2009 Reading List

Here is my 2009 OCD reading statistical report. I wrote this in the previous post but I really am feeling a mixture of horror and surprise at how much YA I read this year versus any other genre. I realize YA titles are almost always quicker & easier to zip through than more grownup fare which in turn pushes the numbers up but still... I am going to try to get 2010's YA percentage down to at least 49% of what I read. In 2009 I read 123 YA titles, a massive 65% of all my reading for the year.

Bold = YA
Italics= Rereading

• 188. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Steig Larsson
• 187. Keturah and Lord Death, Martine Leavitt
• 186. Prada & Prejudice, Mandy Hubbard
• 185. The King of Attiola, Megan Whalen Turner
• 184. The Queen of Attiola, Megan Whalen Turner
• 183. The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner
• 183. The Dark Divine, Bree Despain
• 182. Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson
• 181. Fallen, Lauren Kate
• 180. How It Ends, Laura Wiess
• 179. Lips Touch: Three Times, Laini Taylor
• 178. Crush Du Jour, Micol Ostow
• 177. Silent on the Moor, Deanna Raybourn
• 176. Silent in the Sanctuary, Deanna Raybourn
• 175. Crocodile on the Sandbank, Elizabeth Peters
• 174. The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, Leanna Renee Hieber
• 173. Silent in the Grave, Deanna Raybourn
• 172. 30 Guys in 30 Days, Micol Ostow
• 171. The Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare
• 170. Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
• 169. Deadly Little Lies, Laurie Faria Stolarz
• 168. Romeo & Juliet, William Shakespeare
• 167. Shadowland, Alyson Noel
• 166. Bright Star: Love Letters & Poems of John Keats to Fanny Brawne
• 165. Never Cry Werewolf, Heather Davis
• 164. Soulless, Gail Carriger
• 163. The Magicians, Lev Grossman
• 162. Fragile Eternity, Melissa Marr
• 161. Ink Exchange, Melissa Marr
• 160. The Professor's Daughter, Joann Sfar & Emmanuel Guibert
• 159. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much, Allison Hoover Bartlett
• 158. Prom Crashers, Erin Downing
• 157. Something Borrowed, Catherine Hapka
• 156. Remember Me?, Sophie Kinsella
• 155. Scary Beautiful, Niki Burnham
• 154. How Not to Spend Your Senior Year, Cameron Dokey
• 153. The Household Guide to Dying, Debra Adelaide
• 152. Borrower of the Night, Elizabeth Peters
• 151. Hush, Hush, Becca Fitzpatrick
• 150. Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult
• 149. Drive Me Crazy, Erin Downing
• 148. Dark of the Moon, Rachel Hawthorne
• 147. Give Up the Ghost, Megan Crewe
• 146. Love Off-Limits, Whitney Lyles
• 145. Devoured, Amanda Marrone
• 144. Whip It, Shauna Cross
• 143. The Ex Games, Jennifer Echols
• 142. Leaving Paradise, Simone Elkeles
• 141. Mediterranean Holiday, Kate Cann
• 140. Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
• 139. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
• 138. Rampant, Diana Peterfreund
• 137. Crazy Beautiful, Lauren Baratz-Logted
• 136. The Hate List, Jennifer Brown
• 135. Blue Moon, Alyson Noel
• 134. Evermore, Alyson Noel
• 133. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
• 132. What I Saw and How I Lied, Judy Blundell
• 131. The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Carrie Ryan
• 130. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer
• 129. Summer Blowout, Claire Cook
• 128. Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater
• 127. New Moon, Stephenie Meyer
• 126. When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead
• 125. Tap and Gown, Diana Peterfreund
• 124. Rites of Spring (Break), Diana Peterfreund
• 123. Under the Rose, Diana Peterfreund
• 122. Secret Society Girl, Diana Peterfreund
• 121. Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
• 120. The Dust of 100 Dogs, A.S. King
• 119. Touch, Francine Prose
• 118. Spires of Stone, Annette Lyon
• 117. Word Gets Around, Lisa Wingate
• 116. A Novel Idea, Aimee Friedman
• 115. Go With Me, Castle Freeman Jr.
• 114. A Dream to Call My Own, Tracie Peterson
• 113. A Love to Last Forever, Tracie Peterson
• 112. A Promise to Believe In, Tracie Peterson
• 111. Work Hard. Be Nice., Jay Mathews
• 110. Sleepless, Terri Clark
• 109. Full Moon, Rachel Hawthorne
• 108. The Actor and the Housewife, Shannon Hale
• 107. A Bride in the Bargain, Deeanne Gist
• 106. Sea Change, Aimee Friedman
• 105. Handbags and Homicide, Dorothy Howell
• 104. Fairy Tale, Cyn Balog
• 103. Magic Study, Maria V. Snyder
• 102. Poison Study, Maria V. Snyder
• 101. The Demon's Lexicon, Sarah Rees Brennan
• 100. Columbine, Dave Cullen
• 99. Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods & Madness Inside 56, Rafe Esquith
• 98. The Flying Troutmans, Miriam Toews
• 97. Deadly Little Secret, Laurie Faria Stolarz
• 96. The Awakening, Kelley Armstrong
• 95. The Summoning, Kelley Armstrong
• 94. Improper English, Katie MacAlister
• 93. Big Boned, Meg Cabot
• 92. Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, Meg Cabot
• 91. Size 12 Is Not Fat, Meg Cabot
• 90. The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren, Wendy Toliver
• 89. She Went All the Way, Meg Cabot
• 88. Amelia and the Outlaw, Lorraine Heath
• 87. Samantha and the Cowboy, Lorraine Heath
• 86. Being Nikki, Meg Cabot
• 85. Airhead, Meg Cabot
• 84. The Mediator 1: Shadowland, Meg Cabot
• 83. Moonlight, Rachel Hawthorne
• 82. Lovesick, Jake Coburn
• 81. The Boyfriend League, Rachel Hawthorne
• 80. A Walk to Remember, Nicholas Sparks
• 79. Flat Belly Diet!, Liz Vaccariello
• 78. Swoon, Nina Malkin
• 77. The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Nightfall, L. J. Smith
• 76. The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion, L. J. Smith
• 75. The Vampire Diaries: The Fury, L. J. Smith
• 74. The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle, L. J. Smith
• 73. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening, L. J. Smith
• 72. Waiting for You, Susane Colasanti
• 71. Major Crush, Jennifer Echols
• 70. Accidentally Dead, Dakota Cassidy
• 69. The Boys Next Door, Jennifer Echols
• 68. The Chosen One, Carol Lynch Williams
• 67. When It Happens, Susane Colasanti
• 66. Breathing, Cheryl Renee Herbsman
• 65. If I Stay, Gayle Forman
• 64. The Swan Maiden, Jules Watson
• 63. The Accidental Werewolf, Dakota Cassidy
• 62. The Summer I Turned Pretty, Jenny Han
• 61. The Housekeeper and the Professor, Yoko Ogawa
• 60. The Middle Place, Kelly Corrigan
• 59. Wings, Aprilynne Pike
• 58. Impossible, Nancy Werlin
• 57. A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick
• 56. Goldengrove, Francine Prose
• 55. Love Undercover, Jo Edwards
• 54. A Map of the Known World, Lisa Ann Sandell
• 53. Prom, Laurie Halse Anderson
• 52. Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies, Erin Dionne
• 51. Dramarama, E. Lockhart
• 50. Outlander, Diana Gabaldon
• 49. North of Beautiful, Justina Chen Headley
• 48. Going Too Far, Jennifer Echols
• 47. Just Listen, Sarah Dessen
• 46. Nutcase, Charlotte Hughes
• 45. What Looks Like Crazy, Charlotte Hughes
• 44. Graceling, Kristin Cashore
• 43. Audrey, Wait!, Robin Benway
• 42. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, Deb Caletti
• 41. Ten Cents a Dance, Christine Fletcher
• 40. Tantalize, Cynthia Leitich Smith
• 39. Sweethearts, Sara Zarr
• 38. Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception: Maggie Stiefvater
• 37. Wondrous Strange, Lesley Livingston
• 36. Looking for Alaska, John Green
• 35. Lady into Fox, David Garnett
• 34. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
• 33. Perfect Chemistry, Simone Elkeles
• 32. Miss Hargreaves, Frank Baker
• 31. City of Glass, Cassandra Clare
• 30. Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr
• 29. City of Ashes, Cassandra Clare
• 28. City of Bones, Cassandra Clare
• 27. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
• 26. The Boy Book, E. Lockhart
• 25. The Boyfriend List, E. Lockhart
• 24. French Milk, Lucy Knisley
• 23. The Travelling Horn Player, Barbara Trapido
• 22. Need, Carrie Jones
• 21. Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, Beth Fantaskey
• 20. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
• 19. Fade, Lisa McMann
• 18. Wake, Lisa McMann
• 17. How I Live Now, Meg Rosoff
• 16. The Silver Kiss, Annette Curtis Klause
• 15. The Dud Avocado, Elaine Dundy
• 14. Story of a Girl, Sara Zarr
• 13. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart
• 12. Inexcusable, Chris Lynch
• 11. Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson
• 10. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, Gabrielle Zevin
• 9. The Girl Who Could Fly, Victoria Forrester
• 8. Enthusiasm, Polly Shulman
• 7. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
• 6. Sunshine, Robin McKinley
• 5. Imagined London, Anna Quindlen
• 4. A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, Nicholas Drayson
• 3. If I Have to Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's my Prince?, Melissa Kantor
• 2. The Love Child, Edith Olivier
• 1. The Host, Stephenie Meyer

The rest of the best of 2009 lists, lazily compressed into one post

Best Fluffy Escapist Bathtub Reading

Soulless, Gail Carriger

• This wins for having a time period realistic yet spunky spinster heroine and a dreamy werewolf romantic interest. And an awesome cover. Oh and an engaging story.

Size 12 Is Not Fat series, Meg Cabot

• In the part of my mind where I am a successful author Meg Cabot is my archnemesis. How does she write so, so many books? I loved Heather and I love that she doesn't lose weight to land a man. And there is something about the NYC dorm setting that takes me back to watching Felicity obsessively with my own college roommates.

Major Crush and The Boys Next Door, Jennifer Echols

• I adore Jennifer Echols! I would happily live inside either of these books. So cute and fun!

Secret Society Girl series, Diana Peterfreund

• Poe tops my book boyfriend list so that already lets you know the affection I have for these books. There's also the vicarious Ivy League experience you get when reading these without having to endure student debt and crushing pressure to achieve. Also the satisfying and suspenseful plots with well drawn characters help.

Simon Romantic Comedies, the entire group

• These books have contributed a great deal to keeping me sane this year throughout various small child induced states of rage and weariness. Bubblegum cartoon cover art mixed with a large font size, predictable in a good way happy endings, and reliably readable in an hour or less. The ideal bathtub reading.

Best Literature for Grownups

Go With Me, Castle Freeman Jr.

• short, chivalrous, creepy, AMAZING ENDING!

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa, Nicholas Drayson

• "A charming love triangle in Nairobi, Kenya, forms the center of a novel that manages to be both sweet and gripping." -Publisher's Weekly
  

The Flying Troutmans, Miriam Troews

• sad, weird, hilarious
  

Lolita, Vladimir Nabakov

• "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul."
  

The Housekeeper and the Professor, Yoko Ogawak

• "Ogawa weaves a poignant tale of beauty, heart, and sorrow in her exquisite new novel." (Publisher's Weekly)
  

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson

This book definitely lived up to the hype surrounding it. I am not one for graphic crime stories so even though I was impressed I won't be reading the next 2 books in the series.

I love Lisbeth! What a fascinating character. I read a review that called her a "feminist avenging angel" and I agree completely. I spent a lot of time worried for her in the book and then wanting to cheer out loud when she got her revenge against her attacker. That scene was crazy-go-nuts in an excellent death-to-perverts kind of way. I was seriously grinning at 2am when I read that part.

The mystery in the story was clever and kept me awake reading far longer than I had planned to because I just had to know the ending. Now my only complaint is the very last page. That made me mad on Lisbeth's behalf and since I don't plan to read the other books I want someone to post a detailed wikipedia entry full of spoilers so I can know if Lisbeth ever tells Mikael how she feels about him. The internet has let me down so far in providing answers.

Keturah and Lord Death, Martine Leavitt

I am not a fan of this book's title and that had held me back from picking it up when I first heard about it. However, I am so glad that I finally read it because it was awesome!

This book is so fascinating. It is a really clever story. I started reading it in the car on the way home from the library and didn't stop until I finished (don't worry I wasn't the one driving). The writing is beautiful and poetic, the characters lovingly drawn, and up until the last page I wasn't sure what was going to happen. I also wasn't sure what I wanted to happen which is unusual for me. In the end I was satisfied with the resolution to the story. This is definitely a book I will be purchasing.

Prada & Prejudice, Mandy Hubbard

This book is cute, high quality fluff. It is ranks up there with my favorite Simon Romantic Comedies. My only complaint was that I think even a ridiculously uninformed and naive 15 year old would understand that "Lady Henrietta" is a title and not a snub to anyone addressed as "Miss Rebecca". That rankled me a bit but the rest of the book is cute and fun. Good escapist stuff.

The King of Attiola, Megan Whalen Turner

"Tell me a story, then," said the king. "Keep me occupied."
"A story?" Phresine was surprised. "What makes you think I can tell stories?"
"Insight," said the king. "Go on."
Phresine protested.
"A story, or I am getting up," threatened the king, and twitched the bedcovers aside.
Phresine, in her turn, conceded defeat. "Very well,"and she smoothed the bedcovers back in place. " I have just the one in mind."
"As long as it isn't instructive."
"How do you mean, my lord?" Phresine was prim again.
"I mean I'm not appearing in this drama. I don't want to hear the story about the wayward, self-indulgent boy who learns the error of his ways and grows up to be a model of decorum and never cuts anybody's head off for spite." (p.272)

Reviews:
Bookshelves of Doom
Angieville
A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy

Needless to say I loved this book! Too tired & sugar high to think let alone to write anything (that's becoming a common problem for me).

The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner

"Calf love doesn't usually survive amputation, Your Majesty."

Megan Whalen Turner is an amazing writer! Not only was this book engaging and suspenseful with its intriguing plot twists but the emotions the story stirs are, for lack of a better descriptor, weirdly compelling.

I read this last night and was unsettled by the romantic twist but after thinking about it more, talking to Nora, and reading reviews online I've come around to being incredibly impressed with this author's abilities to change my quite strong opinions about her characters. I was crushed and so angry/sad (there should be a word for that mix of emotions) for Gen when he returned home to Eddis. I love the Queen of Eddis and Gen's father. The scenes of Gen recovering and trying to figure out a new way to live are so well done.

Maybe I should have seen it coming what with all the flashes of the sad and confused Queen of Attiola throughout the book but I was still very much on "Team-She's-a-Vicious-Bitch" when it became clear that Gen wanted to marry her. I wasn't sure for quite awhile if I should believe his stories of watching the queen and loving her for years. He is after all quite an accomplished liar. This is where the weirdly compelling feelings come in. I kept thinking that Gen might have some strange from of battered woman's syndrome but in the end he really does love her. Which makes me feel a little weird too. But maybe feeling weird about someone being in love with the person who maimed them is the appropriate response. The closing pages of this book are seriously intense. In a good way, of course.

So I'm glad I finally picked these books up. The only problem now is having to wait to read the 4th installment and hoping that there aren't 5 year waits for future volumes.

links to reviews that better convey the awesomeness of these books:

The Thief reviewed at A Chair, A Fireplace, and A Tea Cozy

The Thief reviewed at Bookshelves of Doom, where I heard about it in the first place

Angieville reviews The Queen of Attiola

The Queen of Attiola at A Chair, A Fireplace, and A Tea Cozy

The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner

I'm currently battling the desire to sleep away my entire vacation, eat away my entire vacation, or just sulk away my entire vacation. All things that are making it hard for me to read 17 more books before January 1, 2010 thereby reaching my self-imposed OCD goal of reading a nice even number of books by year's end.

This book made it slightly easier to keep going though. It is very clever, suspenseful, funny, & original. I'm excited to read the 2 sequels and then Nora and I are going to book club it up.

Intelligent thoughts on The Thief might come later (maybe) when I'm done watching Scrooged and eating candy in front of the fire place.

The Dark Divine, Bree Despain

This is a book I have been waiting to read in the same way I wanted to read Beautiful Creatures. And I am starting to really wonder about the wisdom of getting overly excited and having super high expectations for debut novels based only on cover art, promotional summaries, and author blogs. But I am hesitant to just jump right in and say I didn't like this book for several reasons:

#1 Any book that I read following Laurie Halse Anderson is going to seem pedestrian at best and a waste of my time at worst. Even though this is a completely different genre than Wintergirls it is still hard not to constantly compare the quality of writing. And Laurie will always win.

#2 I wonder how much my own expectations contributed to my disappointment. I think if this book had a Simon Romantic Comedy cover and I just picked it up innocently knowing nothing about it I would have liked it. Probably even really liked it. But it is in "take-me-seriously-I-could-be-the-next-Twilight" hardback featuring creepy-pretty cover art on a shiny black background. How could that not set the stage for something more than what The Dark Divine ended up being.

So I guess my verdict would be mixed feelings on this one. I wanted it to be amazing and it wasn't. But it was interesting and entertaining at times. On a teen supernatural fluff scale of Vampire Diaries being drivel (0) and Twilight or The Summoning & The Awakening being high art (10) this falls in the middle with the Alyson Noel books or Deadly Little Secret being passable ("in a pinch") but one would definitely put them down for a while if Golden Girls was on TV (5).

Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson

Dear Laurie Halse Anderson,

Why are you so great? That is all I want to know. How do you do it?

Sincerely, Me

Seriously. She is amazing. How does she remember so much about being a teenage girl and use those memories to create specific and unique characters who are at the same time universal? It goes without saying that Speak is one of the best books I've ever read. It is incredibly well written but part of my opinion does come from my own personal high school experiences. That book was a book made for me. I wish I had read it when I was 15, 16, 17. I think it would have helped me so much then. It helped me now as a fully fledged grownup.

So, Wintergirls has been on my shelf all year ever since it came out. I knew I wanted to read it because I plan to eventually read everything that Laurie has written but I just never picked it up. I think part of me was a little scared to start reading it. I knew it would be sad, depressing, and most likely quite painfully brutal to read. But I was also sure it would be amazing. And I was completely correct in my predictions.

I read it in one sitting alternately panicking about what would be on the next page and crying my tired little eyes out. The moment with Lia and her mom discussing how mothers can recognize their babies by scent. I could not stop crying! It is just so, so sad and tender. I could probably write forever about this book but I don't want to go there at the moment.

What I liked the most came at the end when Lia got angry at all the wasted time and experiences she had missed along the way being so utterly consumed by her illness. I relate to that. I think there is a line that you come to where you can decide you want to work on getting better or that you are going to keep working at whatever self-destructive tendency you've been dealt. I remember feeling that way that if I didn't wake up and start doing something different years would go by and I would be the same sad person. Did I want to be 25, 30, 40 dealing with the same issues?

And I loved the last page:

"There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward: an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn't matter anymore. I am thawing." (p.278)

Fallen, Lauren Kate

This was an impulse buy yesterday at Costco based mostly on the creepy-pretty cover. I read the entire thing last night and was not regretting my random purchasing for once. Lauren Kate does a great job building suspense and a creepy atmosphere (matching the creepy cover very nicely). I loved the romance and the characters were really well done. The plot was a little reminiscent of the Alyson Noel Immortals series but in a vastly superior way. The Immortals series seriously aggravated me when I read them. Its a great premise but irritatingly executed. I love that the idea of a couple finding each other in multiple lives over and over again was taken up by a more skilled writer. I can't wait to read the next one in this series.

How It Ends, Laurie Wiess

This book was incredibly depressing! It was probably not the best choice for me at the moment considering I am in the midst of yet another illness induced depression/seasonal affective disorder couple of days. I had thought from the blurbs I'd read it would be a story more about a teenage girl growing up and dealing with My So Called Life type moments but instead the story was a lot heavier with an emphasis on the really creepy and sad life experiences of the elderly neighbors of said teenage girl. This comment from the book sums it up better than I could:

"I can't take this story," I said, turning off the CD player. "First it's a tragedy, then a horror story, then a romance, and now it's what, a back-to-the-land thing? It's a roller coaster, Gran, and no matter where I think it's going, it never goes there." (p. 297)

I was also stunned by the sheer number of issues that were touched on in this one novel. We had animal taxidermy, animal rescue, euthanasia, Parkinson's disease, health care for the elderly, illegitimacy, eugenics/sterlization, foster care/orphanages, Nazis/horrific war violence, venereal diseases, teenage love, and I am absolutely positive that I have forgotten several other topics that you could build an afterschool special or lifetime tv movie around... needless to say A LOT was going on in this book.

Which ended up being a little too much for me but I did enjoy isolated parts of the book. I loved the brief sections describing Helen & Lon's happy early days of marriage. That was very sweet and touching. I also liked how stable and good Hanna's parents were even though they were pretty much background characters. I liked Jess a lot too and wish that he had a bigger part in the book. And I thought Hanna's teenage girl angst and excitement were very realistic- almost annoyingly so! But I know from experience that being a teenage girl is a very obnoxious stage of life to endure.

Lips Touch: Three Times, Laini Taylor

I saw this mentioned in NPR's 2009 Best YA Fiction list and was intrigued. The cover art is a little vivid to my taste but I am so, so glad that I ordered this one. It is such a clever book. 3 short stories (novellas? I never know which term to use) all centered on the theme of kisses with some serious consequences. The stories are supernatural and otherworldy and so beautifully written. I liked the illustrations within the book, the experience of reading shorter stories, and the overall feel of this book. Everything comes together in a lovely way. My favorite story is "Spicy Little Curses" because in the end I am always going to be a happily ever after kind of girl.

I also loved discovering that the author has fun pink hair and a baby named Clementine! What a cute blog! I'm excited to read more of Laini Taylor's books.

Crush Du Jour, Micol Ostow

Another super cute and super fast reading Simon Romantic Comedy. This one was a little weak on leading man but strong on spunky heroine and funny one liners so I was ok with that. I liked reading all the descriptions of the food at the restaurant, the cooking class, and of Laine's own creations. Cuteness all around. And now I am a happy teacher who just has to grit her teeth through one more day with demon babies until vacation!

Silent on the Moor, Deanna Raybourn

I am pretending that this pretty UK cover on the left is the edition that I bought at Borders. I really don't understand marketing- particularly why one would assume that only UK readers would be drawn in by the promise of vintage looking fonts, an engraving-type illustration of the moors, and an authentic looking Victorian woman on the cover but to lure American readers one would need to see heaving bosoms with tawdry, inaccurate sartorial choices. In short the type of cover that makes me want to fashion my own dust jackets so I can read with no shame in public.

So I was very relieved (after I finished being irritated) to find the pretty UK versions that I now want to order. Which I totally plan to do. By book 3 I have had a complete about face in opinion on this series. I loved this book and I love the characters. I love Lady Julia and Brisbane and Portia and Mr. Pugglesworth and Morag and pretty much everyone else. I also loved the humor in this one, the Wuthering Heights references, and most of all I loved the ending. I am really glad that there is a 4th book coming out and I hope that the series will be ongoing.

Now that I am on friendly terms with Lady Julia I want to go back and reread Silent in the Grave and potentially get over my issues with it. I think owning my own pretty copies of these books will probably help me with that as well. I do think Silent in the Grave has one of the most clever openings I've read in a long time which I can't believe I didn't mention in my initial thoughts:

"To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor."

Silent on the Moors is definitely my favorite of the 3 books. Here are some favorite lines:

"Oh, isn't that just like a man to ruin a thrilling romantic gesture by leaving as soon as you've come rushing up here to sweep him into your arms and declare your love for him?"

...even if her clothes look like something out of a primer on modesty.

"I offered because I knew you would never be able to resist the chanace to play the coquette and thrust yourself at Brisbane."

"Oh, yes. I mean to marry him. But not because I want him to give me a life. I want to marry him to share the life I already have. The difference, I think you will find, is a significant one."

All in all, a very satisying book. There were a lot of excellent swoony parts near the end that I very much appreciated as well.

Silent in the Sanctuary, Deanna Raybourn

Even though I had some issues with the first book in this series, Silent in the Grave, I liked it well enough to pursue the sequel. And I am really glad that I did. The pace of the story moves much quicker in this one and there was much less of the obnoxious anachronistic attitudes that bothered me so much in the first book.

All combined this story had an engaging and suspenseful plot, much less dithering by Lady Julia, and was overall a much more satisfying book to read. I stayed up way too late to finish the book in one sitting last night as opposed to the first book that I had to force myself to keep reading over a stretch of about a week.

My big (and really only) complaint about Silent in the Sanctuary is the horrific cover art. Unfortunately, the cheesy romance novel bare shoulders cover on the left is the one I was forced to buy at Borders. The cover on the right is just so, so much prettier. I will admit that I am easily shamed enough to feel that the bookstore clerk wouldn't judge me and make snap judgments about me being a a sad cat lady getting my smut fix if I was buying the pretty and much classier cover. Sadly that was not an option for me. Even sadder is the fact that this book is not a smutty romance but a well done historical mystery.

I also really don't like when book covers in a series don't match so its frustrating to read this post at the author's blog and realize that the new direction is with the shoulder flaunting covers not the pretty England evoking covers. I liked seeing I'm not the only one who agrees about the new covers either. (http://thebooksmugglers.com/2009/05/book-review-silent-in-the-sanctuary-by-deanna-raybourn.html)

Now I am excited to read the next installment. I am hoping for more Julia & Brisbane quality time!

Crocodile on the Sandbank, Elizabeth Peters

Elizabeth Peters' has a wonderfully distinctive and entertaining voice. I loved Borrower of the Night when I read it earlier this year and I have had Amelia Peabody on my list ever since then. Especially since I read this enthusiastic review of Crocodile on the Sandbank at the Book Smugglers.

I am too tired and routine-childhood-illness-as-an-adult-depressed to write anything clever about why I enjoyed reading this but I loved the book. Amelia is hilarious and frequently wielding a parasol as a weapon while telling people that she is "on the job". The romantic tension and bickering between Emerson and Amelia is so much fun to read. Here is one of my favorite Emerson moments:

"Not wounded, not dying, merely enjoying a ladylike swoon," said Emerson's familiar, detestable voice. "Allow me to congratulate you, Peabody; it is the first time I have seen you behave as a lady is supposed to do. I must make a note of it in my journal."(p.217)

I am looking forward to reading the rest of Amelia's adventures. And to being free of diseases carried by children.

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, Leanna Renee Hieber

This book was a mild letdown to me. I had read such fevered and excited reviews online referencing gothic novels, Greek mythology, forbidden romance, Victorian London.... it seemed impossible that I wouldn't love (or at least like) this book. But as seems to happen to me more often than not having overly high expectations leads to disappointment.

All in all it was moderately entertaining and a quick read but I never really cared for any of the characters. I ended up skimming a lot of the ominous magical parts. I did like how Percy spoke so many languages and how her physical appearance was so intriguingly described. At this point I don't see myself being interested enough to read the sequel when it is published.

Silent in the Grave, Deanna Raybourn

This is difficult for me to sum up in a few words. It's much easier when I love it or hate it but this one falls somewhere in the middle. The story was clever and engaging. I was definitely hooked and wanted to keep reading but there were many stretches that felt slow and in need of editing to me. I didn't need to read about Lady Julia dithering back and forth for several paragraphs every time she did something reckless. I also didn't need to read her frequent asides of "if I had known then what I know now" throughout the book.

I did really like Julia and Brisbane quite a bit though. The characters were much stronger than the drawn out writing style. This book definitely fell into the "girls who are forward thinkers ahead of their time trap" which is one of my biggest pet peeves. Small doses of that I can handle but this was a little much for my taste. It takes me out of the story and has me questioning the author's motives. Which is not what I am looking for in a reading experience.

Despite these issues I did really enjoy this book and I am planning to read the next two installments as soon as I can get them from the library. I am definitely hoping for more Brisbane & Julia romance them.

Paradise Lost: Book One, John Milton

As seems to happen more speedily each year the holidays have arrived. I can't believe there are only 20 days left in 2009 and that means only 20 days left to add to my reading list. When I started this blog last January I was absolutely convinced that I would read many more books than I have at this point. So in the grand tradition of last ditch cramming I am attempting to get the numbers up. Why does it really matter? It doesn't, of course, but I tend to be pretty OCD about these things.

Which brings me to Paradise Lost. Not only have I not read as many books as I anticipated but I also have read a steady diet of Young Adult, fluff, or some combination of Young Adult & Fluff. Paradise Lost is one of those "someday I'll read that just not today" books for me so yesterday in my self-pity shopping trip to Barnes & Noble I took a deep breath and bought a copy.

Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful seat,
Sing heavenly Muse. (1-6)

What in me is dark,
Illumine; what is low, raise and support!
That to the height of this great argument
I may assert eternal Providence,
And justify the ways of God to men. (22-26)

tears, such as angels weep, burst forth, at last
words interwove with sighs found out their way (620-621)

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading the first book. The poetry is beautiful and clear.

I have been using the following sites for more information:

Milton Reading Room

Gustave Dore's Paradise Lost Illustrations