All my KU reads for the month of January.



Westerns, SF, a YA mystery, and a bunch of DNFed litrpgs.

I decided to try out a Kindle Unlimited subscription. KU is like an all-you-can-eat buffet, and like all-you-can-eat buffets, I discovered I really can't eat that much. Some people read a book every day or two; I typically take a week or more, and so it's hard to read fast enough to make the KU subscription worth it. So I decided to take a different approach:

DNF!

I very rarely Did Not Finish-tag books. If I paid for it (and sometimes if I didn't), I want to finish what I started. So I'll finish books I'm not really enjoying, if only to write a scorching review. The only time I normally DNF a book is if it's so spectacularly bad that it's making me crazy (and not even in an entertaining way), or if it's so boring that I can't wait for it to be over.

But for my KU reads, I've decided I will sample widely and DNF as soon as I'm not really feeling it. I will give books I wouldn't normally read (or pay for) a chance, including from self-published authors. I'll try out a book that has an interesting title or cover. I even tried a few books pushed at me by Facebook or reddit. (Facebook might now have a slightly skewed view of my reading habits after I made the mistake of checking out a harem novel. And boy does FB know I was car-shopping recently...) And I won't make myself keep reading if I'm not really looking forward to the next chapter.

So below, I present my KU books for November. I will emphasize that the fact that I didn't finish most of them does not mean they are bad (and some of them I might come back to someday); they just weren't good enough to make the cut. They have to be good enough to replace one of my already limited reading slots, so sometimes I'm just giving it a few chapters and then bailing. The occasional book I do finish, I will note with a link to my complete review.

Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman

I actually finished this one. Review here.

Freelance on the Galactic Tunnel Network, by E.M. Foner

I gave this one more grace than I normally would, and finished it. Review here.

Arrival of The Moon Hare: An Apocalyptic Progression Fantasy, by Duyu Wander

Fear hinders one's potential.

A sinister presence delights in Rinyv's torment, relentlessly pursuing and killing her the moment she turns fifteen. Now, having encountered death four times already, the girl is living her fifth life hoping to alter her fate and put an end to this endless cycle of suffering.

As the terrifying age of fifteen approaches and chaotic events lead people down the path of despair, Rinyv can't help but do everything in her power to overcome her trauma and grow stronger.

The looming strides of death draw near, and Rinyv appears to hold the key to saving not only herself but all of mankind. Fortunately, armed with the knowledge of her past lives, continuous training, and a giant pair of scissors found on holy ground, she is no longer a powerless, naive young girl.

DNFed at 6%.

Once I finished my bath and changed into my daily attire, I rushed to the mirror to drool over my new body for the hundredth time this year. My wavy dark hair with white streaks, along with my strange red eyes and the few freckles underneath my eyes evoked a feeling of uniqueness that I totally cherished.

My slim body fit nicely even in the smaller-sized clothes, making almost any style accessible to me.

This is a progression fantasy that got its start on Royal Road, and I thought that was a pretty whack cover, and an interesting premise. The protagonist (named "Rinyv") has to keep being reincarnated over and over again, with full memores of her previous lives, and is murdered each time she reaches the age of 15. It's like a cross between Beetlejuice and Groundhog Day. Could have been intriguing, but it's not just well-written (I think the author's native language might not be English), and the 14-year-old girl literally drooling over herself in the mirror and constantly talking about how much she loves being hot and slim (the opening chapter features her living the life of an ugly fat girl who gets beaten to death by her PE teacher) was, uh, kind of creepy.

In the first couple of chapters there are hints that she's being stalked by some kind of supernatural hare who's responsible for all her suffering. The setting is weird, a sort of anime-version of Japan but with completely different names to make it a not-Earth.

Interesting premise and the author is obviously dedicated, but this was fanfiction level (not good fanfiction) trash.

My Outcast State (The Maauro Chronicles Book 1), by Edward McKeown

Three alien machines descend to the asteroid base of their enemies. The ensuing battle is short and savage. The lone survivor hopes either for rescue, or for another chance to engage its enemies. It will be a long wait… Wrik Trigardt ekes out a living in the Kandalor system with his small ship, Sinner. He is caught between his failed past and a grim present in service to the local crimelord, Dusko. An expedition to the Rift Asteroids promises better days, but when the well of time is disturbed no one can say what will surface. Set in the same universe as the Robert Fenaday/Shasti Rainhell stories, but decades later, My Outcast State begins a new cycle of exploration of Confederation Space.

Do Androids Dream of Alien Smugglers, Galactic Heroes, Space Pirates, and Alien War? Freebooters on a Secret Interstellar Mission to an Extinct Civilization find a Robot Weapon on a Derelict Base. That’s right, nothing less than Alien Artifacts on a Mysterious Alien Planet. Rocket into this Science Fiction Spectacle of Sentient Races and High Adventure. Military Science Fiction Space Opera Romance has never been more fun!

DNFed at 8%.

The alien machine shuddered and its colors seemed to run and invert, almost as if it were turning inside out.

"What's going on?" I shouted backing away as the machine convulsed in a nauseating mess.

It did not answer but regained stability. Before me stood a girl: small-breasted and ivory-skinned. The nimbus of starchy monofilament hair had transformed into an impossibly long and voluminous cascade of blue-black hair that hung down her back and in bangs almost to her eyes. I looked into aquamarine eyes far too large to be human, over a petite nose and a tiny mouth. Then the perfect skin was covered in a skintight, dark-grey jumpsuit with orange panels on the torso and arms.

An AI war machine is trapped on a remote ball of rock after destroying its enemies. With no way off, it goes into hibernation. 50,000 years later, humans and other races colonize this part of the galaxy. A freelance pilot who makes his living running fortune hunters around the system looking for alien artifacts is hired by a hot chick whose large breasts are described repeatedly (I am not sure if anything else about her was described). They are double-crossed and ambushed by the local mob boss, and just as they are about to die, Maauro (the alien war machine) wakes up and slaughters the bad guys. Then she taps into the data on the pilot's ship and transforms herself into a waifu from his video games. They form an impromptu partnership and go to rescue Miss Big Titties.

Although leaning a bit heavily on the fan-service, this wasn't a terrible read and if I had bought it, I would probably finish it. It's tolerably well-written space opera, I just didn't think it was great.

Four Thousand Weeks: Time and How to Use It, by Oliver Burkeman

The average human lifespan is absurdly, outrageously, insultingly brief: if you live to 80, you have about four thousand weeks on earth. That’s a pretty good argument for spending less time on Twitter.

Of course, nobody needs telling that there isn’t enough time. We’re obsessed by our lengthening to-do lists, our overfilled inboxes, the ceaseless struggle against distraction, and the sense that our attention spans are shrivelling. Yet we rarely make the conscious connection that these problems of time management only trouble us in the first place thanks to the ultimate time management problem: the challenge of how best to use our four thousand weeks.

Four Thousand Weeks is a travelogue about this idea, combining first-person reportage and historical storytelling with excursions into philosophy, literature and psychology, and covering the past, present and future of our battles with time. It’s a book that goes beyond practical tips to transform the reader’s worldview.

Burkeman sets out on an unashamedly philosophical exploration of time and our relationship with it. Drawing on the insights of ancient philosophers, Benedictine monks, artists and authors, Scandinavian social reformers, renegade Buddhist technologists and many others, he sets out to realign our relationship with time – and in doing so, liberate us from its grasp.

DNFed at 27%.

One of the few non-fiction books I sampled. I liked Atomic Habits by James Clear and Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, and sampled this one to see if it had anything new or useful to say. It's basically a book about time management for people who don't like to manage their time.

Instead of offering methods or "life hacks" to manage your time better, the author argues basically that you should get real about the time you have left on Earth and how you want to spend it. Stop trying to chart, plan, and manage your every waking hour, and decide what's important.

This is a fine message, but it felt like an essay padded out to book length. I skimmed the rest and there really wasn't much more to it.

The Sword of Kaigen, by M.L. Wang

On a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice. For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire's enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name 'The Sword of Kaigen.' Born into Kusanagi's legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family's fighting techniques and defend his homeland. But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen's alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be. Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.

Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house. Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country. But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.

When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?

DNFed at 16%.

This book seems popular on r/fantasy. Like many self-published books nowadays it got its start on Royal Road, and it won a self-published book content.

It wasn't bad; in fact, it was good enough to tempt me to continue reading. But I found the writing adequate at best, and the world-building killed it for me.

It's an Asian-inspired fantasy world with the main characters being not-Japanese samurai clans (but very much using Japanese culture, Japanese names, and Japanese language terms). They have magical/psionic ice powers, and the clan of the protagonists are stationed on a lonely peninsula with the job of "protecting the empire." The setting is strange, because it feels like a typical pre-modern fantasy world, but in fact they have modern technology like computers and jet fighters, which we just don't see much because the story takes place in a remote boondocks.

There are two main characters: Mamoru, a teenage warrior who really wants to prove himself as he goes through what is basically a Magical School training arc, and his mother, Misaki, who is hinted (as of the point I stopped reading) at being some bad-ass special forces warrior in a past life but is now living the docile life of a submissive housewife to Mamoru's cold fish of father.

Mamoru is forcibly paired with a foreign exchange student from fantasy not-Korea, who shows up to tell him that their entire history is a lie. (And one of the author's really odd and annoying decisions was to put dialog in italics whenever a character is not speaking their native language, which means all of Chul-Hee's dialog is in italics!)

I wanted to like this more, but I just found the writing and the characters not compelling enough to really make me want to find out what happens next.

Still Falling, by Martin Wilsey

DNFed at 11%.

Barcus is a working stiff looking for a good paycheck. When the Ventura and its crew enter orbit for a scheduled planet survey, the ship activates an automated defense system protecting the planet. Although the Ventura is destroyed in the attack, Barcus alone survives the harrowing fall to the remote planet surface. He struggles to remain alive and sane, and to discover why everyone he knew and loved on the Ventura was deliberately murdered.

Swinging between despair and fury, Barcus discovers that for every answer he obtains, there are more questions raised. Barcus is assisted by the Emergency Module, Em, his most useful tool. It is an Artificial Intelligence system contained in an all-terrain vehicle specifically designed to help him survive. Barcus soon finds himself in the middle of a planetary genocide of the local native population. He is unable to stand passively by as more people die, even if they are long lost colonists who fear "The Man From Earth" like children fear the monster under their bed.

Will Barcus ever find his way home? Will he find out who is responsible? Will his rage just burn this world down? Or will he find his soul in the eyes of a starving, frightened woman?

Still Falling is a sci-fi survival story. Barcus was a crewman aboard a spaceship doing a routine survey of a planetary system. It was shot out of the sky, and Barcus appears to be the only survivor. Fortunately, an advanced AI also made it down to the planet with him. Barcus and the AI learn that this planet was settled by humans from an earlier wave of colonization, but they have reverted to a medieval state. Barcus has an advanced suit of powered armor, plus his robot AI and a horde of drones, so they are basically godlike beings on this world.

Barcus encounters some marauders who are massacring entire villages. Flying into a rage, he slaughters the entire band of marauders and rescues the sole survivors of the village, a woman and a child.

There is a lot of internal monologue. Barcus is suffering PTSD and mourning his dead crewmates. It looks like the woman he saved is going to be a love interest. And the AI seems to have a hidden agenda. This could be interesting, but it actually reads as very dry and I just wasn't that engaged in the story. Part of it was that there isn't a lot of tension when Barcus and his AI are basically invincible and can mow down armies. I was tempted to skim ahead to see what the payoff is; this is apparently the first in a series.

This is a very techy book written by an engineer, so it goes hard on the SF elements, but it felt like a lot of self-published books written by smart people, well-written but flat.

Judicator Jane, by Brian Rouleau

Could you survive waking up alone in a vast and deadly desert?

Moments ago, Jane's biggest worries were unpaid bills and finding a job. Now, she must use all her cunning, along with her new, mysterious powers, to survive the desolate and scorching sands.

No food. No water. No answers.

Jane's battle for survival in this unfamiliar land has just begun...

Hunted by the savage beasts of the desert, it's only a matter of time before Jane either adapts to the world around her or ends up as another skeleton rotting in the blistering sun. But what chance does a modern woman have in the endless dunes, dressed only in her pajamas?

DNFed at 16%.

This was a LitRPG book, and like most LitRPGs it's the first in a series. I picked it because the cover looked kind of cool and the title sounded like maybe it's a female Judge Dredd chick going through a fantasy wild west...

It's not. Jane is a nice girl who just got laid off from her software testing job, and she wakes up in a desert world where a "system" pops up info dialogs telling her to assign her stats - in other words, she just wakes up in a LitRPG fantasy world, with no explanation. At the point where I stopped reading, there was still no explanation. While I get that this is typical of LitRPGs, I need to be given some kind of background, some reason why someone suddenly gets Isekai'd from our world to Random RPG World.

The gimmick in Judicator Jane is that since she's a software tester, she spends some time exploring the selection menus, and figures out how to zero out her hundreds of default skills and reassign the points. So she basically dumps everything (all 630 points!) into Luck. She is now a normal human with no skills and God-level Luck.

This is kind of entertaining as it results in giant scorpions accidentally stabbing themselves and demon lords literally tripping and impaling themselves on random spikes in the ground as they try to attack her. Each time she earns a gazillion XPs, most of which are discarded as she only gets enough to move up to the next level, but when she gets to pick a class, her Luck once again lets her choose from three Legendary classes, so she becomes a "Judicator."

This book is an example of everything good and bad about LitRPGs. It's light and entertaining reading and if you just want literary popcorn, watching the character move through a LitRPG world with stats going up and encountering a new critter in each chapter, it requires basically no thought.

Unfortunately, it's just an uninteresting story with an uninteresting protagonist. Jane has no personality, and just wanders through a desert until she encounters a fortress full of demons, and there is still no sign of a larger plot or setting or other characters of interest. The writing was fine but nothing special, so I just wasn't interesting in reading more about Lucky Jane.

To Find a Tall Ship, by A.G. Thompson

Sachi Takahashi, not yet nineteen seasons old, is in deep trouble. She’s just killed the only son of the lord of corrupt Clan Ishikawa, a man who will spend weeks torturing her to death. Now she must flee her homeland. But Clan Ishikawa reaches throughout the Empire and into other, nearby nations.

So she must seek a ship on which she can hide until it reaches her goal, the nearly mythical Kingdom of Montagar, on the other side of the world. A place beyond even the reach of her clan lord’s thugs and murderers.

She had to find a tall ship.

DNFed at 43%.

You'll notice I got almost halfway through this one before bailing. To Find a Tall Ship wasn't bad, but it tries to be a little bit of everything. We start out with Sachi Takahachi, who is the adopted daughter of a Japanese ninja clan who's just killed her violent, sadistic cousin and thus must flee for her life. She's not actually in Japan, though — this is what appears to be some sort of alternate fantasy world, with a fantasy Japan, fantasy England, fantasy Russia, fantasy Spain (complete with Inquisitors), all basically historical analogues with the serial numbers very lightly filed off. At first it resembled Taylor Anderson's Destroyermen series.

Sachi sneaks onto a "Kolbian Republic" frigate. The Kolbians are the fantasy British in this world. After stowing away for a month, she is finally discovered, whereupon a will-they-won't-they romance develops between her and the dashing Captain Blaine.

Then we get POV chapters from several other characters. First, there is the "Confederal" officer in an orbiting space station waking up from hibernation.

Wait, what?

Yes, we learn that this is actually an alien planet that was once colonized by humans from earth, but there was a huge war with apostrophes-in-their-names aliens who were defeated by a moon-sized battleship, which disappeared and left the human survivors behind for the next 9000 years. So the humans who colonized the planet previously have (roughly) recreated Earth's history several times while forgetting their origins, while above, spacemen silently watch and monitor them, and there are also some bad guys who are keeping the humans on the planet below from ever achieving a proper technological civilization.

Sachi somehow is connected to an AI, which lets her do things like call down an orbital strike on a giant sea monster that's about to eat their ship.

Then there are the chapters with the pirates, where we learn that this world also has actual magic-using elves and dwarves and sorcerers.

So... that's kind of a lot to throw into one book, and I felt like the author just wanted to recreate some multi-genre RPG setting. The writing was okay, but the dialog was very unrealistic, the thought processes of the characters entirely too modern at times, and while my Japanese is far from fluent, I have some doubts about the Japanese phrases Sachi spouts at times.

"Please, no," she muttered to him, half-delirious. "Not the whole crew. There's just me. Let me stay with the Captain. I could be ready anytime he wants me. Or m-m-m-maybe, you could just share me a little bit, the Captain, you, Master Fleet, maybe Master Caplin, he's nice. Mister Bosun, too. I could be good, very good for just a few, but not the whole crew. Please, Ancestor Spirits, please don't send me to the galley to service the whole crew. I don't want to be locked into a crib." By the end of her outburst, she was holding onto Doctor Hoff's coat, trying to kiss him. "I'll be so good to all of you, just please not a crib, kill me or hang me or throw me into the ocean in chunks, please, please, no, not...that...oww!" There was a cold pinch in her arm and the cold spread quickly and then she was warm and serene silence and darkness swept her up in warm, peaceful wings. "Mama, Papa, is that you?" she muttered. Then the drug Hoff injected into her arm claimed the last scrap of consciousness.

Look, I am a guy who likes stories for guys so I don't mind the romance, the hot Asian chick who we are constantly reminded is sexy and busty, and the hot elf chick we are constantly reminded is a sexy elf, and I didn't even mind the constant reminders that the women expect to be gang raped (I mean, being alone on sailing ships full of pirates and marines, why wouldn't they?) but can we go one chapter without being reminded that Sachi has huge tits and really wants to fuck the captain but oh no she is a dishonored nobody unworthy of love, and the captain really wants to fuck Sachi but oh no, he is married and honorable (even though his fellow officers tell him to his face his wife is an unfaithful bitch and he's obviously miserable)? Also Sachi is like super smoking hot as every man who sees her notices (even the gay guy), and did I mention she is tall and has really big tits and she's hot? Because the author sure does. A lot.

I'm making fun, but come on, author, we get it. Sachi is hot and stacked and I suppose we're going to have to wait until the next book for some tragedy to befall the captain's wife so he can bang Sachi.

It was okay, it's fun, it's just kind of silly and wasn't quite good enough for me to persist to the end, but I might come back to it someday and even check out the next book.

---

My complete list of book reviews.

Below is a summary of my February reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 8: The Power of the Dog (Power of the Dog #1) by Don Winslow, 2005. 560 pages. Ultra-violent novel that charts the rise of Mexican drug cartels.
Book 9: The Cartel (Power of the Dog #2) by Don Winslow, 2015. 640 pages. The War on Drugs continues into the 21st Century. Reviews of Books 8 and 9.

Book 10: The Mouse That Roared (The Duchy of Grand Fenwick #1) by Leonard Wibberley, 1955. 283 pages. Classic Cold War satire. Review here.

Book 11: The Lord of the Silent (Amelia Peabody #13) by Elizabeth Peters, 2002. 708 pages. Unabridged Audio (16 hrs, 8 mins). Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. Found a bit lacklustre after the last few in the series. Review here.

Book 12: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J. K. Rowling, 1997. 332 pages. A re-read of the first in this popular fantasy series. Review here.

Book 13: Case Histories (Jackson Brodie #1) by Kate Atkinson, 2004. 428 pages.Book 14: One Good Turn (Jackson Brodie #2) by Kate Atkinson, 2006. 386 pages. Excellent character-driven series. Reviews of Books 13 and 14.

Book 15: The Girl in the Ice (D.C.I. Erika Foster #1) by Robert Bryndza, 2016. 396 pages. Engaging police procedural. Review here.

Book 16: Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin #1) by M. C. Beaton, 1992. 196 pages. Amusing cosy mystery. Review here.

Below is a summary of my modest January reading with links to longer reviews in my journal. I did also read Don Winslow's The Power of the Dog but have delayed the review until I have finished its sequel.

Book 1: NOS4R2 by Joe Hill with illustrations by Gabriel Rodriguez, 2013. 704 pages. Superb horror novel with Christmas theme.
Book 2: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham, 2001. 242 pages. A Christmas tale chosen by our reading group as an alternative for those who avoid horror. Reviews of Books 1 and 2.

Book 3: The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (Tales of Alderley #1) by Alan Garner, 1960. Introduction, 2010. 50th Anniversary Edition. 320 pages. One of my favourite books from childhood. Review here.

Book 4: Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike #3) by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling), 2015. 494 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (17 hrs, 54 mins). Read by Robert Glenister. Latest in this superb private detective series. Review here.

Book 5: Harmony Black (Harmony Black #1) by Craig Schaefer, 2015. 315 pages. Entertaining urban fantasy. Review here.

Book 6: Steadfast (Elemental Masters #9) by Mercedes Lackey, 2013. 298 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (11 hrs, 37 mins). Read by Carmela Corbett. One of the weaker offerings in this series very loosely based on The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Review here.

Book 7: The Bellwether Revivals by Benjamin Wood, 2012. 552 pages. Cambridge-based psychological thriller. Review here.

Below is a summary of my December reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 115: Tricky Twenty-Two (Stephanie Plum #22) by Janet Evanovich, 2015. Unabridged Audiobook (6 hrs, 27 mins). Read by Lorelei King. Latest in this long running series.
Book 116: Christmas Cravings (Greediy Yours Series) by Emma Hamilton, 2015. 98 pages. Christmas themed chick-lit. Reviews of Books 115 and 116.
Book 117: Home From the Sea (Elemental Masters #8) by Mercedes Lackey, 2012. 400 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (12 hrs, 14 mins). Read by Kate Reading. Sea-themed instalment in this Edwardian fantasy series. Review here.
Book 118: Matter (Culture #8) by Iain M. Banks, 2008. 620 pages. Excellent imaginative science fiction. Review here.
Book 119: Thunder in the Sky (Amelia Peabody #12) by Elizabeth Peters, 2000. 619 pages. Unabridged Audio (17 hrs, 7 mins). Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. A very satisfying instalment of this excellent series. Review here.
Book 120: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, 2013. 246 pages. Powerful fantasy by a master of the genre. Review here.
Book 121: Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon, 1991. 863 pages. Engaging historical romance as a 20th Century English woman steps back to 18th Century Highlands. Review here.
Book 122: The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick, 1962. 274 pages. Alternative history in which Axis won WWII. Review here.
Book 123: Shopaholic to the Rescue (Shopaholic #8) by Sophie Kinsella, 2015. Unabridged Audiobook (9 hrs, 27 mns). Read by Clare Corbett. Concludes story begun in Shopaholic to the Stars. Review here.
Book 124: Diary of a Witchcraft Shop by Liz Williams and Trevor Jones, 2011. 128 pages. Amusing memoir. Review here.
Book 125: Obsessed (Lizzy Gardner #4) by T. R. Ragan, 2014. 370 pages. Book 126: Almost Dead (Lizzy Gardner #5) by T. R. Ragan, 2015. 367 pages. Book 127: Evil Never Dies (Lizzy Gardner #6) by T. R. Ragan, 2015. 354 pages. I had an end-of-year marathon with this gripping crime series. Reviews of Books 125, 126 and 127.

Not a great amount of reading in November due to Man Booker fatigue and lots on. Still, below is a summary of my November reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 107: The Cabinet of Curiosities (Agent Pendergast #3) by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. 2001. 612 pages. Atmospheric crime fiction with aspects of horror. Review here.

Book 108: The No. 9 Bus To Utopia by David Bramwell, 2014. 288 pages. New Age travel memoir as author takes a year off to visit various utopian communities. Review here.

Book 109: The Falcon at the Portal (Amelia Peabody #11) by Elizabeth Peters, 1999. 468 pages. Unabridged Audio (15 hrs, 13 mins). Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. A very tense episode in this historical mystery series set in Egypt. Review here.

Book 110: The Murdstone Trilogy by Mal Peet, 2014. 320 pages. Quirky satire about an author pressured into writing a fantasy trilogy by his ambitious agent. Review here.

Book 111: American Tabloid (Underworld USA #1) by James Ellroy, 1995. 589 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (19 hrs, 55 mns). Read by Jeff Harding. Excellent political conspiracy thriller set before and during during the Kennedy years. Blew me away. Review here.

Book 112: The Unquiet (Charlie Parker #6) by John Connolly, 2007. 480 pages. Disturbing horror/crime thriller.
Book 113: A Dark Mind (Lizzy Gardner #3) by T. R. Ragan, 2013. 375 pages. Another serial killer haunts Lizzy's life. Reviews of Books 112 and 113.

Book 114: The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri, 2013. 340 pages. Re-read of this tragic tale of two brothers set in India and U.S.A. Review here.

Below is a summary of my October reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 94: Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey, 2014. 323 pages. Unconventional mystery with dementia theme. Review here.
Book 95: The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota, 2015. 480 pages. Story of economic migrants in England. Review here.
Book 96: The Girl in Spider's Web (Millennium Trilogy #4) by David Lagercrantz, 2015. Translated from the Swedish by George Goulding. 431 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (16 hrs, 46 mns). Read by Saul Reichlin. Continuation of acclaimed series by new author. Little hesitant though worth reading. Review here.
Book 97: Satin Island by Tom McCarthy, 2015. 173 pages. Musings of a corporate anthropologist. Review here.
Book 98: The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma, 2015. 304 pages. Tale of four brothers in 1990s Nigeria. Review here.
Book 99: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara , 2015. 734 pages. Relates the fortunes of four NYC room-mates. Disturbing content. Review here.
Book 100: Unnatural Issue (Elemental Masters #7) by Mercedes Lackey, 2011. 400 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (13 hrs, 19 mins). Read by Kate Reading. Set at outset of Great War and loosely based on 'Donkeyskin' and similar tales. Review here.
Book 101: Dead Weight (Lizzy Gardner #2) by T. R. Ragan, 2011. 312 pages. Second in this series featuring a kick-ass private eye.
Book 102: The Blissfully Dead (D.I. Lennon #2) by Mark Edwards and Louise Voss, 2015. 418 pages Thrilling London-based police procedural. Reviews of Books 101 and 102.
Book 103: The Shattered Court (The Four Arts #1) by . J. Scott, 2015. 336 pages. Promising start to fantasy series. Review here.
Book 104: The Wee Free Men (Discworld #30) by Terry Pratchett, 2003. 404 pages. First in Tiffany Aching sequence. Review here.
Book 105: Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop by Abby Clements, 2013. 348 pages. Unabridged Audiobook. (8 hrs, 33 mns) Read by Jane Collingwood. Brighton-based chick-lit.
Book 106: Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden #1) by Charlaine Harris, 1990. 202 pages. Early cosy mystery by Harris. Reviews of Books 105 and 106.

Below is a summary of my September reading with links to longer reviews in my journal. I have held one review back awaiting a reading group meeting.

Book 85: A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson, 2015. 395 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (16 hrs, 29 mins) Read by Alex Jennings. A companion piece to her Life After Life. Review here.
Book 86: The Congregation (Jake and Amanda Bannon #2) by Desiree Bombenon, 2015.262 pages. An improvement on the first in this mystery series. Review here.
Book 87: Abducted (Lizzy Gardner #1) by T. R. Ragan, 2011. 382 pages. Fast paced crime thriller. Review here.
Book 88: Reserved for the Cat (Elemental Masters #6) by Mercedes Lackey. 2007. 400 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (10 hrs, 44 mins). Read by Mirabai Galashan. Loosely based on Puss-in-Boots. Review here.
Book 89: The Scam (Fox and O'Hare #4) by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, 2015. 304 pages. Latest in this fun crime caper series. Review here.
Book 90: Arcadia by Iain Pears, 2015. 608 pages. Amazing novel that combines several genres. Review here.
Book 91: The Ape Who Guards the Balance (Amelia Peabody #10) by Elizabeth Peters, 1998. 578 pages. Unabridged Audio (15 hrs, 12 mins). Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. More excitement in Egypt for Amelia and associates. Review here.
Book 92: My Name is N by Robert Karjel, 2010. Translated from the Swedish by Nancy Pick and Robert Karjel, 2015. 352 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (10 hrs, 35 mns). Read by William Hope.
Outstanding political thriller. Review here.
Book 93: A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James, 2014. 704 pages. Fictional account of the 1976 attempted murder of Bob Marley and its aftermath. Review here.

( She Fights Like a Girl: My Fight, Your Fight, by Ronda Rousey Collapse )

( Pangloss Lives: Theodicy, by G.W. Leibniz Collapse )

( Doing The Wave: Treatise on Light, by Christian Huygens Collapse )

( The Restoration murders: The Wanton Angel & The Devil's Apprentice, by Edward Marston; Blood on the Strand & The Butcher of Smithfield, by Susanna Gregory; The Assassin's Touch, by Laura Joh Rowland Collapse )

( Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike: Travels With Charley (In Search of America), by John Steinbeck Collapse )

( Survival of the Advancedest: Political Treatise, by Benedict de Spinoza Collapse )

( Large Bore: The Heat of the Day, by Elizabeth Bowen Collapse )

( The first iteration of Tumblr: Characters, by Jean de La Bruyere Collapse )

( Sucks to be You: Bite Me (a love story), by Christopher Moore Collapse )

( Small, Shriveled Minds: A Good Man is Hard to Find, by Flannery O'Connor Collapse )

Find all of my previous Bookposts here: http://admnaismith.livejournal.com/tag/bookposts

Below is a summary of my August reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 74: Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes, 2012. Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch, 2014. 352 pages. Political satire that may not be to everyone's taste as it is narrated by a transported in time Adolph Hitler. Review here.
Book 75: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, 1999. 931 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (42 hrs 53 mins) Read by William Dufris. Epic tale about war, cryptology and computers. Review here.
Book 76: The Wizard of London (Elemental Masters #5) by Mercedes Lackey. 2005. 388 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (11 hrs, 44 mins) Read by Michelle Ford. Tale loosely based on The Snow Queen. Review here.
Book 77: Watch the Lady (Tudor Trilogy #3) by Elizabeth Fremantle, 2015. 496 pages. Excellent historical fiction set in Queen Elizabeth I's court. Review here.
Book 78: Seeing a Large Cat (Amelia Peabody #9) by Elizabeth Peters, 1997. 435 pages. Unabridged Audio (14 hrs, 24 mins). Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. More adventures in Egypt for Amelia and associates. Review here.
Book 79: Die Again (Rizzoli and Isles #11) by Tess Gerritsen, 2014. 352 pages. Forensic thriller with African aspects. Review here.
Book 80: The Offering (Jake and Amanda Bannon #1) by Desiree Bombenon, 2012. 202 pages. Rather poorly written début thriller. Review here.
Book 81: Walking by Night )Joe Plantagenet #5) by Kate Ellis, 2015. 224 pages. Police procedural with ghostly touches.
Book 82: Redemption Department Q #3 by Jussi Adler-Olsen, 2009. Translated from the Danish by Martin Aitken, 2013. 640 pages. Danish police procedural about an eccentric cold case unit. Reviews of Books 81 and 82.
Book 83: Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday, 2014, revised 2015. 307 pages. Gothic melodrama that mashes up some well known horror stories. Review here.
Book 84: And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini, 2013. 416 pages. Family saga set mainly in Afghanistan. Review here.

Below is a summary of my July reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 63: The Master Magician (Paper Magician Trilogy #3) by Charlie N. Holmberg, 2015. 226 pages. More painful history fail but wanted to finish the trilogy. Review here.

Book 64: Phoenix and Ashes Elemental Masters #4) by Mercedes Lackey. 2004. 400 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (15 hrs, 18 mins) Read by Michelle Ford. Re-telling of Cinderella during Great War. Review here.

Book 65: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. 1865. Illustrated by John Tenniel. 192 pages.
Book 66: Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll. 1871. Illustrated by John Tenniel.224 pages. Classic works of children's fantasy. Reviews of Books 65 and 66.

Book 67: Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes by Karin Slaughter, 2015. 80 pages. Teaser prequel for her new stand-alone thriller. Inspired me to buy the novel on day of publication.
Book 68: Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter, 2015. 544 pages. Dark crime thriller full of twists. Reviews of Books 67 and 68.

Book 69: The Hippopotamus Pool (Amelia Peabody #8) by Elizabeth Peters, 1996. 404 pages. Unabridged Audio (14 hrs, 29 mins). Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. Another in this outstanding series of Egyptology-based mysteries. Review here.

Book 70: Swamp Bones (Temperance Brennan #16.5) by Kathy Reichs, 2014. 98 pages. Everglades based novella.
Book 71: Bones Never Lie (Temperance Brennan #17) by Kathy Reichs, 2014. 323 pages. Case from Monday Mourning returns.
Book 72: Bones on Ice (Temperance Brennan #17.5) by Kathy Reichs, 2015. 104 pages. A death on Mt. Everest provides perplexing vase for Tempe. Reviews of Books 70, 71 and 72.

Book 73: Rising Ground: A Search for the Spirit of Place by Philip Marsden, 2014. 452 pages. Fascinating travel memoir in South West England. Review here.

Below is a summary of my June reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 56: The Cold Tap by Tom Beckerlegge, 2015. 229 pages. Quirky detective tale with bathing theme. Review here.

Book 57: From the Cradle (DI Patrick Lennon #1) by Louise Voss and Mark Edwards, 2014. 399 pages. Engaging new police procedural series. Review here.

Book 58: The Death Season (Wesley Peterson #19) by Kate Ellis, 2015. 385 pages. Latest in this Devon-based police procedural series. Review here.

Book 59: How to be Both by Ali Smith, 2014. 377 pages. Re-read of this novel that won the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. Review here.

Book 60: The Voice of the Violin (Inspector Montalbano #4) by Andrea Camilleri, 1997. Translated from the Italian by Stephen Sartarelli, 2003. 276 pages. Brilliant series of police procedurals set in Sicily. Review here.

Book 61: Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist , 1988. 450 pages. A dark tale of faeries in 1980s New England. Review here.

Book 62: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, 2013. 433 pages. Re-read of complex novel set in Canada and Japan. Review here.

Below is a summary of my May reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 45: The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, 2014. 576 pages. Excellent period drama that takes unexpected direction. Review here.
Book 46: A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler, 2015. 368 pages. Family drama. Review here.
Book 47: The Nine Tailors (Lord Peter Wimsey #11) by Dorothy L. Sayers, 1934. 422 pages. Golden Age detective tale with bells. Review here.
Book 48: 666 Park Avenue (666 Park Avenue #1) by Gabriella Pierce, 2011. 320 pages. Witchcraft in NYC high society. Review here.
Book 49: The Pines (Wayward Pines #1) by Blake Crouch, 2012. 309 pages. Twin Peaks inspired thriller.
Book 50: Cold Moon (The Huntress/F.B.I. #3) by Alexandra Sokoloff, 2015. 391 pages. Final book in this engaging series. Reviews for Books 49 and 50.
Book 51: The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog (Amelia Peabody #7) by Elizabeth Peters, 1992. 390 pages. Unabridged Audio (14 hrs, 54 mins). Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. Amelia's husband loses his memory in this Victorian mystery. Review here.
Book 52: The Bees by Laline Paull, 2014. 352 pages. Dystopian fantasy set in honey bee hive. Review here.
Book 53: Sepulchre (Languedoc #2) by Kate Mosse, 2007. 560 pages. Unabridged Audio (20 hrs, 32 mins) Read by Lorelei King. Historical and contemporary mysteries interweave around Tarot. Review here.
Book 54: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, 2010. 393 pages. Moving biography of a woman whose cells have proved immortal. Review here
Book 55: Outline by Rachel Cusk, 2014. 249 pages. Elegantly written novel set in Athens. Review here.

Below is a summary of my April reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 34: Book of Shadows. by Alexandra Sokoloff, 2010. 320 pages. Crime thriller with witchcraft themes. Review here.
Book 35: A Murder on London Bridge (Thomas Chaloner #5) by Susanna Gregory, 2009. 465 pages. More intrigue in Restoration London. Review here.
Book 36: The Sixth Man (King and Maxwell #5). by David Baldacci, 2011. 416 pages. The ex-Secret Service agents get involved in another complex case. Review here.
Book 37: The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike #1) by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling), 2013. 550 pages. Re-read of this excellent London-based mystery. Review here.
Book 38: Green River, Running Red by Ann Rule, 2004. 708 pages/Unabridged Audiobook (19 hrs, 23 mins). Read by Barbara Caruso. True crime work about the Green River Killer. Review here.
Book 39: Etiquette and Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger, 2013. 320 pages. Start of delightful YA steampunk series set earlier in the world of the Parasol Protectorate..
Book 40: The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar (Parasol Protectorate #0.5) by Gail Carriger, 2014. 32 pages. Short story featuring Alessandro Tarabotti. Reviews of Books 39 and 40.
Book 41: The Dogs of Littlefield by Suzanne Berne, 2013. 288 pages. Comedy drama set in affluent New England town. Review here.
Book 42: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, 2015. 325 pages. Advertised as Rear Window meets Gone Girl, this London-based thriller is current 'it book' in UK.
Book 43: The Hangman;s Song (Inspector McLean #3) by James Oswald, 2014. 485 pages. Edinburgh based police procedural with occult overtones. Reviews of Books 42 and 43.
Book 44: A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie, 2014. 320 pages/Unabridged Audio. (9 hrs, 42 mins) Read by Joan Walker. Beautifully written novel set in early 20th century exploring the Great War and anti-colonialism in Peshawar District. Review here.

Below is a summary of my March reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 23: The Uninvited Guests. by Sadie Jones, 2012. 272 pages. Delightful comedy-of-manners set in 1912. Review here.
Book 24: The Sleeper and the Spindle. by Neil Gaiman, Illustrated by Chris Riddell, 2014. 68 pages. Beautifully illustrated re-telling of Sleeping Beauty. Review here.
Book 25: Huntress Moon (The Huntress/F.B.I. #1) by Alexandra Sokoloff, 2012. 369 pages. and Book 26: Blood Moon (huntress/F.B.I. #2) by Alexandra Sokoloff, 2013. 318 pages. FBI agent tracks female serial killer. Reviews of Books 25 and 26.
Book 27: Hanging Hill. by Mo Hayder, 2010. 429 pages. Chilling West Country thriller. Review here.
Book 28: The Winter Crown (Eleanor of Aquitaine #2) by Elizabeth Chadwick, 2014. 483 pages. Eleanor's years as Queen of England before imprisonment. Review here.
Book 29: The Valkyrie Song (Jan Fabel #5) by Craig Russell, 2009. 420 pages. Police procedural set in Hamburg. Review here.
Book 30: Labyrinth (Languedoc #1) by Kate Mosse, 2005. 544 pages. Unabridged Audio (24 hrs, 27 mns). Read by Maggie Mash. Historical mystery about the Holy Grail and Cathars set in two time periods. Review here.
Book 31: The Last Camel Died at Noon (Amelia Peabody #6) by Elizabeth Peters, 1991. 400 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (15 hrs, 40 mins). Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. Adventure written in homage to H. Rider Haggard. Review here.
Book 32: Reliquary (Agent Pendergast #2) by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, 1997. 486 pages. Sequel to eco-horror Relic. Review here.
Book 33: Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pynchon, 2013. 498 pages. Set in New York 2001, I found it a complex, dazzling novel. Review here.

This year I am doing a reading challenge to read 50 books by authors of color.

So far the project is going very well! I started in March, and here are the first ten books I read.

1. Incognegro by Mat Johnson (graphic novel)
2. The Arrival by Shaun Tan (graphic novel - children's)
3. Her Stories by Virginia Hamilton (children's)
4. Warchild by Karin Lowachee (sf)
5. It Rhymes with Lust by Arnold Drake, Leslie Waller, Matt Baker and Ray Osrin (graphic novel)
6. Adaptation by Malinda Lo (YA sf)
7. Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi (graphic novel)
8. Watson and Holmes: A Study in Black by Karl Bollers (graphic novel)
9. Sanctuary Cove by Rochelle Alers (romance)
10. Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde (nonfiction, essays)

The links mostly go to Goodreads as that is where I am primarily tracking this project.

If you only read one book from this list, make it _Sister Outsider_ - a slim volume of beautifully written essays that pack a punch!  I especially appreciated the ways Lorde wrote about anger and the erotic...
I'm feeling a little burned out on graphic novels atm (there were so many to choose from!) so don't think I'll be reading so many of them next month, even though I learned a lot from them.

I'm definitely still taking recommendations, so if you absolutely love a book by an author of color, feel free to leave a comment!

If you're interested in reading more about what I've learned so far, I have a post about that here.

#weneeddiversebooks
#50bookPoCchallenge

6. The Way Into Chaos - Harry Connolly (2/1)
7. Shadow's Fall - Dianne Sylvan (2/4)
8. Of Shadow Born - Dianne Sylvan (2/6)
9. The Bone Key (2nd ed with added introduction) - Sarah Monette (2/15)
10. A Shiver Of Light - Laurell K. Hamilton (2/17)
11. Ms. Marvel v1 No Normal - G. Willow Wilson & artist Adrian Alphona (2/19)

Favourite book of February: The Way Into Chaos - Harry Connolly

Harry Connolly did a kickstarter project in 2013 to fund publishing the Great Way trilogy. I finished book one, The Way Into Chaos, in February and am about a third of the way through book two and it's *great*. Exciting plot, likeable characters with character growth, very interesting worldbuilding, beautiful Christian McGrath covers - and as a former bookseller I'll add they are pretty good in publishing terms in that booksellers can get them at the standard 40% discount from distributors, and this is unusual for works not put out by a traditional publishing house. (This is one of the reasons these works get less shelf space in brick and mortar stores.) The middle book, which is 214 pages compared to 364pp for the others, is even two dollars cheaper than books one and three. The huge international publishers often put out trade paperbacks which seem to be at standard prices determined by type of binding, not size. There's probably a quintillion other factors that go into all the financial calculations for the book, but it does mean (for example) that I paid $16.95 for The Weirdness by Jeremy P. Bushnell (published by Melville House), which is 277 pages long and 7.5 inches tall (octavo size, a nice cuddly size for a book), and $17 for Arcanum by Simon Morden (published by Orbit), which is 735 pages long plus 24 pages of sample chapters and just over 8.1 inches tall. And $16 for The Pun Also Rises by John Pollack (published by Penguin), which is 154 pages sans acknowledgments and footnotes and 8 inches tall.  I liked all these books and I bought them, and that makes me happy, but they are markedly different lengths ranging from 'could be a novella if fiction' to 'doorstop'. It can definitely be hard to sell the tinier trade paperbacks to customers when they can get a George R.R. Martin-length epic for the same price. I would watch them turn the smaller or shorter books over, see the price, and make involuntary pained expressions.

Which is basically my recommendation to other booksellers to order the Great Way trilogy and sell it to people, because it deserves a wide audience. The viewpoint characters are a young woman magic student from a distrusted and formerly traitorous noble house and a rather stiff-necked warrior who is pretty much the only commoner appointed to noble rank in the empire. Tejohn, the warrior noble, does not necessarily get on well with other people, and it was really neat to find the author made me really like him. The student - Cazia - and Tejohn are two of the few people who escape the empire's capital when it's suddenly overrun by huge numbers of large hostile four-legged beasts that rush out of a magic portal in lieu of the expected diplomatic guests. Which is an interesting occurrence, because the worldbuilding is concerned with laying out the political and economic implications of magic. The worldgates have let the empire trade with a very odd group or nation or species known as the Evening People who value emotional performances and pay for them by teaching spells. In consequence, the empire has a monopoly on magic-based construction, flight, medicine, and water purification and has expanded to become its current massive space on the map. This has affected the empire's social structure in that it means a large number of nobles would rather go back to governing their traditional lands instead of preserve the empire when catastrophe breaks out and it also means there are a *lot* of customs and laws intended to prevent scholars, those who know magic, from leaving imperial control or even having much contact with outsiders. Meanwhile, it's possible the scholars have been doing things on their own - and where did this invasion of beasts come from and what exactly does this mean is going on with the system of gates are also interesting questions. 

Below is a summary of my February reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 13: The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton, 2014. 427 pages. Historical fiction set in 17th Century Amsterdam. Review here.
Book 14: The Enemy (Jack Reacher #8) by Lee Child, 2004. 560 pages. Thriller about Jack Reacher's time as a MP investigator. Review here.
Book 15: The Deeds of the Disturber (Amelia Peabody #5) by Elizabeth Peters, 1988.473 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (13 hrs, 52 mins). Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. Mystery set this tine in England. Review here.
Book 16: Where There's Smoke by Jodi Picoult, 2014. 41 pages. Story that sets the stage for one character in Leaving Time.
Book 17: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult, 2014. 417 pages.Young girl seeks answers to her mother's disappearance ten years before. Reviews of Books 16 and 17.
Book 18: Lockwood and Co: The Dagger in the Desk (Lockwood and Co. #1.5) by Jonathan Stroud, 2015. 44 pages. Short story about a case in a haunted n school.
Book 19: Lockwood and Co: The Whispering Skull (Lockwood and Co. #2). by Jonathan Stroud, 2014.Unabridged Audiobook. (11 hrs, 37 mns). Read by Katie Lyons. Fun YA urban fantasy about psychic investigators. Reviews of Books 18 and 19.
Book 20: First Family (King and Maxwell #4) by David Baldacci, 2009.< 461 pages.Exciting political thriller involving the USA's First Family. Review here.
Book 21: A Beautiful Truth . by Colin McAdam,2013. 304 pages. Experimental format for tale of chimpanzees and troubled relationships with humans. Review here.
Book 22: The Tudor Vendetta (Spymaster Chronicles #3) by C. W. Gortner , 2014.304 pages. Intrigue in the court of Elizabeth I in final book in trilogy. Review here.

The number of books I have read this month has fallen sharply. This is mainly due to my new exercise regime, which is claiming chunks of my time.. Below is a summary of my January reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 1: Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes, 2011. 611 pages. Psychological thriller dealing with domestic violence and OCD.
Book 2: Pig Island by Mo Hayder, 2006. 484 pages. Thriller involving creepy goings=on on remote Scottish island. Reviews of Books 1 and 2.
Book 3: Moon Over Soho (Peter Grant #2) by Ben Aaronovitch, 2011.375 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (10 hrs) Read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Superb urban fantasy. Review here.
Book 4: The Art Whisperer (Alix London #3) by Charlotte and Aaron Elkins, 2014. 260 pages. Art-based mystery.
Book 5: Shopaholic on Honeymoon (Shopaholic #3.5) by Sophie Kinsella, 2014. 53 pages. Short tale from Becky's past. Reviews of Books 4 and 5.
Book 6: A Poisoned Season (Lady Emily #2) by Tasha Alexander, 2007.354 pages. Victorian mystery and comedy of manners. Review here.
Book 7: The Wine of Angels (Merrily Watkins #1) by Phil Rickman, 1998. 589 pages. First in series of supernatural mysteries featuring CoE vicar Merrily Watkins. Review here.
Book 8: Lockwood and Co: The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood and Co. #1) by Jonathan Stroud, 2013. First in YA urban fantasy about psychic investigators in alternative Britain suffering a ghost epidemic. Review here.
Book 9: Doctor Sleep (The Shining #2) by Stephen King. 2013.<486 pages. Whatever happened to Danny Torrance? Answers here. Review here.
Book 10: The Westminster Poisoner (Thomas Chaloner #4) by Susanna Gregory, 2009. 478 pages. More murder and mayhem in Restoration London, Review here.
Book 11: Under the Paw: Confessions of a Cat Man (Moggy Trilogy #1)Book 12: Talk to the Tail: Adventures in Cat Ownership and Beyond (Moggy Trilogy #2) by Tom Cox, 2011.256 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (7 hrs, 21 mins) Read by Mark Meadows. Delightful feline-themed memoirs. Reviews of Books 11 and 12.

Here is a summary of my December reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 212: The Apologist by Jay Rayner. 2004. 287 pages.Amusing political satire. Review here.
Book 213: The Glass Magician (Paper Magician Trilogy #2) by Charlie N. Holmberg, 2014. 224 pages. Less impressive story and no improvement on setting. Review here.
Book 214: Hunger by Susan Hill, 2013. 33 pages. Creepy e-short from mistress of macabre.
Book 215: The Soul of Discretion (Simon Serrailler #8) by Susan Hill, 2014. 336 pages. Latest in this series of police procedurals. Disturbing themes.
Book 216: A Breach of Security (Simon Serrailler #8.5)by Susan Hill, 2014. 57 pages. e-short though with odd editing and continuity errors. Reviews of Books 214, 215 and 216.
Book 217: The Summer Queen (Eleanor of Aquitaine #1) by Elizabeth Chadwick, 2013. 458 pages. Excellent wok of historical fiction. Review here.
Book 218: Persuader (Jack Reacher #7) by Lee Child, 2004. 543 pages. Another in this action-packed series. Review here.
Book 219: Flappers: Six Women of a Dangerous Generation by Judith Mackrell, 2013. 488 pages Unabridged Audio (18 hrs, 16 mins). Read by Julia Franklin. Excellent biography/social history. Review here.
Book 220: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, 2012. 438 pages. Period fiction set in Alaska with touches of magical realism. Review here.
Book 221: The Shell Game (Fox and O'Hare #.25) by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, 2014.29 pages. How Fox and O'Hare first met.
Book 222: The Job (Fox and O'Hare #3) by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, 2014. Unabridged Audio Book (7 hrs). Read by Scott Brick. Latest in this fun crime caper series. Reviews of Books 221 and 222.
Book 223: The Carnival Master (Jan Fabel #4) by Craig Russell, 2008. 448 pages. Police procedural set in Germany. Review here.
Book 224: Nothing O'Clock (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #11) by Neil Gaiman, 2013. 45 pages. Best in the series as might be expected from Gaiman..
Book 225: Light Out (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #12) by Holly Black, 2014. 39 pages. Slightly disappointing outing for Twelve. Reviews of Books 224 and 225.
Book 226: The Queen (The Selection #0.4) by Kiera Cass, 2014. 120 pages. Prequel featuring earlier Selection that involved Prince Maxon's parents.
Book 227: The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass, 2014. 323 pages. Completing the trilogy. Reviews of Books 225 and 227.
Book 228: Lion in the Valley (Amelia Peabody #4) by Elizabeth Peters, 1986. 432 pages Unabridged audiobook (12 hrs, 12 mins). Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. Another Victorian mystery set in Egypt. Review here.
Book 229: Shopaholic to the Stars (Shopaholic #7 by Sophie Kinsella, 2014. 394 pages. Unabridged audiobook (12 hrs, 38 mins). Read by Clare Corbett. Latest in the comic series. Review here.
Book 230: Indexing by Seanan McGuire, 2014. 404 pages. Fairy-tale themed urban fantasy. Review here.

( The Sanity of True Madness: Don Quixote de la Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes Collapse )

( The American Grande Dame of the Genre: Vanish in an Instant & How Like an Angel, by Margaret Millar Collapse )

( The Tudor Murders: The Tintern Treasure & The Christmas Wassail, by Kate Sedley; The Gallows Murders, by Michael Clynes; Heartstone, by C.J. Sansom; Time of the Poisoned Queen, by Ann Dukthas Collapse )

( America, FUCK OUI! La Salle and the Discovery of the Great West, by Francis Parkman Collapse )

( A Question of Scruples: Amsterdam, by Ian McEwan Collapse )

( Chicken Porn: On Animal Generation, by William Harvey Collapse )

( Stories are Good: The Defense of Poesy, by Sir Philip Sidney Collapse )

( Privilege Check: Lock In, by John Scalzi Collapse )

( Shakespeare Enthralled: Ill Met by Moonlight, by Sarah A. Hoyt Collapse )

( A Dish Served Smoldering: Embers, by Sandor Marai Collapse )

( Butterflies on Steroids: The Time Traders, by Andre Norton Collapse )

(  The Turtle Moves: Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett Collapse )

(  The Great Perhaps: Looking for Alaska, by John Green Collapse )

( Ultimate Concentration of Wealth: Jailbird, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Collapse )

( Not So Merrie Englande: Holinshed's Chronicles Collapse )


Find all of my previous Bookposts here: http://admnaismith.livejournal.com/tag/bookposts

Here is a summary of my November reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 196: The Paper Magician (Paper Magician Trilogy #1) by Charlie N. Holmberg, 2014. 226 pages. Good story, poor setting. Review here.
Book 197: The Case of the Missing Books (Mobile Library Mystery #1) by Ian Sansom , 2005. 335 pages. Comic tale set in Northern Ireland. Review here.
Book 198: The Ripple Effect (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #7) by Malorie Blackman, 2013. 55 pages. The Seventh Doctor and Ace encounter peace-loving Daleks.
Book 199: Spore (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #8) by Alex Scarrow, 2013. 40 pages.The Eight Doctor deals with alien pathogen. Reviews of Books 198 and 199.
Book 200: The Doll Maker (Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne #8) by Richard Montanari, 2014. 464 pages. Another in this dark series of police procedurals. Review here,
Book 201: The Mummy Case (Amelia Peabody #3) by Elizabeth Peters, 1985. 415 pages/Unabridged audiobook (11 hrs, 56 mins). Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. Mystery slightly marred by annoying precocious child. Review here.
Book 202: The Butcher of Smithfield (Thomas Chaloner #3) by Susanna Gregory, 2008. 512 pages. 17th Century newspapers are at centre of this historical thriller, Review here.
Book 203: A Cruise to Die For (Alix London #2) by Charlotte and Aaron Elkins, 2013. 256 pages. Alix encounters murder and mystery on luxury Greek cruise. Review here.
Book 204: The Monogram Murders (Hercule Poirot Series) by Sophie Hannah, 2014. 374 pages. Rather disappointing return for Poirot. Review here.
Book 205: The Quickening by Julie Myerson, 2013. 274 pages. Ghost story in tropical setting. Review here.
Book 206: The Beast of Babylon (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #9) by Charlie Higson, 2013. 40 pages. One of the best in this series featuring the Ninth Doctor.
Book 207: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #10) by Derek Landy, 2013. 54 pages. The Tenth Doctor and Martha have a literary adventure. Reviews of Books 206 and 207.
Book 208: Mini Shopaholic (Shopaholic #6) by Sophie Kinsella, 2010. 433 pages. Unabridged audiobook (14 hrs, 23 mins). Read by Emily Gray. Review here.
Book 209: The Absolutist. by John Boyne, 2011 321 pages. WWI drama. Review here.
Book 210: Simple Genius (King and Maxwell #3) by David Baldacci, 2007. 433 pages. Another in this excellent series of political thrillers.
Book 211: The Sandman (Joona Linna #4) by Lars Kepler, 2012. Translated from the Swedish by Neil Smith, 2014. 496 pages. Superb Nordic Noir. Reviews of Books 210 and 211.

Here is a summary of my October reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 176: Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody #2) by Elizabeth Peters, 1981. 307 pages/audiobook (10 hrs, 6 mins). Narrated by Susan O'Malley. Cozy mystery set in Egypt.
Book 177: The Moses Stone (Chris Bronson #2) by James Becker, 2009. 480 pages. Biblical conspiracy thriller. Reviews of Books 176 and 177.
Book 178: A Dangerous Talent (Alix London #1). by Aaron Elkins and Charlotte Elkins, 2012. 270 pages, Fun mystery with artistic theme.
Book 179: Without Fail (Jack Reacher #6) by Lee Child, 2002. 556 pages. Thriller with assassination theme. Reviews of Books 178 and 179.
Book 180: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, 2013. 479 pages. Intriguing period fiction as a life is experienced over and over again. Review here.
Book 181: The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee, 2014. 516 pages. Family drama set in 1960s India. Review here.
Book 182: To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris, 2014. 337 pages. A dentist has his identity stolen on-line and faces existential crises. Review here.
Book 183: We are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler, 2014. 337 pages. Unusual coming-of-age novel. Loved it. Review here.
Book 184: This Old Thing: Fall in Love with Vintage Clothes by Dawn O'Porter, 2014. 144 pages. TV tie-in on vintage fashion. Review here.
Book 185: The Oversight (Oversight Trilogy #1) by Charlie Fletcher, 2014. 448 pages. Highly satisfying Victorian fantasy. Review here.
Book 186: Skin (Jack Caffrey #4) by Mo Hayder, 2009. 460 pages. Book 187: Gone (Jack Caffrey #5) by Mo Hayder, 2010. 560 pages. Book 188: Poppet (Jack Caffrey #6) by Mo Hayder, 2013. 378 pages. Had a mini-marathon for this gritty police procedural series, Reviews of Books 186, 187 and 188.
Book 189: J: a Novel by Howard Jacobson, 2014. 326 pages. Weak dystopian novel. Bottom of my 2014 Man Booker list. Review here.
Book 190: Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi, 2014.. 308 pages. Another gem of magical realism with a stronger social issues them than her previous work, Review here.
Book 191: Tip of the Tongue (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #5) by Patrick Ness, 2013. 37 pages.
Book 192: Something Borrowed (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #6) by Richelle Mead, 2013.40 pages. Reviews of Books 191 and 192.
Book 193: Shopaholic and Baby (Shopaholic #5) by Sophie Kinsella, 2007. Audiobook (13 hrs, 9 mins). Read by Emily Gray. Becky deals with pregnancy. Review here.
Book 194: Untold Story by Monica Ali, 2012. 368 pages. Intriguing 'what if'. Review here.
Book 195: The Abduction (Carnivia Trilogy #2) by Jonathan Holt, 2014. 469 pages. Conspiracy thriller set in Venice. Review here,

Here is a summary of my September reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 164: Blood on the Strand (Thomas Chaloner #2) by Susanna Gregory, 2007. 464 pages. Restoration spy thriller.
Book 165: Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier, 2009. 384 pages. Story of early 19th-Century fossil collector Mary Anning. Reviews of Books 164 and 165.
Book 166: Top Secret 21 (Stephanie Plum #21) by Janet Evanovich, 2014. Unabridged Audiobook (6 hrs, 16 mins). Read by Lorelei King. Latest in this series. Review here.
Book 167: A Modern Witch (Modern Witch #1) by Debora Geary, 2011. 297 pages. Overly fluffy witches proved a disappointment. Review here.
Book 168: Frog Music by Emma Donoghue, 2014. 544 pages. Gritty true crime/historical blend set in 1876 San Francisco. Review here.
Book 169: Midnight in Austenland (Austenland #2) by Shannon Hale, 2012. 279 pages. Charming sequel that is also a tribute to Gothic romance. Review here.
Book 170: Hour Game (King and Maxwell #2) by David Baldacci, 2003. 723 pages. First-class thriller with high body count. Review here.
Book 171: How to be Both by Ali Smith, 2014. 372 pages. Unusually structured novel with themes of art and the fluidity of gender. Review here.
Book 172: Cop Town by Karin Slaughter, 2014. 416 pages. Police procedural set in 1974 Atlanta. Review here.
Book 173: Last Days by Adam Nevill, 2012. 544 pages. Indie film-maker documenting 1970s doomsday cult stirs up ancients horrors. Review here.
Book 174: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, 2009. 541 pages. Engaging medical drama set in Ethiopia and USA. Review here.
Book 175: The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan, 2014. 448 pages. Powerful novel about a doctor's experiences in Japanese POW camp. Review here.

( Ars Gratia Fartis: Bluebeard, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Collapse )

( Vignettes: Journal of a Solitude, by May Sarton Collapse )

( The Tudor Murders: A Maze of Murders & A Feast of Poisons, by C.L. Grace; Dark Fire, by C.J. Sansom; The Burgundian's Tale & The Prodigal Son, by Kate Sedley Collapse )

( Capital Heresy: Dialogues Concerning Cause, Principle and Unity, by Giordano Bruno Collapse )

( I'm just a Poe boy, nobody loves me: Melmoth the Wanderer, by Charles Robert Maturin Collapse )

( Montaigne Lite: Essays of Francis Bacon Collapse )

( I Know Why the Painted Bird Sings: The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt Collapse )

( Pulse of the Times: On the Motion of the Heart and Blood, & On the Circulation of the Blood, by William Harvey Collapse )

( Militant Chemistry: The Periodic Table, by Primo Levi Collapse )

( 16th Century Rom-Com: The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, by Sir Philip Sidney Collapse )

Find all of my previous Bookposts here: http://admnaismith.livejournal.com/tag/bookposts

Here is a summary of my August reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 149: The Fire of Merlin (The Return to Camelot #2 by Donna Hosie, 2013. 233 pages. Second book in YA Arthurian fantasy. Disappointing.
Book 150: Hostage Queen by Freda Lightfoot, 2010. 260 pages. Dull work of historical fiction about Marguerite de Valois. Reviews of Books 149 and 150.
Book 151: Birdman (Jack Caffery #1) by Mo Hayder, 1999. 398 pages. Grisly London police procedural. Review here.
Book 152: The Humans by Matt Haig, 2013. 294 pages. Quirky SF-comedy about alien step-in. Review here.
Book 153: The Accidental Apprentice by Vikas Swarup, 2013. 436 pages. Tale set in modern India. Review here.
Book 154: The May Bride by Suzannah Dunn, 2014. 400 pages. Another dull work of historical fiction. Review here.
Book 155: Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and the Invention of The Great Gatsby by Sarah Churchwell, 2013. 438 pages. Combines true crime with literary analysis and social history. Review here.
Book 156: Murder and Mendelssohn (Phryne Fisher #20) by Kerry Greenwood, 2013.337 pages/ Unabridged Audio (11 hours, 22 mins). Read by Stephanie Daniel. Last in the series to date. Review here.
Book 157: The House of Dolls (Pieter Vos #1) by David Hewson, 2014. 430 pages. New police procedural series set in Amsterdam. Review here.
Book 158: The Treatment (Jack Caffrey #2) by Mo Hayder, 2001. 410 pages. Another disturbing police procedural.
Book 159: The Ritual (Jack Caffrey #3) by Mo Hayder, 2008. 560 pages. A move to Bristol for Caffrey. Gripping police procedural. Reviews of Books 158 and 159.
Book 160: The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker, 2012. Translated from the French by Sam Taylor, 2014. 624 pages. Stunning thriller with unconventional style. Review here.
Book 161: Sisters of Treason by Elizabeth Freemantle, 2014. 496 pages. Well written novel about the Grey sisters in the courts of Mary I and Elizabeth I. Review here.
Book 162: Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, 1948. 256 pages. Classic SF novella with few extra stories from 1930s. Review here.
Book 163: NW by Zadie Smith, 2012. 340 pages/Unabridged Audiobook (10 hrs, 55 mns) Narrated by Karen Bryson and Don Gilet. Powerful tale of two women in contemporary London. Review here.

( More things in heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy: Apology for Raymond Sebonde (Essays, vol. 2), by Michel de Montaigne Collapse )

( Regarding Alex: Cold Heaven, by Brian Moore Collapse )

(  UGH! The Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan Collapse )

( The Tudor Murders: Dissolution, by C.J. Sansom; The White Rose Murders, by Michael Clynes; The Saintly Murders, by C.L. Grace; The Lammas Feast; Nine Men Dancing; The Midsummer Rose, by Kate Sedley Collapse )

( An Excessive Crispe and Much Burnte: The New Organon, by Sir Francis Bacon Collapse )

( A Mostly Pleasant Trek: Travels With a Donkey, by Robert Louis Stevenson Collapse )

( Travels With An Author: Dead Man's Chest (Travels After Robert Louis Stevenson), by Nicholas Rankin Collapse )

( The Fault of our Star Charts: The Luminaries, by Eleanor Catton Collapse )

( Western Culture Shock: Changing Places, by David Lodge Collapse )

( British Novel Bingo: No Laughing Matter, by Angus Wilson Collapse )

Find all of my previous Bookposts here: http://admnaismith.livejournal.com/tag/bookposts

( You Kids Get Offa My Monastery: The Waning of the Middle Ages, by Johan Huizinga Collapse )

( EVEN MORE Too Many Words: The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan Collapse )

( The Yorkist Murders: The Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey. The Wicked Winter; The Brothers of Glastonbury ; The Weaver's Inheritance ;The Saint John's Fern ; The Goldsmith's Daughter, by Kate SedleyCollapse )

( The Bubble Popped: Enduring Love, by Ian Mcewan Collapse )

( Old Style SF: Who Goes there, by John W. Campbell Collapse )

( Strong Girls and Superpowers: Sins of the Father, by Thelonius Legend Collapse )

( Freud for Kids: The Story of O, by James Thurber Collapse )

( Aspiring to the Level of Platitudes: Hard Choices, by Hillary Rodham Clinton Collapse )

( Accountant to the Stars: Neptune's Brood, by Charles Stross Collapse )

(  Narns versus Centauri: Writings of Martin Luther Collapse )

(  King of Night Vision, King of Insight: Dialogues Concerning the Two New Sciences, by Galileo Galilei Collapse )

Find all of my previous Bookposts here: http://admnaismith.livejournal.com/tag/bookposts

Here is a summary of my July reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 132: Cockroaches (Harry Hole #2) by Jo Nesbø, 1998. Translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett, 2013. 388 pages. Harry Hole travels to Thailand to assist in a murder investigation involving the Norwegian ambassador.
Book 133: The Black Path (Rebecka Martinsson #3) by Åsa Larsson, 2006. Translated from the Swedish by Marlaine Delargy, 2008. 384 pages. An unusual work of Nordic Noir. Reviews of Books 132 and 133.
Book 134: Midnight Crossroad (Midnight, Texas #1) by Charlaine Harris, 2014. 305 pages. A new quirky supernatural trilogy that marries Harris' various series. Review here.
Book 135: Unnatural Habits (Phryne Fisher #19) by Kerry Greenwood, 2012. 249 pages/ Unabridged Audio (9 hours, 54 mins). Read by Stephanie Daniel. Dark deeds in 1920s Australia. Review here.
Book 136: Searching for Arthur (The Return to Camelot #1) by Donna Hosie, 2013. 300 pages. YA Arthurian adventure with two Americans drawn back in time. Review here.
Book 137: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, 2013. 248 pages/Unabridged Audio (5 hrs, 47 mns ). Read by Neil Gaiman. Re-read of this excellent fantasy. Review here.
Book 138: Echo Burning (Jack Reacher #5) by Lee Child, 2001. 574 pages. More action from Reacher.
Book 139: The Fifth Season (Malin Fors #5) by Mons Kallentoft, 2011. Translated from the Swedish by Neil Smith, 2014. 522 pages. The case of Marie Murvall is finally addressed. Reviews of Books 138 and 139.
Book 140: Ripper by Isabel Allende, 2013. Translated from the Spanish by Oliver Brock and Frank Wynne, 2014. 496 pages. Crime thriller about an on-line group of sleuths who seek to track a serial killer. Review here.
Book 141: The Shipping News by Annie Proulx, 1993. 397 pages. A grieving man re-locates with his daughters and aunt to Newfoundland. Review here.
Book 142: Fool by Christopher Moore. 2009. 384 pages. Bawdy re-telling of King Lear. Review here.
Book 143: The Telling Error (Spilling CID #9) by Sophie Hannah, 2014. 374 pages. Hannah's latest thriller. Review here.
Book 144: The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike #2) by Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling), 2014. 455 pages. The second outing for the London private eye. Review here.
Book 145: The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi, 2005. 322 pages. Re-read of this magical tale of Africa and England. Review here.
Book 146: Murder (Dr.Thomas Bond #2) by Sarah Pinborough, 2014. 326 pages. A dark conclusion to last year's Mayhem. Review here.
Book 147: The Last Rhinos by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence, 2012. 334 pages. A moving memoir of conservation in Africa. Review here.
Book 148: The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer, 2013. 314 pages. Award-winning novel about schizophrenic teenager. Review here.

Here is a summary of my June reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 114: The New Countess (Love and Inheritance #3) by Fay Weldon, 2013. 320 pages. The conclusion of this Edwardian family comedy/drama. Review here.
Book 115: Doughnut by Tom Holt, 2013. 370 pages. Comic SF that didn't impress me. Review here.
Book 116: The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri, 2013. 340 pages. Powerful story of two brothers in India and USA. Review here.
Book 117: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, 2013. 771 pages. One of my favourites of 2014. Review here.
Book 118: A Conspiracy of Violence (Thomas Chaloner #1) by Susanna Gregory, 2006. 502 pages. Thriller set in Restoration London. Review here.
Book 119: Hard Spell (Occult Crimes Unit Investigations #1) by Justin Gustainis, 2011. 347 pages. Occult detective fiction. Review here.
Book 120: Austenland by Shannon Hale, 2007. 208 pages. Adorable chick-lit for Austen fans. Review here.
Book 121: Split Second (King and Maxwell #1) by David Baldacci, 2003. 599 pages. Former secret service agents caught up in uncovering conspiracy. Review here.
Book 122: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 2013. 477 pages. Complex and rewarding fiction. Another favourite. Review here.
Book 123: The Black Angel (Charlie Parker #5) by John Connolly, 2005. 599 pages. Another in this excellent series of supernatural-themed crime fiction. Strong stuff. Review here.
Book 124: The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich, 2005. 277 pages. Story of a tribal drum and its influence on a group of people. Review here.
Book 125: Dog Will Have His Day (Three Evangelists #2) by Fred Vargas, 1996. Translated from the French by Sian Reynolds, 2014. 244 pages. Quirky French crime fiction. Review here.
Book 126: Emperors Once More (Alex Soong #1) by Duncan Jepson, 2014. 408 pages. Thriller set in near future Hong Kong. Review here.
Book 127: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, 1818. Introduction by Val McDermid, 2014. 289 pages.
Book 128: Northanger Abbey (The Austen Project #2) by Val McDermid, 2014. 343 pages. The original and re-imagined update. Reviews of Books 127 and 128.
Book 129: The Uninvited by Liz Jensen, 2012. 307 pages. Psychological Horror/Thriller about breakdown of civilisation. Review here.
Book 130: The Mirror by Richard Skinner, 2014. 320 pages. Two novellas; one set in 16th Century Venice and the other in between life and death. Review here.
Book 131: Cat Out of Hell by Lynne Truss, 2014. 240 pages/Unabridged Audio (5 hours, 13 mins) Read by Mike Grady. Superb dark comic horror for cat lovers and haters alike. Review here.

( Too Many Words: The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan Collapse )

( Infinite Cruelty: The Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin Collapse )

( Total Eclipse of the Art: The Renaissance, by Will Durant Collapse )

( Things Come Together: Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Collapse )

( 30 Years A Slave: The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano Collapse )

( The Renaissance Murders: A Dirge for the Doge, by Elizabeth Eyre; The Traitor's Tale; The Apostate's Tale, by Margaret Frazer; The Book of Shadows, by C.L. Grace; The Eve of Saint Hyacinth, by Kate Sedley Collapse )

( Rollicking Renaissance Rhyme: Orlando Furioso, by Ludovico Ariosto Collapse )

(  Gun Porn: Warbound, by Larry Correia Collapse )

( An Offer You Can't Refuse: The Leopard, by Giuseppe di Lampedusa Collapse )

( Horcruxes? That's adorable: Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie Collapse )

( The last of the Renaissance Men: The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini Collapse )

Find all of my previous Bookposts here: http://admnaismith.livejournal.com/tag/bookposts

Here is a summary of my May reading with links to longer reviews in my journal. I did read three additional books in May but have not reviewed them yet.

Book 95: The Visitor (Jack Reacher #4) by Lee Child, 2000. 512 pages. Another very readable thriller in this popular series. Review here.
Book 96: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, 2013. 337 pages. Powerful historical drama set in Iceland. Review here.
Book 97: Z: a novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler, 2013. 375 pages. Review here.
Book 98: The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C. W. Gortner, 2010. 416 pages. Historical fiction about this controversial queen. Review here.
Book 99: Wars of the Roses Book 1: Stormbird by Conn Iggulden, 2013. 507 pages. More historical fiction. Review here.
Book 100: The House of Silk: The New Sherlock Holmes Novel by Anthony Horowitz, 2011. 405 pages. Review here.
Book 101: Wolf (Jack Caffery #) by Mo Hayder, 2014. 416 pages. Gruesome police procedural. Review here.
Book 102: The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargas,1995. Translated from the French by Sian Reynolds, 2006. 292 pages. Lively French mystery.
Book 103: The Chase (Fox and O'Hare #2) by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, 2014. 320 pages. Entertaining crime caper. Reviews of Books 102 and 103.
Book 104: The Undertaking by Audrey Magee, 2014. 291 pages. Grim WWII drama set in Germany and Russia.
Book 105: The Light of Day by Graham Swift, 2003. 323 pages. Rambling mystery. Reviews of Books 104 and 105.
Book 106: Grimm Tales for Young and Old by Philip Pullman, 2012. 432 pages/Unabridged Audio (10 hrs, 23 mins). Read by Samuel West. Simple re-tellings of 50 Grimm tales. Review here.
Book 107: The Troubled Man (Kurt Wallander #10) by Henning Mankell, 2009. Translated from the Swedish by Laurie Thompson, 2011.367 pages. Final book in this series of Swedish police procedurals. Review here.
Book 108: Soulless: the Manga Volume 1 by Gail Carriger with artwork by Rem, 2012. 224 pages. Very pretty manga adaptation of steampunk fantasy. Review here.
Book 109: The Tournament by Matthew Reilly, 2013. 418 pages. 16th Century chess thriller. Review here.
Book 110: Dead Man's Chest (Phryne Fisher #18 by Kerry Greenwood, 2010. 259 pages/Unabridged Audio (8 hours, 31 mins). Read by Stephanie Daniel. Phryne and family go on holiday. Review here.
Book 111: The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1) by Megan Shepherd, 2013. 360 pages. Re-imagining of H. G. Wells The Island of Doctor Moreau. Review here.
Book 112: Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann, 2012. 389 pages. Period family drama with a touch of murder. Review here.
Book 113: A Girl is a Half Formed Thing by Eimear McBride, 2013. 205 pages. The inner chaotic ramblings of an Irish girl circa 1980s. Review here.

( Walk Without Rhythm: Parasite, by Mira Grant Collapse )

(  All The Things: The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci Collapse )

( Become who you are: The Diviners, by Margaret Laurence Collapse )

( Potboiler calling the kettle black: Hard Magic and Spellbound, by Larry Correia Collapse )

( Springtime for Vito: The Godfather, by Mario Puzo Collapse )

( The Renaissance Murders: Poison for the Prince, by Elizabeth Eyre; The Hunter's Tale, The Widow's Tale, The Sempter's Tale, by Margaret Frazer; The Merchant of Death, by C.L. Grace; The Holy Innocents, by Kate Sedley Collapse )

( A Land for All Seasons: Utopia, by Sir Thomas More Collapse )

( How to be a Renaissance Man: The Book of the Courtier, by Baldasaar Castiglione Collapse )

( Motorcycles and the Zen of Art: The Flamethrowers, by Rachel Kushner Collapse )

( The Second Mrs. Driffield: Cakes and Ale, by W. Somerset Maugham Collapse )

( Slainte: Autobiographies, by William Butler Yeats Collapse )

( Our Lives as Robots: Breakfast of Champions (or, Goodbye Blue Monday), by Kurt Vonnegut Collapse )

( Flagons of Learning and Joy: Gargantua and Pantagruel, by Francois Rabelais, translated by Jacques leClercq Collapse )

Find all of my previous Bookposts here: http://admnaismith.livejournal.com/tag/bookposts

Here is a summary of my April reading with links to longer reviews in my journal. I had a few reviews carried over from March as well as a Read-a-thon event adding to the numbers this month.

Book 72: The Killer Inside (January David #2.5) by Will Carver, 2013. 51 pages. E-teaser for Book 3 in series. Inspired me to re-read Book 1.
Book 73: Girl 4 (January David #1) by Will Carver, 2011. 368 pages.
Book 74: Dead Set (January David #3) by Will Carver, 2013. 456 pages. Girl 4 case continues in Book 3 of series. Reviews of Books 72-74.
Book 75: Gossip from the Forest: The Tangled Roots of Our Forests and Fairytales by Sara Maitland, 2012. 354 pages. 12 months, 12 walks in British woods, and 12 re-told fairy tales. Review here.
Book 76: The Fire Witness (Joona Linna #3) by Lars Kepler, 2011. Translated from the Swedish by Laura A. Wideburg, 2013. 495 pages. More Nordic Noir. Review here.
Book 77: Tripwire (Jack Reacher #3) by Lee Child, 1999, Foreword, 2012. 544 pages. Early Jack Reacher thriller. Review here.
Book 78: The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain, 2012. Translated from the French by Gallic Books, 2013. 208 pages/Unabridged audio book (4 hours, 29 mins). Various narrators. Whimsical French novel about the adventures of President François Mitterrand's hat. Review here.
Book 79: The Last Queen by C. W. Gortner, 2006. 520 pages. Fictional autobiography of Queen Juana 'la Loca' of Spain. Review here.
Book 80: The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony with Graham Spence, 2009. 368 pages. Inspiring memoir about the conservation work of African game reserve. Review here.
Book 81: Tequila Sunset by Sam Hawken, 2012. 359 pages. Crime thriller about USA/Mexican drug war. Review here.
Book 82: Marie Antoinette: Serial Killer by Katie Alender, 2013. 301 pages. Rather silly YA romance featuring murderous ghost. Review here.
Book 83: Murder on a Midsummer Night (Phryne Fisher #17) by Kerry Greenwood, 2008. 269 pages. Two mysteries. Read rather than listened to this one as without car for a few weeks. Review here.
Book 84: The Bat (Harry Hole #1) by Jo Nesbø, 1997. Translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett, 2012. 374 pages. First novel featuring Harry Hole set in Australia. Review here.
Book 85: The First Victim (Kovac/Liska #3.5) by Tami Hoag, 2013. 62 pages. e-teaser for The 9th Girl.
Book 86: The 9th Girl (Kovac/Liska #4) by Tami Hoag, 2013. 416 pages. Police procedural set in Minneapolis. Reviews of Books 85 and 86.
Book 87: The Little Friend by Donna Tartt, 2002. Introduction by A. O. Scott, 2007. 592 pages. Coming-of-age story set in late 1970s Mississippi. Review here.
Book 88: Bubble (Game Trilogy #3) by Anders de la Motte, 2012. Translated from the Swedish by Neil Smith, 2013. 464 pages/Unabridged Audio (12 hrs, 43 mins) Narrated by Saul Reichlin. 'Game over'. Review here.
Book 89: The Sick Rose by Erin Kelly, 2011. 352 pages. Two lonely people with deep secrets meet with life changing consequences. Review here.
Book 90: The Prisoner of Brenda (Mystery Man #4) by (Colin) Bateman, 2012. 408 pages. Final in this black comedic mystery series. Review here.
Book 91: The Poyson Garden (Elizabeth I Mysteries #1) by Karen Harper, 1999. 302 pages. Princess Elizabeth is caught up in deadly encounter with a poisoner. Review here.
Book 92: Queen of Hearts Volume One: The Crown by Colleen Oakes, 2014. 222 pages. Re-visioning of Alice in Wonderland featuring the future Queen of Hearts. Review here.
Book 93: The Shroud Maker (Wesley Peterson #18) by Kate Ellis, 2014. 374 pages. Latest in South Devon based police procedurals.
Book 94: The Killing III by David Hewson, 2014. 417 pages. Print adaptation of final season of Danish cult TV series. Reviews of Books 93 and 94.

( Misfit Toys: Welcome to the Monkey House, by Kurt Vonnegut Collapse )

( Foreplay and the City: The Group, by Mary McCarthy Collapse )

( Original Ninja Turtles: The Lives of the Artists, by Giorgio Vasari Collapse )

( The Renaissance Murders: Curtains for the Cardinal, by Elizabeth Eyre; The Weaver's Tale, by Kate Sedley; The Clerk's Tale and The Bastard's Tale, by Margaret Frazer; The Eye of God, by C.L. Grace Collapse )

( Sawdust Without Butter: The History of Italy, by Francesco Guicciardini Collapse )

( Bertie Wooster, Mountaineer: A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, by Eric Newby Collapse )

( Small Treasures: The Essays of Montaigne, Book One Collapse )

( A Surfeit of Raskolnikovs: Devils, by Fyodor Dostoevsky Collapse )


Find all of my previous Bookposts here: http://admnaismith.livejournal.com/tag/bookposts

Here is a summary of my March reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 52: The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway, 2013. 546 pages. Time travel romance. Review here.
Book 53: Bellman & Blackby Diane Setterfield, 2013. 320 pages. Victorian Gothic tale with rooks. Review here.
Book 54: Adventures with the Wife in Space: Living with Doctor Who by Neil Perryman, 2013. 290 pages. Doctor Who fan has his non-fan wife watch and rate classic Doctor Who episodes. Review here.
Book 55: Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell #1) by Hilary Mantel, 2009. 672 pages. Re-read of one of my favourite books of recent years. Review here.
Book 56: The Kingdom (Graveyard Queen #2) by Amanda Stevens, 2012. 376 pages. Southern Gothic fantasy. Review here.
Book 57: Murder in the Dark (Phryne Fisher #16) by Kerry Greenwood, 2006. Unabridged Audio Book (8 hrs, 14 mins). Read by Stephanie Daniel. Mysteries abound at the Last Best party of 1928. Review here.
Book 58: Long Live the King (Love and Inheritance #2) by Fay Weldon, 2013. 320 pages. Aristocrats at work and play in Edwardian England. Review here.
Book 59: The Palace of Illusions: a novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, 2008. 374 pages. A tale adapted from India's epic Mahabharata. Review here.
Book 60: The Winds of Salem (Beauchamp Family #3) by Melissa de la Cruz, 2013. 307 pages. Final part of the trilogy about exiled Norse gods and goddesses. Review here.
Book 61: Elijah's Mermaid by Essie Fox, 2012. 406 pages. Victorian Gothic tale with mermaids. Review here.
Book 62: Briar Rose by Jana Oliver, 2013. 470 pages. Contemporary re-telling of 'Sleeping Beauty'. Review here.
Book 63: The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin, 2002. 342 pages. Comic fantasy. Review here.
Book 64: The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse, 2009. 294 pages. Ghostly tale set in France. Review here.
Book 65: The Year of the Ladybird by Graham Joyce, 2013. 265 pages. English coming-of-age tale set in the ladybird summer of 1976. Review here.
Book 66: The Goddess and the Thief by Essie Fox, 2013. 310 pages. Victorian Gothic with a plot to steal a famous diamond. Review here.
Book 67: The Big Over Easy (Nursery Crimes #1) by Jasper Fforde, 2005. 398 pages. Comic fantasy crime novel investigates death of Humpty Dumpty. Review here.
Book 68: Fright Court by Mindy Klasky, 2011. 338 pages. Comic paranormal romance.
Book 69: Capitol Magic (Jane Madison #3.5) by Mindy Klasky, 2012. 88 pages. Cross-over between Fright Court and Jane Madison series. Reviews of Books 68 and 69.
Book 70: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, 2009. 447 pages. Coming of age tale set in 1940s Seattle. Review here.
Book 71: The String Diaries by Stephen Lloyd Jones, 2013. 416 pages. Supernatural thriller. Review here.

( Katniss Wannabe: Divergent, by Veronica Roth Collapse )

( Little Treasures: The Colloquies, by Desiderius Erasmus Collapse )

( The War of the Roses Murders: The Maiden's Tale, The Reeve's Tale, The Squire's Tale, by Margaret Frazer A Shrine of Murders, by C.L. Grace; The Plymouth Cloak, by Kate Sedley Collapse )

(  Real Life Game of Thrones: The Accursed Kings, by Maurice Druon Collapse )

( Sight for Sore Eyes: Blindness, by Henry Green Collapse )

( Snapshot: Running in the Family, by Michael Ondaatje Collapse )

( Freudship is Magic: Women in Love, by D.H. Lawrence Collapse )

( Know-Nothingism: Of Learned Ignorance, by Nicholas of Cusa Collapse )

( Libertarian Paradise: The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, by Jacob Burckhardt Collapse )

(  All you never wanted to know about magnets: On the Lodestone, by William Gilbert Collapse )

Find all of my previous Bookposts here: http://admnaismith.livejournal.com/tag/bookposts

( The Cage is Full: Orange is the New Black, by Piper <strike>Chapman</strike> Kerman Collapse )

( The Florencebury Tales: The Decameron, by Giovanni Boccaccio Collapse )

( The Murders of the Roses: The Servant's Tale; The Bishop's Tale; The Boy's Tale; The Prioress's Tale, by Margaret Frazer Collapse )

( A Political Tool; The Prince and The Discourses, by Niccolo Machiavelli Collapse )

( Love means Never having to Wear a Sari: A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry Collapse )

( The Fall of the House of Wolfsegg: Extinction, by Thomas Bernhard Collapse )

( On second thought, let's not go to Camelot: Le Morte D'Arthur, by Sir Thomas Malory Collapse )

( Two years a slave, many more as a ghost: Beloved, by Toni Morrison Collapse )

( Silliness is wisdom: The Praise of Folly, by Desiderius Erasmus Collapse )

( Wisdom is silliness: Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut Collapse )

Find all of my previous Bookposts here: http://admnaismith.livejournal.com/tag/bookposts

I appear to still be reading a fair amount this winter. Here is a summary of my February reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 28: The Restorer (Graveyard Queen #1) by Amanda Stevens, 2011. 366 pages. Southern Gothic with uneasy ghosts. Review here.
Book 29: Death by Water (Phryne Fisher #15) by Kerry Greenwood, 2005. Unabridged Audio (8 hrs, 7 mins). Read by Stephanie Daniel. Phryne has a mystery to solve on a cruise. Review here.
Book 30: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925. 142 pages. Modern classic from 1920s. Review here.
Book 31: Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight , 2013. 388 pages. Grieving mother seeks to understand her daughter's life and untimely death. Review here.
Book 32: Atticus Claw Lends a Paw (Atticus Claw #3) by Jennifer Gray, 2013. 224 pages. Atticus searches for the Lost City of Cats in Egypt. Review here.
Book 33: Fearie Tales: Stories of the Grimm and Gruesome edited by Stephen Jones. Illustrated by Alan Lee, 2013. 430 pages. Re-tellings of Grimm Tales by modern horror authors. Review here.
Book 34: The Book of Souls (Inspector McLean #2 by James Oswald, 2013. 440 pages. Second in this supernaturally-tinged police procedural. Review here.
Book 35: Witches of the East (Beauchamp Family #1) by Melissa de la Cruz, 2011. 273 pages.
Book 36: The Serpent's Kiss (Beauchamp Family #2) by Melissa de la Cruz, 2012. 328 pages. Norse goddesses in exile get up to witchy shenanigans in the Hamptons. Reviews of Books 35 and 36.
Book 37: The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass, 2013. 327 pages. Book 38: The Elite (The Selection#2) by Kiera Cass, 2013. 326 pages. Book 39: The Prince (The Selection #0.5) by Kiera Cass, 2014. 60 pages. Think The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor with pretty frocks. Reviews of Books 37, 38 and 39.
Book 40: A Matter of Blood (The Dog-Faced Gods #1) by Sarah Pinborough, 2010. 432 pages. Supernatural crime thriller set in near future London. Review here.
Book 41: The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker, 2013. 486 pages. Two unusual immigrants in turn-of-the century New York. Review here.
Book 42: Sense and Sensibility (The Austen Project #1) by Joanna Trollope, 2013. 362 pages. Austen's classic updated for 21st Century. Book 43: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, 1811. Introduction by Joanne Trollope, 2013. 480 pages. The original. Reviews of Books 42 and 43.
Book 44: Takedown Twenty (Stephanie Plum #20) by Janet Evanovich, 2013. Unabridged Audiobook (6 hours, 8 mins). Read by Lorelei King. The one with the giraffe. Review here.
Book 45: Timeless (Parasol Protectorate #5) by Gail Carriger, 2012. 328 pages. The final book in this steampunk romp. Review here.
Book 46: Game (The Game Trilogy #1) by Anders de la Motte, 2010. 368 pages/Unabridged Audio (11 hrs, 24 mins) Narrated by Saul Reichlin.
Book 47: Buzz (The Game Trilogy #2) by Anders de la Motte, 2011. 436 pages. Unabridged Audio (11 hrs, 52 mins) Narrated by Saul Reichlin. Swedish series about sinister game. Reviews of Books 46 and 47.
Book 48: The Technologists by Matthew Pearl, 2012. 480 pages. Historical techno-thriller set in post-Civil War Boston. Review here.
Book 49: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, 2011.387 pages/Unabridged Audio (13 hrs, 42 mins). Read by Jim Dale. Re-read of this enchanting historical fantasy. Review here.
Book 50: The Abandoned (Graveyard Queen #0.5) by Amanda Stevens, 2011. 73 pages. Prequel novella for Graveyard Queen series. Review here.
Book 51: Dead Sky (Kovac/Liska #3) by Tami Hoag, 2006. 416 pages. Solid police procedural with some confusing legal bits. Review here.

It's a new year, and a new set of books to read. Having finished my not-very-pleasant year of traipsing through the theology-centric Middle Ages, this year the scholarly part of my reading list centers on the late 14th through 16th Centuries, covering the Italian Renaissance, Reformation, the introduction of white people to America, and the period of English royalty from Henry IV through most of Elizabeth I. Including historical mysteries from the age. But much more than that; I anticipate the usual eclectic mix you've come to expect from me over the course of three generations.

( What's in a Name?: The Cuckoo's Calling, by Collapse )

( The Calamitous Fourteenth Century: The Chronicles of Jean Froissart Collapse )

( Seppuku, I Choose You!: The Sea of Fertility, by Yukio Mishima Collapse )

( The Late Medieval Murders: The Whyte Hart, by P C Doherty; The Novice's Tale, by Margaret Frazer; Death and the Chapman, by Kate Sedley Collapse )

(  Ten Parson's Tales: The Writings of John Wycliffe Collapse )

( Battle Iron Druid: Hounded, by Kevin Hearne Collapse )

( Mr. Deeds Goes to the Country: God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, by Kurt Vonnegut Collapse )

( Fiends With Benefits: Bloodsucking Fiends, by Christopher Moore Collapse )

( Translator's Scary Nocturnal Vision: A Void, by Georges Perec, translated by Gilbert Adair Collapse )

Again this year the Bout of Books Read-a-thon during the second week of January meant that I've ended up with a bumper crop of books to start the year off. Here is a summary of my reading with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 1: Bad Blood (Intercrime #2) by Arne Dahl, 1998. Translated from the Swedish by Rachel Willson-Broyles, 2013. 341 pages. Swedish police procedural. Review here.
Book 2: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, 2006. 456 pages/Unabridged Audio (14 hrs, 15 mins) Read by Jenny Agutter. Modern Gothic tale. Review here.
Book 3: The Nightmare (Joona Linna #2) by Lars Kepler, 2010. Translated from the Swedish by Laura A. Wideburg, 2012. 500 pages. Another Swedish police procedural. Review here.
Book 4: The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder, 1992. Translated from the Norwegian by Elizabeth Rokkan; Illustrated by Rosemary Wells, 1996. 246 pages. Enchanting Christmas fantasy. Review here.
Book 5: Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan, 2012. 320 pages. 1970s low-key spy fiction. Review here.
Book 6: The White Road (Charlie Parker #4) by John Connolly, 2002. 502 pages. Dark crime thriller with supernatural elements. Review here.
Book 7: Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl by Matthew Reilly, 2013. 80 pages. Prequel and teaser for Reilly's upcoming Tudor-based thriller. Review here.
Book 8: Madame Xanadu Vol 1: Disenchanted by Matt Wagner, 2009. Art by Amy Reeder. 240 pages. Graphic novel set in DC Universe. Review here.
Book 9: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, 2013. 422 pages. Accessible philosophical novel. Loved it. Review here.
Book 10: Queen of the Flowers (Phryne Fisher #14) by Kerry Greenwood, 2004. Unabridged Audio Book (8 hrs, 20 mins). Read by Stephanie Daniel. Another family focused mystery for Miss Fisher. Review here.
Book 11: Thunderball (James Bond #9) by Ian Fleming, 1961. 346 pages/Unabridged Audiobook (7 hrs, 51mns). Read by Jason Isaacs. Review here.
Book 12: Eternal (Jan Fabel #3) by Craig Russell, 2007. 450 pages. Police procedural set in Germany. Review here.
Book 13: Magic and the Modern Girl (Jane Madison #3) by Mindy Klasky, 2008. 416 pages. Fluffy witch-lit. Review here.
Book 14: The Salvation of a Saint (Detective Galileo #5) by Keigo Higashino, 2008. Translated from the Japanese by Alexander O. Smith with Elye J. Alexander, 2012. 377 pages. Japanese police procedural.
Book 15: Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter #1) by Thomas Harris, 1981. 432 pages. Reviews of Books 14 and 15.
Book 16: The Father of Locks (Father of Locks #1) by Andrew Killeen, 2009. 332 pages. Tales of adventure and intrigue in 9th Century Baghdad. Review here.
Book 17: The Queen's Vow by C. W. Gortner, 2012. 382 pages. Historical fiction about Isabella of Spain. Review here.
Book 18: The Spear of Destiny (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #3) by Marcus Sedgwick , 2013. 55 pages.
Book 19: The Roots of Evil (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #4) by Philip Reeve, 2013. 40 pages. E-shorts written for 50th Anniversary. Reviews of Books 18 and 19.
Book 20: Fifth Grave Past the Light (Charley Davidson #5) by Darynda Jones, 2013. 339 pages. More chances for quips from Grim Reaper/P.I. Review here.
Book 21: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, 1960. 309 pages. Modern classic set in 1930s USA.
Book 22: Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan, 2011. 343 pages. Jazz musicians face prejudice during WWII. Reviews of Books 21 and 22.
Book 23: The Sonnet Lover by Carol Goodman, 2007. 437 pages. Rather melodramatic romantic suspense focused on lost folio of 16th century sonnets.
Book 24: A Room with a View by E. M. Forster, 1908. Appendix, 1958. 256 pages. Edwardian social comedy. Reviews of Books 23 and 24.
Book 25: And Only to Deceive (Lady Emily #1) by Tasha Alexander, 2005. 321 pages. Victorian cosy. Review here.
Book 26: Savage Spring (Malin Fors #4) by Mons Kallentoft, 2010. Translated from Swedish by Neil Smith, 2013. 521 pages. Yet another Swedish police procedural. Review here.
Book 27: Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld, 2013. 400 pages. Tale of estranged twin sisters who share psychic gift. Review here.

( Wa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-POW!: Reynard the Fox Collapse )

( Old Testament: Song of Solomon; Ecclesiastes Collapse )

( New Testament: Revelations Collapse )

( Dr. What: The Moving Toyshop, by Edmund Crispin Collapse )

( The Medieval Murders: A Rare Benedictine, by Ellis Peters; The Parisian Prodigal, by Alan Gordon; Mysterium, The Midnight Man; Bloodstone; The Straw Men, by P.C. Doherty Collapse )

(  Didst ye hear the one about the Miller and the Pardoner’s Wife? The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer Collapse )

( Socialism Rescues Civilization: Medieval Cities, by Henri Pirenne Collapse )

( Celestial Symphony: On the Harmonies of the World, by Johannes Kepler Collapse )

( Walk a Mile in their Bare Feet: July's People, by Nadine GordimerCollapse )

( Murder for Christmas: A Puzzle in a Pear Tree, by Parnell Hall Collapse )

(  Old Haunts: Dreams of the Dead, by Perri O'Shaughnessy Collapse )

( Death takes a holiday: Reaper Man, by Terry Pratchett Collapse )

( Farewell to Dortmunder: Get Real, by Donald E. Westlake Collapse )

( Changeling you can believe in: Chimes at Midnight, by Seanan McGuire Collapse )

( Thus Spake the Lorax: Unless, by Carol Shields Collapse )

( How I Wasted 2013: Summa Theologica, by Thomas Aquinas Collapse )

And that’s my year of Medieval concentration, not enjoyed very much but complete at last, covering 1200 years of slim pickings. Consider that all of the history that follows is a period half that length, that will take seven times as long (at least) to read.

Thankfully, 2014 will focus on the 15th and 16th centuries, from Henry IV partway into the Elizabethan era, and will include much groovier writers like Machiavelli, Bocaccio, Rabelais, Spenser, Bacon and Montaigne. Oh the relief of it!

Find all of my previous Bookposts here: http://admnaismith.livejournal.com/tag/bookposts

Here is my final monthly summary for 2013 with links to longer reviews in my book journal.

Book 217: The Gates of Sleep (Elemental Masters #3) by Mercedes Lackey, 2002. 448 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (14 hrs, 42mins) Read by Kayla Fell. Re-telling of tale of Sleeping Beauty in Edwardian England. Notable for its climate fail. Review here.
Book 218: Dust to Dust (Kovac/Liska #2) by Tami Hoag, 2000. 419 pages. Police procedural set in Minneapolis. Review here.
Book 219: Murder In Montparnasse (Phryne Fisher #12) by Kerry Greenwood, 2002. Unabridged Audiobook (8 hrs, 7 mins). Read by Stephanie Daniel. Phryne's past in France comes to the fore. Review here.
Book 220: The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, 2013. 466 pages. Compelling start to series set in a dystopian near future in which psychics are outlaws. Review here.
Book 221: Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore 291 pages and Book 222: Ajax Penumbra 1969 68 pages by Robin Sloan, 2013. Quirky story about secret society of book lovers and its prequel. Reviews here.
Book 223: The Lost Library (Dr. Emily Wess #1) by A. N. Dean. 2012. 516 pages. Conspiracy thriller. Review here.
Book 224: Between Two Thorns (Split Worlds #1) by Emma Newman, 2013. 384 pages. Terrific contemporary fantasy that I fell in love with. Review here.
Book 225: The Devil and the River by R. J. Ellory, 2013. 432 pages. Murder mystery in 1970s Mississippi. Review here.
Book 226: The Tudor Conspiracy (Spymaster Chronicles #2) by Christopher Gortner, 2013. 352 pages. Tudor-themed spy fiction. Review here.
Book 227: Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates, 1961. 355 pages. Portrait of a disintegrating marriage. Review here.
Book 228: The Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates, 2013. 669 pages. Unabridged Audiobook (22 hours, 54 mins). Read by Grover Gardner. American Gothic with supernatural themes. Loved it. Review here.
Book 229: The Shanghai Factor by Charles McCarry, 2013. 304 pages. Contemporary spy thriller.
Book 230: Dust (Kay Scarpetta #21) by Patricia Cornwell, 2013. 512 pages. Latest in this forensic thriller series. Reviews of Books 229 and 230.
Book 231: The Castlemaine Murders (Phryne Fisher #13) by Kerry Greenwood, 2003. Unabridged Audiobook (8 hrs, 14 mins). Read by Stephanie Daniel. Family mysteries abound. Review here.
Book 232: In Search of Lost Time Vol 6: Time Regained by Marcel Proust, 1927. 693 pages. Final volume of this mammoth modern French classic.
Book 233: Marcel Proust's Search for Lost Time: A Reader's Guide to The Remembrance of Things Past by Patrick Alexander, 2007. 385 pages. Very useful companion to Proust. Reviews of Books 232 and 233.
Book 234: Any Other Name (Split Worlds #2) 392 pages and Unabridged Audio (12 hrs, 24 mins) Read by Emma Newman. Book 235: All is Fair (Split Worlds #3) 396 pages. Unabridged Audio (12 hrs, 57 mins) Read by Emma Newman. Both Emma Newman, 2013. Concluding books in this contemporary fantasy. Reviews of Books 234 and 235.
Book 236: Blotto, Twinks and the Riddle of the Sphinx (Blotto, Twinks #5) by Simon Brett, 2013. 218 pages. Unabridged audio edition (6 hrs, 26 mins). Read by Simon Brett. Jolly good fun. Review here.
Book 237: Joyland by Stephen King, 2013. 283 pages. Coming of age story by horror master. Review here.

( Do the Funky Gibbon! The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (second half), by Edward Gibbon Collapse )

( 1000 Years of Misery: The Age of Faith, by Will Durant Collapse )

( Old Testament: Job, Ezekiel Collapse )

( The Medieval Murders: The Magician's Death, The Waxman Murders, Nightshade, Haunt of Murder, by PC Dougherty. The Moneylender of Toulouse, by Alan Gordon Collapse )

( Arabian Days: Throne of the Crescent Moon, by Saladin Ahmed Collapse )

( Strange Messenger: The File on H, by Ismail Kadare Collapse )

( The Profane Comedy: The Roman de la Rose Collapse )

( Revenge of the Misfit Toys: More than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon Collapse )

( Murder at the Con: Bimbos of the Death Sun, by Sharyn McCrumb Collapse )

( Murder at the Puzzle Tournament: Puzzled to Death, by Parnell Hall Collapse )

( Elliptical Trainer: Epitome of Copernican Astronomy, by Johannes Kepler Collapse )

( Racial Identities: My Place, by Sally Morgan Collapse )

( Iranian Nuclear Fallout: The Blind Owl, by Sadegh Hedayat Collapse )

( Christ the Buddha: The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis Collapse )

Find all of my previous Bookposts here: http://admnaismith.livejournal.com/tag/bookposts

72)Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal-Mary Roach (4.5/5)
73)The Day of the Triffids-John Wyndham (4/5)
74)The Drawing of the Three-Stephen King (4.5/5)
75)William Shakespeare's Star Wars-Ian Doescher (3/5)
76)The Dark Tower-Stephen King (4.5/5)
77)Parasite-Mira Grant (4.5/5)
78)Dead Witch Walking-Kim Harrison (4.5/5)

Here is a summary of the books I have read/reviewed in November with links to longer reviews in my journal.

Book 202: The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson, 2012. 198 pages. Written to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Pendle Witch Trials. Review here.
Book 203: The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates, 2011. 365 pages. Collection of non-supernatural horror tales. Review here.
Book 204: Atticus Claw Settles a Score (Atticus Claw #2) by Jennifer Gray, 2013. Illustrations by Mark Ecob. 220 pages. More fun with retired cat burglar Atticus. Review here.
Book 205: Natural Causes (Inspector McLean #1) by James Oswald, 2012. 458 pages. Scottish police procedural with supernatural theme.
Book 206: The Stolen Ones (Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne #7) by Richard Montanari, 2013. 458 pages. Gripping US police procedural. Reviews of Books 205 and 206.
Book 207: Away with the Fairies (Phryne Fisher, #11) by Kerry Greenwood, 2001. Unabridged Audiobook (8 hrs, 5 mins). Read by Stephanie Daniel. The one with fairies. Review here.
Book 208: The Mysteries of Glass by Sue Gee, 2004. 342 pages. Young curate has the hots for the vicar's wife in slow-paced Victorian drama. Review here.
Book 209: Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger, 2013. 80 pages. Graphic novel about a raven girl.
Book 210: After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris, 2013. Illustrations by Lisa Desimini. 208 pages. Reviews of Books 209 and 210.
Book 211: The Devil's Ribbon (Hatton and Roumande #2) by D. E. Meredith, 2011. 335 pages. Victorian forensic crime thriller with Irish political theme. Review here.
Books 212-213: In Search of Lost Time Vol 5: The Captive and the Fugitive by Marcel Proust, 1923/25. 814 pages. Continuing with the Year of Reading Proust project. Review here.
Book 214: Mayhem (Dr. Thomas Bond #1) by Sarah Pinborough, 2013. 339 pages. Victorian police procedural with supernatural aspects. Review here.
Book 215: The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel, 2002. 315 pages. Rather heavy going drama set in small town USA. Review here.
Book 216: Bones of the Lost (Tempe Brennan #16) by Kathy Reichs, 2013. 336 pages. Latest in series of forensic thrillers. Review here.