What I am reading: November 2012 and thoughts on e-books

So far I have packed just on 24 boxes of books while putting about 164 out to be taken by passer-bys. I probable have only a few more boxes to pack (of books!) and about 20-30 more books to give away. We have also packed 4 boxes of clothes, which 1. tells you how many clothes we have in comparison to printed material and 2. that we actually will need to take clothes in suitcases with us for the 7-10 weeks that it will take our container to follow us.

One might think that I would be reading a lot while I pack books away, and to a certain extent I have been. But mostly, I have been reading on my reader,  A new Lois McMaster Bujold came out and after reading it, I realized that when I bought the hardback copy of Cryoburn from Baen, it inclued a CD with a large majority of her Vorkosigan books on it. So I reread them all. Then I bought one that wasn't on the compilation and reread it. Then I reread Captain Vorpatril's Alliance and then I reread Cryoburn.

This is what I mean by saying that when I buy a hardcover, I should get an e-copy included. When I bought that HB of Cryoburn, I already owned everything that Bujold had written. But all those books were (and are) in storage. The HB cost the equivalent of buying 5 of those books in e-form (Baen prices its non-DRMed books at a very reasonable $6/copy when it is out of e-ARC form). So rather than waiting until this new book came out in PB, I went ahead and bought it in HC and Baen included a mass of interesting other material (including speeches given, travel commentary, and previous books in the series). They weren't all included, and so when I went on this reading jag I re-purchased one and may go ahead and purchase another and now they have even more incremental income.
And while I was there, I bought a few monthly bundles, and thus some books I wasn't interested in (whose authors I will now give a try) because at $18 for the monthly bundle, if three of the books intrigue me, taking a gamble on the others that I get for free is well worth it (it's a great upsell). And this is what publishers should be doing, rather than setting their prices above a PB price, not ever re-adjusting prices (as the books age and the PB comes out) and basically making it cheaper and easier for me to buy the physical book when, by heavens, I (and my poor beleaguered spouse) want to stop buying the majority of non-specialized (cookbooks, illustrated books, pop up books, children's books) in physical form.

So, here is my November reading jag:

1.  Steel's Edge (Nov 27, 2012)by Ilona Andrews: the last of her Edge series and a good read. Now waiting for her next Kate Daniels book.
2. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance  (Nov 6, 2012)by Lois McMaster Bujold:Started off my reading jag and winds up Ivan Vorpatril's stories. Comes before Cryoburn in internal chronology.
3. Cordelia's Honor (1999): Shards of Honor and Barrayar (Hugo winner).
4. Young Miles (2003):  previously published in parts as The Warrior's Apprentice, The Mountains of Mourning, and The Vor Game.
5.  Miles Errant (2002): Originally published as Borders of Infinity, Brothers in Arms, and Mirror Dance.
6.  Miles, Mystery and Mayhem (2003): previously published in parts as Cetaganda, Ethan of Athos, and Labyrinth. This is the first unified edition.
7. Memory (1997): Miles sabotages himself out of his Naismith life. Is it possible to find meaning afterward.
8. Miles in Love (2008):  Two complete novels and a short novel in one large volume: Komarr, A Civil Campaign and Winterfair Gifts— which I hadn't read before.
9. Miles, Mutants and Microbes (2008): Two complete novels and a short novel in one large volume: Falling Free, Labyrinth, Diplomatic Immunity.
10. Cryoburn (Sept 27, 2011): The culmination of the story arch that started before Miles' birth as Aral Vorkosigan's story comes to an end. I was so sorry to see the end of the Vorkosigan saga, so glad to see that there would be another, and dearly hope that we may see another focussing on Miles and his young family and extended family.
    

What I am reading: October 2012

It's clear that reading e-books significantly increases the number of books that I read. As does not taking a German class this semester, travelling for extended car trips, visiting cities without the kids (to consider moving there) and so on.

My internet was down for 11 days (fodder for another post), so I'll just get this up now- I wasn't able to write reviews while I was reading, but, without internet or TV, I did read an awful lot.

1. Cotillion (1953) by Georgette Heyer: Obviously a re-read. (E-book)
2. Cut, Crop & Die by Joanne Campbell Slan: Liked the free dowload enough to buy another one. Enjoyed the single mom crafter protagonist.  (E-book)
3. Ring of Fire III by Eric Flint: Short stories filling in interim gaps in the Ring of Fire world. (Baen E-book)
4. 1635: Papal Stakes (Oct 2012) by Eric Flint and Charles Gannon: (Baen E-book)
5. Fire Season by David Weber and Jane Lindskold: The sequel to A Beautiful Friendship (reviewed last month) continues the introduction of tree cats to Manticorean society and the founding of the Harrington clan. Loved it. (Baen E-book)
6. Bloodstone (A Reluctant Witch Mystery) by Barbra Annino :  (E-book)
7. In Deep Voodoo by Stephanie Bond:  Fluffy and free- I liked this story set in Louisiana. (E-book)
8. Longeye by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: This is the sequel to Duainfey, which I haven't read. Very different from Lee/Miller's Korval series, this is the story of a part-Fey human, taken to the world where the Fey rule. (Baen E-book)
9. Cast in Peril by Michelle Sagara:  Another in the Elantris series. Eagerly awaited, as always. (E-book)
10. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson: I have had this floating around for a while, finally read and enjoyed it very much. Sandersin is a great writer.(E-book)
11. Princess Paisley by Chautona Havig: A bit Christian for my tastes, but the fairy tale was nice. (E-book)
12. Emile and the Dutchman by Joel Rosenberg: (Baen E-book)
13. A Fall of Water
14. The Force of Wind
15. This Same Earth
16. A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter: Liked this quartet of books enough thata fter reading the first (free) download, I bought the remainder of the series. Extremely well-written vampire series, with a connection to the elements.  (all E-books)
17. Always the Designer, Never the Bride 
18. Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker: Free Amazon downloads, set in the same group of friends who find happiness and relationships. Nice, light reads.(E-book)
19. Trouble in Mudbug (Ghost-in-law mystery) by Jane DeLeon: Free download. Light mystery with ghost, a protagonist who is a scientist, and an investigator love interest who respects her. Enjoyed it. (E-Book) 

What I am Reading: September 2012

It's a weird month: I feel like I have been sleeping a lot (and I have), but reading a lot. It's amazing how much time I have when I am not taking a language class full time. I've been a bit unwell, but am feeling better and hope to be more energetic by next month. The huge number of e-books I have read make it clear that when I can bring books with me wherever I go, and start a new one whenever I want, I read a lot more. Clearly, I have also watched less TV (except the Castle season opener— va-voom! and done almost no blogging:-). Also some bunches of time spent waiting for appointments (it's interesting to see how I have become extraordinarily punctual (to far too early) whenever I don't have the dead weight of having to get the kids ready too: it's as if I lose 100 pounds and cover the distance in half the time.

1. Making Money (2007) by Terry Pratchett: Was given a copy of this recently and (re-read) it. One of the Moist von Lipwig series, as he is recruited from the Ankh-Morpork Post Office to revitalize the financial system and the Royal Mint. Moving from the Gold Standard might be easier if he had an idea as to what the basis for his new "notes" currency might be.... Lots of fun and I need to see if I missed the foreshadowed next novel when von Lipwig fixes the tax system. This copy is a bit mildewy (and I am very sensitive to book blight) so I will be passing it on.
2. Green Rider (1998) by Kristen Britain: I think I first picked this up when it was published and couldn't get into it. Given a free copy at Worldcon this year, I tried again. Still couldn't get through it.
3. Invisible Pleasures (2005) by Mary Frances Zambreno: A nice collection of stories with women protagonists as the unifying theme.
4. Stalking the Zombie (2012) by Mike Resnick: The con book for Chicon 7 collects all the John Justin Mallory shorts (and an extra for the con), starring a hard-boiled detective who falls into "another" Manhattan, where demons, leprechauns and cat people are reality. The feel is 1940's and the first of these stories appeared in 1991 (the last 2012, of course). Lots of fun.
5. Masters of the Galaxy (2012) by Mike Resnick: Amusing to read this next to the above, as it is a collection of Resnick's short stories featuring Jake Masters, a Noir detective in the future. The last story, Real Jake, appears here for the first time (and is the weakest) but the whole collection is fun, Golden-Agey and light.
6. A Host of Furious Fancies (pubbed in this format 9/1/12)by Mercedes Lackey and and Rosemary Edghill:  This book is comprised of Beyond World’s End and Spirits White as Lightning, originally published Jan 2001 Dec 2001. I looked those dates up on Kirkus and it was amazing how they panned the first and gave a good review to the second. In actuality, I liked them both and thought the writing level was roughly equivalent. I think there is a series related to this, but I haven't read it. These stories follow Eric Banyon as he returns, from Faerie, to Juilliard, to finish his degree and reintegrate in the human world. (Baen E-book)  
7. Monster Hunter Legion by Larry Correia : The 4th book in the Monster Hunters series (I picked the other I have read, Monster Hunter Vendetta, up in a Baen bundle as well).  I found it, once again, light and amusing male-oriented fantasy. (Baen E-book)
8. Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews (2012):  This should have been listed last month, as I pre-ordered it and read it as soon as it came out (on July 31), but I didn't finish it before I posted my last book list. Although this is the 6th in the Kate Daniels series, it's actually an Andrea Nash novel, starring Kate's hyena-Were partner, formerly Order Knight , Andrea. A good story, going deeper into her motivations and character (touched upon a sshe has been present in the former books), giving us Kate and Curran as side-plot, and allowing us to explore more of the interesting world they inhabit. I liked it a lot. The Magic Gifts novella, which I had already read, is included and is a stand-alone 100+page story starring Kate and Curran and a misadventure as they attempt to have a normal date night. Also wonderful. Ilona Andrews is one of my favorite authors (yes, I know she is a husband/wife writing team). (E-book)
9. Ghost Ship (Aug /1/11) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: I'm a  huge fan of the Liaden universe and this is another set in the Theo Waitley cycle. Since Theo is growing up in this series, as a Liaden and a pilot raised in a non-Liaden world by those who don't understand pilots, I assume the cycle is aimed a bit at the YA market. Here Theo starts to see how her destiny will take her into the machinations and turmoil between the Department of the Interior and Liad and why she is entangled.
   
10. Dragon Ship (Sep /1/12) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: This is what e-books are all about. After picking up Ghost Ship at Worldcon and reading it, I looked up its sequel, saw I could get it at Baen, purchased a package (which included some of the other Baen books you see here) and was able to enjoy reading it immediately. Theo has finally formed a temporary partnership with the Ancient ship that has been looking for her, as they both decide whether to make the Pilot/Ship relationship permanent. She takes on crew, meets her relatives, and the Department of the Interior evinces determined interest. We also learn far more of the Uncle and there is news of Daav and Aelliana. Can't wait for the next! (The downside of getting a sequel as soon as I want it is now waiting more than a year for the one after!) (Baen E-book)
11. How to Drive a Dragon Crazy (2012) by G.A. Aiken: I find Aiken (aka S. laurenston) extremely amusing. Under her other name, she writes about animal shifters (wolf, dog, bear, hyenas etc, and their clans); under this name she writes about Dragon shifters and the fantasy world of magic and gods that they live in. This is the story of Éibhear the Blue and Izzy, about ten years after we last saw them. They are both war hardened and finally ready for each other. Always fun series. (E-book)
12. A Beautiful Friendship (Oct 2011) by David Weber:  Weber returns to his Honorverse, but centuries before Honor Harrington's time, to the original colonization of  Sphinx. Stephanie Harrington is a teen taken away from her friends and now on a far more dangerous planet, with her normal freedoms curtailed. But she is smart, has great parents and is always curious. That curiosity leads herto discover what seems to be nabbing the "celery" that the colonists are growing and the answer turns out to be a hitherto undiscovered native species. I thought this was a great book and I expect it should be great for my older daughter somewhere around 6th grade (although for SF&F reading children, maybe even earlier). I expect I will pick the sequel up next month. (Baen E-book)
13. Opal Fire (A Reluctant Witch Mystery) (March 2, 2011)by Barbra Annino:  I picked this up when it was offered free and I really enjoyed it (not always the case). Stacey Justice is a reporter, but she is also the daughter and niece of witches and has a role to play: a role she has been rebelling against. In this debut novel, her cousin's bar goes up in flames and she needs to use both her reporter's intelligence and her witch connections to understand why and prevent her cousin from being jailed for arson. I liked it and bought the next one (showing the success of the free book program at getting readers to try new authors. (Free Amazon E-book)
14. Ring of Fire II (ed. Eric Flint)(1/27/09): I forget how much I enjoy Flints' shared universe (from his 1632 series) until I read something else in it again. He does a very good job of editing in this collection and I am glad that it was included in a Baen bundle- to my non-professional eye, all the historical bits are reasonable (in a sideways world) and it seems the authors do some research. I like the novella by Flint at the end best, but enjoyed all the stories.(Baen E-book) 
15. 1634: The Baltic War by Eric Flint and David Weber (10/28/08): It's actually really hard to say anything about this inter-linked series based on the concept that an unknown alien force called the "Ring of Fire" has brought a small West Virginian mining town back to the Germanies in 1632 (the starting book). The history as it starts (and then starts to change as the world reacts to the history in the libraries)is so well-researched and so interestingly moved sideways (as the world that was will never be the world that will now be, but people do things like murder individuals who would have been party to events in the future) that I just find it fascinating to read. Partly because I like the time period, partly because it is set in the Germanies not far from where I live. For instance, here  France, Spain, England, and Denmark— in the League of Ostend —are besieging the German city of Lübeck, a seaside area not far from me and a base of American naval strength. (Baen E-book)
16. 1635: The Dreeson Incident  by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce (8/31/10):  In this, a significant event takes place that allows the up-timers to used the CoCs to create a Krystalnacht that tries to remove the taint from the word. (Baen E-book)
17. 1635: The Eastern Front  by Eric Flint (11/29/11):  This really leads directly into the following book and since I read them one after the other, it's hard to separate which part is in which. Here Stearns loses the presidency to Wilhelm Wettin and Gustavus Adolphus brings him in as a general into the army, leading the USE (United States of Europe) brigades. There is more development of Princess Kristina of Sweden and Prince Ulrik of Denmark.(Baen E-book)
18. 1636: The Saxon Uprising by Eric Flint (3/27/12): Oxenstern pulls an Alexander Haig (I am in Charge) when Adolphus is injured and attempts to destroy the political compacts binding the Empire. Rebecca Abrabenal shows her stuff and there is both a Polish incursion and a siege of Dresden (which I have visited several times). Waiting for the sequel:-).(Baen E-book)
19. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning:  This was another free Amazon book (and even more successful at pulling me in than the above, as I wound up buying the rest of the series and reading through it in just a few days.) (book 1)(free Amazon E-book)
20. Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning:  (book 2)(E-book)
21. Faefever by Karen Marie Moning:(book 3)  (E-book)
22. Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning:(book 4) (E-book)
23. Shadowfever, A MaccKayla Lane Novel by Karen Marie Moning: (book 5 and last) I very much enjoyed this series, which became far more intense (and triggering with a graphic and violent rape) than I had expected. Some serious end of the world activity. I very much enjoyed the growth of the characters, the description of what would happen as the Fae impinge on humanity (spoiler- humanity doesn't have much of a chance) and the writing. I read these so quickly, just to find out what would happen next, that I expect I will read them again to enjoy the story at a slower pace. But definitely not for children!(E-book)

What I am Reading: August 2012

Trying to get through more books, so that a bunch can hit the discard/donate pile and more can be sealed up and dropped into the basement:

1. Rose Cottage (1997) by Mary Stewart: Only a few left to read in the 13 re-issued "A Mary Stewart Modern Classic" and this is the only one that I had not read before. A sweet novel, with a flashback to the earlier (50 years earlier, in 1947) life of the narrator. A redeeming story of reclaiming life after the war as Kate Herrick, a war widow, returns to the village where she was raised by her grand-parents to pack up the cottage which is slated for renovation and sale.
2. Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes (2010) by Elizabeth Bard: Now this is more like what I am looking for in an expat story than the poseur one I read last week (although it was lightly enjoyable). A real expat, going through much the same trauma as the rest of us, with recipes (some of which actually sound worth trying).
3. The Trouble with Chickens (a JJ Tully Mystery) by Doreen Cronin (illus by Kevin Cornell) (2011): A hard-boiled detective story with a "retired" search and rescue dog as the reluctant noir hero. A chicken comes to him for help finding her missing chick and there's betrayal, a nemesis and the "start of a beautiful partnership". Not certain either of the kids are ready for this, as my 9 and 6 year old would have no concept of what noir actually means and therefore I am not certain they could get the humor. I found it funny, but not enough. The tentative grade level is 3-7 and ages 8-12 and I'm not certain if that will work, but I will put it on T1's book shelf and see whether she is interested in the next few years.
4. damsel (2009) by S.E. Connolly (illus by Axel Rator) (2009): A charming book. Aimed at age 8-10 and in my view exactly fitting that spot (and under and over as well: I enjoyed it). Annie Brave is a damsel-in-training, but her father, Tristan Brave, hero-at-large is missing and she thinks that she would rather be a hero and save him than wait for someone else to show. Many adventures and a friend later (whom she rescues from a giant spider), Annie finds her father and lots of other heroes, who all assume that the boy must be the protagonist. A wonderful story and it's going right on my daughters' book shelf. I only wish that S.E. Connolly had written more and hope she is taking time (between taking care of animals, as she is a vet) to write more wonderfully feminist childrens' books.
5. Berlin Game (1983) by Len Deighton: I'm trying to read more local color books as we consider leaving Berlin this year. Reading this made me realize how very well I now the area that Bernard Samson is travelling in: he was raised in Berlin after the war, works for Britain's Secret Service, and is being called back to Berlin to attempt o rescue the Brahms 4 network. Brahms 4 trusts no one (and should not, as there is a high level leak in London) except Bernard, whose life he saved. Because this is the first of a trilogy, and the first trilogy of a set of three, this will go back on my shelf to be referred to as I acquire the others (and I will). I had forgotten how much I enjoy Deighton's work.
6. Chalice (9/08) by Robin McKinley: This is just a re-read before I pack it away. I do love McKinley. This is basically Beauty and the Beast, but with a world where demesnes are held together with earthlines and individuals of a Bloodline and power hold the world firm.Mirasol's demesne lost its Master and its Chalice and she became the Chalice, with no preparation or training, leaving behind her woodright. The Master's brother had been sent to the Elemental Mages and there is no other left: the brother attempts to return from the path to Fire, but he has gone almost to far. Together, the new Master and his Chalice attempt to re-enforce the stability of the earthlines against internal and external stress.
7. Nom de Plume (6/11) by Carmela Ciuraru: A who's who list of pseudonyms: Bröntes, Sand, Eliot,Carroll,Twain with many others ending at Pauline Reage. I enjoyed it very much and it was a great book to pick up, read a story (and learn something, even if I had already been aware) and put down again- for me less than 10 minutes a chapter and thus a great book to have going while reading something else.
8. and I shall have some peace there (trading in the fast-lane for my own dirt road) (2/11) by Margaret Roach: Not unexpected that after both 9/11 and the worst Depression since the Great, there area  spate of books about being downsized/leaving jobs/changing one's life. Ms. Roach was the former editorial director of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and after 9/11, she decided that it was time to make a change in her life: to make her 20-year weekend retreat her pepermanent home. It took several years because of the issues occurring at her employer as well as externalities and so she managed to "retire" into the Depression and need to worry about her freelance income. But the hardest thing is for her to just "relax" into a non-frenetic lifestyle and to become happy inside her own head.  It was hard for me to empathize with her, even as she (a non-cat person) adopts a cat and seems to exhibit some warmth. The following book was more my speed.
9. Slow Love (8/11) by Dominique Browning: Ms. Browning was the editor-in-chief of Conde Nast (famous for its cannibalistic and back stabbing ways) House and Garden when it folded in 2007 with little notice. Unlike Margaret Roach's decision, it was involuntary and as a divorced mom she had two children to be concerned with (although both were out of the house, one in law school and one in college). As Browning learns to slow down, re-discover a sense of worth without a f-t office job, sells her Westchester home (to decrease her expenses), discovers that a long-term relationship (Mr Big-style) could only exist when she was too busy to actually value herself,  re-shapes her life and moves to her second home, she deals with her own fears and those of her children as she finds new work that allows her to have a "slow"er life, working at what she loves from home. I liked this book and what I discovered of Ms. Browning and her family.
10. following atticus (9/2011)by Tom Ryan: Tom Ryan adopts a puppy and changes his life- going from a non-athletic truth-seeking newspaper owner/editor in a small New Hampshire town to someone who, with his small dog, climbs all of New Hampshire's 48 (over 4,000 foot) mountain peaks to memorialize a friend. Then they climb them again in the winter and again and again until it culminates in a life change. I used to hike the Adirondacks and a few other peaks and I miss it: it's great to read that someone can start (again) in his 40's and that even a puppy can do so as well! (Although I have no urge for winter camping and I love staying in the mountains, not bagging peaks, per se.)
11. Plain Truth (2000) by Jodi Picoult: This was in a bag of books an expat leaving Berlin gave me. The alleged murder of a newborn in the Amish community in Lancaster County, PA brings defense attorney Ellie Hathaway to defend the accused girl. We get a look at some of the intricacies of the Amish, how the young are treated, how one is in the Faith and the relationship with the excommunicated or banned. Not my usual type of book, but I finished it.
12. Cassandra Rising (1978) ed. by Alice Laurance: I ordered this from Amazon used (it's a library discard) some time ago because it includes several stories that I had not read from authors whose stories I always want to read. The foreword by the editor makes it clear how women were still on the outskirts of SF normality in the late 70's. Some of the comments on the stories also make it clear that sexism is the standard, not the exception.  The concept was (19) stories by women in the SF field, some already top names, some up and coming (think Chelsea Quinn Yarbro before the first St. Germain novel!). As one would expect from the title, the general tenor is dystopian (before that became a standardized theme), with a few exception. In the Garden by Zenna Henderson, a favorite, is the best in the book. Night-Rise by Katherine MacLean was very different than anything I remembered, The Vanillamint Tapestry by jacqueline Lichtenberg made me remember why I had enjoyed her work so much in the past, and there were many others worth reading.

What I am Reading: July 2012

It's amazing how many books one can read when one is jetlagged. I'm working my way through a backlog of books some from BEA's of several years past, while trying to clear the shelves off (and waiting for the new Ilona Andrews to be out the 31st).

1. Apocolypse to Go (A Nola O'Grady novel) (2012) by Katharine Kerr: It's been a while since I have read anything by Kerr- this is a paranormal with the "Apocolypse Squad", a group that interfaces with the parallel worlds that have been discovered (and are the current "hot" theme). Secret Agen Nola O'Grady and her Israeli seconded partner (also in life) Ari, need to rescue a family member in a parallel and danger SF. Fun read, not very deep. (DTB)
2. Villain School: Good Curses Evil (2011) by Stephanie S. Sanders: This book is aimed at grades 3-6 and has been sitting on my shelf since I picked it up at a BEA some time ago. I read it to see whether it was appropriate for my soon-to-be fourth grader and it is (although since it is in English, I'll say there may be some words she won't understand).Rune is the son of the headmaster of a school for wayward villains (children that have done good deeds, rather than bad), but it seems like his father is stricter with him than with the other students. Rune is given the chance to run a Plot, an evil scheme quest, with two of his friends, against a team lead by his roommate. If he wins, he and his friends will be promoted: if he loses, exiled. A very enjoyable story with lots of character and world development and I think T1 will enjoy it very much (as will other children who like Monster High figurines). There's a second out and I will read it, even if T1 doesn't;-).(ARC)
3. Life is not a Stage (2011) by Florence Henderson with Joel Brokaw: A memoir from Florence Henderson, obviously. Not very "tell all", though she had a brief wild period between two very long marriages (and though she is very kind and lays no blame, it is clear that the first marriage was not a physically satisfying one). Very interesting to see a glimpse into how people handled family planning as Catholics in the 20-60's, to see how the abuse of children was handled (that is, ignored)  and wonderful to read how Florence survived an abusive and neglectful childhood and became a warm and confident wman, with long and strong friendships and a close family. I enjoyed the book.(ARC)
4. Tension City (2011) by Jim Lehrer: A memoir of (a part of) Jim Lehrer's long career: that of being the moderator of almost a dozen Presidential debates, in their varying (some successful and some not) formats. Very interesting to read how someone who was there felt and what he saw. I got this at a BEA breakfast, at which he chatted a bit about the writing: a very warm and intelligent man. (ARC)
5. Wishing for tomorrow (the sequel to The Little Princess) (2009) by Hilary McKay:  I'll talk more about getting this book in another post. But the book itself is, as billed, a "sequel" to Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1905 A Little Princess. It picks up after Sara has left Miss Minchin's establishment, leaving behind girls who were friends and those who were not. The protagonist is Ermengard, Sara's closest friend among the girls, and the subject is the lives of those left behind. I enjoyed it very much and it will go to T1 next year, after I have read the original to her. I also very much enjoyed the illustrations by Nick Maland, and I felt they added much to the period charm of the book.(DTB)
6. Shades of Milk and Honey (2010) by Mary Robinette Kowal: I've been reading about MRK for years, so I'm not certain why I have just now picked up (and enjoyed) this book. It's an Austen homage: the reviews call it a Pride and Prejudice, but it really does feel more like Sense and Sensibility in the interactions between Jane and her younger sister Melody. There are no other siblings and Jane's father is far more loving and sensible than Mr. Bennet. The world is one where "Glamour" is lady's art, rather like drawing or composition, with tutors and masters who have patrons. Jane excels at glamour, while her sister is flighty and beautiful. It's more interesting than that sounds and is a charming romance. I look forward to picking up the second novel next time I am in the US. (DTB)
7. Artemis Fowl (2001) by Eoin Colfer: I was wandering through Publisher's Weekly and saw that the Artemis Fowl saga is drawing to an end, with its 8th and final novel being released this month. So I thought it was finally time to read the first, which someone gave me a few years ago. The story of a criminal prodigy, 12 year old Artemis Fowl and how he tracks down, researches Faery and then kidnaps a Fairy to get a ransom is... ok. I know many children who have adored this series, but like Riordan's novels, it just doesn't appeal to me enough to want to read the second in the series.(DTB)
8. The Reluctant Vampire (2011) by Lynsay Sands: These are my popcorn paranormals. A series of interconnected romance/vampire novels where the vampires are a result of nanos created by Atlantean scientists shortly before the Deluge (and therefore not perfected). Since the scientists did not use themselves as guinea pigs, none survived and the nanos are passed through blood (of course) and passed through birth. A light and fluffy read.(DTB)
9. Time Cat (1963) by Lloyd Alexander: I think this may be the first children's fantasy that I ever read (I started in the "A"s in my elementary school library. From there the molecules and stars on the spines of the books lead me through Asimov (Lucky Starr) and Heinlein (the juveniles) all the way to Zelazny (what were they thinking?). I'm ready for T1 to start reading behind me and I so hope that she starts loving the books that I loved. This was Alexander's first juvenile and this edition has a lovely foreword by him discussing how he came to write it. The story of Jason and his cat Gareth as they visit nine different lives also piqued my interest in the history they discuss, leading me to Treece and Rosemary Sutcliffe and stories of Japan and really: just opened my world. It was a truly wonderful library and I had a truly wonderful time reading my way through it. (DTB)
10. Paris in Love (2012) by Eloisa James: As an expat, I often find myself drawn to other expat chronicles, although this one is not quite expat material: Ms.James (aka Mary Bly Vettori) spent a year in Paris with her family while she and her husband were both on sabbatical from their tenured professorships. A NYT best-selling romance author and Shakespearean scholar, Ms Bly worked on both sides of her literary career as well as writing a blog/journal while in Paris and then "novelized" the experience. I use quotes because the book is comprised of separate, non-connected paragraphs under headings. I enjoyed it, but wish I had read instead David Lebovitz' The Sweet Life in Paris, which would have, I think, been a more fulfilling read. (DTB)
11. The Inquisitor's Apprentice (2011) by Chris Moriarty: This book is an absolutely exquisite read. I cannot sing its praises enough. In an alternate New York City in the early 1900's, a world where magic is strictly regulated by the Police Department's Inquisitorial branch and where "Wall Street Wizards" are exactly that (and have driven Teddy Roosevelt, former Police Commissioner out of town when he attempted to enforce the law, Sacha is discovered to have the ability to "see" Magic. A nice Jewish boy, from a Russian emigrant family on the Lower East Side, the Police Department is the domain of the Irish and he is not certain how he can fit in. Apprenticed, with the first girl apprentice Inquisitor (Lily Astral) to star Inquisitor Maximillian Wolf, Sacha meets the dangerous James Pierpont Morgaunt, Erich Weiss (aka Houdini), the antisemitic Thomas Alva Edison, and many others from our actual history, reflected through the alternate reality glass. From the Wiccanists to the Wobblies to the Pentacle Shirtwaist Factory, Ms Moriarty's research shines through and helps us believe her world is real. In interviews, Ms. Moriarty states that she wrote this book for her son, so he could have a fantasy where a Jewish boy was a hero and I will have my children read this book not only for that feeling— that a world where they exist is normal— but also to have a feel for New York at the turn of the last century, a world where so many Jews entered the United States and how they did so. This is an inclusive book, with its characters being as much a melting pot as NYC in the early 1900's was. Although there is closure to this novel, it leads clearly to what we can expect in the next: though I may expect to hear more of the kabbalah and the dybbuk, there may also be the famous Pentacle Fire to come, more interaction with the world of Chinatown or perhaps Upstate, the Harlem Renaissance and Roosevelt's attempt to regain power.... So many exciting opportunities are possible! Mark Edward Geyer's illustrations are appropriate and add value. I can't wait to read the next book (also illustrated by Mr. Geyer), The Watcher in the Shadows, which will be published in April 2013. (DTB)

What I am reading: June 2012

Another busy month: wow. I can't believe how little I am reading and how extremely busy I have been. Two birthday parties (to go to), the kids' schools winding up, summer festivals and good-bye parties, project weeks and sleep-overs, Kindergartenfreundebuchs and Schulfreundebuchs, a visit to Istanbul and  several doctors appointments, trying (and failing) to get renovations lined up in the US at two separate places, setting utilities up for take-over, my apa delayed 33 days (and then forwarded from Customs without ever being opened) so I needed to work from softcopy for a week, thinking about where we will be in the fall and still being undecided, and trying, always to get stuff out of the apartment. The weather is up and down, the girls are growing out of their clothes, I need to get rid of things!

We are leaving for the US for a few weeks in less than two weeks (that is, several days ago when this will be published), to get our house renovated and perhaps re-rented, and our apartment (and life) is totally not in order. Aagh.

1. break no bones (2006) by Kathy Reichs: This is the last Temperance Brennan I have on the shelf (in English), so I will be taking a break after this. In this ninth Tempe novel, the action moves from chilly Montreal to steaming South Carolina. Dr. Brennan has taken an undergraduate class on an archeological dig as an emergency replacement for the class' teacher, when an "incursion" in the site is discovered: a non-historical body. Both Tempe's ex (Pete) and her current friend, Det. Ryan, are at the scene and soon another body is found, linked to Pete's investigation of a church and its finances. A twist I won't give away that is current and well-researched. 
2. Stormy Petrel (1991/2011) by Mary Stewart: A slim novel by Lady Stewart, set on a small Hebridean island off Mull, with the wonderful scenery that she is known for. Although the protagonist is an English tutor at Cambridge, she actually writes both poetry (and under a pseudonym) science fiction. More like a novella than a novel, but always a wonderful read.
3. My Brother Michael (1959/2011) by Mary Stewart: From the height of her power, the descriptions of the scenery are amazing. Once again, it's amazing to read in this time period and to see how Lady Stewart made her protagonists women, who changed and grew, and were strong and her male leads respected and in fact demanded that strength. After a 6 year engagement, Camilla has broken it off and isn't certain what she is looking for. Having spent that time pulled behind the wake of her ex's jet stream, she is isn't certain of her own volition and acts impulsively when told that an "Englishman" is awaiting a car at Delphi. Delivering the vehicle also brings her into a dangerous hunt, carrying violence and death forward from the war into the (1959) present. I have been enjoying reading through Lady Stewart's work: just a few more of her suspense novels to go. Then perhaps I should re-read her Merlin tetralogy.

Didn't get this sent out in time, as life caught up with me, so I'm pubbing it late.

It was a crazy few weeks, with T1 having a school sleep-over, T1 "graduating" from kita, a counseling session with the school rector, packing to leave, the German pushing hard to get his work done before vacation and therefore spending more time in Munich, cakes to bake for parties, birthday parties for the kids to attend, health certificate for the cat, as well as a follow-up on vaccinations for the kids and a dental appointment for the adults. Then following up with our kitten's plane reservations (may I say that Delta was once ok, KLM was once superb, but that the merger of their systems has created a monster where neither side seems able to make or confirm reservations on a co-branded trip). After hours (literally 3+) on the phone, I was finally assured that there was a reservation. But when we got to the airport, there wasn't one. "Luckily", they found a place for her, because I pointed out that there was no option to suspend her animation while we were on vacation. The KLM guy was extremely nice, understanding, and long-suffering: I was a bit tense myself, until we dropped ur bags and had the card showing the Darla was allowed on the plane.

More later, on our return trip;-) (though let me mention that not a person asked to see her EU Tierpasse or proof of chipping. In the US, they didn't even notice that she existed on entry.

What I am reading: May 2012

Another interesting month. But one thing that I want to do around all the craziness and planning and activity is to start reading through some of my physical books, to get them off the shelves (or, actually, out of the piles on flat surfaces like window sills and radiators!) and get them packed away. So I am trying to read the physical rather than be seduced into the new and e-. Interim goal is at least 10 physical books read this month and packed into a box— I'm running behind by the middle of the month.

1. Dark Ship Thieves (January 2010) by Sarah A. Hoyt: Another book pulled from my e-book backlog and I enjoyed every second of it. I'm glad that I waited this long to read it, because it means that I am only 6 months away from the sequel. This has been my quarter to find great fantasy/sf writers who are writing from a strong woman's point of view (Martha Wells was the other) and I am very happy to have a backlog of their writing to work through. Reviews keep mentioning Heinlein and I am afraid that I need to do so as well: this is a Heinlein if he were a woman and writing today. I can't wait for the further adventures of Athena Hera Sinistra. This is available from Baen Books, my very favorite, well-priced, DRM-free purveyor of e-books and I heartily recommend that you buy this and perhaps the Web-scription that it came in, which will also get you a Karres book and one of the Anvils I reviewed last month (and a few others)
2. A Wee Christmas Homicide (October 2010) by Kaitlyn Dunnett: A free Kindle mystery, picked up ages ago. I liked this one, with its protagonist being Liss MacCrimmon, who runs an all things Scottish emporium in a small town in Maine. Partnered with her aunt (who returns to town in this mystery to discuss selling her share of the store), she suggests a 12 Days of Christmas shopping theme to bring tourists and buyers into the town, which has been negatively impacted by lack of snow and the recession. As a draw, she and other retailers offer the "must have toy" of the season, the otherwise sold-out Tiny Teddies. But when another shopkeeper is murdered, Liss becomes involved in the investigation. Her relationships with two men, one a policeman, are a backdrop, but not really explored. An ok mystery. I might try another.
3. deadly decisions (2000) by Kathy Reichs: I see the chronology I listed in my previous notes was a bit off: this is the third novel in the Temperance Brennan series and in it we are introduced to more of Dr. Brennan's relationships with both her Montreal associates and her family. This book closely deals with the "biker wars" that Kathy Reichs discussed at her lecture in Berlin last fall.
4. I didn't ask to be born (but I'm glad I was) (November 2011) by Bill Cosby: This ARC has been on my shelf for a while, I'm not certain why. A quick and amusing read, but without the illustrations that were added in the final, a slim 194 page, large font book. The final page count will be (was) 208 pages, so there should be some interesting photos in the added pages. I always found Bill Cosby funny and I enjoyed reading this short collection of anecdotes.
5. Monday Mourning(2004) by Kathy Reichs: The problem with reading my way through a series, is that when I reach the end of the books that I have in physical, I have a (very) strong desire to just order the next several on my Kindle. I will be strong! This is the seventh in the Tempe Brennan series. A plumber uncovers a body in the basement of a pizza parlor and the question is: is this a historical find, or a find requiring police involvement. A scarey twist at the end and the themes of (sexual) slavery, child  rape, imprisonment, serial murder and Stockholm syndrome are unfortunately all too recurrent in the world I am living in.

Didn't get all the books I wanted in, but it's been a busy month: I hope to get some started and not finished May posts up this week. 

What I am reading: April 2012

It's a crazy month, but one of the things I have done is started clearing through my Kindle back log while doing some traveling.
Even though I have more than 600 books on my Kindle, it gets harder to get through to the older ones and then I lose track of what I want to read— it's not as easy as looking at a wall of books to go through 14 pages of them, especially when some are misformated and show up without an author to sort by. Next month I think that I will do more dead-tree reading and follow by getting rid of a bunch of books- in this case, I have cleared many of the books off my reader and now I have them only in a back-up file on my computer (and the ability to re-download them as needed from the vendor).

1. Silenced by the Yams by by Karen Cantwell: I thought this was a funny and charming mystery. Third in the Barbara Marr mystery series, with a mom protagonist, funny kids, interesting husband, and quirky friends. It was a free Kindle download and I will read the next in this series, because the ending is a cliff hanger!
2. Time Spike by Eric Flint and Marilyn Kosmatka: I'm wandering through my Kindle as I try to find what books are not living in the Cloud (that is, not purchased through Amazon). I bought this (and the next) some time ago from my favorite e-tailer, Baen Books, and I was glad to start reading some good, solid SF. Eric Flint first came to my attention with his 1632 books and this is in the same vein: a time slip brings a high security prison, with its contents, into the very far past.
3. The Power of Illusion by Christopher Anvil:Classic SF from the 50's, hanging on my Kindle from a Baen package. 22 short stories and not a one a clunker, from the Baen series collecting Anvil's works and edited by Eric Flint. Since it's from Baen, it's DRM-free and readable on all platforms, as well as well-priced. Liked it very much and followed it up by reading (and enjoying) two more Anvil novels.
4. The Trouble with Aliens and
5. The Trouble with Humans by Christopher Anvil: Great stories, primarily from the Golden Age and just so clear in attitude that anyone who likes Mad Men should be reading them. Even though I loved all three collections, readers should be clear that the imperialistic 50's attitude is there: if you hate that, don't read this.
   
6. Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells: Another very good novel by Martha Wells. This one with a(nother) very strong female lead. Maskelle is the Avatar for the only "god" that was not previously a human- the Adversary. Chaotic but bringing justice, Maskelle starts the story as an Avatar in disgrace, although still honored. Great story, with a Buddhist tinge (to my eyes) and strong characters and world building. Highly recommended.
   
7. The Element of Fire by Martha Wells: Slightly Three Musketeers meets Elizabethan England meets Faerie, I liked it very much. Kade Carrion was a strong character, I enjoyed the world and the personalities.
   
8. City of Bones by Martha Wells: These three Martha Wells were free/inexpensive downloads, which I raced into after reading her two (later) Raksura novels last month.
   
9. Immortal by VK Forrest:Non-sparkly but interesting vampires, cursed in the old country. Several different "lineages", but this one works through a cycle of re-birth, with memories and powers re-emerging toward adolescence. Very interesting background, decent murder mystery foreground.
   
10. Give First Place to Murder by Kathleen Delaney: Another Kindle freebie. A mystery set at the race track. Ehh.
    
11. Monster Hunter Vendetta by Larry Correia: Wandering through my e-books, fell across this one which was part of a Baen Webscription and which I had never read. Fantasy war/ violence, aimed, I think, at men. But interesting and fast reading.

What I am Reading: March 2012

This month will be quite light on reading: even though I spent quite a bit of time flying and relaxing, I spent most of that time either watching movies or reading my way through the 5 pounds of magazines I took with me (and left behind like Hansel and Gretel's trail). I had a month's worth of magazines waiting for me (Businessweek, Economist, Money, Newsweek, Time usw.), so my load wasn't much lighter (although more current) on the way back.

1. Blood (9/2011) by K.J. Wignall: (Book one of the Mercian Trilogy) Making my way through ARCs, I pulled this one. An interesting cover (in ARC form) of white with splattered blood and raised black print. The protagonist is William of Mercer, changed at 16 to what he calls" the undead", for lack of a better term. For 750 years, he has not known why or who changed him, only that it took place at the time of the burning of seven women accused of witchcraft. Only later does he realize that the "witchcraft" was almost certainly due to the actions of whatever made him what he now is. William sleeps and wakes for long periods of time, but when he wakes now: things are different. He discovers people with knowledge and foreknowledge of him and connections to those who are responsible for him. He meets a girl who seems fated to b e part of his future and strands weave William and Eloise and others together- all pointing toward his ancestral home, where a boarding school is now sited. I thought this would be gorier than it was, which explains (I think) why they changed the cover to a more decorative., ornate (and bloodless- wait, that was the UK cover, the US had bare chest and blood) one and now I am, on the one hand, sorry that I put off reading it and on the other hand, glad that I did because it means that I have less time to wait until the next installment, Alchemy, is published this year.
   
2. Ashes by Ilsa J. Blick (Sep 2011): THis is an ARC that seemed to be yet another of the zombie books that are the new (-ish) rage and it dropped to the bottom of my TBR pile. But as I was flipping through my pile, trying to decide what I wante dto read and what I didn't, this caught my interest. I have always been a lover of after the apocolypse stories. Since Nevil Schute's On the Beach (oh my heavens, was I a depressed child after that), Pat Frank's Alas, Babylon (fabulous book), King's The Stand (although the religious nonsense damaged the book), and many others. This book, rather than being silly, actually falls within the genre. There is a war. Of some kind. And massive EMPs that destroy all electronics and either kill one immediately (the middle-aged), change one (into what is a form of zombie- young people) or leave one alone (the old): based primarily on age. But there are a few who are either unaffected by what normally happened to their age groups or positively impacted (Alzheimer's patients wake up improved and active). The protagonist, teen-ager Alex, was dying from a brain tumor when it happened. But now she is well and improved, in a word where almost everyone her age is a Changed. It could happen to her as well. She is now an asset (to those who look to have the world continue), and a hated vision (to those who saw their loved ones killed by other young folk) and a reminder of what has been lost. There's a strange disconnect between the two halves of the book, important characters appear and disappear, but I enjoyed it tremendously, and am waiting the next book in what is a trilogy. I won't be certain until then whether this disconnect was required or a result of poor editing: in either case, I want to see what happens and the writing is great. The ending is one heck of a cliffhanger: the next will be Shadows, it will be out in 9/12, and I can't wait to read it.
3. Echoes of Betrayal (2012) by Elizabeth Moon: How unfair is this? When I started reading the new series by Moon (Paladin's Legacy), revisiting the world of Paksenarrion for the first time in 20 years, it was supposed to be a trilogy. Now, it seems that it will be 5 books. This is terrible (I want to know what happens)! This is great (I am enjoying every word of each book- I have read this twice since getting it)! This is terrible (two more years- at least- until I know what happens to everyone)! As you can tell, I am torn. Here I am in the third and now I need to wait another year! I don't actually want to talk about the plot- as the third in what seems to be a 5 book sequence, how could it not be a plot spoiler? Just to say, I loved it, I enjoyed the ride, I can't wait for the next.
4. Intruder (March 2012) by CJ Cherryh: Finally got the (awaited) book 13 in the Foreigner series. I enjoyed reading last year's book only a week ago so much that it makes me consider hording the next for a year (I won't, but that's because I couldn't make myself not read it). (I did order a few of her older books used in the US and brought them back with me to fill the void.) I loved that Cajeiri had a significant portion of the book's POV: I like him more than Bren, I think. Since he is an atevi who has been, almost, raised with humans, his POV is fascinating. He is almost a Third Culture Kid and I hope he remains an important protagonist as he integrates back into his own society, allowing the reader to integrate with him.
   
5. Fair Game (March 2012) by Patricia Briggs: An Alpha and Omega book. Charles is feeling the weight of his use as "deadly enforcer" in the new world with werewolves outed to the public eye. As the child of a Native American shaman and the only "born" werewolf, he is susceptible to the weight of the ghosts of the lives he has taken and he is crumbling under it. Thrown in a serial killer who appears to be targeting fae and half-fae and a look at the interactions of the federal agencies who deal with the paranormal and it's another great read.
6. The Cloud Roads (2/2011)and
7. The Serpent Sea by (12/2011) Martha Wells: The first was a freebie from Amazon and it served its purpose- hooked me in so that as soon as I finished it I ordered the sequel and read it in the airplane on the way back. It reminded me a bit of Tepper's Mavin Many-Shaped (the True Game series ), with an amnesiac Changer. It also reminded me very much of Dawn Cook's Truth series (Cook now writes as NYT best selling author Kim Harrison). Great books, I'm glad the third in the trilogy will be out within the year (because David Gerrold and GRRM have burned me greatly on series) and I greatly enjoyed them (it's super to really enjoy the book you have on the airplane). I read it rather than watch the tedious second shift movie (the remake of Footloose. Mehh.) and immediately looked (as I was standing in the immigration line) for the not-as-yet published third. I will read Wells' other books while I am waiting.
   

What I am reading: February 2012

1. I have an extra day this month, so let's see if I can read a little more! The beginning of this month started off a little more seriously, as one of the local books clubs read In the Garden of the Beasts by Erik Larson. Since the book has been sitting on my shelves for a year (since I got it at Larsen's Book Expo breakfast last year), I thought it was time to get it read so that I could actually discuss it in an organized fashion. I have quite a library of books dealing with the National Socialist period and I find myself incapable of dealing with them, so they sit there, unread. Having a group to read it for, got me to actually read what had sounded very interesting as Larsen discussed it. It was a tremendously well-researched book and I now have a list of original sources that I will buy next time I am in the US (where they are, unlike in the UK, available in English translation). I very much recommend this (lightly) novelized history of Ambassador William Dodd's time, with his wife and children, in Berlin in 1933. I am very glad that a group meeting made me read this book, though I was very disappointed in the book group. I have been spoiled by my current book group, where one does not show up if one has not read the book and is not prepared to discuss it (intelligently). This group read a book with numerous footnotes, based on fact, and half could not recall the book (if they had read it) while the others hadn't bothered to actually read the footnotes and the extremely interesting detail in them. Book: 4 stars. Book group: not worth joining. Here's the NYT review.
   
2. Thornyhold ( 1988/2011) by Mary Stewart: I remember reading this when it first came out, unlike so many others that I discovered in the library. It reminded me, just a bit, of Stewart's The Little Broomstick. Gillian (and I love and have always loved that name) comes to Thornyhold at just the right moment. A charming but slight romance, with only a bit of suspense, no real mystery.
3. The Ivy Tree (1961/2011)by Mary Stewart: One of her very best. Multiple mentions and quotes from Josephine Tey's Brat Farrar. Was this book the reason I read all of Tey's work (well worth reading, available in the public domain in Canada)? Set in Roman Wall country (and apposite, since I just saw The Eagle, based on Sutcliffe's The Eagle of the 9th), the plot had much in common with Brat Farrar: missing heir, inheritance plots, doubles. Exciting, well-written, always beautifully descriptive prose.
4. The Gabriel Hounds (1967/2011) by Mary Stewart: How strange to be reading this now, with it's patriarchal English overtones, as Christy Mansel hires drivers in "the Lebanon" and people visit from Homs. What a civilized world, to a certain extent, it was then. (Although the colonialist attitude, the use of a pejorative racial epithet when the heroine was drugged, the noblesse oblige/White Man's Burden- I saw these. I also saw the heroine recognizing these behaviors, apologizing for them, and attempting to overcome them.) Christy attempts to visit her eccentric Aunt (shades of Lady Hester Stanhope) but her Aunt is strangely changed (like Red Riding Hood's grandmother). Her cousin (a double cousin with a bit of foreshadowing of the "communication" of Stewart's later Touch not the Cat) is in Beirut and becomes involved. As usual, wonderful descriptive narration, with the palace being almost its own character.
   
5. deja dead (1998/2011) by Kathy Reichs: While still taking advantage of the German's co-worker hand-carrying my UK orders, I picked up a 10-pack of Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan novels. I was a late comer to enjoying these, having liked the TV show first, then reading a single Tempe novel given to me by a repatriating expat (and enjoying it) and then seeing Reichs speak here at the Literature festival. These are exactly the type of book that I would prefer to buy on an e-reader, but the cost of doing so is so much greater than my buying these 10 books, that I felt myself bound to not waste the money on buying them electronically. What a silly business model the publishers have chosen. This is the first Tempe Brennan book and a blasting introduction to the characters and places (especially Montreal) that are part of the series.
   
6. death du jour (1999/2011) by Kathy Reichs: A little slow. A cult, a dead nun up for beatification, several threads, her sister Harry, and repartee with Andrew Ryan. Worth reading just to have the relationship stuff doesn, but not as good as the rest.
   
7. fatal voyage (2001/2011)by Kathy Reichs: Secondary plot is the male clubs that our wealthy and connected belong to and how they control knowledge of what goes on in them. Primary plot references the Hell Fire club with a sub-text of cannibalism.
8. grave secrets (2002/2011)by Kathy Reichs: Secondary plot revolves around the Guatemalan "disappeared", a subject with which Kathy Reichs is intimately acquainted through her work. Tempe's relationship with Ryan continues to evolve: she starts to think that dating him may be possible.
9. bare bones (2003/2011)by Kathy Reichs: the secondary plot revolves around the illegal trade in endangered animals. I'm very sad to say that I know that it has only gotten worse since this novel was written.
10. cross bones (2006/2011)by Kathy Reichs: the first Temperance Brennan/Kathy Reichs that I read.
11. Betrayer (Foreigner #12- 2011)by C.J.Cherryh: I love Cherryh. I got confused when ordering this, as Amazon.de has put the cover blurb for 13 on this (12). and I ordered them both. Luckily, I was one behind and enjoyed reading this with the happy expectation of the next hitting my door in a week. This is a transitional book: the next will have everyone in place for the solidification of Tabini's power as the Machigi allies with the Grandmother of the East (the aiji dowager) and the world is, basically, finally unified. I'd really love to read these all again, as one big fat book: it's distressing that more than half of them are packed away in the US. I wish I could get them as one gigantic e-download without having to pay full price all over again:-(.
    

What I am Reading: January 2012

It's probably going to be a light month, as I gear up to edit another news letter for our club and also have an apa mailing to finish. But I will forge ahead in my effort to read through the books I need to return, those I want to donate/give away, and those I really ought to read so that my brain doesn't atrophy. One of my goals will definitely be to ensure that I manage at least one of those every month!

1. Dipped, Stripped, and Dead (2009) by Elise Hyatt: Or is this really Sarah Hoyt, who copyrighted it? The first "A Daring Finds Mystery", I quite enjoyed this.--- Yes, this is Sarah Hoyt, whose science fiction I have also enjoyed. This explains the professionalism of the writing, which has been missing in the other cozy mystery debut novels that I read in the last few months. Funny, interesting characters, well-set up background. Protagonist Dyce Dare is a divorced mom of a stubborn toddler, with an ex who doesn't pay his child-support (and who she is afraid to pursue for fear that he will go for full-custody, rather than shared, because of her low-income). She strips and re-finishes furniture (therefore the title), has parents who are older booksellers and readers, a best friend who is gay and hunky, and a developing romantic interest started with the investigating officer when she finds a body while dumpster diving for salvageable furniture. A fun book and I see there was a second last year.
2. Too Pretty to Die (2008) by Susan McBride: The 5th "Debutante Dropout Mystery", but the first I've read. It's ehh. That is, I don't find the protagonist, Andy Kendricks, a southern belle rebelling against her heritage (therefore she "ran" from her debut) and her disrespectful attitude toward her mom (who seems smarter than she is) very interesting. Late 20's, attends a "botox party" for a friend who is a reporter, lots of focus on aging (for the early 30's crowd!), when a prep schoolmate burst in, creates a scene (both by waving the standard southern issue pistol and through showing the terrible result of "bad" botox), drops the gun, is taken home by Andy and put to bed (she's wasted) and found a "suicide" in the morning (although the gun had been left at the party. With better editing and a more interesting protagonist, I would have tried the next. Maybe I'll check in again in a few more years, if McBride either writes another series or her protagonist grows up. Amazing that she got a blurb from Charlaine Harris.
3. The Sense of an Ending (2011)by Julian Barnes: A very different Man Booker Prize winner. I have read in reviews that the prize was actually given not for this novel but for his body of work and that may be true: this is a very light novel, almost a novella (clocking in at 150 pages). Here's an NPR review. I found this a very interesting first Barnes to read: the language was beautiful— just beautiful, in the same way that I find AS Byatt's writing gorgeous. I also found the writing wry and funny and I enjoyed the book very much. I did so even though I thought the plot was poor and the ending disconnected and over the top. In a mild way. I found the looking back, the exploration of differences in how we remember things and the reality that we can't ever truly know as those who were part of our shared reality fall away, intriguing. At the end of my book club, all the members state whether they would recommend the book to others. In this case, I said that I would, but only to those over 40 (who are old enough to begin to feel what the novel is saying) and those who love English as a language. This is a particularly English novel, rife with the class distinctions and anguish of class that those of us from outside the sceptered isle can never truly, in our blood, understand (or, perhaps, care about). But it's always fascinating to see how a people that we (Americans) feel are so like ourselves can care so deeply about such a shallow distinction as inherited class structures.
   

I recently saw that there had been a "Mary Stewart Modern Classic" re-issue edition of her books in the UK and , while the spouse is working with a UK group, ordered them over so they were hand-carried to the office. I've been spending my time, in between dealing with household issues and a newsletter and a club mailing, reading and reveling in Mary Stewart: I'm pretty sure that I did not appreciate them enough when I read them in my early teens. In particular, I am finding it interesting reading these in chronological order, seeing the changes in societal expectations of women and looking at Europe, now as opposed to then, as someone who has lived here and visited several of these areas. These books are even better than I remembered and I think Mary Stewart really invented this type of suspense: real mysteries with relationships, with strong female leads, literate and with wonderful research and description.

1. Madame Will You Talk?(1955/2011): As I read my way through the re-issues of Mary Stewart, I wonder how much I understood when I first read her books in my early teens. This is one of her very best. Published ten years after the end of the war, the protagonist, Charity Selborne is a widow, having lost her flyer husband during the war. On vacation in Provence with a friend from her teaching days, she meets a boy who appeals to her and who appears to be in trouble. There are echoes of the war, of atrocities, of justice for the murdered, that I think I feel more deeply now than I did. What I absolutely recognize is some of the description that made me, when I finally did travel to Provence, head towards Avignon and feel the sense of familiarity that I did: her descriptions of landscape are amazing and I only wish that her novels would be- or could be- made into movies or TV dramas that could evoke the sense of time and place that her writing does. (I also remember looking Gilbert White up and reading his history after this book- all of Stewart's books benefit through literary knowledge and I wonder whether those who do not know and love Shakespeare can really see all the allusions?)
2. Wildfire at Midnight (1956/2011): This was particularly interesting as it dealt with topics of infidelity and forgiveness that went straight over my head as an innocent 11 year old. Gorgeous descriptions of scenery on the Isle of Skye and an intriguing look at the beginning of female emancipation. Gianetta Drury is taking a break from her job as a London model at a quiet hotel on the Isle of Skye, only to discover her former husband is also staying there. Her parents have never really accepted the concept of divorce and she herself has been wearing her ring and using her married name- until she sees Nicholas and quickly changes them both. If this emotion upheaval were not enough, she discovers that there has been a "ritual" murder of a local girl, that most of those staying in the hotel and area were also present at that time, and there are more suspicious deaths. A more classic murder mystery than the others, complete with an Inspector.
3. The Moon Spinners (1962/2011): Set on Crete, Nicola Ferris, a junior assistant at the British Consulate is taking a vacation when she runs across a Greek "bearing not gifts but a knife" (Really, how can I top the back blurb?) Wonderful scenery descriptions, great sibling and friendship relationships across nationality (as many of her books include). An Englishman has been shot and his younger brother kidnapped after they stumble upon a murder scene. Is Colin still alive and who can be involved in this? This has been made into a movie and I need to get a copy of it (although from what I see, the plot has little in common with that of the book. At least it's Hayley Mills and all the reviews say the scenery is stunning.).
   
4. This Rough Magic (1964/2011): Set on Corfu (and dedicated to John Attenborough), this made me so want to watch Grace Kelley, Elizabeth Taylor, David Niven, Carey Grant movies. Lucy is an actress"resting" while deciding if her career actually has legs. She's visiting her sister, who is pregnant and awaiting the rest of the family at the ancestral new home (who will come after school- notice how ordinary the concept of leaving the kids behind is) while the old is being let to, she discovers, a famous icon of the stage. Strange pot shots at dolphins, reluctant attraction, drives with unsavory neighbors and, throughout, the love and quotation of Shakespeare, beginning, with, of course, the title quote from The Tempest. There is a wonderful semi-quote from Much Ado about Nothing and I wonder: was this the reason I read that (now my favorite Shakespearean comedy) in the first place? I could say this is one of my favorites, but I am enjoying each re-read so much I am being repetitious.
   
5. Airs Above the Ground (1965/2011): Once again, I see that there are divorces, a father living with a "fiancee", and all sorts of adult implications I had not understood. I well remember this book: I was horse-mad when I read it and the sub-story of the stolen Lipizzaner had me doing lots of other research on Lipizzans. Reading it now makes me want to make a reservation for a performance at the Spanish Riding Academy in Vienna- when I backpacked Europe (in my early 30's) they were on summer break and I have still not seen them. Vanessa March has had an argument with her husband over broken plans for a vacation- he had a pressing work engagement- when an acquaintance sees Lewis is a film of a circus fire in Austria- countries away from his engagement in Copenhagen. When a card arrives from Copenhagen, signed by her husband, she becomes suspicious and agrees to accompany a young man to his father in Vienna (planning to continue onward to find her husband). But things become more confusing and Vanessa (a licensed vet) and Timothy wind up becoming associated with the circus and its performers. Once again. lovely descriptions of landscape that really resonate, now that I have visited both Vienna and the area.
   

Eight books in total and a few more Mary Stewarts to come next next month. Better than I thought considering how busy this month has been.