Running List of Read Books: 2011

1. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
2. Midnight Predator by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
4. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
5. The Time Machine by HG Wells
6. The Invisible Man by HG Wells
7. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
8. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
9. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
10. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
11. Brainwashed by Tom Burrell
12. Angel Time by Anne Rice
13. Of Love and Evil by Anne Rice
14. Dragon Moon by Fabrilune
15. The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
16. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
17. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
18. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
19. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
20. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
21. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
22. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
23. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

My Reading List 2011

1. A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire — part of the Wicked series
2. A Touch of Dead: The Complete Stories by Charlaine Harris — Vampires
3. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris — Vampires
4. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis — Crime Fiction
5. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown — Thriller
6. Push by Sapphire — Urban Drama
7. Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton (I have started it several times and never finished it…I want so badly for this one not to suck. Number 8 is dependent on the success of this one.) — Vampires
8. Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton — Vampires
9. The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran — Ancient Egypt
10. Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran — Ancient Egypt/Rome
11. Anything by Christian Jacq — Ancient Egypt
12. The rest of the Marcus Didius Falco Series by Lindsey Davis — Ancient Rome/Mysteries
13. Anything by Steven Saylor — Ancient Rome
14. The Heart of Princess Osra by Anthony Hope — Historical Fiction
15. The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope — “
16. Rubert of Hentzau by Anthony Hope — “
17. Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind — Fantasy
18. I, Claudius by Robert Graves — Ancient Rome
19. Claudius the God by Robert Graves — Ancient Rome
20. Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut — Surreal Fiction (?)
21. Flashman: A Novel — George MacDonald Fraser
22. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
23. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
24. The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan

Quitting?

At the beginning of the year I set a goal for myself to read 100 or more books. Contrary to what the title of this post will lead you to believe, I don’t want to quit pursuing the goal. My question about quitting regards something within this goal.

So I recently bought a Nook because I wanted to have a book always with me (part of reaching my goal) and because most of the books required for my creative writing class were available as ebooks and since I was ordering them the day before class started I felt this was the perfect way to get instant gratification.

So far I love the Nook (I wouldn’t trade paper and ink books for it, but that’s another post) and one of the things I like most about it are the vast quantities of free books available from Google and also from BN on a rotating basis. In my cheapness, I was looking through BN for any books that were free and fit my interests. I found this one book, The Blood that Bonds that was about vampires. Being the vampire fanatic I am (and have been since I was 9 years old) of course I was going to download it. Plus it was free?! It seemed stupid NOT to download.

In any case, I load this book onto my Nook and I start reading it. Right away I’m disappointed. I’m a vampire fan of the old times, when talented writers like Anne Rice were writing vampire fiction. Not the vampire CRAP of now where they’re nice and cuddly and sparkle like fucking Care Bears. I like dark vampires. Smart vampire literature. Something more than the fluff that’s popular now. So yeah, immediately this ebook was disappointing. The main character is insipid and very unspecial.

I kept thinking, “What makes her important enough for me to be reading this story about her? Why is she special enough for these things to be happening to her?” Unfortunately these questions were never answered, and it was one of the many reasons why this book failed. I started reading this book and immediately had these questions, and wanting to give it a fair chance I continued reading.

Around page 80 I was DYING to throw the book out and just forget about it. It wasn’t original. It wasn’t interesting. The one interesting character was bafflingly interested in the most run-of-the-mill character ever. But my goal occurred to me. I want to read 100 books this year. Did it really make sense to stop reading the book after a wasted precious time reading 80 pages of it?

Was it better to finish the book and add to my book count, regardless of whether it was good or bad, or was it better to just leave the book and move on to the next one?

I ended up finishing the book earlier today. I started reading it more than a week ago. I read 50-75 pages an hour, and the book was 208 pages long. It should have taken me a FRACTION of the time that it actually took, but the book being so bad and forcing me to take breaks lengthened the amount of time it took me to read it. By the end of the book I felt pretty much the same way I had at the beginning. The main character was boring I didn’t care about her at all. There were so many contradictions within characters that did not make sense with the way the author described them. The ONE character who was interesting was killed off long before the book was over, and what’s worse, in that final showdown there was basically no suspence because the author continually stressed that the villain was invincible. The resolution was an “easy way out.” The problems with the book just seem endless.

After having read it, I’m still wondering, when do I know to just quit reading a book and move on to the next one? I want to reach my goal and that’s not going to happen if I get stuck on a book and end up having to drag through it. It’s hard to tell. What say ye?

If anyone is interested, so far I have read 21 books, a total of 8,701 pages. (It would be more but I basically took a long break from April through June because it was Senior Spring and I was drunk…a lot.)

Running List of Read Books 2010

1. Mystic Masseur by V.S. Naipaul
2. Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind
3. In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
4. Demon in My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
5. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
6. The War of the Crowns by Christian Jacq
7. The Flaming Sword by Christian Jacq (doesn’t that sound like a good name for a porno?)
8. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind
9. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
10. The Alienist by Caleb Carr (finished 2/22/10)
11. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
12. Heartbreak Soup by Gilbert Hernandez
13. Drugs Are Nice by Lisa Crystal Carver
14. Soldier in the Mist by Gene Wolf
15. Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind
16. Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
17. Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind
18. Soul of the Fire by Terry Goodkind
19. The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
20. Tinkers by Paul Harding
21. The Blood that Bonds by Christian Buecheler
22. Debt of Bones by Terry Goodkind
23. Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind
24. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
25. War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
26. Kindred by Octavia Butler
27. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
28. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
29. The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
30. Say My Name by Tatiana Caldwell
31. Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos Laclos
32. Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger
33. The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
34. Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
35. Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay
36. Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay
37. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
38. A Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
39. His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls
40. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
41. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
42. When I Was Puerto Rican  by Esmeralda Santiago
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
45. Eldest by Christopher Paolini
46. Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
47. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
48. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
49. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
50. Books of Blood vol 1 by Clive Barker
51. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
52. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
53. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
54. The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan
55. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
56. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
57. Books of Blood Vol. 2 by Clive Barker
58. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
59. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
60. The Rose and the Beast by Francesca Lia Block
61. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
62. I Am Mordred by Nancy Springer
63. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
64. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
65. The Stranger by Albert Camus
66. The Giver by Lois Lowry
67. The Alchemist by Paul Coelho

Updates

Hey all!

As you can see from the sidebar, so far this year I’ve read 9 books! The latest two I’ve finished are Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind and One for the Money by Janet Evanovich.  I will not be reviewing Perfume yet because it’s the book we’re reading for a book club that I belong to and I don’t want to run out of steam before our meeting. I’ll probably be rereading it before the end of the month. I’ll review One for the Money within the next day or so.

So far I have not yet chosen a new book to read, but it looks like it will be The Alienist by Caleb Carr (thanks Wolfie for recommending it). I’ll start reading it tomorrow. I need to do my homework tonight! LOL.

Zuly

The War of the Crowns & The Flaming Sword

From the publisher:

The War of the Crowns -

The barbaric Hyksos have taken possession of the whole of Egypt, imposing their harsh rule with unimaginable cruelty. Only Queen Ahhotep has yet to succumb. Not far from Thebes, the only city that retains its independence, she has established a secret military base to train her loyal fighters. Even when her husband is killed, Ahhotep refuses to yield, turning instead to her eldest son, Kames, who must take his father’s place as pharaoh. Leading an increasingly powerful army, Ahhotep steals victory after victory — despite the treachery that threatens Egypt from within. Slowly, the Egyptians are recovering their honor, growing stronger by the day — and the brutal invaders no longer seem invincible. Unless Queen Ahhotep and her followers are being lured into an elaborately designed trap that may seal their doom….

Combining historical fact with a vivid imagination, Christian Jacq tells the enthralling true story of the Ancient Egyptian warrior-queen Ahhotep — without whose valiant courage the Valley of the Kings and the glorious treasures of the pharaohs, including Ramses the Great, would never have existed.

The Flaming Sword -

In the north, the barbaric Hyksos still rule with unimaginable brutality. Queen Ahhotep, meanwhile, has recaptured much of the south — but at a terrible price. Ahhotep refuses to be crowned pharaoh and prepares her second son, young Amose, to take power instead. Thanks to her, the Egyptians are now ready for the final battle. They lay siege to Avaris, the Hyksos capital — and once the city is taken, nothing can stop them. After 100 years of occupation and thousands of violent deaths, it looks as though the Egyptian empire may at last rise from the ashes.

-

When I grow up (haha) I want to be an Egyptologist so that I can write books like these. I don’t remember how I heard of Christian Jacq, but I do know that many agree that he is the master of historical fiction about ancient Egypt. I read the first book in this trilogy a couple of years ago and intended to read the others right after but got sidetracked by regular life. I read the two books over the course of a week or so. They’re easy reads and very absorbing, if I had had whole days to spare I probably could have read them in two days, but alas, my darned real life interfered.

The books tell a true story, of course with the author taking a lot of liberties. One of my favorite things about ancient historical fiction is how much leeway the author has in creating his or her world. We have a lot of material culture, but know next to nothing specifically about the people themselves. What we do know is unreliable and may or may not be accurate. Great historical fiction authors latch onto this possibility and use it to make their historical characters more nuanced and interesting. Christian Jacq is one of these authors.

This story, about the Queen of Freedom, is full of historical fact woven into fiction and imagination. I love the little snippets of factual information he includes every once in a while to go along with a detail that he writes.  I found it immensely interesting that these books include the influences of magic as if it really existed and had an impact on the resulting historical events. I still have yet to decide how I feel about this inclusion, but I found that it worked within the context of the story. Perhaps if someone else reads these books he or she can talk to me about his or her feelings on the matter. I really don’t know what to make of it, but in a good way. It makes the books so much more interesting. There is one aspect of the book, a spy, that will literally keep you hooked until the very last page!

Reading these books made me want to read everything else by Christian Jacq, which by my standards is a great recommendation. LOL. I don’t know how someone who is completely uninterested in ancient history will feel about these books. I have to admit that ancient history is one of my true passions in life, yet many people don’t find it as overwhelmingly exciting or important as I do (which is baffling to me, haha). Therefore, perhaps someone without my passion will not find the book as interesting as I do, but alas, I would recommend that everyone at least try to read the first one and if it’s not your cup of tea then what can I do. Open your mind to ancient historical fiction, though. It’s such a vast, rich, colorful world that I can’t imagine how someone wouldn’t want to drink it up like a fine, aged vintage. (That might be my passion talking again…) I love it. I can’t get enough. I know more about ancient Romans/Greeks/Egyptians/Persians than I do about people who have lived in the past 50 years. And there’s so much more I want to learn! That’s why I keep reading stuff like this. These books are not only entertaining, but they also teach you a lot of factual stuff. To me, that’s pretty much invaluable. I love learning. My friends often make fun of me because I know so many random facts, but whatever! It makes me happy. Helps me when I watch Jeopardy! too. LOL. Anyway, read these books. The first one is called The Empire of Darkness.

I give both these books 4 out of 5 stars.

Living Dead in Dallas

From the publisher:

This is the second book in Charlaine Harris’ popular Southern Vampire Mysteries series. Telepathic vampire maven (and cocktail waitress) Sookie Stackhouse has been tasked with locating an abducted vampire and suppressing an upstart anti-undead religious cult.

-

Watching True Blood on HBO is what turned me on to this series. I’ve loved vampires since I was at least 10 years old and saw my first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So, when I heard about this new show I knew I had to watch. I ended up really loving the show and it spurred me to read the books, but I really did not expect what happened next. I bought the 7-volume set from Barnes and Noble and I started reading it. I literally devoured it. No chewing, no wasting time, but lots of savoring. I swallowed the damn books. I read all seven books in seven days. Seven 250-300 page books in seven days! That is how good this series is.

When I started reading the Sookie Stackhouse books I had been disillusioned with the vampire fiction available these days. Most vampire book authors suck. (Haha, no pun intended.) The only series I had been enjoying (Anita Blake) had been ruined by the author’s pandering to the public. As the books progress there was less and less plot and more and more sex. Boring. I could barely get through the last few books. So, basically when I came upon Dead Until Dark (the name of the first book) I wasn’t expecting much, I was just hoping for the best.

I cannot sufficiently express how delighted I was. I mean really all I can do is repeat what I said before: I read all seven books in seven days! I tried to pace myself and I just couldn’t. I was like a coke addict or something. Not even cocaine. Crack. Even worse. I was a Sookie Stackhouse crackhead.

This second book, Living Dead in Dallas is undoubtedly one of THE best in the series! I read this book, and at one point I laughed so hard that I cried. I was laughing for so long, out loud! That had never happened to me with a book before. It was at that point that I knew I had struck gold. The book is fast paced, has a great plot, great characters, and is fucking hilarious! I love the show, but I will take the books over the show ANY day. There are many differences between the two, so I suggest you be open minded and consider them different worlds. (That’s always what I do with books turned into shows or movies.)

This particular book has two seperate plotlines, but it never seems jumbled or like it should be two seperate books. Harris deals very well with both stories, and provides the reader with satisfactory conclusions to the situations without seeming too “clean” or “simple.” Both situations are also quite complex and interesting. Characters, both protagonists and antagonists, are multidimensional. There are no simple villains or simple good guys. I love that about the characters. It makes them so much more interesting.

Harris’ writing style is simple but it keeps a reader’s interest. There are really not enough good things I can say about this book. If you like vampires, or are even vaguely interested, read this book right now! If you’re not, I will bet you five bucks that after this book you’ll become interested.

I give this book (and the series) 5 out of 5 stars.

Have you read Living Dead in Dallas? Tell me what you think. If you haven’t read it, does my review influence your desire to read it in any way? What would you have liked me to include? Let me know!