I could do that, but I have very little discipline. :) I did stop smoking, though, not that it helps with Mt. TBR, but....

Part of my problem is the book-trading sites, because once I'm done with a book that I know I won't reread, I'll send it off to someone else, but you get points in exchange to request other books with and that (in my head) doesn't count as getting new books. And Mt. TBR keeps on growing....

Ah, blissful delusion. :)

I've been horribly neglectful. Want to catch up with what I've missed, but will have to come back for that, so just saying hi! for now.

Ok, all caught up. Have added The Night Circus to the wishlist basted on your recommendation. I liked Jonathan Strange and The Prestige, so there's a good chance I'd like this one too.

->43 Smiler69:

It's very pretty with a lot of beautiful descriptions and it will probably end up quite a magical film. It's not a very complex story, though - just to set your expectations at the right level. :)

No worries Eva. Since I'm trying to limit to get through the books I already have, and they don't have this one at the library either, it'll probably be a little while till I get to it.

#58

The Scar by China Miéville

Miéville extraordinary world-building skills coupled with pirates - have I gone to heaven? I know a lot of people rate this as slightly sub par compared to Perdido Street Station, but I actually think it's as good, if not even better, in that it exponentially expands the world of Bas-Lag. Bas-Lag lives not only on land and in the water, but potentially everywhere. The floating city, complete with gardens, shops, libraries, restaurants, etc., makes Bas-Lag so much grander than it was in Perdido (although it was already quite grand there).

Also, because we're dealing with pirates and an amalgamation of various peoples, the characters are so much more difficult to figure out, which I enjoyed. Everyone has their own covert agenda and it becomes a bit of a mystery trying to ascertain who is doing what to whom and why. Funnily enough, it's those that have to hide from daylight that tend to be the most honest and forthcoming about their aims and goals.

As is true with most (all?) of Miéville's writing, there is an underlying discussion about society and power and classes and their functions and this discourse sometimes takes over from the characters, which is the book's only flaw. It doesn't detract much, though, and The Scar is still a powerful part of the Bas-Lag mythology.

#59

Människohamn (eng. title Harbour) by John Ajvide Lindqvist

This read is an odd mix of the seriously creepy with its supernatural events and the strangely comforting with its numerous fisherman tales - they're so similar to the ones I heard as a child that I sometimes forgot what kind of book I was reading. I'm not the best when it comes to creepy ghost stories (I read most of this in the daytime), and Lindqvist is a master at depicting the bizarre and twisted, merged so well with the realistic that the end result is even "worse" since you never know when the horror is just around the corner. It's well written and, although I have no idea whatsoever of what actually happened in the end, I did enjoy the road to the conclusion very much.

#60

Dying Light by Stuart MacBride

After an operation gone awry, DS McRae is sent to the "Screw-Up Squad" to work a series of arsons and the murder of a prostitute. The storyline is a little messier than its predecessor, mainly because McRae has to navigate office politics as well as investigating the crimes. McRae is his usual "normal" self, though; it's quite rare to have a fictional detective character who doesn't drink too much, who is in a healthy relationship, and who is clever without having extrasensory insights when it comes to crime solving. McRae is quite entertaining as well, even if he's not straight-out funny, and I'm enjoying the series tremendously. I also appreciate that MacBride (like in Cold Granite) apologizes to the Aberdeen Tourist Board for showing the city in such a poor light. :)

#61

The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Tony Hall is brought in by police to profile a nasty serial killer with a penchant for medieval torture devices. I'm not particularly squeamish, but this got a bit too gruesome at times, even for me. I can only assume that McDermid thought long and hard to come up with the most nauseating modus operandi imaginable, and really successfully too. My big problem is that I don't quite believe in Tony Hall. Not that he's impossible, but he has rather a few too many quirks to be completely plausible. And, of course, Carol Jordan's reactions to him get unrealistic as well. I'm guessing they get better as the series goes on. Although I wasn't entirely convinced by the characters, the mystery is solid, the stakes high, and the writing high quality, so I'll definitely be reading other McDermid books, although probably not in this series.

Since reading this, I've seen Robson Green's take on Tony Hill in Wire in the Blood and he's quite convincing. Strange as that sounds (especially on a site like LT...), I think I would have accepted Hill better had I seen the TV series first.

I think that Perdido usually gets a higher rating because it's often the first encounter with Mieville's work (I know it was mine) and is given that newness factor as an added bonus but I did enjoy The Scar as well. Glad you did too.

@47 I loved Människohamn when I read it a while back, and remember quite a lot about it (especially the horrid disappearance in the beginning and the creepy Smiths fans) but can't for the life of me recall the mysterious ending you refer to. Good for a future re-read I suppose!

>47 -Eva-: and >50 AHS-Wolfy: - I agree with Dave, as Perdido Street Station was/is my entry into Miéville's works. Eva, love your review of The Scar.... Thumbed! I do have plans to slowly work my way through Miéville's works and have moved The Scar up the TBR pile.

->50 AHS-Wolfy:

It occurred to me now that I was aware (thanks to you lot!) that The Scar wasn't a "continuation" of Perdido, but I'm wondering if the people who liked it less might have been expecting a proper "Part 2" of a trilogy? Great stuff anyways!

->51 GingerbreadMan:

Oh, those Smiths guys are vile! I think Lindqvist is well aware that many of his readers are people who grow up with a fondness for The Smiths, so it hits home even harder. Unless he didn't like them and is using it to punish the rest of us. LOL!

SPOILER WARNING for Människohamn!
It's those stairs in the ocean that completely threw me off - when he goes down to get the girl. I may have missed something vital, but I have no idea what is going on! :)

->52 lkernagh:

Thanks!! I'm working my way through his books as well - slowly. I have to read them when I have time to get truly immersed because of the complex world-building, but it's always a treat when that happens.

Disgusting Smiths guys??? I'm going to have to read that now. I grew up with The Smiths too but was always making fun of them... Songs like "Please please let me get what I want" and "Oh God I'm Miserable now" and "Girlfriend in a coma" absolutely were begging to be mocked.

->56 cammykitty:
Ooh, you just didn't understand the angst of being misunderstood and odd... "I wear black on the outside 'cause black is how I feel on the inside." I'm joking, of course, but there's a big part of me that still has a lot of affection for that teenage self. :)

And, yes, the Smiths guys in the book are quite creepy!

I was dark and brooding too in my teens, and should probably have been a Smiths fan. Unfortunately I found them whiny bastards instead, and instead channelled my angst through bands like Einstürzende Neubauten.

But I'm utterly convinced both of the above are the kind of band who actually save some teenage lives - for real.

Very true! Always comforting to be misunderstood together with someone else than by yourself.

I lived in London (or outskirts of) as a teenager and Smiths was the "obvious" choice, although The Damned and The Cult figured largely as well. Ah, sweet youth. :)

I had my share of whiny & angry music too. Fun Boy Three. & I didn't hate The Smiths. They were just soooo angsty that even an angsty teen could tell. ;)

They weren't a band I listened to often, but "T'ain't What You Do" is a frequent play on my iPod - such a great song! Terry Hall was in The Specials, though, and I loved them!

LOL! I don't actually think I was ever really angsy - it was more a group identify thing for me. Again, sweet youth. :-)

Me too. Yup. The Specials were good too. & The Colourfield if you were a real Terry Hall fan.

Regarding Val McDermid, she has written a few stand alone mysteries, of which A Place of Execution is by far my favorite. Not as gruesome as her Tony Hill series can get.

->62 cammykitty:
Never heard The Colourfield, but Spotify has "Virgins and Philistines" and "Deception" so I'll definitely give them a listen! Thanks!

->63 DeltaQueen50:
Thanks for the rec. I did really like her writing, so I'll have to try some of her other books - I'll check if A Place of Execution lives at my library!

I was a fan of The Smiths. Also The Cure (saw them live in 86 or so), Depeche Mode (when they were at their best, methinks) and plenty of other angst-ridden-type folks that'll come to me when I'm done writing this message.

I'm kind of off thrillers at the moment (maybe because I'm heavily into children's & YA books this summer?) and don't do horror usually, so no bullets for me right now. Nice to catch up with you though.

That's a good thing - getting away from anyone's challenge list without at least one more book in the wishpile is a success! LOL! This year turned into a real mystery-reading year for me, thanks to some people who got me started reading Rankin. I wonder who they were......?? :) I do that quite often - get into reading moods where I just want to binge on one type of book and then I'll drop it and move off to something else.

I ended up getting a copy of Cold Granite though since then I've watched David Peace's Red Riding trilogy on dvd so now want to read the books and I picked up Falling Angel from the library today (it was recommended by Carlos Ruiz Zafón somewhere online) and started reading that. I don't even need other LTers to stray from my reading path...sigh

No-no-no!! What is this Red Riding trilogy that I now must watch!? Added into my instant list on Netflix!

You're right, of course, I can't really blame LT:ers for all of my folly. :)

I'm thinking Angel Heart was based on Falling Angel. Hope the book is good - I remember liking the film, although it was a long time ago since I saw it.

I know just what you mean about reading binges. I had a big exposure to children's & YA all of the sudden when I joined the 75ers (with Kerry leading the pack) and had so many great titles to choose from that I decided to make it my theme for the summer. Of course I've got to mix it up with other grownup stuff too, whatever that means...

I think the best is to just follow the flow - if I try to force myself to read something because I "should," I tend to not like the book and eventually just turn on the telly instead... :)

#62

Field of Blood by Denise Mina

Patricia "Paddy" Meehan, copygirl at Scottish Daily News, gets an unwelcome career boost when a toddler is murdered by two little boys, one of which is related to Paddy's fiancée. It's a very, very gruesome story - not only the part about the murder, which is horrific, but all the circumstances surrounding it. Mina writes well about 1980's Glasgow and manages to conjure up a feeling of that time and place, with its sometimes complicated family relations, living arrangements, and work situations, that rings absolutely true. This my first Denise Mina book and I've already been told that her other books are even better, so I'm looking forward to reading more.

#63

The Restraint of Beasts by Magnus Mills

What a bizarre little story. Definitely the first time I've read a comic novel about laborers putting up fencing in a near Kafkaesque situation where severe deeds matter little and minor events have seemingly cataclysmic ramifications. Lots of "What...?!" moments and a few laughs - the result of the joiner's work (eh?!) and Tam's tattoo spring to mind - and the end result is an odd little story with much information about high-tensile wire and some insights into menial labor, which is hardly menial, and its effect on the minds of some very special people.

#64

The Burning by Jane Casey

A serial killer is at large but there are questions about the latest victim and DC Maeve Kerrigan gets to take the lead in an attempt to ascertain who did what to whom. The marketing for this book mentions Tana French, and there are some similarities in that the personal relationships of the characters are as (if not more) important to the story as the mystery. With alternating narrators for alternating chapters (with the "Rob" chapter as the only anomaly), we get glimpses of the life of our victim from different angles until the two converge - whether this convergence is unexpected or not depends on the reader.

The mystery isn't too difficult to figure out and the leisurely way the story is narrated makes the stakes feel not very high, but the page-turner element is still present for me because I was so invested in the characters, especially Kerrigan who manages to be wonderfully funny in the strangest of moments. The only problem I had with the story is that every attractive male seems to have the infamous Startling Blue Eyes that usually appear in romance novels and they feel incongruous here.

I love Magnus Mills, he can make any situation deeply odd!

Yes, quite, quite peculiar! I got the tip from your challenge thread, so thanks again!! I understand Thomas Pynchon actually called the publisher after he read it to tell them how much he liked it. I don't know much about Pynchon, but that seems out of the ordinary. :)

The Burning has caught my eye and I have added it to my wishlist. Sigh, just what I need, another series!

->77 DeltaQueen50:

At least it's only part 1. :) Part 2 has just been published in the UK so it'll take a while until it reaches our shores. :)

Delving into the strange world of Magnus Mills is well invested time. I've yet to read a book of his I haven't liked, and only one I haven't utterly loved.

Adding Magnus Mills to my list of writers to look out for, and I might have to try something by Denise Mina.

->79 GingerbreadMan:
I just received a copy of All Quiet on the Orient Express, so I hope that wasn't the one you liked less... :)

->80 avatiakh:
Yes, Mills was a bit of a trip. :) I have more of Mina's in Mt. TBR - from what I've heard, Garnethill is the best one to start with.

Nope, that one is actually my favorite, possible tied with Three to see the king. The one that was "just" good IMO was The scheme for full employment, which lacked that eerie quality that all Mills' other books have. I haven't read his short stories, though!

Ooh have yet to read Three to see the king. Great to hear you enjoy a recommendation from my thread, that's what I love about LT all those book tips you pick up from everyone

Found out that PBS has bought the rights to the TV-series to show in October, so this series went to the top of Mt. TBR.



#65

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

First a heads-up: although it has been described as such, this is not a mystery. There are mysteries in the story, yes, but the reader will just be given the "answer" at the end - there's no figuring out for the reader to do. Instead, Atkinson turns the attention to the victims of the crimes and they turn out to be quite a delicious set of characters - quite odd, a little mad, and really, really funny. Especially our reluctant detective, Jackson Brodie, has a way of describing his surroundings that is witty and tart and often laugh-out-loud funny. The plots are quite messy and meandering, however, and when their solutions are revealed, they rely on a mass of coincidences, which is a disappointment. In the end, though, the character studies do make up for what the plot lacks and Atkinson's writing is adroit enough to encourage me to read more of the Jackson Brodie series.

#66

One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson

Jackson Brodie follows his actress girlfriend to The Fringe in Edinburgh and manages to get (reluctantly) involved in a few cases while trying to be on vacation. This second book about Brodie is more of a mystery than its predecessor, but Atkinson stays true to form by making the victims and their friends and family the main aspect of the story. Like in Case Histories, the solutions to the various plotlines are much too coincidental, but, again, the various mad characters and Brodie's dark sense of humor more than make up for it.

I do get the impression that Atkinson herself is not a huge fan of Scotland as pretty much every description of the locale includes something derogatory and negative. However, there's a note on the back of my copy stating that the author lives in Edinburgh, but I have a hard time understanding why she would when she goes out of her way to describe something as particularly nasty or stupid (Case Histories took place in England and includes nothing similar about that country) - I'm bemused.

And one annoyance: the problem Brodie has with his digital camera isn't possible - on an SLR he would have seen it and on a compact it happens automatically.

#67

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson

The victim of a 30-year-old crime goes missing and Jackson Brodie and Louise Monroe (who is introduced in One Good Turn) get to work "together" on a few suspicions developments. As seems to be standard in Atkinson's series about Brodie, the plotlines are convoluted and fold into each other, causing the solutions to be extremely coincidental ("A coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen."), which gets wearisome, but the characters do make up for it. The mysteries aren't really the main point in these books, but rather the effect of the crimes on each character and how they all connect to each other. The ironic comments in brackets also get a bit much sometimes (as in the previous books), but it's still a captivating read.

I read the first book a couple of years ago. I'm a fan of Atkinson's since I read Behind the Scenes at the Museum, which I loved so much I plan on reading it again sometime. We're having a September Series & Sequels theme, and I will plan to read the next two books then. I wonder if we'll get the series on the American PBS?

I was inspired by Anders for a challenge in 12/12 and have posted about it on my thread. Would love you to play along Eva!

I'm currently listening to Case histories on audio and have already read One Good Turn. Like you, I'm just enjoying the characters, they do come across quite well on the audio.

->87 Smiler69:
Yes, PBS is for the US. I was going to ask a UK friend to send me the DVDs, but then I got the good news that we'll get it over here!! They'll have it online streaming as well (if you miss the TV screening). Schedule over here!

->88 avatiakh:
I can imagine that especially Brodie's voice comes over well on audio - I kept reading his lines out loud! :)

#68

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

It must be said, this is not the most captivating or original of tales. However, Riggs hit a goldmine when he made friends with the photo-collectors whose treasures make up the illustrations in this book. Some of these photos are nothing short of amazing - the cover being one of my favorites (if anyone ever sees this made into a poster or print, contact me!) - especially since very little, if any, post processing has been done. Occasionally the story takes a convenient detour in order to fit a particular photo, but for the much larger part, the text and pictures complement each other very well and the sum total makes for a wondrous tale. Beware, though, that the ending is open and Quirk books has already announced that a sequel is scheduled for publication in spring of 2013. (Does nobody write single YA books anymore?)

I'd read several reviews about Miss Peregrine since it was offered on ER, but so far I handn't made out that the story and photos are actually interconnected. I agree with you that it's a bit annoying that every single book coming out these days (not just YA) is part of a series. Sure, some of them are great, but it's so obviously a marketing ploy to hang on to those 'captive readers'. However, I'm very happy reading a first book, and if I'm not that hot on it, feel no obligation whatsoever to go on.

Thanks for providing the schedule for the series Eva. I often forget that you're in the States, which is why I'd made that comment.

->92 Smiler69:

The series thing is annoying when I get to the end of the book and there is no end, just the characters going off to the next part of the story.... I prefer to know that it's a series, so that I can decide whether to wait for it to be done or not. Not sure the story was interesting enough to pick up a sequel for this one, but I will definitely browse it in the bookstore to see the photos (if there are actual bookstores left in 2013...)..

Yes, it's always a bit messy keeping track of where the LT:ers actually are in the world! :) I'm not sure how Canada deals with American PBS (if it's the same or not, I mean), but I hope you can access the online version.

if there are actual bookstores left in 2013...

considering we'll be there in less than 18 months, I'd say you'll still be able to browse. :-)

As for PBS, I subscribe to most major American channels, like ABC, CBS and NBC, and also get PBS (we also have HBO Canada now, with more or less the same programming as the US channel). I switched things around recently and not sure if I get both PBS channels mind you, so I'll have to check.

18 months...?! That's mad! Time to prep for the 13-in-13 soon!!! :)

:-D

I'm still fiddling with a few categories, but apart from that I think I have my 16 in 16 mostly in order.

->97 GingerbreadMan:

Adding this to my "Favorites" and will bring it out in 2016, which is probably not as far away as it sounds. Darn that Einstein bloke!! :)

You guys crack me up. That being said, I can see the appeal of planning ahead of time, especially since I like making lists so much.

Actually, it's not a bad idea, since it means you can justify the huge amount of unread books in your Mt. TBR by saying that you can't possibly read them now - that this or that particular book is saved for 2017, 2021, 2044, 2198, etc. ad infinitum! :)

Aw shucks, you found me out Eva. :-)

Truly, part of the reason I was so keen on getting people to pick out some books for 12/12 for me was precisely so that I would feel justified in putting those books aside till later so I could put them out of my mind for now.

So now that's out in the open, I'm off to plan for the next decade. Want to help me pick for 2016? ;-)

LOL, I'm starting 2012 today, but planning for 2020 ;) and the great book famine. Bookaholic, the ER of Mrs. Peregrine included a poster of the cover. I'd send mine to you, but it has already found a new owner. If you know anyone who had it as an ER, perhaps they can be convinced to part with it.

Darn - I was thinking about requesting Peregrine's when it was up for ER, but went for The Night Circus instead. Bookwise, it was the better choice, but that poster would have been nice. :) I might just find a large version online and print myself one....

not a bad plan. I wish I still had it! It's a very small publisher. You could email them and see if they have some posters left.

Oh, good idea! I will give that a try.

#69

Pepparkakshuset by Carin Gerhardsen

A few unrelated middle-aged people are found murdered in different parts of Sweden. Unrelated, that is, until the police find out that they all went to kindergarten together. But what could possibly happen in the world of six-year-olds that would cause someone to go on a rampage 38 years later?

Great page-turner of a police procedural with the added bonus of the reader getting intermitted updates from the murderer about what "progress" is being made. Initially, I thought I would be irritated by our Chief Inspector, Conny Sjöberg - his home life is just a bit too cozy and cute - but he managed to be clever enough to escape any severe judgment.

Mainly interesting is how Gerhardsen is able to make the murderer's motivation quite understandable (or even justifiable?) while keeping the crimes absolutely despicable. She uses the book to raise a lot of good questions about civic and personal responsibility, but still provides a riveting read - no preaching, just a gentle (and quite, quite heartbreaking) nudge.

#70

The Dead Hour by Denise Mina

It's been three years since Patricia "Paddy" Meehan’s big scoop and she became a full-fledged reporter. Since then, however, she has been stuck on the night shift, which turns into a potential blessing when the paper changes direction, redundancies are announced, and Paddy comes across a domestic-cum-murder, complete with intrigue, bribery, and drugs, which could save her from being made redundant, but which could also cost her life.

As in Field of Blood, Mina's descriptions of 80's Glasgow with all its financial and personal problems are painfully true to life and people's dejection is obvious. I still can't find myself warming to Paddy, though. Although the plot is interesting and the twists and turns make The Dead Hour quite thrilling, Paddy's voice eludes me for some reason and she seems to just follow the plot wherever it goes rather than being active. My problem with her might just be that she's not funny and it's somewhat of a requirement for me in a book with such a gruesome and graphic plot.

I have Slip of the Knife to read as well and, considering the cliff-hanger upon which The Dead Hour ends, I'm hoping to gain more sympathy for Paddy. I do enjoy Mina's writing tremendously, especially her capturing of a time and place and the relationships between her characters are quite raw and genuine, but Ms. Meehan might just be not for me.

#71

Tordyveln flyger i skymningen by Maria Gripe

"The dung beetle flies at dusk" is a mystery/ghost story about an ancient Egyptian artifact gone missing in a small Swedish village, coupled with discussions about alternative religion, equality, and gender roles. This started out as a radio-drama and was only later adapted into a novel, but most Swedes have read the book as children. Although it was written in the 70's and the social and religious issues aren't as acute nowadays, it holds up really well as a YA mystery with supernatural elements. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as if it has been translated into English (yet?).

#72

Slip of the Knife by Denise Mina

Some six years after the events in The Dead Hour, Paddy Meehan is a mum and has taken a safe position at work as a columnist rather than an investigative journalist. "Safe," that is, until a friend is found murdered and Paddy needs to divert a renegade IRA man's attention away from her own family so that they're not the next victims. Of the series, this installment is by far the best. Although the stories and the descriptions have been great, I've had trouble finding Paddy's voice in the previous books, but here, because of the stakes being so much higher and Paddy so much more desperate, she comes across clearer and it's easier to emphasize with her fear for her son's and for her own life. Even her mother gets to be a little softer and show some emotion. As in the other books, great descriptions of locales, the newspaper world, and everyday life in Glasgow.

Hmmmm.... curious about Slip of the Knife. Sounds like it has an interesting setting, and set up.

Glad you enjoyed the Paddy Meehan series. I think I'll try finishing the other one before I start this though.

Some very interesting books here! And great, informative reviews. Question: do you know -- is the Gerhardsen book available in English? I see that that the Lindqvist one is, but is not available anywhere in our state inter-library loan system. In fact, none of his books seem to be available through our library system. Drat! I'll have to check Amazon . . . I need to browse through your earlier thread and see what other treasures I can find!

ETA to add Thanks to your comments, I've added Ian Rankin to my Ever-Expanding list! Sounds like a winner. And our county library has some of them, including the first one in the series.

->110 cammykitty:
Although I though Slip of the Knife was a lot better than the first two, it's really a series you need to read in order - there is a huge amount of information that you'll be missing otherwise.

->111 AHS-Wolfy:
I saw your review on the Maureen O'Donnell-series and it sounds really good as well. I do love Mina's writing immensely - she really brings her locale to life!

->112 tymfos:
I would normally apologize for adding to my fellow LT:ers' respective Mts. TBR, but I love Rebus too much for that. :) It doesn't look like Pepparkakshuset has been translated. That might change, though, considering the speed with which Swedish mystery writers tend to get published abroad.

113 Good to know!

I'm pleased I came back to your thread this morning as I have just downloaded the audio of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children from the library and would have started listening later this week, but now rereading your review I think I'll stick to the queue for the actual book.

Yes, definitely the regular book!!! I don't even understand why they would bother with an audiobook.

Not for Miss Peregrine.

#73

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Like in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Selznick tells the story of Wonderstruck partially in text and partially in images. In Hugo Cabret, however, the images are used for the "action" segments, but in Wonderstruck, Selznick has gone a step further and tells one of the two parallel stories completely in words and the other completely in images, until the two converge at the end.

Although the connection between the two protagonists and the outcome are both easily guessed, the story is still satisfying and has quite a few insights into Deaf culture that I found rewarding as a hearing reader. The artwork is hands-down what makes this stand out, though; Selznick's attention to detail and the cinematic nature of his sequential art is quite extraordinary.

While it's not fair to really compare the two, I found the plot of Hugo Cabret infinitely more intriguing (perhaps because I figured out the end of Wonderstruck too soon). I did enjoy Wonderstruck enough to recommend it to any type of reader, but would say that if you're picking one or the other, go for Hugo Cabret.

#74

With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, Volume 1 by Keiko Tobe

Keiko Tobe's manga about Masato and Saachiko Azuma and their son, Hikaru, is a well-researched and informative look at a family's dealing with their young son's autism. Although this is a story about a family, it's also an introduction to understanding how differently an autistic person may view the world and how one can deal with communication issues that are bound to arise. What I especially appreciate is that the problems that the family encounter are presented along with various possible solutions and that Hikaru is portrayed as seeing the world differently rather than being handicapped. If you have autistic people in your family or circle of friends (and even if you currently don't), I'd call this is a must-read for its information, for its art, and for its big, big heart.

Sounds lovely. Thumbing your review!

Hi Eva, since I've read Hugo Cabret already, I'll be looking out for Wonderstruck. Thanks for the review!

->121 Smiler69:
They are in the same style, so if you enjoyed one, you will enjoy the other. Hugo Cabret was a little more "magical" for me, but Wonderstruck has quite a few other points going for it, so it's definitely worth picking up.

You know Eva, I liked Hugo Cabret quite a bit, but wasn't as taken by it as other people here on LT. Not quite sure why. I'm looking forward to the movie version though, as can't wait to see how they went about adapting it.

It's a Scorsese film with a pretty tasty cast, so chances are it'll be good! I wonder if they can fill a feature-length film with the story, though... It'll be interesting to see regardless.

Yes, I knew Scorsese was attached to this movie, and apparently he's a big film buff. I don't go to the cinema a lot, but this one should be worth the admission price!

#75

The Man in the White Suit: The Stig, Le Mans, the Fast Lane and Me by Ben Collins

This is Ben Collins story about growing up in California, his time as a racecar driver, his work the army, and his role as the infamous "Splitter" Stig of Top Gear. I, of course, picked this up because I'm a huge fan of The Stig (and, yes, I know he went out in a less than satisfactory manner, but he's still "my" Stig), and I must say it was a much better read than I had expected. The writing is a little bit choppy in the beginning, but gets really good as it goes along until it's almost a page-turner. It's obvious that Collin's isn't a professional writer, but I think he did a fairly good job here, and if you're interested in our former Stig, it's quite a captivating read. If you are, however, looking for some dark secrets about Top Gear that would have justified the overblown lawsuit business, you need to look elsewhere - there's nothing here, apart from Collins' identity (which was about to be revealed anyway), that justifies the madness that ensued.

#76

Garnethill by Denise Mina

Maureen O'Donnell's boyfriend is found dead in her flat and she can't rest until she has done all she can to find the person actually responsible. It's not your regular whodunit since Maureen isn't a detective or journalist or similar, but rather a former mental patient, and because of this the story will not only deal with the mystery but will involve Maureen's whole life and history, an introduction to her dysfunctional family, and an enormous amount of binge drinking.

As with other Mina stories, the sense of place is uncanny - she does have a real knack for describing places and moods to make you feel you're there and I quite enjoyed my visit to this very bleak Glasgow. I can't say I was very fond of Maureen herself, though. I found her somewhat unlikely in her switches from clever and strong to, in a second, weeping and doing utterly stupid things. I also have a problem with characters who get into trouble by acting stupider than they are, and, unfortunately, Maureen falls into this category from time to time. Luckily, she gets most things right and, overall, manages to be a captivating enough narrator for the story.

#77

Exile by Denise Mina

As in the first installment of the Maureen O'Donnell trilogy, this one deals with a murder mystery which Maureen is trying to solve, more of her nutty family, and a healthy, or rather unhealthy, dose of binge drinking. A Glasgow woman is found murdered in London and Maureen travels between the two cities to find out what happened.

As usual, I can't say enough good things about Mina's writing style when it comes to place and mood, but, again, her characters don't work as well for me. Maureen is still committing what I consider to be the worst crime: she manages to do utterly stupid things to get her in trouble. For Maureen it's usually a result of being blind drunk, but I consider that as much of a cop-out as when a writer makes their murderer insane in order to force the plot. Still, it's an exciting enough story to make it a satisfying, although not great, read.

#78

Resolution by Denise Mina

In this third part of the Maureen O'Donnell trilogy, Maureen is dealing with having to testify against her boyfriend's murderer (see part one of the trilogy, Garnethill), a murder which leads to a prostitution ring, as well as her abusive father's return to Glasgow. As in the other parts of the trilogy, we are treated some crazy family issues and to a lot of binge drinking. I have enjoyed reading these stories, but I still cannot emphasize with Maureen - she tells the story well, however, and Mina's descriptions of time and place are as impeccable as ever, so I enjoyed this resolution to the bleak tale of life in Maureen O'Donnell's Glasgow, even though the ending is (SPOILER ALERT!) a little too fairy-tale for my taste and, considering what has gone before, somewhat unlikely, almost as if Mina wanted to make it up to Maureen for all the terrible things she has been put through.

#79

Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mecum

Very quick read in haiku-format about a man turning into a zombie. I've never read/seen/heard anything before told from a zombie's point of view, so that was interesting and really, really bizarre. Short, but very enjoyable novelty story.

"I keep saying 'brains.'
I remember other words,
but I just need one."

You zipped through the Maureen O'Donnell trilogy in no time at all. I still haven't got around to picking up book 2 yet.

LOL! It seems I tend to binge-read when it comes to series - remember my frantic Rebus-read? :)

Yes, I also noticed your tendency to wallow in a particular series! Nothing like it when it's good. I remember when I discovered the Pern novels a few years ago, I read them all in a few weeks. I don't think I've gotten caught up in anything this year though I did read Ben Aaronovitch's two Peter Grant novels fairly quickly.

I just love being completely immersed in a story and its characters, so I just can't stop myself. I'm exactly the same way with chocolate. :) I try to wait until a series has finished before I start reading it but that obviously doesn't always work.

The Peter Grant novels look good - my library seem to have one called Midnight Riot and the touchstone comes up as Rivers of London, so they should be the same. Why, oh why must they publish the same book with different titles?!?! So annoying!

Oh no, that's another series on my list. I have Rivers of London on the TBR pile, but I didn't realise it was the start of a series.

@ 134 -- My understanding is that Rivers of London and Midnight Riot are the same book; they just have different titles for the UK vs. US editions.

ETA: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/ben-aaronovitch/

Yeah, they are the same book. Moon Over Soho is the follow up. Rivers of London might be my next read.

It's always a good tip-off when the touchstone for title shows up as the other. Not 100% reliable, but at least it's something! I've been "tricked" by UK/US versions enough times now that I always check.

So annoying when they change titles!!! Zombie Haiku looks interesting, but not in a most go out and buy sort of way. I was just at a horror convention, and it would have made quite the conversation starter.

The concept makes it a great conversation starter! It's clever and funny, but definitely in the stocking-stuffer category. :)

Eva, I'm glad you enjoyed the Denise Mina trilogy, I guess? I totally understood your binge when it came to Rebus, since you clearly loved that series, but you seemed to have mixed feelings about this one from the first. I wonder what kept you going?

->141 Smiler69:

My enjoyment is all down to Mina's writing style! Her sense of place and time is excellent and the voice is spot-on, enough so to keep me interested. I felt the same about the Paddy Meehan series: fantastic descriptions and characters I don't care for. :)

#80

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

Although it takes a little time to get going in the beginning, the action soon picks up in this last part of the trilogy when Leviathan leaves Istanbul and continues its travels east. As in the other parts, there's a lot of subterfuge and quite a few secrets to be revealed - politically (where is Leviathan actually heading?) as well as personally (when will Deryn's secret be revealed to Alex, and how?). Although I didn't feel that this installment was as good as the other two (mainly because of the shaky beginning), it's a very good conclusion to the trilogy. Also, the ending, satisfying as it is, does leave a tiny door open for the saga to continue - I only hope Westerfeld brings along my favorite character, Bovril, should he decide to pursue the opportunity.

#81

Iron Council by China Miéville

It's about 20 years after the events in The Scar and New Crobuzon is at war with Tesh, to the detriment (as is always the case) of its citizens. We follow Ori on his quest for revolutionary social justice, Cutter on his quest for Judah Low, and Judah Low on his quest for the Iron Council, the socialist train and people that he hopes will save New Crobuzon. As this is a Miéville story and its writer never a one-trick-pony, the reader will be treated to huge pieces of the social awareness cake along with breakneck speed steampunk action sequences, discussions about love (and how far one goes for it), Manifest Destiny, trade unionism, labor rights, racism, and imperialism. Although not quite as enthralling as its predecessors, Iron Council is a true Miéville story, so fasten your seatbelt, make sure you have a dictionary close at hand, and enjoy the ride.

#82

Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

When a German student is found ritualistically murdered at his Icelandic university, his family hires attorney Thóra Gudmundsdóttir to liaison with the local police due to the language barrier and because they think the police has arrested the wrong person. However, it turns out that they are asking Thóra for much more: they are asking her to find the real killer. Apart from some wonky mistranslations (due to the translator's lack of knowledge on a specific topic rather than actual errors), this is quite an enjoyable murder mystery. The characters are believable and the descriptions of Iceland quite intriguing, but the real bonus is Sigurðardóttir's detailed knowledge of Icelandic history, which she uses deftly as background to the contemporary story.

Hi Eva - You have been busy reading! Like you, I do hope Westerfeld starts something using the Leviathan trilogy for us followers..... Iron Council is already on my to read shortlist and you interesting review keeps it high on the TBR list!

->146 lkernagh:

I am a devoted "Bovrilian," so I do hope we get to see him/her/it again!

Once you've started Miéville, it's difficult to stop, isn't it?! Just put all of his books that you don't already have on the wishlist - they'll end up there anyways eventually! :)

Once you've started Miéville, it's difficult to stop, isn't it

Maybe that's why I'm so nervous about dipping my toes in? I've got The City & the City secured so will get to it eventually.

Just make sure to pick a time when you can really devote yourself to the text, since he builds such expansive worlds, and you'll be well rewarded. The City & the City is next in Mt. TBR for me.

Edited post because touchstones are having some strange breakdown.

I very much doubt this'll ever get translated into English, but just in case, here are my thoughts on the hot mess.



#83

Döden på en blek häst (Death on a Pale Horse, named for the Turner painting) by Amanda Hellberg

Maja Grå goes to Oxford to study illustration and is stalked by her dead mother’s ghost and a few other otherworldly beings. So, what's good? The writing. Hellberg is capable of putting sentences together artfully. What's not so good? The rest, unfortunately. Döden på en blek häst is part ghost story, part horror tale, part police procedural, part romance novel (including a rather cringe-worthy sex scene), part travel guide, part art history lecture, part abandonment story, part interior decoration class (including descriptions of every architectural feature in every building in Oxford), part Introduction to Illustration, part murder mystery, part splatter/gore story, part gothic fiction, part Attending College 101, and part restaurant guide.

It gets a bit too much for a mere 300 pages and the transitions from one type of story to the next are abrupt to say the least; one minute Maja is sharing her bed with a rotting corpse and the next happily sketching cartoons in class, one minute she’s assaulted by a dead body in her bathtub and the next rolling in the hay with suitably broody bad boy, Jack (turned good guy, obviously, in true romance novel form). The creepy parts are well written, but I wish Hellberg would have picked one solid story and stuck with it instead of trying to merge many rickety storylines into one.

Brilliant review! I'll put Döden på en blek häst on my Rather dead in a ditch list. Yay for a good review of Iron Council too, by the way. Miéville's reddest book, I think. I guess that's part of why I enjoyed it so much - the notion of Readable Political Fantasy is so strangely appealing to me!

Thanks!

The ditch-list would be a good place for it. :) I read a lot about it on the Swedish bookblogs a while back, but since reading it myself I have realized that the good words must have come from the swag the publisher sent along with the book.

Yes, the political stance in Iron Council is quite overt. :) I do enjoy how he manages to say quite a lot of important things while still writing proper fantasy, not skimping on either aspect.

Great (and entertaining) review!

152 Love the concept of a rather dead in a ditch list!

Agree on the rather dead in a ditch. That book sounds like a car wreck with someone with multiple personality disorder in the driver's seat.

#84

Double Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Dexter is spotted during one of his "sessions" and has to hunt the witness, a man who has decided that turning into Dexter's copycat is the best way of getting rid a few of his own enemies as well as getting Dexter in trouble. This series is always an exercise in hit-and-miss, but this installment is luckily one of the better. The mystery part isn't extraordinarily riveting, but finally Lindsay has gone back to the original voices of Dexter and his Dark Passenger, so this is at least a very funny read.

#85

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

It's Christmas and Flavia de Luce has a plan to catch old Saint Nick, but a film crew shows up, a murder is committed, and Flavia's attention is needed elsewhere. This fourth installment of precocious Flavia's mystery-solving adventures is much like the previous ones: quite lovely. Since the whole "cast" is snowed in, we also get to be much closer to the different personalities and even Flavia's sisters open up a little. The mystery isn't guessable (since we don't know the film crew or their relationships), but it's quite nice to be along for the ride as Flavia discovers one secret after another, not to mention how Saint Nick assists in catching the perp(s).

#86

My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Attorney Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is hired to review a land purchase because of alleged hauntings, but then a woman is found murdered and Thóra, with a little help from Matthew, decides to investigate. This series has turned out to be a bit of a goldmine for me. Sigurðardóttir's characters are completely believable and truly engaging, her plots convoluted but not improbable, and the descriptions of the Icelandic landscape very evocative. Sigurðardóttir is definitely en route to becoming a favorite mystery writer of mine - hope her continued writings confirm it.

#87

Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi

A very quick look behind the proverbial veil when a group of Iranian women get together for tea and gossip. There are a few lovely and a few sad stories here and the drawing style is nice. I only wish the book was longer so that the stories would be more detailed and a few cultural "quirks" better explained so that the women didn't come across as so conniving and sad.

#88

Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi

When his favorite tar is broken, Nasser Ali is gripped by a severe ennui and the story describes his memories and thoughts about his life during the eight days it takes him to die. Surprisingly heart-wrenching tale about love and loss, even though our main character is not very agreeable. It's much too short (less than 100 pages), but manages to pack a bit of a punch at the end.

#89

The City & the City by China Miéville

When a woman is murdered, the investigation takes Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad from his beloved Besźel to its "concurrent" city Ul Qoma - two cities who sometimes occupy the same geographical space, but whose inhabitants have been raised to "unsee" the people and features of the other city and trained not to accidentally cross the border. Because of its sparse language, this is one of the easier Miéville novels to read - it is however, not less complex or clever than the others.

It is a huge feat of Miéville's, I think, that he manages to write a proper hard-boiled noir story with a determined copper who won't be dissuaded from finding the truth, damned-be-all-consequences, at the same time as staying true to the "Miévilleian" characteristic complex and fantastic world-building. And, of course, adding quite a bit of political commentary; although not meant to be representative of any real location (that Miéville dislikes allegories is not a secret), it is impossible not to at least ponder various current world situations where people must "unsee" other people on a daily basis.

It even manages to be funny at times, when people need to dodge other people or cars that they can't acknowledge are there to begin with. Although I doubt it'll happen, I would love to read a prequel with some earlier case of Borlú's as his voice is such a great throw-back to classic noir.

#89

Ashes to Dust by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

In 1973, (what would become) Eldfell buried large parts of the Icelandic island of Heimaey in lava and ashes, causing the nearly permanent evacuation of its inhabitants. In 2007, attorney Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is representing one of the previous homeowners, who wants to retrieve something personal from his old house before excavation begins, but who encounters something unexpected and instead becomes a murder suspect.

I've read the two previous books in this series and this is, unfortunately, the least accomplished of the three. Still, the background information is absolutely fascinating and Sigurðardóttir is, as usual, extremely good at bringing to life Icelandic history and landscape. This was especially interesting to me as we have family friends who fled Heimaey in 1973 and I have seen their photos of the eruption, heard their accounts of the evacuation, and have since visited this beautiful island, so the backdrop really came to life for me.

The mystery is quite convoluted, though, and sometimes even Thóra doesn't get it, which is frustrating (we're even "treated" to a recap of the case notes in the middle of the action), and when the resolution then whiffs of deus ex machina, the result is a somewhat disappointing end. Also, the foil from the previous books (Matthew) is largely absent and has been replaced with (previously lazy, incompetent, obnoxious) Bella, who has now become quite helpful and sharp as a tack. I wish that Sigurðardóttir had written a smoother segue or introduced a completely new character rather than create this abrupt about-face for Bella's character.

I did enjoy the story for Sigurðardóttir's skillful writing, but hopefully, by the next installment, the beautiful descriptions of landscape and the inclusion of Icelandic history is joined by the characters acting as they have in the past and by Matthew returning to Iceland to be Thóra's foil and partner.

The City & The City is one of Miéville's books that I have on my must read list. Love your review and look forward to fitting it, and other possible Miéville works, into my 2012 challenge!

Hmm not sure why but I'm a bit nervous of picking up Mieville's work, but The City & The City is the one that had been on the shelf and you just convinced me to give it go next year.

I'm definitely going to have to read more Miéville next year.

I need to pick up a few more Miéville's to add to the tbr pile. The City & the City will definitely have to be one of them. Good review Eva.

Everybody should read more Miéville!! :)

->164 SouthernKiwi:
I think The City & the City or Un Lun Dun are great to start with if the world-building is a little intimidating. At least you can read this without a dictionary, which isn't true of Miéville's other works - he has an absolutely unbelievable vocabulary.

->166 AHS-Wolfy:
I think you'll really like this one since you are a fan of the genre too.

Ooh, looks like there's a new Miéville is coming out in May called Railsea! No word yet on what it's about, but since it's (currently) listed as being 288 pages, there are some speculations about it being another YA novel.

ETA: Now up to 384 pages. :)

#91

Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey by Bob McCabe

As a huge Potter-fan, books and films, I just had to pick up this hefty tome - and at 7.3 lbs (about 3,5 kg), it certainly is a tome. The first part covers each film in order (e.g. casting actors, writing scripts, directorial choices, etc.) and the second part covers the art (e.g. construction drawings for models, storyboards, schematics for the various props, etc.).

The most obvious thing about the book, apart from its huge size, is the production quality. They certainly went out of their way to create an especially beautiful book. The paper- and print-quality is exceptional so the reproduction of the art is perfect. Also, they've added a few bonuses - for example, there are "hidden" illustrations on many pages (see my photos below).



Content-wise, they have been organized and thorough. The books starts with an introduction which explains how the producer got hold of a script of the first book before it was published as a book, so they immediately optioned the film rights but had to wait until the book had gained popularity momentum before raising money for the film(s). It then goes through the process of finding the crew and cast and continues with a detailed description of each of the films. Part two of the book has sections on the characters (and their costumes), locations, creatures, special effects, etc. along with concept drawings or photos from the films. The writing tries to present mainly behind-the-scenes information, since readers of this book will have seen the films ("Sort-of-spoiler:" Neville wore a fat-suit!).

If I were really looking for something to gripe about, I would have wanted a section on Hedwig and the other animals and I would have wished for even more technical production information (as if Cinefex Magazine had produced the book). Also, sometimes information from one section is repeated (verbatim) in another when the subjects are overlapping. However, I do understand that they have to exclude some information when putting eight movies into a "mere" 500+ page book, and also that the perfect balance between the wishes of a "normal" fan and a severe film-nerd cannot be reached, so these are small gripes indeed.

This is easily one of the most beautiful books I own and it's really a must-have for any fan of the Potter films.

That looks like a rather grand book, I have quite a few Lord of the Rings movie-making books but nothing of that sumptuous nature. Weta Workshop have been quite good at bringing out 'making of' books from their art and props people. I went to a talk given by one of their art people who put together The Crafting of Narnia: The Art, Creatures, and Weapons from Weta Workshop. Really interesting to hear about the level of research, these folk are really passionate about getting it as right as they can.
Ok, HP page to screen is now on my wishlist.

#92

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

I first saw the film-version of Satrapi's story about her childhood in Iran, so the storyline was not a surprise. There are however quite a few "extra" stories that makes this worth a read if the topic interests you. I enjoy Satrapi's stark drawing style, but I do wish her characters had a slightly larger emotional range, since some of the events would work so much better with a more subtle portrayal.

#93

Looking for Jake by China Miéville

Not surprisingly, considering the author, a collection of the scary and fantastic, which still manages to discuss the human condition.

"Looking For Jake" - Very reminiscent of Perdido with its bizarre predators, but with a post-apocalyptic feel.
"Foundation" - Interesting idea about how to rectify a wrong committed and to justify those voices who talk to you and nobody else.
"The Ball Room" - This is the creepiest Miéville story I've read; I'll never be able to look at IKEA's ballroom again.
"Reports Of Certain Events In London" - Absolutely brilliant idea of a group of people who follow the world's feral streets and alleys and map their feuds and love stories.
"Familiar" - A new spin on the Sorcerer's Apprentice theme where the powers created are much stronger than the magician who should control them.
"Entry Taken From A Medical Encyclopaedia" - A specific word spreads disease when pronounced. It's very difficult to not picture The Knights of Ni while reading this story. Flann O'Brien fans should delight in the fact that De Selby has a cameo in (obviously!) a footnote.
"Details" - Another seriously creepy tale about the dangers of being one of the people who can see what others can't.
"Go Between" - A slightly less (or more?) sinister Milgram experiment or reality? Even if you knew the answer, would your conscience allow you to disobey?
"Different Skies" - A story about facing the enemy, even if that enemy makes no sense and couldn't really exist.
"An End To Hunger" - The result when you try to expose those powerful who consider themselves saviors of the world.
"'Tis The Season" - It may be a satire about how business is taking over our holidays, but it's not totally unimaginable that rebels may have to stage a revolt to free Xmas from its commercial interests.
"Jack" - A story about Bas-Lag character Jack Half-a-Prayer, which has the most surprising denouement: I did not see that coming!
"On The Way To The Front" - Short graphic novel about a man witnessing soldiers from the fronts of various wars through some sort of time-rift (reminiscent of the crosshatching in The City & The City).
"The Tain" - A brilliant and somewhat silly story about the uprising of a repressed people, who happen to be our own reflected images.

I was advised not to read all the stories in this collection at the same time, and I would pass that advice along - there is simply too much here to digest properly in one sitting.

#94

Klezmer: Tales of the Wild East by Joann Sfar

The story of a few outcasts who come together to form a Klezmer band in pre-World War II Eastern Europe. The drawing style is much looser than I've seen from Sfar before and many drawings are no more than sketches with some slight watercoloring. The drawings are quite beautiful at times, and the characters, especially Yaacov who is a parallel to the cat in The Rabbi's Cat, are captivating due to their varied backgrounds. Unfortunately, it looks like volumes 2 and 3 of Klezmer has not been translated into English (yet?).

Where it gets really interesting is the "Notes for KLEZMER, Volume 1" section in which Sfar discusses his reasoning for writing the story to begin with, his thoughts on contemporary Jewish life, Klezmer music, and the State of Israel, which are quite thought-provoking. I would love to have the other volumes in English to continue reading these notes.

#95

Soumchi by Amos Oz

This is a sort of spin on Jack and the Beanstalk, but with First Love instead of gold as the prize. The main character, called Soumchi, is a less developed version of Proffi from Panther in the Basement so this could be a day in the life, told by a younger Proffi, but with more fantasy and less die-hard reality, although some of the political aspects of 1947 British Palestine are still present.

->170 avatiakh:

From the previews on Amazon, The Crafting of Narnia looks very similar in layout, except the HP book just has too much materials to go into as much detail as I would have wished. It's absolutely beautiful, though! And, of course, The Crafting of Narnia is now on my wishlist - I would have loved to be at that Weta talk!!

Hi Eva - Love the detailed review you have provided above for Looking For Jake: Stories! You reminded me of that Ball Room stories and I started to get creeped out just remembering it. I was surprised how quickly I could remember the stories as I was reading your review..... I will need to pick up that book again, if anything to read the story "The Tain"

And before I forget.... adding Soumchi to the list of books I keep an eye out for. I do enjoy Oz's writing style. For some reason it makes me think of Leonard Cohen. Don't ask me why because I have no idea why one makes me think of the other.

Isn't the ball room one just the worst?!? It's still creeping me out. :) And, being Swedish, I do go to IKEA quite often (although now that they've stopped selling the brandname foods, I won't go as often) and I can't help but look away as I pass the ball room. :)

I did write down a little of each story so that I would recall them myself, rather than write something generic about the collection. Hope you get to reread it at a slower pace!!

Never connected Leonard Cohen with Amos Oz, but I'm sure there's something there - those hunches are usually justified.

Catching up on your thread and enjoying your reviews as usual! Slightly frustrating reading your review of Looking for Jake, as your little reply to each story isn't really enough to spark my memory and I realise I can't for the life of me remember what "Foundation" or "Details" are about! My favorites, like that excellent feral street story or the one with the guy delivering packages, stand very vividly in my mind though!

Eva, glad the spreading them out a bit thing worked for you in your reading of Looking for Jake. Your review invokes my own memories of the collection. Still don't like the graphic novel attempt though.

->178 GingerbreadMan:
SPOILER WARNING: "Foundation" is the guy who has war memories and hear the voices of the dead from the buildings and sacrifices one to them. "Details" is the woman in the white room who sees "the other" in every line and crack.

->179 AHS-Wolfy:
I read the graphic novel a couple of times and I really liked its premise. So-so on the execution.

#96

Happy End by Actus

A collection by Israeli comics collective Actus (which consists of Rutu Modan, Yirmi Pinkus, Batia Kolton, Itzik Rennert and Mira Friedmann) and their, for this book, guest artist Anke Feuchtenberger. As the title suggests, these are six different variations on the theme of happy endings, some more original than others but none predictable and some so unexpectedly surreal it's a pure joy to follow discover where the stories are all going. Of the six, Feuchtenberger's story is my least favorite since I'm still not very sure what it was about (there is such a thing as too surreal) and my favorite is Modan's story for its heartbreaking simplicity.

I read this in Hebrew side-by-side with the English version, and can confirm that I'm rubbish at עברית. :) Actually, it went better than I had thought, but much, much worse than I had hoped.



#97

How to Love by Actus

Another collection by Actus and guest artist David Polonsky. These are six different stories where the artists explore some conventional and some quite unconventional sides to love. Modan presents a very uncomfortable story about hero worship, Pinkus' story shows a serene morning in the lives of two lovers, Kolton's story deals with the awkwardness of prepubescent feelings, Friedmann illustrates the loss of innocence, Rennert produces a sad and funny story of Everyman's love life, and guest artist Polonsky relays Baron von Münchhausen's fantastic tale of passion. Without actually spelling out an answer to the understood question in the book's title, the artists manage quite well in circling the topic and together present an unexpectedly complete picture.

#98

Dark Entries by Ian Rankin and Werther Dell'Edera

Constantine becomes one of the housemates at a horror version of Big Brother in order to solve a supernatural murder, only to realize that he has been tricked into the house by the denizens of Hell. The premise is not exactly a stroke of genius, but as Rankin is a practiced plot-writer, the story was intriguing and kept me turning the pages to see how it all would resolve. The writing is not exceptional but stays true to Constantine's voice and although the stark black-and-white drawings are not my favorite, they do add a noir feel to the story. What results is a decent part of the mythos for Constantine-fans and an imaginative addition to the oeuvre for Rankin-fans, but I wouldn't recommend this to someone who wasn't one or the other.

Eva, lots of interesting reading, as always. I've got Miéville's The City & The City on audiobook, which will be my introduction to him. I heard so much about him on LT, as he has lots of fans here... am almost intimidated to read him at this point—what if I don't like him so much? And then what if I do? So many more books to add to my wishlist! Ack!!!

->184 Smiler69:

Oh, not to worry about Miéville! He has a vocabulary I'll envy 'til the day I die, but otherwise he's not so bad. :) The City & The City might be a really good place to start since it's pretty much noir with a twist and some politics rather than one of his truly fantastic tales. If you don't enjoy the fantasy/sci-fi part of this one, don't bother with the others. I think you'll enjoy it, though, just read/listen with an open mind. :)

I'm currently on my last challenge book(!!!), which happens to be Miéville's Kraken and so far it's brilliant!!!

Wow, congrats on finishing the challenge, and especially with a book you're loving!

I do like fantasy and some sci-fi. I guess I'll only know what I think about his work when I read/listen to it. It's just he seems to have practically a mythical status here on LT, hence the intimidation factor. But then, I felt that way about Gaiman too. And I love some of his work, not so much some other.

Ooh, I'm not done yet, Kraken is a 500+ heavyweight, but hopefully by this weekend, though!!

ETA: Yep, Sunday night!!

Yes, I have a feeling that those who love Miéville will scream so loudly about it that those that don't won't dare to say anything, but if you read the reviews there are quite a few people who aren't complete converts and that's OK too - I'd hate if we all liked the same stuff. At the very least, you will have some appreciation for Miéville's seemingly infinite creative mind.

#99

Kraken by China Miéville

In a nutshell, what Perdido Street Station is to society and politics, Kraken is to faith and religion. Miéville proffers to the reader a plethora of thoughts, philosophies, cults, ideas, prophesies, idols, premonitions, exegesis, fanaticism, and (naturally) war, all wrapped in a fantastic tale of Billy, a rumored prophet (possibly virgin-born), and his pious bodyguard, Dane, out to save the God Kraken from its enemies and to prevent the ending of the world in the process.

The world-building is spectacular as usual, but, as is also usual, prepare for a "treacle-read" - there is no rushing through the lush, erudite, and sumptuous language of a proper Miéville tale. The payoff is worth every effort, though, for to be transported to God Kraken's grotesque London by the imaginative mind of this author and be presented with his myriads of side-stories is an always intriguing, sometimes breathtaking, and occasionally an absolutely hilarious ride. (Vardy and Collingswood planning a double Armageddon is a riot!)

And, there you have it - challenge completed!! Bring on the dancing girls:

Challenge Statistics for 2011:

Number of books: 99
Total number of pages: 35,579 (average 359 pages/book)

Most prolific reading month: March - 14 books
Least prolific reading month: September - 4 books

Acquired in 2011: 64
Acquired before 2011: 35

43 female authors
69 male authors

Author nationality - top 5:
1. UK (Scotland: 27, England: 20)
2. USA (23)
3. Sweden (10)
4. Israel (5)
5. Iceland (3) and Iran (3)

Original language - top 5:
1. English
2. Swedish
3. Hebrew
4. French
5. Icelandic

Top Five:
1-2. Embassytown and Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
3. The Emperor of Lies by Steve Sem-Sandberg
4. Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin
5. Cirkeln by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergmark Elfgren

Bottom Five:
1. The Postcard Killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund
2. Israel for Beginners by Angelo Colorni
3. Döden på en blek häst by Amanda Hellberg
4. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger
5. We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Oh I'm first to say congratulations and Kraken has gone to the top of my wishlist.
Love your dancing girls.

Congratulations on finishing your challenge, and with such a great book as well! Kraken is already on my 'must read' list so no book bullet.

Congratulations, Eva, you chose a great book to finish off your challenge.

Yay! for dancing girls and congratulations for completing your challenge. Good summary too. I like the Original language idea.

Hooray! A great review of Kraken, one of my favorite reads this year (you have now, incidentally, passed me in Miéville-dom. You've read them all, haven't you? I have Embassytown and Un Lun Dun left for next year) to wrap things up, those cool dancing girls, a neat summary and a new nick to boot!

Will you stick around here until new years, or are you off to greener, 12 in 12 pastures?

Thank you all!!!

Very pleased that I ended with a great book - I read Anders' review of it and had already decided to save it for last, though. :) And, yes, since I made "China Miéville Œuvre" its own category, I have now read them all.

I'll be around to read threads, but I won't be posting reviews on this one since I'm spending the rest of the year with a Harry Potter reread extravaganza.

ALSO, as you may see, I have changed my username (actually it's in the process - I'm missing My Groups...) since "bookoholic13" worked in the world of blogdom, but on a site where everyone is one, it's somewhat meaningless. :) So, I figured that since my name is Eva that'd be a good username - clever, eh?

My 12-in-12 Challenge lives over here.

And now it's posting as bookoholic13... Maybe I'll just log off until the LT-people are done with their magic... :)

Hmm, how about now...?

ETA: Yey, I'm now officially -Eva-!! (Someone stole the regular "Eva" username back in 2006 and didn't do anything with it - boo!), so that's why the dashes.

Congratulations on finishing your challenge and also on your new name change. Looking forward to seeing you over on 12 in 12 and following your reading agin next year.

Congratulations! Are those girls from Dance Dance Revolution? That style of 'dancing' seems awfully familiar...

Thank you!!!!

Actually, I have no idea where she comes from - I found her for last year's challenge and she kinda dances like I do (I'm all kinds of un-hip), so I just kept her for this year.

Your dancing girl reminds me of Uma Thurman's dancing in "Pulp Fiction".

Congratulations on completing your challenge! Great achievement. And I love the dancing girls.

Congratulations!

Congratulations, Eva!

Thank you all again!!

->202 DeltaQueen50:
Well spotted, I think that's exactly who she's based on now that I look closer!!

TOTALLY Uma Thurman. Congratulations on completing the challenge and on the name change too Eva. I didn't realize one could do that.

Great work completing your challenge!

Wishing you the best of the holiday season, Eva. And, as I am going to be away, Happy New Year as well!

Wishing you all the very best Eva!

Totally behind on threads, so belated congrats and a lovely review to finish on :)

Thank you all!! I had some other "orphans" (i.e. friends whose families are also thousand of miles away) kidnap me for a few days, so I've spent the last week in lovely Palm Springs, sitting by the pool, having a Harry Potter-reread-extravaganza.

I've had a bit of not-great year since my partner moved back to his native Israel and I (after long and careful consideration) decided not to go with him. It was the right decision, but I certainly needed a change of scenery for the holidays! I also booked myself a 1-month long vacation to go to Sweden in May, so I have that to look forward to.

Anyways, looking forward to a great year with loads of great reading. I just finished my HP-reread and will start the new year with my LTER-book, The Invisible Ones, which looks promising.

Wishing a great new year for the rest of you too!!

Happy New Year Eva
I'm wishing you all the best for a great year in reading and in RL, a trip home to Sweden sounds ideal.

Thank you! I'm looking forward to it so much!

Happy New Year Eva!

Hi Eva, I wish you a very Happy New Year! See you on 12/12!

Thank you!!! I'm having a good time - the weather is nice and sunny enough that I can keep my door and windows open (with a blanket over my legs), catching up on LT-threads, drinking tea, and waiting for 3pm (which will be midnight in Sweden) to come around so I can call my mum and wish her a happy new year! See you all in 2012!!!

Happy New Year Eva. Good to have a trip like that to look forward to. I wish you happy reading for 2012.