(A) means I listened to it.
(RR) means I re-read it.
(BC) means I read for book club.
I also put this information into goodreads.com. You can find me there with my gmail address (the.karend).
January 1, 2012 to Now: (latest finished on top)
Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang, Katie MacAlister
I had to read this to get the ending that should have been in the previous book in the series (Zen and the Art of Vampires). The tone was still a bit too much on the madcap side for my taste though I did enjoy this more than the earlier book—until the very end, when I plot thread I’d hoped and assumed would get resolved did not. I’m not sure if there’s yet another book I need to read to find out how that turns out. Maybe I’ll just make up my own story for that part.
I’m Feeling Lucky, Douglas Edwards
This made a good companion to In the Plex, which I read at the end of last year; it gave me a personal perspective on some of the stories and events I remembered from the other book. I would have loved it if there were more reflection at the end—was it worth it to sacrifice so much family and personal time for an employer, even if it did make the author rich? I also hope Marissa Mayer writes her side of the story someday.
Play of Passion, Nalini Singh
This far into a series, it’s saying something that I’m still enjoying it as much as I am. The dominance issues rankle me a bit, but since they make sense in the world of the series, I can deal with it.
The Celery Stalks at Midnight, James Howe
Yay, Bunnicula’s back. This didn’t quite have the charm of the first book, but was much more enjoyable than the second one in the series.
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 2: Cycles, Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, and Jose Marzan
Still liking this series, though I’m enough of a wimp that some of the violence shocks me.
Howliday Inn, James Howe
I liked Bunnicula so much that I picked up the next in the series right away. The problem is there’s no Bunnicula in this one. He’s mentioned briefly, but does not appear, and all the action is bunny-free. There’s also a plot point that seems needlessly emotionally manipulative.
Bunnicula, Deborah Howe and James Howe
I never read this as a kid because I was 17 the year it was first published. As an adult, I found it charming. I was slightly disappointed at the lack of female characters—seems like with three animals and four people there could have been more than just the mom, who’s not a major player. The edition I read has an afterword about the writing of the book which was way sadder than I was prepared for (it also had a photo of early notes for the book which mentioned a sister in the list of characters; I wonder what happened to her).
Viking: The Long Cold Fire, Ivan Brandon and Nic Klein
I had trouble getting into this; the dialog is so sparse and the cuts between scenes so frequent that it was hard for me to follow the story or connect with any of the characters. I never quite sorted out who was in who in some cases. Then it just sort of ended, rather than being resolved or cliffhung. There were some interesting images, at least.
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned, Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
This one had me at the monkey on the cover. I do wonder how, in a world where food and fuel and other basics are scarce, the main character is able to keep his monkey in fresh diapers, but other than that minor quibble, I really really liked this. The premise is thought provoking, and there is some great art in here. I definitely want to see what happens in Volume 2.
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