Marcia's 2012 Reading Chronicle (1)

Happy New Year!!!

Hey, guys. I'm excited for this group this year, especially as it gives me a chance to catch up with all of you after I dismally faded away from the group last year when RL kicked me in the you-know-what.

For those of you I don't know yet, my name is Marcia. I'm 26 and I live in upstate NY. I'm a sometime college student. I read a lot, although not as much as some in this group, that's for sure. I usually get past 75 pretty easily, though. Last year I read 152, and in 2010 I read 149, so I imagine this year it will be right around 150, too, unless circumstances change drastically.

I read pretty much everything, although lately I've been reading mostly mysteries and romances, especially historical romances and m/m (gay) romances. I also really enjoy fantasy and young adult books. Every now and then I read some weighty nonfiction or something literary.

Here will be the ongoing list of books I read in 2012, or at least the first part of them. Thoughts and reviews will be posted below.

1. Charm City by Laura Lippman
2. The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
3. A Vintage Affair by Josh Lanyon
4. Among the Truthers: A Journey Through America's Growing Conspiracist Underground by Jonathan Kay
5. Death in the Devil's Acre by Anne Perry
6. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
7. Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale
8. Mummy Dearest by Josh Lanyon
9. Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Occupied Paris by David King
10. A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper
11. The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay
12. The Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government by Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer
13. Inseparable: Desire Between Women in Literature by Emma Donoghue
14. Homicidal by Paul Alexander
15. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
16. Shane and Trey by Anyta Sunday
17. Broken Music by Marjorie Eccles
18. The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe
19. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
20. The Decisions We Make by RJ Scott
21. Cop Out by KC Burn
22. A Private Gentleman by Heidi Cullinan
23. Final Admission by Sue Brown
24. Packing Heat by Kele Moon
25. After the Apocalypse by Maureen F. McHugh
26. The Wages of Sin by Alex Beecroft
27. Dance With Me by Heidi Cullinan
28. Nowhere Ranch by Heidi Cullinan
29. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
30. The Locker Room by Amy Lane
31. American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation by Michael Kazin
32. Horoscopes for the Dead by Billy Collins
33. Timeless by Gail Carriger
34. Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt
35. Jarrett by A.R. Kahler
36. Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas
37. Life, Over Easy by K.A. Mitchell
38. Trust Me If You Dare by L.B. Gregg
39. The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold
40. Clear Water by Amy Lane
41. The Shattered Gates (Rifter #1) by Ginn Hale
42. Servant of the Crossed Arrows (Rifter #2) by Ginn Hale
43. Black Blades (Rifter #3) by Ginn Hale
44. Miles and the Magic Flute by Heidi Cullinan
45. Mexican Heat by Laura Baumbach and Josh Lanyon
46. A Modern Witch by Debora Geary
47. The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay
48. A Fountain Filled With Blood by Julia Spencer Fleming
49. Unshakeable Faith by Lisa Worrall
50. Taking You Home by Cooper Davis
51. Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
52. A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare
53. Hot Ticket by K.A. Mitchell
54. Indelible by Karin Slaughter
55. Victims by Jonathan Kellerman
56. Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
57. Faithless by Karin Slaughter
58. Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter
59. River of Darkness by Rennie Airth
60. Magic's Pawn by Mercedes Lackey (reread)
61. Triptych by Karin Slaughter
62. Chase In Shadow by Amy Lane
63. Magic's Promise by Mercedes Lackey
64. Custom Ride by K.A. Mitchell
65. Fractured by Karin Slaughter
66. The Salisbury Key by Harper Fox
67. Undone by Karin Slaughter
68. A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong
69. Sleeping With the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War by Hal Vaughan
70. Broken by Karin Slaughter
71. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
72. Among the Living by Jordan Castillo Price
73. Driftwood by Harper Fox
74. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
75. Frat Boy and Toppy by Anne Tenino
76. Melusine by Sarah Monette
77. Life After Joe by Harper Fox
78. The Rebuilding Year by Kaje Harper
79. Out in the Field by Kate McMurray
80. Warrior's Cross by Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
81. Life Lessons by Kaje Harper
82. And to All a Good Night by Kaje Harper
83. Scrap Metal by Harper Fox
84. The Virtu by Sarah Monette
85. The Epic Love Story of Doug and Stephen by Valerie Z. Lewis
86. Criss Cross by Jordan Castillo Price
88. Getting It Right by Kaje Harper
89. Breaking Cover by Kaje Harper
90. It Had To Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
91. Continental Divide by Lisa Worrall and L.E. Harner
92. Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell
93. Night Is Darkest by Jayne Rylon
94. Gambling Men by Amy Lane
95. Freezing by Clea Koff
96. Beguiling the Beauty by Sherry Thomas
97. Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas
98. The Truth of All Things by Kieran Shields
99. Black Wings by Christina Henry
100. Hemovore by Jordan Castillo Price
101. A Hole in God's Pocket by K.Z. Snow
102. Snatched by Karin Slaughter
103. Barefoot in the Sand by Roxanne St. Clare
104. Keeping Promise Rock by Amy Lane
105. Last Night's Scandal by Loretta Chase
106. The Archer's Heart: Book One by Astrid Amara
107. Don't Look Back by Josh Lanyon
108. Hard Tail by J.L. Merrow
109. The Mirador by Sarah Monette
110. One Small Thing by Piper Vaughn and M.J. O'Shea
111. Frog by Mary Calmes
112. Making Promises by Amy Lane
113. Corambis by Sarah Monette
114. Muscling Through by J.L Merrow
115. A Companion to Wolves by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
116. The Tempering of Men by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
117. Country Mouse by Amy Lane and Aleksandr Voinov
118. Born to Darkness by Suzanne Brockmann
119. Handle With Care by Josephine Myles
120. Gone Missing by Linda Castillo
121. Permanently Legless by J.L. Merrow
122. Delicious by Sherry Thomas
123. Visible Friend by K.Z. Snow
124. Snake Skin by C.J. Lyons
125. The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan
126. The Archer's Heart: Book Two by Astrid Amara
127. Cost of Repairs by A.M. Arthur
128. An Oral Fixation by Piper Vaughn
129. Lord of the White Hell: Book One by Ginn Hale
130. Burn Down the Ground by Kambri Crews
131. Blood Howl by Robin Saxon and Alex Kidwell
132. Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas
133. Worlds Apart by Barbara Elsborg
134. South of the Border by Laura Baumbach
135. Criminal by Karin Slaughter
136. The Theory of Attraction by Delphine Dryden
137. Indian Maidens Bust Loose by Vidya Samson
138. Her Best Worst Mistake by Sarah Mayberry
139. The Starving Years by Jordan Castillo Price
140. The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan
141. Unveiled by Courtney Milan
142. Thorn in My Side by Karin Slaughter
143. Whistle Blowing by Ada Marie Soto
144. How to Tell a Lie by Delphine Dryden
145. American Love Songs by Ashlyn Kane
146. Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews
147. Unlocked by Courtney Milan
148. A Matter of Time: Volume One by Mary Calmes
149. Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas
150. But My Boyfriend Is by K.A. Mitchell
151. Body & Soul by Jordan Castillo Price
152. Unraveled by Courtney Milan
153. The Boy Next Door by Kate McMurray
154. Kill You Twice by Chelsea Cain
155. Living Promises by Amy Lane
156. Pressure Head by J.L. Merrow
157. Nine Tenths of the Law by L.A. Witt
158. Dex in Blue by Amy Lane
159. Where Nerves End by L.A. Witt
160. Second Hand by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton
161. A Rookie Move by Sam B. Morgan
162. Angel Killer: A True Story of Cannibalism, Crime Fighting, and Insanity in New York City by Deborah Blum
163. Iced by Karen Marie Moning
164. The Hot Floor by Josephine Myles
165. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
166. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
168. Tempting the Bride by Sherry Thomas
169. Tart by Lauren Dane
170. This Time Next Year by Alison Kent
171. Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey
172. One True Thing by Piper Vaughn and M.J. O'Shea
173. The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters by Amy Lane
174. How to Raise an Honest Rabbit by Amy Lane
175. Holiday Sparks by Shannon Stacey
176. Boats in the Night by Josephine Myles
177. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
178. Knitter in His Natural Habitat by Amy Lane
179. Dark Currents by Jacqueline Carey
180. After the Fall by Sarah Goodwin
181. Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge
182. Turkey in the Snow by Amy Lane
183. Razor's Edge by Jayne Rylon
184. The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
185. Like Coffee and Doughnuts by Elle Parker
186. Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan
187. Divide & Conquer by Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
188. Armed & Dangerous by Abigail Roux
189. Wish List by K.A. Mitchell
190. Blood Stained by C.J. Lyons
191. Taxes and TARDIS by N.R. Walker

And the first book I finished this year is *drumroll*



1. Charm City by Laura Lippman

This mystery/crime novel is the second in the Tess Monaghan series. I really like the details about Baltimore that are included and Tess is a pretty cool, tough female P.I. I was a little disappointed that I guessed who the murderer was before Tess did, which is always annoying, but other than that it was an enjoyable read and I will definitely be continuing with this series. Three and a half stars.

----

Currently I am reading The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay, which is awesome, and I am about to start The Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government by Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer for a book club.

Welcome back, Marcia! I hope we see more of you this year.

>3 ronincats:, Thanks, Roni! Me too. :)

nice to see you are back Marcia :-)
I wasn't much around parts of 2011, hope to do better this year.

Welcome back! Nice to see another romance fan. There is a "What We Are Reading: Romance" thread, so look out for that. And of course there is Clarissa :-)

>5 FAMeulstee:, Thanks, Anita! It's good to be back! I missed large chunks of 2011 as well, so we are kind of in the same boat. :)

>6 susanj67:, Hello! It's always great to find other romance fans. I found the What We Are Reading: Romance thread and starred it. And I'm looking forward (yet also a little petrified) to reading Clarissa.

Starred and soon to be book stalked :)

Welcome back!

>8 Kassilem:, Welcome! I will try and find your thread to star you and book stalk you back. ;)

>9 drneutron:, Thanks, doc! This looks like another fabulous year in the group. Thanks so much for all you do!

So, I'm not very good with planning out my reading ahead of time. I usually fail at the category challenges, so I'm not even trying for 12 in 12. With all that said, here's a list of some books I would (ambitiously) like to read in January.

The Summer Tree - currently reading, hoping to finish in the next few days
The Gardens of Democracy - just started, for a RL book club I was invited to, hoping to finish by the 9th when they meet
A Vintage Affair - Kindle edition, borrowed on Lendle
Death in the City of Light - Kindle edition, borrowed from the ebook collection of my library
Cannery Row - for the Steinbeckathon, requested from Interlibrary Loan
Clarissa - starting, but certainly not finishing yet lol, for the group read
On Gold Mountain - for the TIOLI challenge to read a book about China or Chinese immigrants
At least one poetry book, don't know which yet, although I have some Stephen Dunn and Seamus Heaney staring at me from the shelf
At least one book of short stories, probably finish Palm-of-the-Hand Stories, which I started last year

I'm also trying the challenge of reading more books than I buy, which should be interesting. I'm hoping to read 5 books for every 1 I buy.

*waves* I'll be sticking around to see what you read this year :)

>12 dk_phoenix:, *waves back* Welcome. And I will def be heading over to your thread soon! There are so many already, it's hard to find people.

Glad to see you back with us again, Marcia!

>14 alcottacre:, Thanks, Stasia! It's good to be back. :)

Hi, Marcia. I am impressed you are willing to say you are active in Democratic politics! I was very, very active for many years, not so much now. I'll be interested in your books, I'm sure, whatever you read.

you are starred!

>16 maggie1944:, Hello and welcome to my thread! I was raised in a pretty liberal Dem household and both my parents were active. As I grew older and started reading and watching the news for myself, my convictions only grew. I'm pretty active in my local chapter of the Young Democrats and my county committee, among other things. I don't generally talk about politics with my friends who aren't involved, but I do consider it to be a major part of my identity so it's one of the things I always make sure to mention about myself.

Thanks for the star! I will look for your thread, too. :)

I'm glad you're back!

>18 _Zoe_:, Thanks, Zoe!

Hi, Marcia ~ I found you too! Looks like we have some similar tastes in reading. In fact, your list has a couple of titles on it that sound right up my alley, so excuse me for a sec while I add them to the TBR list.

***

Okay, back now. So good that you're active in the political process. My daughter is your age and is also active ~ much more so than I was at that age. We need as many sensible, intelligent, thoughtful people involved as is possible!

Anyway, looking forward to keeping up with your reviews.

Good to see you here and congratulations on the *drumrolls* :D

>20 Storeetllr:, Hi, Mary! Glad I could add some to our list already. :) And it's cool to hear that your daughter is also active in the political process.

>21 PiyushC:, Thanks, Piyush!

2. The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay

This is the first book in Kay's The Fionavar Tapestry series and I really enjoyed it. I know this was his first published novel, and it does draw from a lot of the Celtic and Nordic lore seen in Tolkien and other popular fantasy novels of the time. I read Tigana a few years ago and it blew me away and I can definitely see that Kay's writing is younger and less developed here. Nonetheless, the book is pretty fabulous fantasy. The start is slow but towards the middle the book really starts to build momentum as the characters, the mythology, and the worldbuilding become clearer and the action picks up.

Oh, right, what's the book about? Five college kids who are transported by a mysterious man to another world, Fionavar, which is the first of all the worlds. Sounds simple enough and I'm sure you know if you like that trope, but even if you don't and you're still a fantasy fan, I'd say give Kay a try, but maybe not start with this one.

I love Tigana! Have you read Kay's The Lions of al-Rassan yet? Another brilliant and wonderful epic novel, though not really fantasy, more like alternate history set in a peninsula of the same world in which The Sarantine Mosaic and The Last Light of the Sun are set, and is based upon Moorish Spain.

And oh, my! I just saw online that a film adaptation is in production! (Oh, please don't let them massacre the amazingly brilliant novel's story. Please please please.)

I haven't read The Lions of al-Rassan yet. I have it, and The Sarantine Mosaic on my shelf, waiting to be read but so far the only Kay I've read (don't know why I've waited so long) are Tigana and A Song for Arbonne, both of which I loved. Right now, I'm waiting for The Wandering Fire, the second Fionavar book, to come into the library on interlibrary loan. After this trilogy, I'll start with those!

Oh, you are in for a treat! When you start it (Lions), let me know. I'm thinking it might just be time for a reread, because yes, it is that good.

Goody, some more fantasy recommendations! It's one of the genres that I'm trying to read more of this year, but I'm pretty clueless, so I've been seeking suggestions.

>26 Storeetllr:, Oooh, I'll let you know when I start to read The Lions of al-Rassan, Mary, maybe you can join me in a reread!

>27 susanj67:, Definitely try Tigana! It's one of my favorite fantasy novels of all time, and a stand-alone novel, which is rare in the world of long, hefty fantasy series. I've always loved fantasy but haven't read that much of it lately (with the exception of urban fantasy/paranormal romance), so hopefully if you hang around here we can discover some great new fantasies.

----
Now that I've finished The Summer Tree I'm kind of floating between a bunch of different books. I read the introduction to Clarissa last night, which left me somewhat baffled. Hopefully the intro makes it sound more intimidating than it actually is.

I'm also still working on The Gardens of Democracy, which is interesting but slow going and still has no touchstone, probs because I am the only person on LT who currently owns it.

I also read a little more on Inseparable: Desire Between Women in Literature, which I've been working on for a while.

And I've started Among the Truthers, which I got from the library the other day to continue my interest in reading about conspiracy theories and theorists.

Those are all kind of dense and serious, so I will probably read something "light" and most likely genre fiction when I get exhausted by all this heavy thought. So, um, yeah, basically it's who knows what I will finish next!

Hi, Marcia! I read Charm City recently, and enjoyed it.

>29 tymfos:, I'm glad you enjoyed it too, Terri! I just picked up Butchers Hill at the library the other day but I am waiting a bit to start it so I don't burn out on Tess.

I have read a few of Kay's books, but not The Summer Tree. I will have to give that one a try some time.

>31 alcottacre:, If you do pick up The Summer Tree, I hope you enjoy it, Stasia! It's definitely a more "traditional" fantasy than Kay's other work.

3. A Vintage Affair by Josh Lanyon

Josh Lanyon is not only one of my favorite authors of m/m romance, but one of my favorite authors in general. His books are almost always 4 stars (or more) for me, and A Vintage Affair is no exception. While the couple follows the usual pattern of Lanyon's books (the main character is an educated, bookish type and the love interest a closeted blond detective) there are enough differences to make it interesting. The lead, Austin, is a master of wine, which makes for some great wine-related facts and metaphors. His love interest, Jeff, comes across as a bit of a jerk (there's a particularly uncomfortable threesome scene) but at the very end his vulnerabilities and true personality finally show through and he becomes more sympathetic. The mystery is not very intriguing and kind of tacked on as an afterthought, but the kooky Southern gothic atmosphere is charming. I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 because I would have wished to see the relationship between the characters, and particularly Jeff's personality, develop more. The book was too short. I would definitely read a sequel if Lanyon writes one.

You're making good progress for January!

This morning at the library I was looking for the fantasy section, which, over here anyway, they tend to shelve with sci-fi. There was a notice on the end of a shelf with a picture of Darth Vader on it, and the words "The sci-fi section is on the dark side of this shelf" which I thought was cute. There was very little fantasy, though. I'll wait for Tigana to come in and try that first.

>34 susanj67:, Tigana is great, Susan. My only concern is that it is so good it will ruin all of the other fantasy books you read after for you. Another stand-alone book I can recommend is Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson.

Just saw your post over in the readathon thread - the Truther book sounds interesting! (and I looked on the work page... The cover looks pretty too). I follow American politics from afar, so I'm looking forward to seeing what else you read.

>36 cushlareads:, Hi, Cushla! US politics can def be interesting, lol. I often think I should follow other countries' politics a little more but keeping up with America is hard enough lol! The Truther book is definitely interesting, and the cover is fabulous, but I'm definitely having some problems with the author's tone. I will hopefully finish it tonight or tomorrow and have a review. I'm taking a break every so often to read Death in the Devil's Acre by Anne Perry, so you know the politics is pretty intense if murder is a pleasant escape. ;)

And a fun little meme almost everyone has done before me, using the titles of books I read in 2011.

Describe yourself: Bossypants

Describe how you feel: Wanting

Describe where you currently live: River Marked

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: An Improper Holiday

Your favorite form of transportation: A Dance With Dragons

Your best friend is: The Christmas Countess

You and your friends are: Girls Like Us

What’s the weather like: Once Upon a Winter's Eve

You fear: Evil at Heart

What is the best advice you have to give: Let Our Fame Be Great

Thought for the day: Catch Me If You Can

How I would like to die: Bad Case of Loving You

My soul’s present condition: Between Sinners and Saints

I do love seeing everyone's answers to that meme!

>39 alcottacre:, Me too, Stasia!

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I finally finished Among the Truthers after plugging away at it all day during my readathon. I will write a good meaty review tomorrow probably but for tonight suffice it to say that while the topic is intriguing, the book did not live up to its promise, and I have some major problems with many of the author's ideas (not about the 9/11 Truthers themselves, but that's really only marginally what the book ends up being about). It was a 2 and a half out of 5 star read.

Thaaaaaaaaanks... will remember not to buy it if it is in my favourite bookshop (the one I am not buying any books in in 2012 anyway). Hope your next read's better.

Sorry to hear Among the Truthers was not good, Marcia. I look forward to your review of the book though.

>41 cushlareads:, You're welcome, Cushla. I am trying not buy too many books in 2012 as well... it is certainly a challenge.

>42 alcottacre:, Thanks, Stasia! I am working on it as we speak. :)

4. Among the Truthers: A Journey Through America's Growing Conspiracist Underground by Jonathan Kay

Oh, man, this book. I usually don't finish books I dislike this much, but I kept telling myself I had gotten this far and I really wanted to write a good review so I persevered with it and was able to finish. I guess that's an accomplishment?

I picked this book up because I have an ongoing interest in reading about conspiracy theories and the people who believe in them. "Truthers," or people who believe in "9/11 Truth", the idea that the American government was secretly behind the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, are certainly an intriguing group whose viewpoint is so different from my own (and reality) that I wanted to know what made them tick. Kay's stated mission statement for this book is to not only profile individual Truthers but to also connect them with the greater tradition of conspiracy theories in history and offer "concrete solutions" to combat the growth of such theories in the future. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, this mess of a book fails to live up to Kay's lofty ambitions.

First of all, before I get into any of my problems with Kay's ideas or politics, let's talk about the writing. Kay has a lively, journalistic style. You can tell that he has a background in reporting. However, this is not necessarily an asset when one is attempting to write a book that seriously analyzes a current movement, as well as broad swathes of history, and attempts to offer new ideas about psychology and politics. While Kay sometimes uses in-text citations, he just as often offers information without showing his source. There are no footnotes, no endnotes, nor even a bibliography. What's more, the language he uses often descends into jingoistic stereotypes. Structurally, he attempts to divide the book into three sections: the first giving a history of conspiracism, the second introducing us to the Truthers themselves, and the third examining the factors in society that enable such conspiracy theories to grow as well as offering solutions to restrict this growth. In reality, he doesn't stick to this format. He jumps from idea to idea and back through out the book, making for a confusing read.

Now, let's talk about the contents of the book. David Kay is a Canadian conservative. I have nothing wrong with this. My problem is with the fact that he never comes out and states that he is a conservative. The book jacket describes him as an editor and columnist for Canada's National Post newspaper. I wasn't familiar with this paper, and I am comfortable stating that the majority of American's probably aren't either. I had to look up the National Post to learn that it's a newspaper known, indeed founded, for its conservative editorial perspective. Kay's conservative views permeate the entire book. This isn't a shock; I don't expect anyone to be able to completely divorce themselves from their political opinions or viewpoint. I do, however, expect that when I am reading a nonfiction book or a piece of reporting, that the author will at least make an attempt at objectivity. Kay fails to do so. When he speaks of far-right conspiracists he is careful to call them "radical," "fringe," or at the very least "far right". When he talks about conspiracists on the opposite end of the spectrum, however, he describes them as "liberals", "left wing college activists--- the type who had constructed their image of America from books by Noam Chomsky or Howard Zinn," or the "university-educated, anti-American, left-wing side of the political spectrum."

One of the central tenets of Kay's book is that academics and the "Ivy League elitists" have pushed the idea that there is no literal, historical truth based on facts, that all truth is subjective. He, of course, knows better (much like the Truther and other conspiracists he profiles); there is inarguable, concrete truth, and it is Jonathan Kay's truth. Big government is evil and everyone knows it, whether they will admit it or not. Campuses have been overrun by "radical feminists" and the proponents of "radical identity politics" who insist on studying made up subjects like African-American or women's history. Anyone who questions Israel's actions towards Palestinians is an anti-Semite, hiding their hatred of Jews beneath the excuse of civil rights. This is like if I, as a liberal, were to right a book about conspiracy theories and label anyone who believe in laissez-faire capitalism or who opposes affirmative action as conspiracists. Kay comes dangerously close to embracing the kind of painting-with-a-broad-brush, blaming the world's ills on a singular group, thinking that he so despises in the conspiracists themselves. It's too bad, because Kay does have some kernels of interesting ideas regarding the psychology of those susceptible to conspiracy theories and how such ideas spread. His own biases and ranting against liberals make these valuable insights hard to take seriously though.

But then again, I'm probably just saying all of this because I am part of the problem, helplessly deluded with my "Marxist" political views and dangerous "anti-racist" thinking. It's all because I've read that nonsense by Chomsky and Zinn, you know.

Luckily for you, I have read a few other, better books about conspiracy theories and can recommend them to you. If you're looking for one tracing the history of conspiracy theories and their influence on politics, I recommend Voodoo Histories by David Aaronovitch. If you want interesting profiles of the people who hold these beliefs, read Jon Ronson's Them, which even features some of the same people interviewed by Kay, but in much more depth.

Blech. Good review, but I don't think I want to touch that book.

What a great review, Marcia (and a thumb from me). I'm going to take a look at Voodoo Histories and Them. Thanks for the recommendations.

>45 _Zoe_:, Yeah, I think it's best avoided. If I had known what it was actually about, I wouldn't have touched it with a ten foot pole lol.

>46 phebj:, Thanks so much, Pat! I don't know why it's so much easier to write good, articulate reviews about books I hate than it is about ones I love! If you do pick those up, I hope you enjoy them!

#47 That's an interesting comment about it being easier to write reviews about books you hate. I just finished Cannery Row by Steinbeck and loved it and I'm intimidated about writing something that does it justice.

Great review, Marcia. Thanks for taking the hit for us, and thanks even more for the alternatives you recommend!

Great review! I agree with you on Voodoo Histories. It was a pretty good conspiracy history.

Great review, Marcia! That book does sound like a mess. I shall avoid it.

>48 phebj:, Yes, I do think that's part of the reason it's harder to write reviews of books I love, too, Pat. I want to convince others to want to read the book I loved so much and I'm desperately afraid that I'll fail and not convey how great the book truly is. Whereas with negative reviews, I can just detail what I don't like and go to town! So glad to hear you loved Cannery Row, too, as I just picked it up from the library last night.

>49 ronincats:, Thanks Roni! If you do pick up the alternatives, I hope you enjoy them.

>50 drneutron:, Thanks, Jim! I'm glad to hear you agree with me on The Voodoo Histories. Since I've gone ahead and recommended it to everyone it's good to know I'm not alone in my opinion.

>51 tymfos:, Thanks, Terri! Life is too short to read bad books, so I'm happy you can avoid at least one!

5. Death in the Devil's Acre by Anne Perry

This is the seventh book in Perry's Victorian mystery series featuring Inspector Thomas Pitt and his wife, Charlotte. I really like this series and this is a decent installment, but not my favorite by any means. The killer is revealed a little too quickly at the end of the book without much evidence pointing to them. There's a lot of detective work, but I would've appreciated more clues actually leading a path to the resolutio, if that makes any sense. Perry's characters and Victorian London setting are vivid as always, though, and I do love her writing style. It was a good way to wind up my weekend readathon.

Thursday is my Thingaversary! It will be 6 years for me on LT, at least with this account. :)

I read the first letter from Clarissa today and am intrigued to read more. I also picked up Cannery Row yesterday from the library.

I'm more than halfway done with The Gardens of Democracy (which now has a touchstone, yay!) and attended a very interesting discussion group about it Monday night.

My "fun" book I'm currently reading is Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, which I am loving.

Happy Thingaversary!

Happy Thingaversary, Marcia! Are you going to celebrate with buying books?

Yay! Happy Thingaversary! Six years is impressive. By your seventh, you will have finished Clarissa :-)

I've got Shard of Honor on the way to the library, as part of my mass reserving of everything new (to me) and shiny.

Happy Thing-a-versary! Six years is awesomely wonderful. And speaking of wonderful, I loved Shards of Honor and mean to get back to Bujold as soon as I need a new sci fi read. May be a while, I'm afraid.

Wow, 6 years is quite impressive! I will finish my 4 in another 4 and a half months.

Shards of Honor is probably Bujold's weakest book as far as the writing goes, so if you are loving her writing already (and I did too) that is an excellent sign. The second part of the story, Barrayar, is the 4th or 5th book she wrote, and the writing and plotting are both much tighter and it is an absolutely excellent book, so get to it! Both, of course, are contained in Cordelia's Honor.

What is Thingaveraey? I want to say Happy -- but I don't really know what I'm saying :)

Happy Sixth Thingaversary! Have you decided which six (plus one to grow on) books you are planning to get for your special day?

> 61: celebrating the day you joined Libray Thing :-)

and Happy sixth Thingaversary Marcia, wow, you joined early!

>63 FAMeulstee:. Thanks :)

And Happy sixth Thingaversary Marcia :)

So glad you enjoyed Summertree. I really love Kay. Oooh 6 years on LT?! super!!

good to see you back. Here's hoping we both get to do what we want this year on LT.

Blessings!

Thanks to everybody for the well-wishes!

>56 phebj:, I don't know, Pat! I certainly want to celebrate by buying books but I don't know b/c of my Read More Than You Buy Challenge. I might allow myself to go to the library book sale on Saturday, which I had been planning to skip.

>57 susanj67:, Ooh, I just finished the Shards of Honor section, and it was really good. And yay for finishing Clarissa by this time next year... I feel like that's definitely one I can lord over people. "What did you do in 2012?" "I read the longest novel in the English language. And yourself?" lol.

>58 maggie1944:, I just started the second book in Cordelia's Honor, Barrayar, and it's even better than the first part so far.

>62 Storeetllr:, No, Mary, I haven't! Buying 6 or 7 books seems so extravagant... before I realized it was my Thingaversary I was getting so excited I would be able to buy one after I finish one more to keep my 5:1 ratio. We shall see, I suppose. I'm def thinking I might just indulge myself and go to the library book sale on Sat. It shouldn't be too bad if I just go to the regular sale and skip the bag sale.

>65 suslyn:, Thanks, Susan! Great to see you, too. *hugs*

Hope you had a great Thingaversary, Marcia!

>67 tymfos:, Thanks, Terri!
____

Hey, guys! Haven't been around much these last few days, mostly because I haven't been feeling all that well. I won't be around this week either, because I am going out of town and don't know how much internet access/time for the computer I will have. Anywho, between headaches I managed to finish two books this week. I will try and do proper reviews of them later, but for now I will just give you drive-by impressions.

6. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold, science fiction, 4 and a half stars
7. Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale, fantasy (steampunk, lgbt), 5 stars

Five stars for Wicked Gentlemen? That's going right on the reserve list at the library!

You'll never view a shopping bag the same way again, Marcia!

>69 Storeetllr:, Ooh, your library has Wicked Gentlemen, Mary? You're in luck, it's kind of hard to find.

>70 ronincats:, Haha, yes, I will always look twice when I see a tall take-charge redhead carrying a shopping bag, Roni...
------

Writing this on my netbook in our motel. We arrived safely in North Carolina yesterday. I'm actually thinking about relocating down here, so my mom and I are making an exploratory trip.

Finished another book on the plane yesterday:
8. Mummy Dearest by Josh Lanyon

Will have reviews of that and the others when I get a chance, either here or when I get home on Fri.

what fun! Where in NC? I have only passed through most of the state. Some of the cities left me with a definite "No ty" response for relocating, but other spots I found quite attractive.

>72 suslyn:, Hey Susan! We were actually visiting in the Raleigh/Durham area, where we know people, but I didn't care for it much. I was thinking about moving to NC because there is a college program I want to do down there and the upstate NY cold, snowy, cloudy weather is not helping my health any. But it turns out I can do the program totally online and it's not that much more expensive from out of state. I still want to move somewhere with a more moderate climate, but NC (at least that part of it) is not my cup of tea.

I love books by Anne Perry. I particularly enjoy learning about life in Victorian England. Did you know this about her?

Interesting eh?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Perry

6. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

I loved this book. While I have read some of Bujold's fantasy and enjoyed it, I'm really not that much of a sci fi person, so I hadn't tried any of her Vorkosigan books yet. Boy, am I glad I finally took the plunge! Cordelia's Honor is an omnibus edition of the first two books in the series, Shards of Honor and Barrayar. Shards of Honor is definitely the weaker of the two, but it's still pretty great, and Barrayar is just mind-blowingly excellent. If you like strong female characters, impeccable, intricate plotting, nonstop adventure, and a lovely romance, you are doing yourself a major disfavor by not reading these books. Highly recommended. Four and a half stars.

>74 Whisper1:, Hi, Linda! Yes, I did know that. I remember seeing (and enjoying) the movie with Kate Winslet about the murder trial a few years ago. What a fascinating person Anne Perry is!

#75 Cordelia's Honor is a favorite of mine, also. After those two books, Cordelia's son Miles becomes the series protagonist, but I enjoy reading Miles too, so I didn't find that much of a disadvantage. :)

My favorite Miles novels are the "lighter" ones: Cetaganda and A Civil Campaign, but my husband assures me that A Civil Campaign is not nearly as fun if you haven't read the whole rest of the series already -- you keep feeling like you're missing an "in" joke -- and you ARE.

*muttering "I told you so! I told you so!" privately under my breath*

SO glad you enjoyed Cordelia. She is an indelible character. You have my permission and encouragement to continue with the series.

*gleefully rubbing hands together*

Checking in, Marcia! Sorry to hear you have not been feeling well. I hope you are doing better now.

>77 LShelby:, Yes, I know Miles becomes the main character after Cordelia's Honor but from what I've read of the epilogue of Barrayar, I already love Miles, so I don't think it will be a problem. :)

>78 ronincats:, Yes, you did tell me so, Roni. I bw to your superior wisdom!

>79 alcottacre:, Thanks, Stasia! I am feeling better.

7. Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale

My first five star read of the year! I absolutely loved this book. It's hard to describe or categorize, but trust me, it's fabulous. It's not steampunk, but it does have a bit of a steampunk feel to it. It takes place in a world where demons moved up from Hell and converted to Christianity. Now the descendants of these demons, called "Prodigals", live as second class citizens. The Church runs everything, from the police to the banks, and the Inquisition is very active. Belimai Sykes is a drug-addicted Prodigal; William Harper is an Inquisition captain investigating a series of brutal murders of Prodigals and the disappearance of his own sister. They start working together and while there is physical attraction at first, it eventually develops into a tentative romantic relationship. Meanwhile, there is mystery and adventure.

This book gets shelved with gay fiction, which is really a disservice to most fantasy readers, because it is much more of a fantasy adventure / murder mystery than a m/m romance. There are two love scenes, the first a tasteful fade to black and the second no longer or more graphic than the heterosexual sex scenes in mainstream fantasy.

Ms. Hale's writing is lyrical, her descriptions evocative, and her characters realistically flawed and likable. I will definitely be looking to read more books by her. Highly recommended.

Glad you liked Wicked Gentlemen. It was one of my reads last year and I enjoyed it as well. I agree that it's much more fantasy than m/m romance. I wish books with a hint of m/m or w/w weren't classified into the gay genre so quickly.

Oh, ouch, you got me with that BB! Onto the Wishlist goes WG.

I recently read Cordelia's Honor as well, and had to restrain myself from going back to the start immediately to begin again. It was just what I needed. Glad to see you enjoyed it as well :)

Sorry I haven't been around lately... 2012 being a big presidential election year and all I've been busy doing a lot of political stuff... bear with me and I will hopefully be back soon!

Trying to catch up in between bits of "work"...



8. Mummy Dearest by Josh Lanyon

This book was okay. Not Josh Lanyon's best work. The "mystery" is very fluffy and the m/m romance seems rushed. This is probably because of the length of the book (it's a very short novella). There are some laugh out loud moments and wacky hijinks. I read this on the plane while traveling and it's perfect for a situation like that: short and non-taxing. Recommended if your a fan of Lanyon or of the genre. Three and a half stars.

9. Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris by David King

This book is an interesting blend of World War II history and true crime. It opens in 1944 in occupied Paris when a fire reveals a grotesque scene of burnt human remains in a rundown mansion. More bodies are discovered, grisly details of the crimes emerge, and the killer is revealed as a man using the hopes and dreams of people looking to escape the Nazis for his own gruesome profit. The picture of Paris in wartime is gritty and dark, and the author shows us how the crimes were very much a product of this setting. It raises important questions about who to believe amidst war. It's not a happy book by any means but it's certainly a fascinating one. Recommended for history buffs and true crime fans.

I've got the audiobook of Death in the City of Light on queue for listening to in the near future. I thought I'd like it (well, you know what I mean, not sure "like" is exactly the word I mean) because I loved The Devil in the White City. From your review, sounds like I was right!

I'm alive! I know I haven't been seen in these here parts for a while. Things have just been crazy busy in Marcia-land. I got a new fellowship, which is keeping me really busy. I also had my 27th birthday last Saturday. And today I'm filling out an application to go back to college (again). Anywho, bear with me!

I'm just going to try and post the books I've read quickly, with a very brief description of genre, stars, and a few words about whether or not I liked it.

10. A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper, young adult historical fiction, 4 and a half stars --- absolutely loved it
11. The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay, fantasy, second book of the Fionavar Tapestry, 4 stars --- liked it perhaps even better than the first book in the series
12. The Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government by Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer, non-fiction, politics and systems theory, 4 stars --- interesting, readable book with some great ideas
13. Inseparable: Desire Between Women in Literature by Emma Donoghue, nonfiction, lesbian, literary history and criticism, 4 stars --- readable study of lesbian tropes within the Western canon
14. Homicidal by Paul Alexander, nonfiction, true crime, 2 and a half stars --- disappointing short study of a serial killer, which starts out strong and devolves from there

Hi Marcia! A belated happy birthday for last weekend. Your recent reads sound excellent. I particularly like the sound of A Brief History of Montmaray, which I have never heard of before. I'm just going to open up the library catalogue now, and see if it might be available...

Again, these are quick run downs, not full reviews, and certainly not grammatically correct.

15. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, fiction, classic, 4 stars --- great language, not a lot of plot, not my normal cup of tea but I did enjoy it a lot
16. Shane and Trey by Anyta Sunday, m/m romance, 3 stars --- run of the mill college boys m/m romance set in New Zealand, enjoyable but with an egregious number of typos and grammatical errors
17. Broken Music by Marjorie Eccles, historical mystery, 4 and a half stars --- brilliant book, lyrical language, set just after World War I, recommended for mystery buffs, historical fiction lovers, and fans of Downton Abbey
18. The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe, contemporary fantasy, 4 and a half stars --- original and well-written fantasy set in modern day Appalachia, with a strong female lead
19. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, literary fiction/fantasy, 5 stars --- best book I've read so far this year, unputdownable magic, history, and romance

>90 susanj67:, Hi, Susan! *waves* Thanks for the birthday wishes. I hope you can find A Brief History of Montmaray at the library and enjoy it. It's one that I actually first heard about via LT too, when a couple people in this group read it last year. I loved it and actually have the sequel, The FitzOsbornes in Exile out from the library now. If you've ever read Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle, it has a similar feel to start and then ends up going in its own direction entirely.

Hmmm, it doesn't seem to be available here through the library or as an ebook in Kindle or any other format. The author's website lists only Australian and US editions. Humph. I'll keep it in mind for the future, in case it's released here.

You can tell that this is the point in the backlog when I started getting really busy, as it switches over to all m/m romance novels, which tend to be my go-to reads when I am stressed.

20. The Decisions We Make by RJ Scott, contemporary m/m romance, 3 stars --- good characters and okay plot, a little bit of an ick factor on the two leads being adopted/foster brothers, needed some serious editing for typos and grammar
21. Cop Out by KC Burn, contemporary m/m romance, 4 stars --- strongly emotional and well-written m/m romance, my only problem was that the resolution felt a little rushed
22. A Private Gentleman by Heidi Cullinan, historical romance, 4 and a half stars --- beautiful historical gay romance, one of the leads is a prostitute, which is usually a big turn off for me, but Ms. Cullinan has a tendency to make me love things I wouldn't accept from other authors
23. Final Admission by Sue Brown, contemporary m/m romance, 4 stars --- very affecting and well done, with one of the leads being a victim of domestic abuse, something you don't see too often
24. Packing Heat by Kele Moon, contemporary m/m romance, 2 stars --- some hot sex scenes utterly ruined by the lack of characterization and plot, not a proper romance, just erotica

Belated Happy Birthday wishes, Marcia! And glad you loved The Night Circus as much as I did.

And this will bring us up to the present...

25. After the Apocalypse by Maureen F. McHugh, short stories, speculative fiction, 4 stars --- interesting stories told in sparse prose, right up my alley, will definitely be looking for more by this author
26. The Wages of Sin by Alex Beecroft, historical m/m romance, ghost story, 4 stars --- well-written, genuinely scary, the only problem was a lack of characterization for the two leads
27. Dance With Me by Heidi Cullinan, contemporary m/m romance, 4 stars --- believable, slow-build love story between a male dancer and an injured former football player, just lovely
28. Nowhere Ranch by Heidi Cullinan, contemporary m/m romance, 3 and a half stars --- Ms. Cullinan is one of my favorite authors and as a result can make me like things I normally wouldn't. This book is an emotional whirlwind, would have given it 4 stars or more if some of the sex scenes hadn't gone a little too far on the BDSM spectrum for me.
29. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, hetero historical romance, 4 stars --- witty dialogue and excellent writing, with a few problems in pacing and plot at the very end, plus the hero was a little too alpha for my tastes

>93 susanj67:, If you want, Susan, I can send you my copy of A Brief History of Montmaray. It's a pretty slim paperback, so it won't cost me too much. Just leave me a private message with your address if you're interested.

>95 ronincats:, Thanks, Roni! The Night Circus was so wonderful. After hearing all of you rave about it, I was concerned it wouldn't live up to my expectations, but in the end it surpassed them.

30. The Locker Room by Amy Lane

This book made me so happy. I started reading it last night and stayed up until the wee small hours of the morning until I collapsed in exhaustion, and when I woke up today I picked it up and kept reading til I got to the end. This is the first book I've read by Ms. Lane, but it definitely won't be my last. This book is a perfect example of why I love m/m romance. The two leads, Xander and Chris, are beautifully written, and their love story develops over fifteen years in a touching and realistic way. Unlike a lot of gay (or straight, for that matter) romance novels, it's not just about the sex. The story comes first and the sex scenes are fully integrated into story, a vital part of the relationship, not just hung on for titillation. (Although they are hot, don't get me wrong.) Anybody who knows me well will tell you that I am a big basketball fan, and it's obvious from the way Ms. Lane writes about these two players that she is, as well. Just a lovely, lovely book, and one I would recommend to anyone who is interested in reading a gay romance but doesn't know where to start. Five stars.

Finally finished #31, American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation. Will try to get a review up tomorrow.

Somehow I have managed to get behind on my own thread again, let alone everyone else's... will try to remedy that by putting up reviews later today. In the meantime, I was going to do a round up/review of February, but then realized I never did one for January, so will do both at once. Also? I have totally fallen off the wagon in re to the Read More Than You Buy Challenge in the last couple days. What can I say, during times of stress (new fellowship is good but kinda stressful) I buy books to make me feel me better. Anywho.

January Books in Review
Books Read: 13
Fiction: 9
Nonfiction: 4

Books Bought: 9
Amount Spent: $70.71

Best Fiction: Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale
Runners Up: Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold and A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper

Best Nonfiction: Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris by David King

February Books in Review
Books Read: 18
Fiction: 16
Nonfiction: 2

Books Bought: 16
Amount Spent: $95.41

Best Fiction: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Runners Up: The Locker Room by Amy Lane, Broken Music by Marjorie Eccles, The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe, and A Private Gentleman by Heidi Cullinan

Best Nonfiction: American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation by Michael Kazin

And here's some of the books I have tentatively planned/may possibly read for the rest of March... Probs will not stick to this because I suck at sticking to a plan and am easily distracted by shiny, fluffy books.

The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (currently reading)
The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay (currently reading)
The Fox Effect by David Brock and Ari Rabin-Havt (currently reading)
Miles and the Magic Flute by Heidi Cullinan (currently reading)
The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck (for the Steinbeckathon)
The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck (also for the Steinbeckathon, didn't read for February)
The Audacity of Hope by President Barack Obama (for a real life book group)
The Legacy by Katherine Webb (currently reading, way overdue ER book)
Pazuzu's Girl by Rachel Coles (January ER book)
The FitzOsbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper (out from the library, sequel to A Brief History of Montmaray)
A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong (on reserve at the library)
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel (Kindle book out from the library)
Trust Me If You Dare by L.B. Gregg (Kindle book loan from Lendle)
A Modern Witch by Debora Geary (Kindle book loan from Lendle)
Palm-of-the-Hand Stories by Yasunari Kawabata (currently reading)
Indigo by Beverly Jenkins (currently reading)
Clarissa by Samuel Richardson (won't finish in March, need to catch up for Group Read)

Enjoy A Modern Witch and be prepared to read all the others. That was the first LT Member Giveaway I won and one of the best.

Also glad to see you liked The Night Circus one of the few books that was hyped up so far in advance and actually exceeded it for me.

Good to see you emerge. Hope you are enjoying Miles!

What a varied group of books you've been reading!! So glad you enjoyed Cordelia. And while I've read (and own) the Miles books, I didn't respond to any of the books after Cordelia's Honor series until that the last two. Hope you enjoy them.

Glad too that you found an online alternative for school! Sounds great.

It's ALIIIIVE!!! And by it, of course, I mean me.

>102 reb922:, I liked A Modern Witch a lot and currently have A Hidden Witch living on my Kindle.

>103 ronincats:, Hi, Roni! I am enjoying Miles. I have The Mountains of Mourning on my Kindle... hopefully will get around to it soon!

>1 allthesedarnbooks:-4, Thanks Susan! I liked The Warrior's Apprentice quite a bit, just not as much as Cordelia's Honor.

------

So what's been up with me? I got a fellowship which has been keeping me pretty busy and I've also applied for a new job, which I should find out in a couple of days whether I get or not. I've been reading a TON though, surprisingly enough, probably mostly because I haven't had time to watch much TV and it's much easier to fit in a chapter or two between finishing tasks. Mostly my reading has been very fluffy (lots of m/m romance and mysteries) because I'm too stressed out to read anything more serious. I've passed 75 and have upped my personal goal to 225 based on the pace I've been keeping so far (although that might change if I actually get this job and have to relocate).

I haven't been posting on here mostly because a LOT of my day to day work involves data entry, emails, and other computer-related tasks so by the time I'm done with those I'm pretty tired of staring at the screen. Hoping to change that now, update this thread, and eventually catch up with all of you.

So here's a list of the books I have read since last we spoke. I will be posting them in groups of 5, with reviews attached if I've already written them, if not just genre and star ratings. Eventually, I will catch up to the present!

31. American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation by Michael Kazin, nonfiction, politics and history, liberalism, 3 and a half stars

32. Horoscopes for the Dead by Billy Collins, poetry, 3 and a half stars

33. Timeless by Gail Carriger, steampunk, paranormal romance, series, 4 and a half stars

34. Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt, literary fiction, mythology, series of stories, novella, 4 stars

35. Jarrett by A.R. Kahler, novella, urban fantasy, vampires, dystopian, gay male lead, 3 and a half stars

36. Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas, contemporary romance, 4 and a half stars

37. Life, Over Easy by K.A. Mitchell, m/m contemporary romance, 4 stars

38. Trust Me If You Dare by L.B. Gregg, m/m contemporary romance, mystery/thriller, series, 4 stars

39. The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, science fiction, series, 4 and a half stars

40. Clear Water by Amy Lane, m/m contemporary romance, 4 and a half stars

Woo hoo! Word from Marcia!!

I can totally understand about staring at a screen all day, and avoiding it in free time. On the other hand, makes for some good reading. Glad to hear things are going well for you.

Glad you enjoyed Timeless--pretty good wrap-up of that series, don't you think?

Also glad you enjoyed The Warrior's Apprentice. The next 4 or 5 books are Manic Miles in different situations--then he starts having to grow up and things get REALLY interesting, but they are all fun. I love Bujold's characters--have just been rereading her Quintarian Gods fantasies with great enjoyment.

Hey Roni! Yeah, things are going well, just busy.

I thought Timeless was a good wrap up for the series. Can't wait to see what Ms. Carriger turns her hand to next!

Ooh, I've been wanting to reread those for a while... I lent my copy of The Curse of Chalion out to a friend though and never got it back so I will have to either borrow it from the library or fork over some moolah for a new copy.

Hi Marcia! Good to see you back. And that's great about all your reading. I'm finally getting back into it after a slow couple of months, and I seem to be back on the romance too :-)

Marcia, Carriger is writing a prequel series, totally different characters but same world, about things going on in London some 20-30 years earlier, and then she is writing a book about Prudence when she is 20 or so. (She was at a book signing here for Timeless earlier this year--I posted a picture on my thread.)

Congrats on the fellowship!! :)

I hope it's only good things which are keeping you away! xox

Echoing Susan!

Hey guys! It is, indeed, only good things which have kept me away. The fellowship went really well, ended last month, and I just found out that I got a job in Iowa until November, so I will be moving out there next week! I will be working really long hours so I probably won't have much time for reading and/or going on the internet at the end of the day.

I have finished a LOT of books since last we spoke, almost all of them romance, mystery, or fantasy of some sort. I will try to post them all in a simple list, just title and author, before I go. Even without commentary, it will probably take quite a few posts for me to catch up.

41. The Shattered Gates (Rifter #1) by Ginn Hale
42. Servant of the Crossed Arrows (Rifter #2) by Ginn Hale
43. Black Blades (Rifter #3) by Ginn Hale
44. Miles and the Magic Flute by Heidi Cullinan
45. Mexican Heat by Laura Baumbach and Josh Lanyon
46. A Modern Witch by Debora Geary
47. The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay
48. A Fountain Filled With Blood by Julia Spencer Fleming
49. Unshakeable Faith by Lisa Worrall
50. Taking You Home by Cooper Davis
51. Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
52. A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare
53. Hot Ticket by K.A. Mitchell
54. Indelible by Karin Slaughter
55. Victims by Jonathan Kellerman
56. Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
57. Faithless by Karin Slaughter
58. Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter
59. River of Darkness by Rennie Airth
60. Magic's Pawn by Mercedes Lacky (reread)

Good Luck to you dear one!

I send all good wishes for a bright, sunny future.

#114 Good to see you back and best of luck for your new job assignment.

Glitterfy.com - Christmas Glitter Graphics

Merry Christmas, Marcia!

Do let us know if you start up again in 2013. Blessings and Happy New Year.

Here's to a great new year ahead, Marcia! And what Susan said.

Better late than never... 2013 Thread

And, finally, a list of the rest of the books I read in 2012...

61. Triptych by Karin Slaughter
62. Chase In Shadow by Amy Lane
63. Magic's Promise by Mercedes Lackey
64. Custom Ride by K.A. Mitchell
65. Fractured by Karin Slaughter
66. The Salisbury Key by Harper Fox
67. Undone by Karin Slaughter
68. A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong
69. Sleeping With the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War by Hal Vaughan
70. Broken by Karin Slaughter
71. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
72. Among the Living by Jordan Castillo Price
73. Driftwood by Harper Fox
74. Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
75. Frat Boy and Toppy by Anne Tenino
76. Melusine by Sarah Monette
77. Life After Joe by Harper Fox
78. The Rebuilding Year by Kaje Harper
79. Out in the Field by Kate McMurray
80. Warrior's Cross by Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
81. Life Lessons by Kaje Harper
82. And to All a Good Night by Kaje Harper
83. Scrap Metal by Harper Fox
84. The Virtu by Sarah Monette
85. The Epic Love Story of Doug and Stephen by Valerie Z. Lewis
86. Criss Cross by Jordan Castillo Price
88. Getting It Right by Kaje Harper
89. Breaking Cover by Kaje Harper
90. It Had To Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
91. Continental Divide by Lisa Worrall and L.E. Harner
92. Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell
93. Night Is Darkest by Jayne Rylon
94. Gambling Men by Amy Lane
95. Freezing by Clea Koff
96. Beguiling the Beauty by Sherry Thomas
97. Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas
98. The Truth of All Things by Kieran Shields
99. Black Wings by Christina Henry
100. Hemovore by Jordan Castillo Price
101. A Hole in God's Pocket by K.Z. Snow
102. Snatched by Karin Slaughter
103. Barefoot in the Sand by Roxanne St. Clare
104. Keeping Promise Rock by Amy Lane
105. Last Night's Scandal by Loretta Chase
106. The Archer's Heart: Book One by Astrid Amara
107. Don't Look Back by Josh Lanyon
108. Hard Tail by J.L. Merrow
109. The Mirador by Sarah Monette
110. One Small Thing by Piper Vaughn and M.J. O'Shea
111. Frog by Mary Calmes
112. Making Promises by Amy Lane
113. Corambis by Sarah Monette
114. Muscling Through by J.L Merrow
115. A Companion to Wolves by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
116. The Tempering of Men by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
117. Country Mouse by Amy Lane and Aleksandr Voinov
118. Born to Darkness by Suzanne Brockmann
119. Handle With Care by Josephine Myles
120. Gone Missing by Linda Castillo
121. Permanently Legless by J.L. Merrow
122. Delicious by Sherry Thomas
123. Visible Friend by K.Z. Snow
124. Snake Skin by C.J. Lyons
125. The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan
126. The Archer's Heart: Book Two by Astrid Amara
127. Cost of Repairs by A.M. Arthur
128. An Oral Fixation by Piper Vaughn
129. Lord of the White Hell: Book One by Ginn Hale
130. Burn Down the Ground by Kambri Crews
131. Blood Howl by Robin Saxon and Alex Kidwell
132. Ravishing the Heiress by Sherry Thomas
133. Worlds Apart by Barbara Elsborg
134. South of the Border by Laura Baumbach
135. Criminal by Karin Slaughter
136. The Theory of Attraction by Delphine Dryden
137. Indian Maidens Bust Loose by Vidya Samson
138. Her Best Worst Mistake by Sarah Mayberry
139. The Starving Years by Jordan Castillo Price
140. The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan
141. Unveiled by Courtney Milan
142. Thorn in My Side by Karin Slaughter
143. Whistle Blowing by Ada Marie Soto
144. How to Tell a Lie by Delphine Dryden
145. American Love Songs by Ashlyn Kane
146. Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews
147. Unlocked by Courtney Milan
148. A Matter of Time: Volume One by Mary Calmes
149. Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas
150. But My Boyfriend Is by K.A. Mitchell
151. Body & Soul by Jordan Castillo Price
152. Unraveled by Courtney Milan
153. The Boy Next Door by Kate McMurray
154. Kill You Twice by Chelsea Cain
155. Living Promises by Amy Lane
156. Pressure Head by J.L. Merrow
157. Nine Tenths of the Law by L.A. Witt
158. Dex in Blue by Amy Lane
159. Where Nerves End by L.A. Witt
160. Second Hand by Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton
161. A Rookie Move by Sam B. Morgan
162. Angel Killer: A True Story of Cannibalism, Crime Fighting, and Insanity in New York City by Deborah Blum
163. Iced by Karen Marie Moning
164. The Hot Floor by Josephine Myles
165. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
166. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
168. Tempting the Bride by Sherry Thomas
169. Tart by Lauren Dane
170. This Time Next Year by Alison Kent
171. Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey
172. One True Thing by Piper Vaughn and M.J. O'Shea
173. The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters by Amy Lane
174. How to Raise an Honest Rabbit by Amy Lane

175. Holiday Sparks by Shannon Stacey
176. Boats in the Night by Josephine Myles
177. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
178. Knitter in His Natural Habitat by Amy Lane
179. Dark Currents by Jacqueline Carey
180. After the Fall by Sarah Goodwin
181. Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge
182. Turkey in the Snow by Amy Lane
183. Razor's Edge by Jayne Rylon
184. The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
185. Like Coffee and Doughnuts by Elle Parker
186. Dirty Laundry by Heidi Cullinan
187. Divide & Conquer by Madeline Urban and Abigail Roux
188. Armed & Dangerous by Abigail Roux
189. Wish List by K.A. Mitchell
190. Blood Stained by C.J. Lyons
191. Taxes and TARDIS by N.R. Walker

WOW! That's a lot of books read.

How are you dear one?

I'm glad Linda brought your thread up near the top, Marcia, because somehow I totally missed your mid-March book posts! That is a lot of reading.

I did respond on your 2013 thread in March, though!