Reading List from July

Here’s what I read in July; 29 books this month.

1. ALTA by Mercedes Lackey (434 p)
2. SANCTUARY by Mercedes Lackey (306 p)—Numbers 2 & 3 in this unique little fantasy trilogy. Imagine dragonriders in an Egypt at war . . . I frankly liked the first two better than the last, but think this was pretty enjoyable.
3. HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE by JK Rowling (734 p)
4. HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX  by JK Rowling (870 p)
5. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE by JK Rowling (652 p)—the three most recent of this series which I don’t think really requires much explanation. I enjoyed the most recent and am already anxious for book #7 to see how it all comes out.

6. BLUE CASTLE by LM Montgomery (218 p). Light, fluffy little book by the author of “Anne of Green Gables.” Valancy has felt stifled her entire life, and when she’s diagnosed with a fatal heart ailment, decides to do what she wants for a change, to the shock and horror of her staid, stick-in-the-mud family. Sweet confection, not much substance.

7. MEMORY-KEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Kim Edwards (401 p). An interesting book. In the midst of a snowstorm, delivered by their father, two twins are born—but when the daughter is born with Down’s Syndrome, the father decides to send her to a home and tell his wife that she died. The nurse, however, decides to raise the baby as her own daughter. Fascinating idea, and a story which I liked quite a bit but didn’t love. Definitely good.
8. MINDFUL KNITTING by Tara Jon Manning (125 p). Basically, a knitter’s book of meditation techniques, and how to relax with your knitting.

9. CRYSTAL SOLDIER by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (321 p). A precursor to their “Liaden” series—a series of “space opera” sci-fi, about the best I’ve read. Thoroughly enjoyable series, though this isn’t my favorite—this world is too different than the one I’m used to, but I am looking forward to the second one coming out, so I’ll know the rest of Jela and Cantra’s story.

10. GIANT’S HOUSE by Elizabeth McCracken (290 p). Disappointing. I’d heard such great things about this book, I wanted to love it, and instead I was bored, bored, bored. I don’t even remember the characters’ names (that’s how much of an impression they made). Told from the point of view of the small-town librarian, this tells the story of a young man suffering from elephantosis—he keeps growing and growing  . . . and little by little, despite the age difference, she falls in love with him, and he with her because she’s the only person who accepts him for who he is, not just a tall body. Blah blah blah. Hugely disappointed.
11. FOLK SHAWLS by Cheryl Oberle (141 p). Basically a book of knitting patterns for shawls, ones that come from all over the world, and with a history to go with each one, each style.
12. SHOOT THE MOON by Billie Letts (333 p). Nowhere near as good as her two previous books, this read more like something by John Grisham. Mark shows up in a small, souther town, having just learned that he was adopted and hoping to find his birth-mother . . . completely unaware that she had been murdered on the night he disappeared from town, however many years ago. It turns into a mystery of his trying to figure out who killed his mother, and proving he is who he says he is, and all in all, pretty predictable for a far-fetched kind of story. Not awful, but her others are better.
13. VANISH WITH THE ROSE by Barbara Michaels (414 p). After that last one, I was in the mood for a fluffy kind of mystery, and so pulled this old Barbara Michaels from the closet—Diana is trying to track down her brother, not heard from in over a year—by impersonating an expert in old roses for the couple who own the estate where he was last heard from.
14. TEMPEST TOST by Robertson Davies (242 p)
15. LEAVEN OF MALICE by Robertson Davies (220 p) Wanting something a little more interesting than “fluff,” I took these two books of my favorite Davies trilogy off the shelf. Witty, unique, challenging without being hard, fun, erudite . . . I find I have to be in just the right kind of mood for his books, but that when I am, they’re great.
16. PILOT’S CHOICE by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (296 p)
17. SCOUT’S PROGRESS by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (309 p) My two favorite Liaden books, because, apparently, reading that one earlier in the month was just enough to whet my appetite.
18. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee (281 p). My niece was reading this for school and I decided to keep her company because it’s been a few years since I read this. Still amazing. It’s all good. I wish she’d written more, but then, how would she have topped this?
19. GREEN JOURNEY by Jon Hassler (292 p)
20. DEAR JAMES by Jon Hassler (422 p). Two of his “Staggerford” books. They are wonderful, but I’ve never been able to bring myself to re-read the original (frankly, the author is lucky I gave him another chance after that ending), but they’re nice books, remind me a bit of Jan Karon’s Mitford series in feel. Good author.
21. FIRST BOOK OF MODERN LACE KNITTING by Marianne Kinzel (90 p). Exactly what it sounds like. Lace knitting.
22. GROW HAIR FAST by Riquette Hofstein (174 p). Well, sometimes you want your hair to grow faster . . .
23. CRYSTAL SINGER by Anne McCaffrey (311 p)
24. KILLASHANDRA by Anne McCaffrey (275 p)

25. CRYSTAL LINE by Anne McCaffrey (294 p). Not my favorite series of hers, but I haven’t read it in over a decade, so . . . a sci-fi series. Killashandra is a failed music student who signs up to be a “crystal singer” on the planet of Ballybran—a dangerous job. In the second book (my favorite of the series—where she acts most human), she meets Lars Dahl, and then the third takes place decades later when her memory is faulty at best . . .

26. SABRIEL by Garth Nix (491 p)
27. LIRAEL by Garth Nix (702 p)
28. ABHORSEN by Garth Nix (518 p). Recommended by a friend, a fantasy trilogy that I thought was a decent story, but not really my cup of tea—a little too dark for me—but they kept my interest and I did read all of them, so they certainly weren’t all bad! I liked Lirael and her Disreputable Dog best of all the characters, which probably isn’t surprising, considering what a dog lover I am (grin)
29. HAND WOOL COMBING AND SPINNING by Peter Teal (175 p). A very technical, painstaking look at taking raw wool fleece and combing it into something spinnable, and then spinning a true, worsted yarn with it. Meticulously detailed.

Comments

[Shelley]

Dang Deb, how do you do it? Where do you have the time?!? Quick, I need the answer...my days just seem to get shorter and shorter!

[Shelley]

PS-You are Wonder Woman!

[Beth]

I'm amazed - And imagine how much reading if you factor in the lists and blogs!

I'm listening to Eragon by C. Paolini right now - that's up your alley.

[Angela]

Impressive. :) I thought I'd read a lot this month too. Were the Garth Nix books yours? Would you be interested in a swap? I read the first three of his Keys to the Kingdom and loved em. :)

[Lorette]

Good grief, girl. When do you sleep. Or eat. Or knit??

[anna]

wow - that's very nearly a book a day! you must have a very effective speedreading technique, i'm VERY impressed.

[Jacqueline]

you are a freak! how on earth do you get through all those books