Lisa Lutz's The Curse of the Spellmans
The second Spellman book has the least-awesome mystery to reread, but some of the best character moments in the series.
Yay, I read 275 books this year!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
2009 book 274
Yeah, I'm gonna hit 275, no problem.
Lisa Lutz's The Spellman Files
I've read this book at least once this year already, but I've been out of library books for a month and sometimes you just need a comfort read. This mystery, about a family of hilarious PIs, never disappoints. The fourth one comes out this spring--I've heard it's the last one, which kind of sucks since I love this series, but gives me hope that a certain romantic pairing will finally come to pass!
Lisa Lutz's The Spellman Files
I've read this book at least once this year already, but I've been out of library books for a month and sometimes you just need a comfort read. This mystery, about a family of hilarious PIs, never disappoints. The fourth one comes out this spring--I've heard it's the last one, which kind of sucks since I love this series, but gives me hope that a certain romantic pairing will finally come to pass!
2009 book 273
Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
One of my favorite books of 2009, his mystery--about an 11-year-old girl chemist who tries to solve a murder that took place in her garden--didn't disappoint on rereading.
I'm trying to hit 275 by the end of the year--so, back to reading!
One of my favorite books of 2009, his mystery--about an 11-year-old girl chemist who tries to solve a murder that took place in her garden--didn't disappoint on rereading.
I'm trying to hit 275 by the end of the year--so, back to reading!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
2009 book 272
Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects
This was one of my favorite books of 2006--it totally blew my mind, in part b/c I was expecting something frothy from Flynn, formerly a tv reviewer at EW, and it was so completely dark and unexpected, about a very troubled woman who returns to her hometown to try and write an article about a serial killer attacking young girls. Anyway, it definitely holds up to rereading, though was even darker and crazier than I remembered.
This was one of my favorite books of 2006--it totally blew my mind, in part b/c I was expecting something frothy from Flynn, formerly a tv reviewer at EW, and it was so completely dark and unexpected, about a very troubled woman who returns to her hometown to try and write an article about a serial killer attacking young girls. Anyway, it definitely holds up to rereading, though was even darker and crazier than I remembered.
2009 book 271
E. Nesbit's The House of Arden
The nice thing about Nesbit's books is that they always feel like a modern book written to be old-fashioned, whcih I guess speaks to a certain timelessness to her stories. In this one, a brother and sister inherit a castle and hunt for treasure to try and maintain it, with the help of a magical mole-thing and some poetry. Nesbit's humor prevails and the children are very likable, though I did think there were some unanswered questions--I wonder if there's a sequel?
The nice thing about Nesbit's books is that they always feel like a modern book written to be old-fashioned, whcih I guess speaks to a certain timelessness to her stories. In this one, a brother and sister inherit a castle and hunt for treasure to try and maintain it, with the help of a magical mole-thing and some poetry. Nesbit's humor prevails and the children are very likable, though I did think there were some unanswered questions--I wonder if there's a sequel?
Friday, December 25, 2009
2009 books 269 and 270
Rick Riordan's The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian
The last two Percy Jackson books have lots of exciting battles and adventures as the children of various Greek gods try to save Olympus from evil forces. The series in general is a little derivative of Harry Potter--or maybe of all books featuring magical children fighting the forces of evil--but is definitely enjoyable. I mean, I read all five in a day and a half, so clearly I liked them. :)
The last two Percy Jackson books have lots of exciting battles and adventures as the children of various Greek gods try to save Olympus from evil forces. The series in general is a little derivative of Harry Potter--or maybe of all books featuring magical children fighting the forces of evil--but is definitely enjoyable. I mean, I read all five in a day and a half, so clearly I liked them. :)
2009 book 268
Rick Riordan's The Titan's Curse
Ooh yay, the third Percy Jackson book heavily featured Artemis, my favorite goddess! These books rock.
Ooh yay, the third Percy Jackson book heavily featured Artemis, my favorite goddess! These books rock.
2009 book 267
Rick Riordan's The Sea of Monsters
This series really is a lot of fun! Likable characters going on adventures, an upcoming epic battle between good and evil, lots of twists and turns . . . I even busted out my D'aulaire's (one of my all-time favorite books--a gift from my mom when I was recovering from pneumonia in 5th grade) a couple times to look up character backstories. I wish these books had been around when I was a kid who was totally into Greek mythology, but I'm totally enjoying them now.
This series really is a lot of fun! Likable characters going on adventures, an upcoming epic battle between good and evil, lots of twists and turns . . . I even busted out my D'aulaire's (one of my all-time favorite books--a gift from my mom when I was recovering from pneumonia in 5th grade) a couple times to look up character backstories. I wish these books had been around when I was a kid who was totally into Greek mythology, but I'm totally enjoying them now.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
2009 book 266
Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief
I've been hearing good things about the Percy Jackson series for a while, and don't know why I waited so long to check it out--I mean, you'd think the story of a boy who discovers his father is one of the Greek Gods and has to go to special god-kid summer camp and questing and whatnot would be immediately appealing. And the story was really satisfying--very Harry Potter-esque. It was a little frustrating that some of the major plot points were so easy to guess in advance, but on the whole this book was very enjoyable and I'm definitely going to read the next one in the series. This is perfect bored-on-Christmas-and-needing-some-good-fun reading!
I've been hearing good things about the Percy Jackson series for a while, and don't know why I waited so long to check it out--I mean, you'd think the story of a boy who discovers his father is one of the Greek Gods and has to go to special god-kid summer camp and questing and whatnot would be immediately appealing. And the story was really satisfying--very Harry Potter-esque. It was a little frustrating that some of the major plot points were so easy to guess in advance, but on the whole this book was very enjoyable and I'm definitely going to read the next one in the series. This is perfect bored-on-Christmas-and-needing-some-good-fun reading!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
2009 book 265
Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
This was a SERIOUSLY AWESOME end to Larsson's trilogy--way more action-packed than the first two, in a good way! I don't want to say too much about it since it doesn't come out till late May in the US, though I will say it was TOTALLY worth ordering from amazon.uk! A.
I had actually planned on reading this over Christmas Eve/Christmas, but I couldn't wait to start it and then couldn't wait to find out what happened . . . now I'm at a bit of a loss for entertainment on those days. Worth it though!!
This was a SERIOUSLY AWESOME end to Larsson's trilogy--way more action-packed than the first two, in a good way! I don't want to say too much about it since it doesn't come out till late May in the US, though I will say it was TOTALLY worth ordering from amazon.uk! A.
I had actually planned on reading this over Christmas Eve/Christmas, but I couldn't wait to start it and then couldn't wait to find out what happened . . . now I'm at a bit of a loss for entertainment on those days. Worth it though!!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
2009 book 264
Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played with Fire
Larsson is truly the master of the slow build, as the murders of two writers working on an expose of Sweden's sex trade leads to the involvement of all of the titular girl's friends and enemies, as well as the police, and it all comes to a crazy and scary head. And having read this one right after the first one, and seeing all the hints that lead to the craziness in this one, it felt like a much stronger story than last time I read it. I can't wait to read the third one! Which luckily is sitting on my couch right now. Still don't know why they released it months ago in England and not here.
Larsson is truly the master of the slow build, as the murders of two writers working on an expose of Sweden's sex trade leads to the involvement of all of the titular girl's friends and enemies, as well as the police, and it all comes to a crazy and scary head. And having read this one right after the first one, and seeing all the hints that lead to the craziness in this one, it felt like a much stronger story than last time I read it. I can't wait to read the third one! Which luckily is sitting on my couch right now. Still don't know why they released it months ago in England and not here.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
2009 book 263
Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
It's a mark of what a good writer Larsson is that, even though I remembered how this mystery turns out, I was still really engaged and anxious while reading (though I did forget that bad things happen to a cute animal, which is odd since it's basically the only thing I wrote about when I first read it).
It's a mark of what a good writer Larsson is that, even though I remembered how this mystery turns out, I was still really engaged and anxious while reading (though I did forget that bad things happen to a cute animal, which is odd since it's basically the only thing I wrote about when I first read it).
Friday, December 18, 2009
2009 book 262
Louisa May Alcott's Little Women
Reading this article the other day made me want to reread Little Women, whcih actually was one of the first books I got for my Kindle and was all ready to go. Now, I hadn't read it in years, and most of what I remembered came from the movie (the June Allyson/Janet Leigh/Elizabeth Taylor version, which is far superior to the Katherine Hepburn version), so it was nice to go back and find all the little details I'd forgotten. But then it went on and on and I was convinced I'd somehow started in on Little Men without realizing--no, it's just way longer than I remembered (I have the three books in one Kindle thing--and Little Women is 47 percent of it). I do think it's interesting what a non-entity Mr March is even after he comes back from war, especially considering the other great male characters Alcott wrote--I wonder if she didn't feel up to fictionalizing her father?
Reading this article the other day made me want to reread Little Women, whcih actually was one of the first books I got for my Kindle and was all ready to go. Now, I hadn't read it in years, and most of what I remembered came from the movie (the June Allyson/Janet Leigh/Elizabeth Taylor version, which is far superior to the Katherine Hepburn version), so it was nice to go back and find all the little details I'd forgotten. But then it went on and on and I was convinced I'd somehow started in on Little Men without realizing--no, it's just way longer than I remembered (I have the three books in one Kindle thing--and Little Women is 47 percent of it). I do think it's interesting what a non-entity Mr March is even after he comes back from war, especially considering the other great male characters Alcott wrote--I wonder if she didn't feel up to fictionalizing her father?
links, links, and more links
It's been a while since I did a link round-up:
Gift ideas for cupcake lovers! I'll take any and all of these. ;)
I found this Guardian article on Harry Potter's nude scenes in the final movie to be weird--b/c both of those scenes are in the book! (Though at King's Cross, clothes appear for him to put on.) (Oh, and I just saw that the article was updated to say what I just said, so never mind.)
Speaking of Harry Potter, I sooo want to hear the audiobooks as narrated by Stephen Fry.
Lisa Loeb is launching an eyewear line!
And finally, here's an interview with the little girl who sings in Love Actually (and who is also the voice of one of my favorite cartoon characters. Yes, I watch cartoons. So?).
Gift ideas for cupcake lovers! I'll take any and all of these. ;)
I found this Guardian article on Harry Potter's nude scenes in the final movie to be weird--b/c both of those scenes are in the book! (Though at King's Cross, clothes appear for him to put on.) (Oh, and I just saw that the article was updated to say what I just said, so never mind.)
Speaking of Harry Potter, I sooo want to hear the audiobooks as narrated by Stephen Fry.
Lisa Loeb is launching an eyewear line!
And finally, here's an interview with the little girl who sings in Love Actually (and who is also the voice of one of my favorite cartoon characters. Yes, I watch cartoons. So?).
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
favorite books of 2009
I've never put up a best of the year list this early--I always feel like it cheats the books I may read right up till the end of the year. But this month I've mainly been rereading old favorites and my library hold list is really light, so the chances that I'll read something new and completely amazing in the next two weeks is fairly slim (and if so, I'll just have to remember to add it to 2010's list). With that said, 2009 was a pretty great year (for books, and in general: my brother got married, I got new teeth, xxmerge was incredible, and I crushed my goal of 250 books and still have time to crush it more), and since I read so many books, I have a top 20 and not a top 10. In alphabetical order by author:
Emily Arsenault's The Broken Teaglass
Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Suzanne Collins' Catching Fire
Gillian Flynn's Dark Places
James Fuerst's Huge
Joshua Gaylord's Hummingbirds
Lauren Grodstein's A Friend of the Family
Lisa Lutz's Revenge of the Spellmans
Dara Horn's All Other Nights
Marjorie Kernan's The Ballad of West Tenth Street
Sarah Hall's How to Paint a Dead Man
Kent Meyer's Twisted Tree
Christian Moerk's Darling Jim
Kate Morton's The House at Riverton
Yoko Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor
Sara Shepard's The Visibles
Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me
Colm Toibin's Brooklyn
Jonathan Tropper's This is Where I Leave You
Emily Arsenault's The Broken Teaglass
Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Suzanne Collins' Catching Fire
Gillian Flynn's Dark Places
James Fuerst's Huge
Joshua Gaylord's Hummingbirds
Lauren Grodstein's A Friend of the Family
Lisa Lutz's Revenge of the Spellmans
Dara Horn's All Other Nights
Marjorie Kernan's The Ballad of West Tenth Street
Sarah Hall's How to Paint a Dead Man
Kent Meyer's Twisted Tree
Christian Moerk's Darling Jim
Kate Morton's The House at Riverton
Yoko Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor
Sara Shepard's The Visibles
Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me
Colm Toibin's Brooklyn
Jonathan Tropper's This is Where I Leave You
Monday, December 14, 2009
2009 book 261
Francisco X. Stork's Marcelo in the Real World
When a boy on the autism spectrum is forced by his father to work in a law firm mailroom as a summer job so he can learn about "the real world", the boy must learn to come out of his shell and to deal with issues of moral complexity after finding a picture of an injured girl involved with a lawsuit. This book was a fairly good read, but the villain was way too cartoonish and most of the plot was overly predictable. B.
When a boy on the autism spectrum is forced by his father to work in a law firm mailroom as a summer job so he can learn about "the real world", the boy must learn to come out of his shell and to deal with issues of moral complexity after finding a picture of an injured girl involved with a lawsuit. This book was a fairly good read, but the villain was way too cartoonish and most of the plot was overly predictable. B.
2009 book 260
Alexander McCall Smith's The Full Cupboard of Life
These are pleasant reads, but sometimes I want to read something where, you know, something happens! (And actually, something does happen in this one, it just takes a while.)
These are pleasant reads, but sometimes I want to read something where, you know, something happens! (And actually, something does happen in this one, it just takes a while.)
Sunday, December 13, 2009
2009 books 258 and 259
Diana Wynne Jones' House of Many Ways
The third Howl's Moving Castle book is funnier than the first two, full of likable characters and crazy magic.
Suzanne Collins' Catching Fire
Seriously, why isn't this book on Kindle when Hunger Games is? LAME. Anyway, the third one comes out August 24th, and I can't wait! I loved this book, but it actually felt stronger on this reread, and less middle-chapter-of-a-trilogy-ish.
The third Howl's Moving Castle book is funnier than the first two, full of likable characters and crazy magic.
Suzanne Collins' Catching Fire
Seriously, why isn't this book on Kindle when Hunger Games is? LAME. Anyway, the third one comes out August 24th, and I can't wait! I loved this book, but it actually felt stronger on this reread, and less middle-chapter-of-a-trilogy-ish.
Friday, December 11, 2009
2009 book 257
Diana Wynne Jones' Castle in the Sky
The companion/sequel to Howl's Moving Castle is a takeoff of Arabian Nights-type tales; it's something of a slow starter but gets pretty entertaining halfway through.
The companion/sequel to Howl's Moving Castle is a takeoff of Arabian Nights-type tales; it's something of a slow starter but gets pretty entertaining halfway through.
2009 book 256
Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle
Cold, cold days are for curling up under an afghan and rereading a favorite funny take on fairy tales where a girl gets to (mostly) save the day (though of course things go awry). I still wish the movie had been more accurate to the plot.
Cold, cold days are for curling up under an afghan and rereading a favorite funny take on fairy tales where a girl gets to (mostly) save the day (though of course things go awry). I still wish the movie had been more accurate to the plot.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
2009 book 255
Alexander McCall Smith's Kalahari Typing School for Men
Another pleasant read in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. (Sorry, there really isn't anything else to say about it!)
Another pleasant read in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. (Sorry, there really isn't anything else to say about it!)
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
2009 book 254
Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games
Briefly, b/c the Top Chef finale is on: it was interesting to reread this in light of Catching fire--lots of hints are there if you know to look!
Briefly, b/c the Top Chef finale is on: it was interesting to reread this in light of Catching fire--lots of hints are there if you know to look!
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