Books Completed in 2000

  The following is a list of books I've read since August 14, 2000, with the dates completed, lengths, and my ratings of them, as well as any comments I felt like including. In association with Amazon.com, any linked titles point to the book's listing on Amazon.com, in case you want to look at/purchase it. You can also look at my page of book recommendations as well. Books are listed in reverse chronological order, according to the date completed.

Title Author Length Completed Rating Comments
Total YTD (from 8/14/2000): 40 Books, 16,982 pages
  (Averaging 424.6 pages per book, 121.3 pages per day since 8/14/00)

Hunting Party Elizabeth Moon 384 pgs 12/28/2000 3.0/3.5 The first book in the Heris Serrano series. Entertaining sci-fi space opera.
The Shadows of Eden (Twilight of the Gods: Book 2) Michael Joens ? pgs 12/25/2000 3.0/3.5 The second book in the series, after The Crimson Tapestry, below, it continues in following the life of the young man, Worm, who has discovered that his true name is Aeryck, and that he is not an abandoned waif, but the son of a well-respected warrior, who sacrificed himself for his people. It has both action, in the form of the Anglo-Saxon war, and romance, for both Aeryck and his best friend. Like the previous book, it's considered to be a book of Christian fiction, and the barbaric Picts do indeed convert to Christianity, but it isn't as big of a theme as one might expect.
The Crimson Tapestry (Twilight of the Gods: Book 1) Michael Joens 431 pgs 12/24/2000 3.0/3.5 Read this in two sittings, even though it's so long. Definitely good. Is supposed to be christian fiction, but there's actually not that much of a Christianity push.
Ruby in the Smoke Phillip Pullman 240 pgs 12/14/2000 2.5 - 3.0 It was okay. It was decent, but not exceptional.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) J.K. Rowling 734 pgs 12/11/2000 4.0 Re-read. 4th book in the children's series. Fast read, interesting and original. Recommended.
A Calculated Risk Katherine Neville 343 pgs 12/9/2000 3.0 Definitely not as good as The Eight, but then again, very little is. A normal "good" book, nothing hugely extraordinary, but pretty good.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) J.K. Rowling 435 pgs 12/7/2000 4.0 Re-read. Good children's book series, light reading, entertaining and original.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) J.K. Rowling 341 pgs 12/5/2000 4.0 Re-read. Good children's book, good for adults as well. Fun series, fast read.
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Book 1) J.K. Rowling 312 pgs 11/30/2000 4.0 Re-read. Cute children's book, fast read, very original. Something to re-read.
Lioness Rampant (Song of the Lioness: Book 4) Tamora Pierce 308 pgs 11/29/2000 3.0 The last in the 4-book series about the sole female knight in the Tortall kingdom.
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (Song of the Lioness: Book 3) Tamora Pierce 228 pgs 11/28/2000 3.0 A good series about a female knight.. 3rd of 4 books.
In the Hand of the Goddess (Song of the Lioness: Book 2) Tamora Pierce 209 pgs 11/26/2000 3.0 A series I've remembered from and admired since my childhood, and only recently rediscovered. It's nice to see a young female holding her own in a man's world and doing Good.
Alanna: The First Adventure (The Song of the Lioness Quartet: Book 1) Tamora Pierce 216 pgs 11/26/2000 3.0 Good young adult (or over) fantasy. I read them when I was perhaps 10, and remembered this series to this day (14 years later). Definitely recommended. Original and interesting. Good female role model, both strong (warrior/page/squire) and able to do magic.
Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer: Book 1) Robin Hodd 435 pgs 11/23/2000 3.0 Good fantasy book, I enjoyed it. There is a process called "Forging" in this book, in which a person loses their soul/that which makes them "alive" or human, which is very akin to someone being caught by a Specter (sp?) or having their daemon cut away in Pullman's "His Dark Materials" books, such as the first, The Golden Compass
The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials: Book 2) Phillip Pullman 288 pgs 11/20/2000 4.0 Could hardly put it down. Read this one in a day as well, in two sittings. Very original and interesting series.
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials: Book 1) Phillip Pullman 351 pgs 11/19/2000 4.0 A fantasy book for young-adults. Very original, just as much so as Harry Potter. Couldn't put it down, and read the entire thing in one six-hour sitting.
The BFG Roald Dahl 208 pgs 11/15/2000 3.0/3.5 Great children's book, but since it's such an incredibly simple read, it's not good for re-reading after middle-school level. But for anyone in elementary school, it's a great read.
The Prophetess Barbara Wood 480 pgs 11/14?/2000 4.0 Very good. I didn't want to put it down. Much better than the Doomsday book, and even better than the Plague Tales.
The Plague Tales Ann Benson 675 pgs 11/12/2000 3.0/3.5 Pretty good book. Hard to stop thinking about it if I read too much of it for too long. Invades your thoughts.
The Great Book of Amber: The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10 Roger Zelazny 1258 pgs 11/11/2000 3.0 Pretty good book. The last five 'books' were better than the first five, but all in all, worthwhile. Extensive.
By the Sword Mercedes Lackey 496 pgs 10/13/2000 3.0/3.5 Better than the Oathbound series above, but a related story; one may need the added history from the other books to appreciate it fully. Pretty good.
The Oathbound (Vows & Honor: Book 1) Mercedes Lackey 302 pgs 10/11/2000 2.5/3.0 Fantasy series. Two female warrior coworkers, warrior and mage. Decent read, but I've read better fantasy.
Oathbreakers Mercedes Lackey 318 pgs 10/10/2000 2.5/3.0 Two female warrior-coworkers. Sword and magic. Decent read, but not wonderful. I've read better fantasy, but not bad.
Oathblood Mercedes Lackey 394 pgs 10/9/2000 2.5/3.0 Pretty good. Fantasy, two female warrior partners, sword and magic.
The Jewels of Tessa Kent Judith Kratz 469 pgs 10/5?/2000 3.0 Pretty good-- standard non-intellectual airplane fare/fiction.
The Doomsday Book Colleen Willis 578 pgs 9/29/2000 2.5/3.0 Moves too slowly for my tastes. Doesn't speed up until approximately page 350. Plague past-and-present story, akin to Benson's The Plague Tales, only not as good, in my opinion.
Spring Collection Judith Kratz 416 pgs 9/26/2000 3.0 Okay. Hard to get into, only 'decent.' Got better as it continued.
The Ghost Danielle Steel 420 pgs 9/22/2000 3.0/3.5 Standard airplane-reading fare. Pretty good non-intellectual fiction.
Liar's Oath Elizabeth Moon 480 pgs 9/22/2000 2.5 Not that good. Disjointed ending, and difficult to get into and read for long periods of time. Not anywhere near the standard of The Deed of Paksenarrion, one of my 4 favorite books of all time.
The Testament John Grisham 533 pgs 9/22/2000 2.0 Not as good as his others. Difficult to 'get into' and difficult to stick with until the end. Somewhat empty.
Timeline Michael Crichton 512 pgs 9/20/2000 4.0 Definitely enjoyed it. Nicely done.
The Street Lawyer John Grisham 452 pgs 9/18/2000 4.0 Very good, makes you really think about helping the homeless,and what's important in life.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) J.K. Rowling 734 pgs 8/30?/2000 4.0 4th book in the children's series. Fast read, interesting and original. Recommended.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) J.K. Rowling 435 pgs 8/28?/2000 4.0 Good children's book series, light reading, entertaining and original.
Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Golden 434 pgs 8/26/2000 3.0 Interesting inside into the life of a geisha.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) J.K. Rowling 341 pgs 8/24/2000 4.0 Good children's book, good for adults as well. Fun series, fast read.
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Book 1) J.K. Rowling 312 pgs 8/23/2000 4.0 Cute children's book, fast read, very original. Something to re-read.
The Hiding Place Corrie ten Boom 241 pgs 8/17/2000 3.5 Good book about a christian woman who helped Jews hide in her home during the Holocaust.
Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy 807 pgs 8/14/2000 3.0 Pretty good, actually, but it started to drag and get 'preachy' at the end.
Designing Web Usability Jacob Nielsen 432 pgs 8/14/2000 4.0 Good book. Can't fly through it, but has a lot of good points and interesting data/suggestions.