Category: what i read

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy: This is a fun read for October because it’s a little bit dark but not too heavy. It takes place mostly in our world’s Dublin and the magic is unknown to most people. The characters are different and interesting. (3 stars, audiobook)

ArchEnemy (Looking Glass Wars #3) by Frank Beddor: A fun and satisfying conclusion to this spinoff series of Alice in Wonderland. (4 stars, audiobook)

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean: There’s tons of interesting stuff here but I was hoping it’d be heavier on the anecdote side and lighter on the science detail side but that wasn’t the case. If you’re really into chemistry or physics you’d probably enjoy this but I’ve never taken a physics class and it’s been near ten years since I’ve taken a chemistry class and about half this book was over my head. (2 stars)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater:  I loved this. A different sort of fantasy than I usually read, with a focus on psychics and supernatural energy and lay lines. There are a lot of likable and interesting characters. No real resolution in this first installation, but it also wasn’t completely unsatisfactory. I definitely look forward to reading the next, and I will definitely do the audio because Will Patton as narrator is amazing. (4 stars, audiobook)

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin: SO MUCH HAPPENS. It is the best of the series so far. Parts of it were shocking and took me days to recover from. I am enjoying all the storylines right now and like to think about how they will intersect each other. (5 stars)

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale: Sweet and satisfying. Love the full cast audio. (4 stars, audiobook)

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg: All of the characters are vivid and likeable. Daisy Fay has a strong voice and is extremely endearing. This is a really easy read and I enjoyed it all. (4 stars)

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn: One of the editors of Book Riot talks a lot about how she’s been reading a lot of romance over the past year because she wasn’t previously familiar with the genre. I guess she got me interested in seeing what it was like because I had never read a romance novel before so I decided to for the heck of it. I don’t have anything to really compare this one too, but it was a fun escape and pretty much what I expected. (3 stars)

I’m also so close to finishing Longbourn by Jo Baker which is awesome, but I didn’t quite make it. Soon I’ll share with you my favorite reads of the year so stay tuned!

I go through phases with my hobbies and right now reading is sort of on the backburner as I’m spending time crafting and fixing up the house, but with audiobooks and reading a little bit every day I still make progress. I have a feeling the last few months of the year will be even lighter on number of books read, but during the third quarter I managed nine. Here they are:

The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. LeGuin: Some really great fantasy here. Enjoyed the old characters and the new. (4 stars)

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead: Smart and entertaining summery read. The characters are kind of tragic but also hopeful. (3 stars)

Insurgent by Veronica Roth : Liked it, maybe not quite as much as the first, but it’s still one of the better YA dystopian series I’ve read. (audiobook, 3 stars)

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver: Great writing and characterization as usual, but preachy and kind of boring. (2 stars; full review here)

The 7 Experiment by Jen Hatmaker: This was a Bible study and workbook as well, but I mostly just read it. I loved just about everything about it. Jen is funny and self-deprecating and approaches really serious, difficult topics in a completely non-judgmental way. It made me see that there is a lot about my life that I want to change, but it didn’t make me feel guilty because there is so much grace in here as well. I just saw opportunities for progress toward where I want to be when it comes to simplicity and cutting back on excess and being generous. I was inspired and uplifted and I will probably go back and reread it when I am prepared to challenge myself in a similar way that she did. (5 stars)

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin: Still really enjoying this series and am seriously hooked. (4 stars)

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein : Super good the whole way through but it picks up a LOT during the second half when some details are revealed. Portrait of a wartime friendship that was just heartbreaking and lovely. (audiobook, 4 stars)

You Are One Of Them by Elliott Holt: This story seemed straightforward but as it went on became more and more complicated and you realize there are secrets and spies and all kinds of possibilities. It got better in my mind the more I thought about it. (4 stars)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling: Reread this for the first time in nearly ten years and it was even better than I remembered. I definitely cried out of happiness at the end. (audiobook, 5 stars)

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart: A smart and fun YA book that featured a strong and ambitious female character. Enjoyed a great deal. (audiobook, 4 stars)

So I’ve still been reading, and here’s what I read and what I thought.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller: Although this isn’t my favorite of Donald Miller’s books I still appreciated so many things about it. I love his writing style and even when he seems like he’s just rambling I enjoy it. I have never really thought of my life in terms of a story and it was helpful to think about what makes a good one and how that can apply to real life. The anecdotes were great, some of them extremely touching. It was also a fast and easy read. (3 stars)

Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist: I have never read Shauna’s blog and I don’t remember how I ended up with this book but I know it was given to me. I was in the mood for a memoir so I picked it up, and I enjoyed it. The chapters are kind of random and don’t exactly follow any kind of order, so in that way I felt like I was reading a series of long blog posts. I don’t think I liked that part, but everything did follow a theme and I found myself tearing up many times throughout. I think the one main feeling I had when I finished, and probably the one thing I will think about when I remember this book, is that it encouraged me to look for community and to foster relationships intentionally. (3 stars)

Wild by Cheryl Strayed: This is not a short book, and I have a job and a toddler, but I still managed to read it in less than two days. That’s how good it is. I don’t know if the author and I would be friends in real life, but I liked her and admired her for her honesty and her courage. Her story was inspiring. It made me want to do something brave. (5 stars)

Matched by Ally Condie: This was a YA dystopia that was an easy & fast read. The world and plot were compelling enough and I am interested to see what happens. The writing is simple and straightforward with short sentences which seems to be the norm for this genre. My problem was with the characters. I didn’t feel like they were developed at ALL. There was a love triangle, but I honestly couldn’t care which guy she chose because they were both fine, and one was quickly friend-zoned so the romantic tension fell flat in that area. Overall I thought it was average for the genre, although I would read the next one to find out what happens. (3 stars)

Abhorsen by Garth Nix: Only the perfect conclusion to one of my now all-time favorite series. And seriously, the audiobook, narrated by Tim Curry, is amazing. This was supremely satisfying and I recommend the whole trilogy starting with Sabriel. (audiobook, 5 stars)

The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler: This is a very heavily character-driven book, so if you need a fast-paced plot to keep you interested this isn’t for you. But I loved it. It was a book club choice and I was super worried when I read that it was about a man recovering from his son’s death because I tend to become an emotional wreck faced with tragedies happening to children. But the book starts about a year after the death and for some reason that softened the blow. Of course there were some emotional parts, but the focus wasn’t on the tragedy, it was on the character of Macon Leary: who he was and who he became in the wake of it. I say it focused on Macon, and that’s true, but ALL of the characters are amazingly clear. His two brothers, sister, boss, the woman he meets after his wife leaves him…even the dog is a character all his own. I laughed and I cried, truly. It was such an enjoyable read. (4 stars)

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin: Her first book The Happiness Project was almost revolutionary to me and so inspiring. This wasn’t exactly the same but very close. It felt too similar to the first to grab me the same way, but I did get ideas. (3 stars)

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen: It’s been a long time since I read a book like this, just completely light and feel-good. It was just what I needed at the moment and made me happy. (4 stars)

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin: A new fantasy series that was recommended to me and was quite interesting. The first half reminded me so much of another book but then everything changed and I got into it more. She developed a really great character that made me want to know what he would do with his life. (audiobook, 4 stars)

Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier: This was fine. Just fine. It was historical fiction and I did appreciate the writing in that descriptions of a maid’s lifestyle and all the mundane tasks didn’t bore me. I wouldn’t say it was a romance even though there were hints of it. Probably a little disappointing for what I wanted out of it, but it was fine. (3 stars)

Unafraid by Francine Rivers: I read this for a church book club; I was supremely touched by the content of it and it made me think about the life of Jesus on earth as I never have before. The writing is average though – I have read better from this author. (3 stars)

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin: This was the second of the Earthsea books. It had an entirely different protagonist and the wizard that we came to love in the first book didn’t show up until partway through. I enjoyed the new setting but the first half of the book was starting from scratch with character- and world-building. It really picks up with his appearance though. (4 stars)

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin: Who doesn’t know what this is about by now? I am personally totally hooked on the story and am going through withdrawals as I wait for the next audiobook to be available from the library. I liked it from the beginning but it took until about halfway for me to really feel pulled in. I am sure that I will continue with the entire series even though it’s forever long. (audiobook, 4 stars)

The Passage by Justin Cronin: Characters, plot, suspense, relationships, action, science, this book has it. And every once in awhile a gem of a bit of prose will pop out at you. I am seriously invested in what happens to these people now. (5 stars)

Moby-Dick by Herman Melville: I was seriously reluctant to read this because I thought it would be majorly boring. It wasn’t though! Really! It was funny, and passionate, and enlightening. There were some boring parts about whales but I am totally glad I read it and enjoyed the process thoroughly. (4 stars)

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: Yeah okay, I guess this was pretty good. But I don’t know, it took me almost 40% of the way in to really get interested in the story. And I still don’t really care all that much about the larger mystery for some reason. Since this is a series nothing really resolved, so I am somewhat interested in what happens, but I don’t know if it’s enough to get me to read the rest because of course they are loooooong. (audiobook, 3 stars)

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore: I was chugging along just fine through this book – it wasn’t what I expected (which was something light; why don’t I do more research before starting to read?) and I had very little feelings whatsoever about it, other than some vague thoughts about motherhood and adoption and how the 20-year-old narrator seemed a little too think-y to be realistic – and then 3/4 of the way through an event so emotional happened that my heart could hardly handle it and I wanted to do violent things to the book and forget it existed. The more I think about it the more I dislike it. (2 stars)

A Good American by Alex George: Read and reviewed for BlogHer book club. (3 stars)

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple: This was just extremely entertaining to read. A unique format made it quick and interesting. There’s a small element of mystery but it’s mostly a story of an eccentric family. It’s funny, touching, and even the ridiculous characters have redeeming qualities. Thoroughly enjoyed. (4 stars)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: There were a lot of funny, uplifting moments and it had excellent writing, and the characters were great, but come on, it’s about teens with cancer. I avoided reading it for a long time for just that reason, but I finally caved for book club and that’s how I found myself crying mightily on my drive to work, trying not to ruin my mascara, wanting to turn it off but being unable, and then facing the work day (where I’m a nurse for cancer patients) severely depressed. It was a good book, I just wish I hadn’t read it. (audiobook, 4 stars)

Katherine by Anya Seton: This is a new favorite. It kind of wrecked me. From the very beginning the characters were interesting, or funny, or likeable, the story was deep and captivating, the romance swept me up, the historical background was fascinating, and I just loved it all okay? Except toward the end a lot of tragic things start happening and I was really worried for awhile because I just could not even handle it if things didn’t turn out well, so I skipped ahead and read the afterword and it made me cry from happiness right there, and then later that night I stayed up late to finish it (which I never do because SLEEP) and I could not stop crying, from happiness and also because of all the tragedy that led to the eventual happiness and why did they have to go through all that? (5 stars)

My reading slowed waaaay down at the end of this year because a) holidays are crazytown, b) I mostly listened to Christmas music on my commute instead of audiobooks, and c) I started reading Moby-Dick and The Passage, both of which I am still in the middle of, and both of which are super long. But! Here is what I did finish.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: Exactly my kind of book – a little magical, mysterious, romantic, with lots of foreshadowing and pretty words. While I was reading I felt like it was a little too long, but I’d probably enjoy that on a re-read. (4 stars)

The End by Lemony Snicket: The last of the Series of Unfortunate Events books, and it was pretty much just like the others. So I liked it fine, just like the rest, but I was a little disappointed that all the loose ends weren’t tied up. (4 stars)

Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor: The second in a trilogy and definitely not as good as the first. The main villain in this one just annoyed me. I’ll probably still read the last one though. (audiobook, 3 stars)

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie: This is the first of the Hercule Poirot novels, and of course I loved it since I have a thing for eccentric detectives. The rest of the characters are pretty shallow and are mainly just there to support the plot but it kept surprising me so it’s all good. (audiobook, 3 stars)

How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster: I wanted a brush-up on literary criticism and this served the purpose. I found it very easy to read, straightforward, and interesting although his attempt at humor wasn’t my style. (4 stars)

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson: This was just really, really funny. (audiobook, 4 stars)

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie: One of the most famous of Hercule Poirot’s cases. Really creative mystery, not your typical outcome. Some deeper issues at play as well. Super enjoyable. (audiobook, 4 stars)

Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer: I really enjoyed this strange, sad, beautiful book. For some reason it took me a long time to read though. (4 stars)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: Midway through this I was pretty sure I’d rate it three stars. I was interested and liked the characters, but the overall plot wasn’t advancing very fast and for awhile it just seemed like unrelated episodes. But then it all started to come together, slowly and then faster, and the end was perfect. Not only was there an exciting climax but the resolution was so nostalgic and emotional that I found myself sobbing. (audiobook, 4 stars)

Tomorrow I’ll share with you my five favorite books of 2012.