calm reading

This is not going to be a very interesting thread this year. I am only going to list books read and acquired in 2016.

Books read in 2016

January

1) The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip (re-read)
2) Dies the Fire by S. M.Stirling
3) The Book of Fires by Jane Borodale
4) A Dream of Wessex by Christopher Priest (library)
5) A Year of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman (library)
6) The Pride of Chanur by C. J. Cherryh (part of The Chanur Saga omnibus)
7) Chanur's Venture By C. J.Cherryh (ditto)
8) The Kif Strike Back by C. J.Cherryh (ditto)

February
9) The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (re-read)
10) Slade House by David Mitchell (library)
11) At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen (library)
12) White Queen by Gwyneth Jones (acquired in 2016)
13) Wide Open by Deborah Coates
14) Singer from the Sea by Sheri S. Tepper (re-read)
15) The Circle by Dave Eggers
16) Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier
17) The Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith
18) The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett (library)
19) The Elephant's Journey by José Saramago (library)
20) Under Ground by S. L. Grey (library)

March

21) The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric
22) Medea : a modern retelling by Christa Wolf
23) Shadow by K. J. Parker (re-read)
24) Pattern by K. J. Parker (re-read)
25) Memory by K. J. Parker (re-read)
26) The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (library)
27) The Just City by Jo Walton (library)

April

28) The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton (library
29) The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint (re-read)
30) The Awakeners by Sheri S. Tepper (re-read)
31) The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett
32) The Chess Garden by Brooks Hansen
33) The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng (library)
34) The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (library)
35) The Edge of Reason by Melinda Snodgrass (library)
36) The Edge of Ruin by Melinda Snodgrass (library)

May

37) The Edge of Dawn by Melinda Snodgrass (library)
38) Blueeyedboy by Joanne Harris
39) For the Win by Cory Doctorow
40) The Observations by Jane Harris
41) Green Darkness by Anya Seton
42) Your Blue-eyed Boy by Helen Dunmore
43) Svaha by Charles de Lint (re-read)
44) Waking the Moon by Elizabeth Hand
45) Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman (library)
46) Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (library)
47) The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi (library)
48) The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (library)

June

49) The Darkness That Comes Before by R Scott Bakker
50) The Warrior Prophet by R Scott Bakker
51) The Thousandfold Thought by R Scott Bakker
52) Arctic Rising by Tobias S. Buckell
53) The Lost Book of Salem by Katherine Howe
54) The First Confessor by Terry Goodkind
55) The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
56) The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

July

57) The Briar King by Greg Keyes
58) The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes
59) The Blood Knight by Greg Keyes
60) The Born Queen by Greg Keyes
61) More Than This by Patrick Ness
62) The Catalyst by Helena Coggan
63) My Real Children by Jo Walton
64) The Serpent Bride by Sara Douglass

August

65) The Twisted Citadel by Sara Douglass
66) The Infinity Gate by Sara Douglass
67) The Bastard Boy by James Wilson
68) alt. human aka Harmony by Keith Brooke (touchstone doesn't work for the title I have)
69) Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson (library)

September

70) Fall of Light by Steven Erickson (library)
71) The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (library)
72) The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
73) Windhaven by George R. R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle

October

74) Rags & Bones New Twists on Timeless Tales edited by Melissa Marr and Time Pratt (library)
75) The Tower of the King's Daughter by Chaz Brenchley
76) The Feast of the King's Shadow by Chaz Brenchley
77) The Hand of the King's Evil by Chaz Brenchley

November

78) A Cavern of Black Ice by J. V. Jones
79) A Fortress of Grey Ice by J.V. Jones
80) A Sword from Red Ice by J. V. Jones

December

81) Watcher of the Dead by J. V. Jones
82) Temeraire by Naomi Novak
83) The Pesthouse by Jim Crace (library)
84) The Long Cosmos by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter (library)
85) The Dreaming Place by Charles de Lint (read earlier this year - forgot to list it)
86) Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
87) Medalon by Jennifer Fallon
88) A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (library)
89) Second Nature by Alice Hoffman
90) Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (santathing)
91) Firebirds edited by Sharyn November (santathing)

Currently reading

Treason Keep by Jennifer Fallon

Books acquired in 2016

Library

6 January
A Dream of Wessex by Christopher Priest (read)
A Year of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman (read)
20 January
Slade House by David Mitchell (read)
At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen (read)
18 February
The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett (read)
Under Ground by S. L. Grey (read)
The Elephant's Journey by Jose Saramago (read)
17 March
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (read)
The Just City by Jo Walton (read)
The Philosopher Kings by Jo Walton (read)
13 April
The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng (read)
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (read)
The Edge of Reason by Melinda Snodgrass (read)
The Edge of Ruin by Melinda Snodgrass (read)
The Edge of Dawn by Melinda Snodgrass (read)
11 May
Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman (read)
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (read)
The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi (read)
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (read)
15 June
The First Confesssor by Terry Goodkind (read)
1 July
My Real Children by Jo Walton (read)
13 July
More Than This by Patrick Ness (read)
The Catalyst by Helena Coggan (read)
17 August
Alt Human by Kevin Brooke (read)
Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson (read)
14 September
Fall of Light by Steven Erikson (read)
Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (read)
12 October
Rags & Bones (read)
7 December
The Pesthouse by Jim Crace (read)
The Long Cosmos by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter (read)
21 December
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (read)

Second hand/Charity shop purchases

6 January
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hossini
The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett (read)
Run by Ann Patchett
20 January
White Queen by Gwyneth Jones (read)
18 February
Medea A Novel by Christa Wolf (read)
The Observations by Jane Harris (read)
The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric (read)
13 April
For the Win by Cory Doctorow (read)

Thingaversay 1 June next 8 books to mark 7 years!
4 June
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (read)
The Bastard Boy by James Wilson (read)
Arctic Rising by Tobias S Buckell (read)
Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker
The Born Queen by Greg Keyes (read)
15 June
The Lost Book of Salem by Katherine Howe (read)
The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan (read)
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

13 July
The Serpent Bride by Sara Douglass (read)
The Twisted Citadel by Sara Douglass (read)
The Infinity Gate by Sara Douglass (read)

17 August
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch (read)
14 September
The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (read)
11 November
Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield
21 December
Second Nature by Alice Hoffman (read)
25 December (SantaThing)
Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (read)
Firebirds by Sharyn November (read)
Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner

Boring or not, welcome back!

Thank Jim - you are quick today :)

How funny! I've just posted my first thread of the year too, after not being around at all last year. I too am going to keep mine simple this year.

I've just acquired a C J Cherryh (Downbelow Station) from a bookshop visit today.

Welcome back calm! So happy to see your thread pop up!

Well I for one have never found you in the least bit boring, Calm. I am ever so pleased that West Wales is represented here again in the group.

Nice to see that two of my pals - you and Genny - return on the same day.

Welcome back calm! I like your list of books read so far. I hope you're enjoying the Chanur series - I read them a couple of years ago and enjoyed them all a lot. I'm also trying to read more of Christopher Priest's books as I read two of his books for the first time last year and loved them both.

Hi Genny, Lori, Paul and Heather ... nice to see you:)

Genny - That is a coincidence, I did mean to start earlier this year but my internet connection was a bit on and off for most of January so delayed things awhile. I haven't read Downbelow Station but it seems to be set in the same Universe as the Chanur books. But then looking at Cherryh's series page there are a lot of them.

Lori - It is good to see familiar names in the group every year. I am making no promises about keeping up with people or actually recording my reading or book acquisitions very often. But I will try to lurk occasionally.

Paul - I don't think I used the word boring but this thread will be minimal, no cover images or book thoughts just updating the lists in the posts above so it won't be very interesting.

Heather - I'm not sure if I will get to the rest of the Chanur series. I was pleased that the ones I read were in an omnibus as the second ended on a cliffhanger as did the third. For some reason that has put me off which is a shame as I did like them. Then I looked at the book page and saw that a lot of her books are set in the same Universe and I doubt if I will ever get to them all but maybe someday if I find copies somewhere.

I hadn't read that Christopher Priest before but he is an interesting writer and I have read a couple of his others, so I will probably look out for more of his work.

As I am posting I will say that I finished Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier and have read the introduction to The Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith though I haven't actually started the stories yet.

>10 calm: Says perhaps far more about my character than yours Calm, but I could never be bored looking at lists of books!

That's good, Paul. You might like to look at >3 calm: as I went to town today and visited the library and a couple of charity shops so I added a few books to that list.

>12 calm: I have one or two of those Calm but have read none of them as yet.

I trust my favourite lady from West Wales will have a great weekend.

Thank you Paul - not the best start but things can only get better. It is not much fun to switch on a light only for the glass section of the bulb to shoot out of the thing, fusing all of the lights in the house. So I had to spend time finding torch, screwdrivers and the right fuse; access the fuse box and fix the thing ... all before I had my first coffee and my painkillers!

I hope you and yours have a wonderful weekend.

Hi calm and Happy New Year! I stumbled onto your thread yesterday. I accidentally unstarred all my 2016 starred people and had to go back to the groups I belong to and re-star them. As I was going thru the 75ers I found you! Yeah!
BTW: Simple is a good thing. I'll visit again, in the mean time take it easy.

>15 calm: - That does not sound like a fun start to your weekend. I have had lights blow out but it is usually just the lightbulb, and then I find myself cursing the fact that we don't have any backup lightbulbs in the house. ;-)

Wishing you a lovely week, calm!

It's good to see you Lynda - sorry that you accidentally unstarred the threads but pleased that meant you found me. The 75ers wouldn't be the same without you.

Lori - definitely not fun but at least it was something I could fix myself and the rest of the weekend was quieter.

Have a lovely weekend, Calm. xx

Thanks for stopping by Paul.

In this month of St. David this is my first stop by to our own West Walian.

I have just finished an anthology of poems by Robert Minhinnick. Don't know if you are familiar with his work but he carries the torch passed by the Thomas's Dylan and RS and dear old Dannie Abse.

Have a lovely weekend. xx

I heard a rumor you had started a thread! Welcome back!

You NEED to read the 4th Chanur book. See, the problem is that books 2,3, and 4 are a single story, but the way the publisher packaged the omnibi obscures that. Chanur's Homecoming wraps everything up and oh, so wonderfully! The fifth book can be skipped if you wish--it also is a separate story some 10 years later. Back then, publishers wouldn't let you publish the tomes you routinely get now and they made Cherryh break the single story into three regular sized books. So please don't blame her for the cliffhangers. And yes, while the Chanur books intersect with the Alliance Universe very slightly, there are a lot more books in that universe that are completely separate from this series. (Downbelow Station is one of these.)

Have a wonderful Easter.

Stopping by to wish you a Happy Easter calm!

My sweet Muzzy girl died this morning. She was nearly 16 and she was my friend and companion since she was a kitten. I will miss her.

Oh, I'm so, so sorry. I know how difficult it is to let them go. I'll be thinking of you.

Thank you Amber.

so sorry for your loss.

I grieve with you. Our fur people are so dear to us.
{{{{calm}}}}

>25 calm: So sorry to hear that calm. Thinking of you.

Thank you Jim, Roni and Heather.

Sorry to read your sad news dear Calm. I look at our eldest, tiredest cat - Cinders and can no longer pretend that I don't like the pets I let the kids persuade me into bringing home. I will definitely miss her too when she makes that short journey home.

Hope a relaxing weekend brings you comfort. xx

Oh my, Calm, I'm so sorry to read of the loss of your friend and companion, Muzzy! We lost our Peanut 2 years ago and the hole he left still has not healed. RIP Muzzy

Oh calm, I'm so sorry for your loss. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you, but have a close idea, having lost Coco just over two months ago. I still cry over him sometimes and miss him terribly, but he's left me with loads of wonderful memories too, and I'm sure this is the case with your Muzzy. My cat Ezra is going on 13 soon, and I just recently became aware that he is now considered a 'senior' cat. A bit of an adjustment, that. Take good care of yourself my dear.

Hope everything is blooming rosy in West Wales this weekend, Calm. xx

Greetings, Calm! Hope you're still enjoying walks to town and picking up a few books, now and then. I imagine Wales to be lovely this time of year.

Just stopping by to say hi, calm. Hope you're doing ok.

Thanks everyone, sorry I haven't been around much. Though I have been lurking around the threads I haven't really felt like saying anything. Unfortunately my second cat also passed away. She was 15 and went in her sleep. I must say losing both of my furry friends has left me without much interest in doing anything.

I am reading slowly but haven't bought any books since the 8 for my Thingaversary in June. Though I did borrow a couple from the library. Actually I haven't updated the lists for sometime. I'll try to get to that soon.

So sorry for you loss, calm. Nice that she went in her sleep, presumably pain-free. When I lost Coco in February I thought my world had fallen in on itself, and ended up adopting Charley within three weeks, much sooner than I thought was a reasonable delay. While I certainly haven't forgotten Coco and my heart still swells up at the thought of him, Charley's presence has been immensely helpful and has made the grief more bearable.

Take good care of yourself, and thanks for posting an update.

Thank you Ilana. I expect there will be a new furkid or two for me in the future but it is tough to think about finding a new friend yet. Muzzy was in my life for nearly 16 years and Circe for 15, they both had long lives and went quickly. But a new friend won't replace what I have lost though will probably add to my life in a different way, I'm sure the right one will come along sooner or later. In the meantime one of my neighbours has a friendly cat who comes into my garden so I can get some strokes and cuddles when he is around.

I am so sorry to read of the loss of your kitties. We have shared that experience of losing long lived kitties the last two years. We still have one oldster who is 17+ plus a younger one who adopted us almost 4 years ago but I never forget the ones who have gone and miss them at odd moments.

Thanks for checking in here.

>38 calm: So sorry to hear you've lost your second cat too. Thinking of you.

Thanks Ron, given that I live in a rural area I wouldn't be surprised if I end up being adopted by a new furkid. There is at least one place with barn cats around and they sometimes roam my way but not as pets so far as I didn't try to make friends with any of them.

Thanks Heather.

So sorry to hear about the loss of both of your furkids. I know, I hold all my kitties in my heart, and there have been so many over the years.

Oh, I'm sorry to read of the loss of your second cat, Circe, this year. Really tough to go thru once let alone twice in a short span of time.
I hope a new furry friend will find you when the time is right.

Dear Calm I hope that West Wales is not too unbearably warm for you these few days.

Take care and have a good weekend. xx

Just a reminder that Kuala Lumpur misses updates from charming West Wales. Have a lovely weekend.

Sorry for being AWOL. I must say that losing the girls hit me a lot harder than I thought it would. I have been very apathetic about life in general and my reading has suffered though I finally reached my 75th book of the year last month. Though I have been reading a lot of epic fantasy so there were a number of chunksters.

I do have new additions to the household. I got two eight week old kittens about a week ago. They are siblings who I have named Xander (male) and Lexa (female). No pictures yet but I will try to get something decent soon and find the instructions to upload photos from my phone onto LT.

Hopefully having the furkids will lift my mood and I might even stop lurking and actually say something.

Hi Calm! Glad to see your update. Seems like epic fantasy may be just what you need now and congrats on reaching 75!!
Xander and Lexa will be great additions and should contribute to your healing process.

Congrats on 75! I hope life starts getting better for you.

Thanks Lynda and Jim

These are a bit blurry but kittens move fast and I've only got a camera phone. I'll try and get something better when they are sleeping

Lexa is the Tabby and white and Xander is the Black and white



Lexa

Xander

Yay for the new kittens!

The babies are delightful! I'm sure they will bring a lot of joy and activity into your life.

I'm curious about some of the fantasy series you've been reading that I'm unfamiliar with, the Douglass and the Brenchley.

Thanks Ron. New kittens are worth a "Yay!"

Roni - lots of joy and activity. I had forgotten how hyperactive kittens can be - there is a lot of playing chase and wrestling; curtain climbing and hide and seek with some naps for a bit of peace and quiet.

The Sara Douglass was the third trilogy in the Tencendor series with some characters from earlier books including some from a couple of her other books as well. So it is not the place to start with her work. It is good escapist fiction and I do think she improved as an author over the course of her books.

The Chaz Brenchley is loosely based on the Crusades with added magic. It is set sometime after the first invasion and a young brother arrives in Outremer and almost immediately gets into trouble. There are also a couple of young women at the centre of the action though to some extent they are defined by their relationship to their fathers. I liked it until the very last chapter which I thought was a weak end to the story so that was disappointing.

>48 calm: Lovely to hear from you calm and to hear the news about your new kittens.

Pleased to see my West Walian pal back and with new cute additions to the family. Have a lovely weekend.

Thank you Heather and Paul. Hope all is well with you both.

Kittens are fun but exhausting. Reading is still very slow but it has been my choice to read chunksters which I need to read when I am in bed.

Wouldn't it be nice if 2017 was a year of peace and goodwill.
A year where people set aside their religious and racial differences.
A year where intolerance is given short shrift.
A year where hatred is replaced by, at the very least, respect.
A year where those in need are not looked upon as a burden but as a blessing.
A year where the commonality of man and woman rises up against those who would seek to subvert and divide.
A year without bombs, or shootings, or beheadings, or rape, or abuse, or spite.

2017.

Festive Greetings and a few wishes from Malaysia!

This is the Christmas tree at the end of the Pacific Beach Pier here in San Diego, a Christmas tradition.

To all my friends here at Library Thing, I want you to know how much I value you and how much I wish you a very happy holiday, whatever one you celebrate, and the very best of New Years!

Thanks Paul and Roni.



I hope any lurkers visitors have a wonderful book filled 2017

Wishing you a blissful holiday season!

Thanks Lynda.

Hoping that life is treating you well! Merry Merry and Happy Happy! Enjoy your new kittens.

Thanks Kim, the kittens are growing quickly and it is very enjoyable having them around.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and the kittens calm!

Looking forward to your continued company in 2017.
Happy New Year, Calm

Thank you Heather and Paul and all my other visitors in 2016 and I hope to see you in 2017. I'll be setting up a thread soon (at least in a day or so).

I read 91 books in 2016. There were a number of re-reads and I have excluded those from my top 5 of the year. Bearing in mind that I didn't rate or review this year these are the 5 I decided were the best new to me books in 2016 listed in the order I read them.

The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
My Real Children by Jo Walton
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (this was a tough choice as I also loved A Monster Calls)
Temeraire by Naomi Novak (I really need to get the rest of this series and I'm not entirely sure why I left it so long before I did get around to reading it)
The Pesthouse by Jim Crace

Happiest of New Years to you calm!! So happy you'll be starting a new thread! I'm be looking for you!!

Thanks Lynda

I'm over here

http://www.librarything.com/topic/245129

End of the Year Meme

Describe yourself: Shadow
Describe how you feel: The Blue Girl
Describe where you currently live: The Dreaming Place
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Chess Garden
Your favourite form of transportation: The Elephant's Journey
Your best friend is: The Catalyst
You and your friends are: Harmony
What’s the weather like: The Gift of Rain
You fear: A Monster Calls
What is the best advice you have to give: The Heart Goes Last
Thought for the day: The Rest of Us Just Live Here
How you would like to die: Burning Bright
Your soul’s present condition: Fall of Light

Hi Calm! I was absent for most of 2016 too but trying to be more present this year. I missed your loss of your beloved older cats and the eventual arrival of new kitts - I know the new arrivals are not a replacement but I hope they are bringing new joys and affections to live alongside the memories and grieving. I visited family and friends over New Year with a total of 7 cats in 3 households, including 2 lively young kittens. Sadly my allergies hated them though I loved them all - made me regret that I can't easily have a pet in my current situation, and miss my dear old greyhound, Ty.

As for books, I too read My Real Children this year and thought it very good too. And I also read the 4th Temeraire book - it is a great concept for a series and I like the way she develops it in the follow up books. Off to star your 2017 thread now.

Hi Genny good to see you.

Sorry to hear you are allergic to cats, they are one of my favourite animals. I'm sure you miss Ty, it is hard not to have a beloved pet.

My Real Children was interesting, I liked the way the two stories were so different and both imagined futures seemed plausible.

Unfortunately my local library doesn't have all the Temeraire books so I will have to look for them in the local charity shops.

I will look for your 2017 thread soon.