Read in 2014

books (Read in 2014)

December

• The Uncanny Valley: Tales from a Lost Town-Gregory Miller
• Ruin & Rising- Leigh Bardugo
• Seige & Storm- Leigh Bardugo
• Shadow & Bone- Leigh Bardugo
• The Curious Case of the Copper Corpse- Alan Bradley
• Sins & Needles- Monica Ferris
• Silent Night 2- Richard Pike
• A Trick of the Light- Louise Penny

November

• The Year of Living Biblically
• A Look Inside a Rare Mind

October

• The Day it Rained Forever- Ray Bradbury
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
• The Hangman- Louise Penny
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• The October Country- Ray Bradbury

September

• Beyond Lies the Wub- Philip K. Dick
• Bury Your Dead- Louise Penny
• A Season of Gifts- Richard Peck
• The Brutal Telling- Louise Penny
• Neverwhere- Neil Gaiman

August

• Time Out of Joint- Philip K. Dick
• Death of a Policeman
• Dark Legacy- Nancy Duplechain
• Death of Yesterday
• Death of a Kingfisher

July

• Death of a Bore
• Death of a Village
• Death of a Celebrity
• Death of a Dustman
• Death of a Scriptwriter

June

• Death of a Dentist- M.C. Beaton
• Death of a Nag- M.C. Beaton
• Death of a Traveling Man- M.C. Beaton
• J.S. Le Fanu's Ghostly Tales, vol 1
• Murder on a Bad Hair Day- Anne George
• Erasing Hell- Francis Chan

May

• The Best of Archie Comics (vol. 1)
• Empath (ss)
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane

April

• Aristotle & Dante....
• Death of a Glutton

March

• The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon- Alexander McCall Smith
• The Cosmic Puppets- Philip K. Dick

February

• The Dead in their Vaulted Arches- Alan Bradley
• Hollow City- Ransom Riggs
• I Don't Want to be Crazy- Samantha Schutz
• Beyond the Wall of Sleep- HP Lovecraft

January

• First Shift- Hugh Howey
• Second Shift- Hugh Howey
• Below Stairs- Margaret Powell

Hollow City
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was one of my favorite books last year, so I was excited to read the sequel. I think the first book was better, but this one was also good.  My only complaint is that it was a bit slow at times.  I was surprised by a certain plot twist, and the ending left me feeling sorry that it was over. I will definitely be reading the next book(s) in this series.

(finished 2/17/14)

The Dead in their Vaulted Arches

Flavia is a delight as always, but this book had a somber air to it.  I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say that this book is a turning point in the series.  I hope the entire feel of the series doesn’t change now. It’s hard to imagine Flavia in this new situation. However, Mr. Bradley is a wonderful author, and I believe he can pull it off.

If you’ve never read Flavia deLuce, you’re missing out.  I highly recommend these books.  

(finished 2/26/14)

The Cosmic Puppets

This isn’t my favorite Philip K. Dick story. I liked the concept of it, but I didn’t really understand why the “galactic invaders” were fighting over the town. I got bored towards the end (almost gave up on it) and I read the last half quickly. So, I might have missed something.  :-/

(finished 3/5/14)

The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon

This is the 14th book in this series.  When I first started the series I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not.  By the time I’d read 4 or 5 of them, I was hooked.  I now read every new addition as soon as I can.  It feels like visiting old friends.  

In this installment Mma. Matkutsi has a baby (Itumelang Clovis Radiphuti), there is another run-in with that bad woman, Violet Sephotho, and the ladies solve a mystery that has a scandalous conclusion.

( finished 3/19/14)

Death of a Glutton

I will admit that this series isn’t great literature, but there is something about it that keeps you coming back for more.  After you’ve read a few of them, the characters come alive and you feel like you’re visiting friends every time you read a new one. The setting and atmosphere is so well described that you feel as though you’re really in Lochdubh.

When I first started reading this series, I read the books that our library carried.  There were only a few and I read most of them out of order.  For the past few years I’ve been buying them so I could read them all in the correct order.  

I am doing the same thing with M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series, though that one is taking a bit longer because I prefer this one.  When I have to choose one or the other, I almost always grab a Hamish Macbeth story. ;)

(finished 4/10/14)

I Don't Want to Be Crazy- Samantha Schutz

"A harrowing, remarkable poetry memoir about one girl’s struggle with anxiety disorder"

This book is very good. I read it in one day.  I couldn’t put it down.  Some parts were hard to read because I’ve felt most of the feelings and experiences she described. I’ve even had many of the same dreams she writes about. Reading about them brings back those feelings. If you’re still recovering from an anxiety disorder or recent attack I would avoid this book until you’re feeling better.  It is extremely triggering.

If you don’t have an anxiety disorder and just want to learn more of what it feels like, this book will do that.  

This is not a book of poetry.  However, it is written in a poetic style.  It feels as though you’re reading someone’s journal. I have much respect for Ms. Schutz for being brave enough and strong enough to write this book. 

Book 4 of 2014

Below Stairs- Margaret Powell

The book cover says it all…. it’s just like “Downton Abbey” and “Upstairs, Downstairs,”  only it’s a true story. It is  told from the perspective of a kitchen maid who later becomes a cook.  It was interesting. 

Book 3 of 2014

Beyond the Wall of Sleep- H.P. Lovecraft

I’m reading the complete works but instead of reviewing the entire book when I’m finished, I’ve decided to review the individual stories. 

H.P. Lovecraft is not the best writer, but his ideas and imaginations are brilliant. Especially if you consider the time in which they were written.

I loved this story. I highlighted quite a bit of it on my Kindle. I loved the imagery, and the idea that we are more than just mortal bodies of flesh and bone.   I think the idea of flying through time and space appeals to most people.

Though I like Lovecraft, I must note that I hate his seeming obsession with “degenerate hill dwellers,”“Esquimau diabolists,”“white trash,”“mongrel Louisianans,” etc .  Tsk, tsk, H.P.  You’d never get away with that these days.

You can read “Beyond the Wall of Sleep” online here.

I read the Wool omnibus last year.  The Shift series is technically a sequel, but it tells the story of what happened in the years prior to the events in the omnibus.

It was different than what I expected.  I thought First Shift was even better than the omnibus. Chapter 18 was a shock.  I never saw that coming!

I didn't like Second Shift as much, but it was still interesting, and I'm sure it's integral to the storyline.  I might change my mind once I've read the next book.

I decided to take a break from this series.  I'm currently reading Below Stairs by Margaret Powell.  I'm about 50% into it.

My current (short) TBR pile
* Hollow City- Ransom Riggs
* Third Shift: Pact- Hugh Howey
* Dust- Hugh Howey
* H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction- B&N Classics series

Well, once again, I've failed miserably at keeping up with this blog.
I can't believe I haven't updated since August.
I guess this will be a catch-up post, and then I'll try to keep up with it from now on.
I read 37 books in 2013.  My goal was 35.

This is what I read since last time:

December

• Plum Pudding Murder- JoanneFluke  (hated it- I am DONE with this series.  All they do is eat and the mysteries aren't very good)
• The Eyes Have It- Philip K Dick (lol)
• Allegiant- Veronica Roth  (I wasn't expecting it to end like that.  It was a very good series, though.)
• The Defenders- Philip K Dick 
• The Seven Dials Mystery- Agatha Christie

November

• Angels & Demons- Dan Brown 

October

• Piper in the Woods- Philip K Dick
• The Hanging Stranger- Philip K. Dick (loved it)
• Agatha Raisin & the Vicicous Vet
• The Book of Awesome
• Embroidered Truths- Monica Ferris

I ended up reading 37 books last year.  My goal was 35. 

I’m usually not very good at keeping reading goals.  I make lists, but a lot of times I won’t feel like reading what’s on the list, so I read something else.  If I set a number goal, I often feel too pressured to meet the goal so I read shorter books instead of books that I really want to read.  So this year, for the first time since 2004, I am not setting a reading goal!  Whoo hoo!  I must admit, that feels quite freeing.  :)

However, I am making a list of books I would like to read this year.  

• finish Wool series
• catch up on Louise Penny’s series
• The Hobbit / LOTR trilogy 
• Philip K. Dick
• read my B&N Classics, esp. H.P. Lovecraft
• Inferno- Dan Brown
• Below Stairs
• The Bell Jar

It’s not a very long list, and I’m pretty sure I won’t read everything on it (and probably lots that aren’t on it), but it’s a good starting point.

Read-a-thon results

Well, I did read more than usual, but I didn't nearly read as much as I wanted to.

I read about 100 pages in Dan Brown's Angels & Demons, half of The Book of Awesome, and a chapter or two in Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet.

I was hoping to finish at least one book, but I'm happy I made some progress.  :)