~ January

03jan2011 ~ Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton

Fun. Some parts were completely superfluous though. ^^;

08jan2011 ~ Turn Coat - Jim Butcher

Intense. Very unexpected. And with enough foreshadowing to make me wonder if he'll be able to tie up enough loose ends to really end the series in a few more books?

12jan2011 ~ Understanding Earth - Frank Press, Raymond Siever, John Grotzinger, Thomas H. Jordan

Jackie gave me this intro textbook to read in preparation for the prelims. Flipped through the pages, skimmed the text, concentrated on the bits she told me to focus on. Don't trust the seismic wave figures. It's pretty typical as intro geo texts go.

21jan2011 ~ Rise of the Terran Empire - Poul Anderson

An interesting compilation of stories. Fresh and different from my usual scifi fare. Though I understand this volume comes in the middle of the so-called "Technic Civilization Saga" and I don't think I loved the world enough to want to read the entire series.

^

~ February

12feb2011 ~ Lunar Science: A Post-Apollo View - Stuart Ross Taylor

A pretty spifftastic book. Note especially the caption for Figure 5.2, and note [69] in chapter 7. And ignore the theories of lunar formation. ^^;

27feb2011 ~ Changes - Jim Butcher

Amazing and epic. The ending is infuriating! I started the series late, so I was able to read at my leisure throughout. It's been getting more and more intense as I've continued, but now it's really coming to a point and I have to wait for Butcher to publish the next book - wah!

28feb2011 ~ Sentimental Education - Gustave Flaubert

And in the end he gained no education at all. *facepalm* I can't even be truly annoyed because the conclusion is just so typical.

^

~ March

11mar2011 ~ Second Chance - Jane Green

I remember reading a bunch of Jane Green books when I was in high school. I remember them being better than this.

12mar2011 ~ Girl Friday - Jane Green

Again, not as good as I remember her other books being. And this was had a hint of irony threading through it that I didn't quite appreciate, it just seemed very contrived.

17mar2011 ~ Facing White - Victoria Sprow

An interesting collection of short stories and poetry. There were a few that I just didn't understand, but in general they were nice. Fitting to finish on St. Patrick's Day too. ^^;

19mar2011 ~ Violet Eyes - Debbie Viguié

Sort of choppy compared to other books from this series. Though this is the first I've read by this author.

19mar2011 ~ Miss Rumphius - Barbara Cooney

Cute, but not amazing. Maybe I just had high expectations. Lovely illustrations, and a very complete story.

20mar2011 ~ Abhorsen - Garth Nix

I realized a little while back that the reason I was slightly confused while reading Across the Wall was that I had inadvertently skipped a book in the series. It was good to go back and read this, and it didn't disappoint.

22mar2011 ~ Cleopatra's Daughter - Michelle Moran

Enjoyed it. The beginning brought me back to Shakespeare, but I think that's because I recently read "Antony and Cleopatra." Strangely, I feel like I've read this story before. Although I don't remember the title or author? Looking forward to picking up another one of Michelle Moran's novels soon. =)

24mar2011 ~ Shadow of the Hegemon - Orson Scott Card

Not much scifi in this particular volume, but it builds off the Ender story, so you know. Interesting political dynamics. It is a very different book from Ender's Game, but I still think it's good in its way.

26mar2011 ~ Nefertiti - Michelle Moran

I'm not sure why both of Michelle Moran's books have seemed so familiar. I can't think of when or if I've read them before? I do like historical fiction with the love story emphasis though, and I'm looking forward to The Heretic Queen.

27mar2011 ~ Snow - Tracy Lynn

I fell in love with Raven. A very interesting retelling of Snow White with no dwarves to be seen. ^^;

30mar2011 ~ A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

There was something about the tone of this book that reminded me of Austen. I found by the end, I had a bit of a crush on the narrator. ^^;

31mar2011 ~ Geology and the Environment - Bernard Pipkin, D.D. Trent, Richard Hazlett, Paul Bierman

A decent intro geo textbook with a bent towards the environment (like a chapter on waste management). Had a picture of Caltech in it. ^^v

^

~ April

01apr2011 ~ Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

Different from the movie, but brilliant in its way. Ironic that both Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are mentioned in the novel. ^^;

03apr2011 ~ Dark Blue - Melody Carlson

I picked up this book on the recommendation of one of my younger friends. Although I generally enjoy YA books as easy, fun reads, Dark Blue was just a little too shallow and obvious. I had originally also planned on reading Deep Green (just chose two colors I liked), but now think I will skip it.

04apr2011 ~ The Storyteller's Daughter - Cameron Dokey

A bit cryptic for my taste, but I still think Cameron Dokey is a brilliant story writer.

06apr2011 ~ The Postman - David Brin

Interesting premise. There was one scene that seemed eerily familiar, and I can't say that the plot was surprising. But it was very well done and I enjoyed it.

07apr2011 ~ The Higher Power of Lucky - Susan Patron

Cute, although the end seemed manipulative more than inspired.

12apr2011 ~ The Mathematics of Love - Emma Darwin

I think the word to describe it is "curious." Moving in a subtle kind of way.

12apr2011 ~ Geochemical Kinetics - Youxue Zhang

The book contains a lot of information, and is great as a reference. But it is very dense and deplorably organized as a textbook; not very approachable.

17apr2011 ~ Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - Tom Robbins

Tom Robbins intrigues and delights me.

22apr2011 ~ Glory Road - Robert A. Heinlein

Very different from the feeling I usually get from Heinlein novels. But lovely all the same. Details in the ending disappointed me a bit, but perhaps that's just the way life goes.

^

~ May

02may2011 ~ Nine Lives - Dan Baum

Felt amazingly complete for being so open-ended. And read very much like a novel rather than a biographical account. Much like a memoir, but written by someone else, and wonderfully woven.

09may2011 ~ House Rules - Jodi Picoult

Had a very different feel, almost a thriller. Can I say that the cover bothers me without sounding silly? ^^;

12may2011 ~ Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson

Couldn't remember if I had read this or not, so when I saw that Dad had downloaded the free Kindle version, I decided to read it on Mom's iPad. Surprisingly short, but obviously a classic.

15may2011 ~ The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot

An interesting account of the woman from whom the famous HeLa cells were collected. It's unfortunate that more wasn't done for her family.

28may2011 ~ Earth - The Daily Show

The writers listed on the inside title page are: Jon Stewart, David Javerbaum, Rory Albanese, Steve Bodow, Josh Lieb, Kevin Bleyer, Rich Blomquist, Tim Carvell, Wyatt Cenac, Hallie Haglund, J.R. Havlan, Elliott Kalan, Sam Means, Jo Miller, Jon Oliver, Daniel Radosh, and Jason Ross. But I didn't want to add all those people to the "authors" section so I just said "The Daily Show." That's what it says on the cover-cover anyway. =P Anyway...highly entertaining and mildly offensive book, as expected I'm sure.

^

~ June

10jun2011 ~ Feed - M.T. Anderson

Weird, sad, and a bit reminiscent of Clockwork Orange.

11jun2011 ~ The Marvellous Land of Oz - L. Frank Baum

I think it's a kind of sequel to the typical Wizard of Oz story we're all familiar with. Fun, and in large print; made me feel like a kid again. ^^;

23jun2011 ~ Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl

Daddy saw me reading this book and said, "That's not a good book." But I had already started into Part I and actually was enjoying it. In the end, the memoirs from the concentration camp were not as good as a fictional account or more complete memoir, and I generally find little interest in philosophy and that's what logotherapy reminded me of even though it was described as a psychology technique. All in all, I'd say I don't regret reading it, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone else either.

27jun2011 ~ Barbarians at the Gate - Bryan Burrough & John Helhar

Fascinating account of something that happened long before I was old enough to care or understand. Reading at a date so much later than the events described gives an interesting perspective. Obviously Nabisco has continued to thrive. -munches an Oreo-

^

~ July

05jul2011 ~ Sisterhood Everlasting - Ann Brashares

Better than the previous book. A bit surprising, quite moving. I feel like things are properly wrapped up now.

12jul2011 ~ The Help - Kathryn Stockett

I liked it, although I felt it ended a bit abruptly. I picked it up because I saw the movie trailer and found the concept intriguing, but now that I've read the book I don't think I'll be seeing the movie. It feels like the type of story that wouldn't work better on screen than in print.

22jul2011 ~ No Bra, Vol. 1-5 - Kenjiro Kawatsu

Weird premise. But kind of intriguing. I guess it reminds me of HanaKimi a bit. But somehow opposite... At least it came to a neat ending so I could easily stop. ^^;

22jul2011 ~ L-DK, Vol. 1-5 - Ayu Watanabe

Cute, and mindless... so basically my perfect manga. ^^; Too bad it's ongoing and I don't like waiting for the next volume to come out, so I'll probably just forget about it now. =/

23jul2011 ~ Kimi ni shika Kikoenai - Otsuichi

A short story turned manga. One volume, concise, with a bit of fantasy/scifi thrown in.

23jul2011 ~ Stepping on Roses, Vol. 1-5 - Rinko Ueda

Really curious where this is going. And probably my first manga that's set in the past. // Weird, I feel like I've read parts of this before, even though I don't remember it at all...

24jul2011 ~ Happy Cafe, Vol. 1 - Kou Matsuzuki

Cute but not interesting enough to make me want to continue reading.

28jul2011 ~ The Red Tent - Anita Diamant

I've come to realize that I love retellings of Bible stories. Novels that flesh out the people and give them depth. Perhaps in the same way that I like historical fiction. An added bonus is that The Red Tent covers the generation just after the three "Women of Genesis" books that Orson Scott card wrote, making it seem almost like a fourth book. Although Diamant's interpretation of Rachel and Leah is very different.

30jul2011 ~ The Bear and the Dragon - Tom Clancy

The pacing of this book is really odd. I was reading along, feeling like it was going all right, getting a few details here and there. And then I realized that I had read 400 pages and we were just finishing the set-up. Ended up skimming a lot of the military details in the second half, which turned out to be a considerable chunk, because they didn't interest me. Fantastic ending though, I must say.

^

~ August

03aug2011 ~ Meet the Gang! - Annie Auerbach

Cute little picture book with holograms.

03aug2011 ~ Crypto - Steven Levy

Well-written and easy to read, although it turns out the subject matter didn't hit me as hard as it should, having grown up in a time when all of this had already become mainstream.

04aug2011 ~ The Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder

I can understand why they compared Crypto to this book. I can also honestly and definitively say that this book is way more interesting than Crypto. Less rambling, and more human.

06aug2011 ~ Sekirei, Vol. 1-6 - Sakurako Gokurakuin

It starts a bit like an echo of AMG. I'm still trying to figure out how it all works. ^^;

07aug2011 ~ Sekirei, Vol. 7-10 - Sakurako Gokurakuin

Figured it out. It reminds me of Love Hina, with everyone living in the same place and the guy being inconceivably popular with the ladies. -laughs-

07aug2011 ~ Where Do I Sleep? - Jennifer Blomgren

Lovely illustrations, well rhymed verse.

07aug2011 ~ Million Girl - Kotori Momoyuki

Interesting concept but not sure where it'll lead.

09aug2011 ~ Beastly - Alex Flinn

I usually adore "fractured fairy tales" but this story was a little too close to the well-known version. It was still a fun read, but I found it a bit shallow and predictable.

10aug2011 ~ Dragons in the Waters - Madeleine L'Engle

I must've read this book when I was younger, back in my "A Wrinkle in Time" days. From the first chapter it all seemed familiar, although I couldn't remember the plot and the title didn't ring a bell. About halfway through the feeling of familiarity became stronger. Still it was a fun (re)read. I've always liked Madeleine L'Engle's books.

11aug2011 ~ Camilla - Madeleine L'Engle

Very different from what I normally expect of L'Engle's books, perhaps because it's out of the Austin/O'Keefe world I'm used to. Still, you can hear L'Engle's voice in the words, and it's comforting and profound in its way.

12aug2011 ~ The Young Unicorns - Madeleine L'Engle

So what happened was that on Shelfari, there's a "series" option, and I decided to go back and make sure I had read all the books in the Austin family series. I didn't recognize a lot of titles so I put them on my to-read list. But it turns out I've read them all before, only they weren't strong enough to stick with me. I actually get quite annoyed when this happens. Still, it's a decent book and I went through it again quite amiably.

13aug2011 ~ Strange Tails - John J. Kohut & Roland Sweet

Less amusing than you would expect, and not worth the time to sit down and read as a book.

14aug2011 ~ The Wisdom of Crowds - James Surowiecki

This book is great for skimming. The anecdotes are interesting, but the author takes too long analyzing and explaining each one. I was surprised (and delighted) at the section about Zara though.

15aug2011 ~ The Lost Gate - Orson Scott Card

Reminded me of Tamora Pierce's "Circle" series with the different types of (elemental) mages. I expected this to be a series too, though didn't see a hint of it on Shelfari. The year 2010 was mentioned so perhaps it's a newer volume and there'll be more to come. I want to hear more about Hermia. (Edit: Now that I look at the other OSC books I've read I notice I've read Stonefather but hadn't made the connection because the tone of the two books are so different!)

28aug2011 ~ Selected Poems - Robert Frost

I think we all read Frost for the poems we knew when we were in school: "Mending Wall" and "The Road Not Taken". But the interesting thing about Frost is that even his less well-known poems have the same intense-yet-comforting sort of feeling. And there's something in his longer poems (the conversational ones) that reminds me of Steinbeck...

^

~ September

07sep2011 ~ The Brothers Lionheart - Astrid Lindgren

A lovely, hopeful book for those children who may have suffered from polio, etc., although a somewhat strange approach to death. The first leap I would gladly take, the second makes it seem too fantastic to touch my heart.

10sep2011 ~ Geisha, a Life - Mineko Iwasaki

This book was extremely reminiscent of Memoirs of a Geisha, probably because it literally is the memoir of a geisha. Strangely though, there were a few anecdotes that were also used in "Memoirs" which makes me wonder if that fictional piece was somehow based on this woman's life.
[edit: Just looked it up. Wikipedia says Arthur Golden did indeed use Iwasaki's story to write Memoirs of a Geisha.]

15sep2011 ~ The Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley

I enjoyed T.H. White's Arthurian stories, but somehow they seemed stilted. This is a much smoother story, and has a more genealogical feel to it. It reminds me of Biblical fiction, like The Red Tent in that it follows the history of the family and expands from there.

17sep2011 ~ A Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan

After about five pages, I started really liking this book and getting excited about it. It reads with a lot of depth and the intertwining of the stories feels more real than other books where it just feels contrived. But then there was this weird powerpoint section, and after that it ended in a strange way that reminded me a bit like Feed (M.T. Anderson).

17sep2011 ~ How Language Works - David Crystal

Another one of Daddy's books. I'll admit I expected more. I'll also admit I skimmed the last two sections. The most interesting part of the book was the age ranges at which different sounds and speech patterns develop in babies and young children. The rest was just meh.

28sep2011 ~ A World Without Ice - Henry Pollack

This book was much broader than I expected, and although it didn't delve too deeply into the science, it also didn't make me feel dumb just reading it. Henry Pollack is a lovely story-teller, mixing anecdotes with fact.

30sep2011 ~ The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson

After reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo I was impressed but not hooked. After reading The Girl Who Played with Fire, I'm hooked and know that I will now definitely read the third book. As a stand-alone though, I'd have to give it an 8/10. There are a lot of details from the first book scattered around with just the bare minimum of explanation. It's enough to jolt your memory after a few prods, but for someone who hadn't read "Dragon Tattoo" I imagine it would have been even more bewildering, and too much seemingly at once. Still, it doesn't take away or have too much impact on the main storyline of "Played with Fire" so it doesn't distract in a crucial way.

03oct2011 ~ Big Fish - Daniel Wallace

I think the folks did a good job with the movie. The story-telling is lovely, but it really is the type of story that needs images to go along with it. Something fantastic and colorful, and that's just what the movie adds.

^

~ October

04oct2011 ~ The Color Purple - Alice Walker

I had no idea what this story was about, although I think somewhere deep in my mind I knew it was about black people. I didn't expect it to be in the format of letters! And I really have no idea how they spun it into a play (musical?), although I suppose I can imagine a film version.... Very strong, very...surprising, I think. But it still felt honest somehow. Spontaneous.

06oct2011 ~ The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson

An apt ending that left nothing to be desired, but also left just enough loose ends. Very nicely done, although slightly more circumlocutionary than the previous two books? Or perhaps I was just more anxious to find out how it would all come together.

07oct2011 ~ The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan

I thought this was a completely different series from the Percy Jackson books. Turns out it's not, which is a bit disappointing. Fun book, a little young-sounding, didn't make me feel like I had to go pick up the next book right away. Nor did it make me want to go back and read the Percy Jackson books first. I'll admit that it made me laugh out loud on a couple occasions though. =D

08oct2011 ~ Beauty Sleep - Cameron Dokey

One of the worst-titled books in the series, but one of the most creative story twists. It reminded me a little of Jennifer Roberson's Deepwood. [SPOILER ALERT:] I was wondering and wondering how it would end up and even though I know it's common for royalty to marry close family, I was still a little disturbed by how it turned out, even though I was pleased with their obvious joy at discovering their love.

08oct2011 ~ The World Above - Cameron Dokey

I think this is the first one I've read where Dokey actually combines elements of two stories. Lovely and surprising, and probably one of the better ones that I've read more recently from her.

11oct2011 ~ What's the Difference? - Marc Tyler Nobleman

Clever and informative. The unceasing references to other pages though, gets annoying.

12oct2011 ~ One Piece, Vol. 61-63 - Eiichiro Oda

Basically, a new episode of the anime came out and I was excited to find out what would happen, and then I was disappointed when the plot advanced only the barest sliver. I was so sick of how slowly the anime was progressing I decided to just catch up with the manga. Seriously, I think Oda is a genius.

13oct2011 ~ The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick

This book was hard work to get through! It didn't catch me, there were too many characters, and you figured out the gist pretty quickly but then couldn't figure out where it was going. In the end, they give you a quasi-explanation, but even that doesn't make sense. Honestly, I expected more from this author.

14oct2011 ~ Shadow of the Giant - Orson Scott Card

The thing about the other "Ender" books is that sometimes they're a little hard to get into. I think part of it is that they're not great as stand alones. But they're sufficiently good that you can fall into them in one or two chapters.

17oct2011 ~ The Wild Trees - Richard Preston

A wonderful narrative, though I think it fell short of The Demon in the Freezer. It makes you think about visiting these trees, but at the same time forces you to realize that you will never be able to experience them in the same way as the people in the book do.

17oct2011 ~ Sunlight and Shadow - Cameron Dokey

This is the first of the "Once Upon a Time" series that i've read where I haven't had any knowledge of the original story. It was a lovely story although it seemed choppy in its telling. I am definitely curious about "The Magic Flute" now, and will probably have to look into the opera.

18oct2011 ~ God Particles - Thomas Lux

Odd but clever. I agree with the inside cover flap: "A satiric edge, tempered by profound compassion..." One in particular touched me ("The Pier Aspiring"), but Mike made me feel silly for loving it. =(

20oct2011 ~ We - Yevgeny Zamyatin

This book is very...odd. I see the connection to 1984, and I'm not sure there's much more to add to that observation.

25oct2011 ~ Nine Kinds of Naked - Tony Vigorito

Reminded me of Tom Robbins novels a bit...although the pacing was a bit meh. I don't know, it didn't draw me in as much as a Tom Robbins novel even though the attitude reminded me of one.

28oct2011 ~ Driving with Dvorák - Fleda Brown

When I picked up this book at the library I thought it would be a book of poems and related to the Dvorak keyboard. Turns out it's a memoir-like book of essays related to the composer.

30oct2011 ~ Madame Tussaud - Michelle Moran

Not quite as engrossing as the previous Michelle Moran books I've read. Still it fits with her overall historical fiction bent, plus I learned that Madame Tussaud was a real person, which I didn't know before. ^^;

^

~ November

03nov2011 ~ Watership Down - Richard Adams

I had heard of this book again and again, but the rabbit prominently on the cover had always confused me as to what the story was about, and not in a tickle-my-curiosity way. After being challenged on a "100 Greatest SciFi/Fantasy" list, I decided to finally get this under my belt. I was surprised and delighted! Guess there's a reason it's on the list. =P

04nov2011 ~ Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick

Really interesting. I think more interesting than The Man in the High Castle even though that won the Hugo Award. Perhaps because there isn't as much thought that goes into it, more an illustration?

08nov2011 ~ Freezing, Vol. 1-5 - Dal Young Im

Really interested to get some more back story, and also some more explanation about the power of the Pandoras. // I like how they add levels to the powers and are introducting differeng Volt Weapons.

09nov2011 ~ Neuromancer - William Gibson

I'll admit it was interesting, but I'm not sure about its place in the "100 Greatest SciFi/Fantasy" list. Although I suppose any book that is the winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards should probably be on that list. I'd be interested in a movie version of this story...

16nov2011 ~ Pi in the Sky - John D. Barrow

This book was disappointingly reminiscent of the "Philosophy of Math" class that I took in college. I worked my way through the first three chapters but got increasingly bogged down. I ended up skimming the entire second half and was relieved when I turned the page and encountered only "Further Reading."

19nov2011 ~ The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

I've heard this book alluded to so many times. And I thought I knew what it was about - some middle schooler or high schooler who doesn't fit in and spends her time observing the people around her. Turns out I was completely wrong. First of all, the main character is a boy. Secondly, the book is in letter format, not a narrative. Third... well, I suppose you'd better read it for yourself.

24nov2011 ~ The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury

Sort of a collection of short stories, in chronological order, with a very interesting conception of Mars. The stories start in January 2030, with the first manned mission to Mars. Somehow, I don't have much faith that we'll get there in real life by then.

^

~ December

05dec2011 ~ The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama

Surprisingly light and easy to read. I agree that he seems to have a knack for story-telling. There was the least possible amount of political preaching, and a good amount of thoughtful discourse (more than I expected anyway). It didn't make me want to jump up and read Dreams From My Father, but I wouldn't purposefully shun a book written by him either. Overall, I would say well done.

^