| Title |
Author |
Length |
Completed |
Rating |
Comments |
Total YTD:
36 Books, 18,548 pages
(Averaging 515.2 pages per book, 80.64 pages per day)
|
Fire Ice |
Clive Cussler |
416 pgs |
8/17/2003 |
2.5 |
I was sorely dissapointed by this book. True,
all Clive Cussler novels tend to sound similar after you've read four
or five, and I've probably read all but one or maybe two, but this
book was so dull that I put it down a mere 30 pages from the end
because I couldn't stand it anymore, and only picked it up two weeks
later to finish it off. He's written better. |
Sorcery
Rising (Fool's Gold, Book 1) |
Jude Fisher |
528 pgs |
8/17/2003 |
4.0/4.5 |
The Eyrans and the Istrians have always been
enemies, although there has been a tentative peace for 22 years since
the last war. Women are wrapped from head to toe, with only hands and
mouths visible, in the Istrian culture; Eyrans treat women as equals.
When redheaded Katla Aransen comes to the Allfair to trade the weapens she
had forged, she inadvertently commits sacrilege by climbing a rock
sacred to both peoples...and it goes from there.
I was very impressed with this book; instead of having merely one
protagonist, a role definitely held by Katla, there are at least six main
characters, perhaps more, and all are well developed. Recommended. |
Hidden
Warrior (Tamir Trilogy, Book 2) |
Lynn Flewelling |
576 pgs |
8/15/2003 |
4.0 |
Just as good as the first, which can be
difficult in a series. Not a disappointment for all the wait. Tobin must
deal with Brother, who is her murdered twin brother, who everyone knows as
the resident deamon, while growing up among Companions, which are the
Crown Prince's royal playmates and protectors, fellow nobles like himself.
But then Tobin discovers he is really a girl, and destined to be queen... |
The
Bone Doll's Twin (Tamir Trilogy, Book 1) |
Lynn FLewelling |
544 pgs |
8/14/2003 |
4.0 |
As soon as I finished this book, I couldn't
wait for the sequel to come out. The land will never be subjugated
as long as a daughter of King Thelatimos's line rules...but now, King
Elrius rules, and the land is beset by raiders from their neighboring
land, and by plague. Tobin, King Elrius's half-sister's son, was
born a woman...but must grow up a man to protect himself from his
uncle the king, who kills all women from the royal line to protect
his own rule. A somewhat dark read, but a really interesting book. |
I Dare |
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller |
472 pgs |
8/13?/2003 |
4.0 |
Another great Lee/Miller book. |
Plan B |
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller |
324 pgs |
8/12?/2003 |
4.0 |
All of their books in the Liaden Universe are
wonderful. |
Partners
in Necessity |
Sharon Lee & Steven Miller |
800 pgs |
8/11?/2003 |
4.5 |
Another wonderful Sharon Lee/Steve Miller
novel. This is actually an omnibus of three novels published in one
volume: Conflict
of Honors, Agent
of Change, and Carpe
Diem, all of which are very very good, drawing you into the world of
Clan Korval immediately. |
Scout's
Progress |
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller |
320 pgs |
8/8?/2003 |
4.5 |
|
Local
Custom |
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller |
320 pgs |
8/6?/2003 |
4.5 |
I love all of Sharon Lee and Steven
Miller's books... I thought they'd be normal space opera, but they
are so much better. They suck you in and you don't want to put it
down. |
A
Sorcerer's Treason |
Sarah Zettel |
512 pgs |
7/?/2003 |
3.5 |
I must admit that when I first read the back
covers of Zettel's books, I decided not to buy them, because they
sounded so cheesy. But I finally decided to 'try one' and
bought it, and as soon as I was done I went back for another, and
another. They're a lot better (and less cheesy) than expected. |
Playing
God |
Sarah Zettel |
464 pgs |
7/?/2003 |
3.0 |
Still good, but not as riveting or surprising
as Fool's
War. |
Fool's
War |
Sarah Zettle |
464 pgs |
7/?/2003 |
4.0/4.5 |
Very, very good - lots of twists and turns,
surprised me; Fools are professional jesters whose job it is to
entertain and lighten the hearts of crew members on various
spaceships. Unfortunately, this particular spaceship has a renegate
artificial intelligence... really enjoyed this one. |
The
Quiet Invasion
| Sarah Zettel |
496 pgs |
7/?/2003 |
3.0 |
Surprisingly enjoyable, Sarah Zettel's books. I
read all of the ones I could find. |
| Eagle-Sage
(The Lon Tobyn Chronicles, Book 3) |
David B. Coe |
640 pgs |
7/12/2003 |
3.0/3.5 |
After finishing the second, I went right out
and bought the third, and finished that one today too (like the
second). The third was even better than the second, which was better
than the first. |
| The
Outlanders (The Lon Tobyn Chronicles, Book 2) |
David B. Coe |
640 pgs |
7/12/2003 |
3.0 |
Second in the series, even better than the first, below. |
| Children
of Amarid (The Lon Tobyn Chronicles, Book 1) |
David B. Coe |
591 pgs |
7/8?/2003 |
3.0 |
Coe won an award for "Best First Fantasy
Series" for this series in 1999. |
| Rules
of Ascension (Winds of the Forelands, Book 1) |
David B. Coe |
672 pgs |
7/1/2003 |
3.0/3.5 |
|
Kushiel's
Chosen |
Jacqueline Carey |
704 pgs |
7/?/2003 |
3.0 |
Not a bad series, but perhaps not quiet as
good as the first, Kushiel's Dart. Still good. |
Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) |
J.K. Rowling |
896 pgs |
6/22/2003 |
3.0 |
The fifth book in the Harry Potter series came
out yesterday, and I've just finished reading it. Since I'd had it
on order at Amazon.com since *March 2001,* I've obviously been
waiting for it for quite a while.
Perhaps it's because I've been waiting for it's release for so long,
but this book doesn't seem to measure up to the previous four. As I
read it, I kept waiting for something "interesting" or "big" to
happen...but it never did. Even the conclusion, which is always the
most fast-paced, didn't rile me up and suck me into the storyline as
it normally did. I think the biggest reason it failed to deliver the
excitement of the previous Harry Potter books is because there is
very little new information about what the wizarding world is like.
All of the previous books tell you something neat about Harry's
world: New spells learned, new creatures discovered, a mystery to
unravel. Unfortunately, all those were either lacking in this book,
or appeared to a lesser extent. There were creatures that looked
like parts of trees (akin to stick-bugs in the 'real world,'), and an
interesting creature which is visible only to those who have seen
death. However, Harry's adversary in the Order of the Phoenix
appeared to be the annoyingly sweet, yet obviously evil, Ministry of
Magic plant, Professor Umbridge, who we loved to hate, but seemed to
occupy more of Harry's thoughts than his fear of Lord Voldemort.
I'm sure there will be many readers who disagree with me, and I can't
say it's not worth the read, but I'm just not able to give this last one
the unending praise I lavished on the first book, despite having been
(and remaining) a die-hard Harry Potter fan for years. |
| Courting
Trouble |
Lisa Scottoline |
432 pgs |
6/14?/2003 |
3.0 |
Another legal mystery from Scottoline,
following Anne Murphy as she tries locate her stalker, who recently
escaped from prison, whom she believes mistakenly murdered the woman
cat-sitting for Anne instead of Anne herself. Anne has to "play
dead" until her would-be killer is found, or she's killed herself. |
| The
Glasswright's Test |
Mindy L. Klasky |
352 pgs |
6/9/2003 |
3.0 |
The forth volume in the series following
Rani Trader, now Ranita Glasswright, as she struggles between
attempting to test to become a Master Glasswright, while trying not
to betray her oaths to her leige lord and the Fellowship. |
| Through
Wolf's Eyes |
Jane M. Lindskold |
608 pgs |
6/8/2003 |
3.5/4.0 |
The sole survivor of a fire which enveloped
the entire community living in seclusion in the forest, Firekeeper
was then raised by wolves for almost a decade, until an earl of her
parents' empire finds her, and returns her to civilization, offering
her up as a contender for the aging King's throne. Recommended. |
| The
Veil of a Thousand Tears |
Eric Van Lustbader |
672 pgs |
6/6?/2003 |
3.5/4.0 |
Second in the series by Van Lustbader,
following the Dar Sala-at, the Chosen One of the Phophesy who will
free the Kundalans from the V'ornn's oppression. |
| The
Ring of Five Dragons |
Eric Van Lustbader |
688 pgs |
6/4?/2003 |
4.0 |
As good the second time around as the first.
The spiritual Kundalans chafe at the technology-oriented V'ornn
oppressor's control. Good book, good sequel, waiting eagerly for the
third. |
| The
Hob's Bargain |
Patricia Briggs |
288 pgs |
5/22/2003 |
3.0/3.5 |
Another short but sweet book by Briggs. Aren, a
mageborn woman who is hated by the villagers for her magic, attempts to
save her village from the raiders who threaten to overrun it, despite
the villagers who would rather see her killed for her magic than get
her help. Aren seeks out the help of the Hob of the mountain. Good,
but short. |
| Dragon
Blood |
Patricia Briggs |
288 pgs |
5/20/2003 |
3.5/4.0 |
The sequel to Dragon Bones, below, this book
is just as good as the first, and brings a nice resolution to the
first book. This time, Ward isn't only protecting his keep, Hurog,
but is influencing the fate of the kingdom as well. And although his
father is dead, the King is now just as threatened by Ward as his
father once was. Recommended. |
| Dragon
Bones |
Patricia Briggs |
295 pgs |
5/17?/2003 |
3.5/4.0 |
I must admit, when I first picked up this
book, I wasn't expecting much. In fact, I put off buying it for 6
months in favor of other books because, although the concept piqued
(sp?) my interest, the description made it sound very poorly
written, and it's shorter than most fantasy I like. But I was
pleasantly surprised! I was immediately drawn into the book;
you feel for the characters, and as soon as I finished the first one
I ordered the sequel, Dragon Blood. Dragon Bones (and the sequel)
follows Ward, the current lord of Hurog's heir, as he transitions
from the heir who 'plays dumb' to protect himself from being killed
by his own father (who would perceive him as a threat), to a wise man
in his own right, protecting his land. Hurog means "Dragon."
Recommended. |
| Child
of the Prophecy (Sevenwaters Trilogy, Book 3) |
Juliet Marillier |
528 pgs |
5/11?/2003 |
4.0 |
The conclusion of the Sevenwaters Trilogy, just as
good as the first two books. Recommended. |
| Son
of the Shadows (Sevenwaters Trilogy, Book 2) |
Juliet Marillier |
608 pgs |
4/?/2003 |
4.0 |
The second in the trilogy, following the daughter
of the first book's protagonist, and the man who took her
hostage. Also recommended. |
| Daughter
of the Forest (Sevenwaters Trilogy, Book 1) |
Juliet Marillier |
554 pgs |
4/?/2003 |
4.0 |
I was fairly impressed with Marillier's
writing; interesting plot, characters...i've definitely read worse
fantasy reading. The book is based on the fairy tale of the sister
whose six brothers are turned into swans, and the sister has to sew
seven shirts out of nettles for years on end, not speaking a word, to
reverse the spell. This much is consistent in the book, but the
similarities end there, and goes off on it's own interesting plot.
The whole trilogy is recommended. |
| The
Speed of Dark |
Elizabeth Moon |
352 pgs |
3/2/2003 |
4.0 |
A quick but interesting read, this book
follows a high-functioning independent autistic man who lives in a
world where autistic babies are 'fixed' at birth to be 'normal,' and
who is among the last generation of autistic adults in America. This
book takes you into Lou's life as an autistic man, with it's joys
(hidden patterns) and (social) frustrations, and Lou decides whether he is
willing to try a new experimental procedure which may make him 'normal',
but at what cost? Recommended. |
| The
Third Twin |
Kenn Follett |
469 pgs |
1/31/2003 |
3.0 |
One of the few books by Follett that aren't
about the Nazi era, "The Third Twin" follows a scientist who studies
twins raised apart after she discovers identical twins born to two
different women. |
| The
Charm School |
Nelson DeMille |
630 pgs |
1/23?/2003 |
3.0 |
|
| Night
Over Water |
Ken Follett |
544 pgs |
1/6/2003 |
3.5 |
|
| Code to Zero |
Ken Follett |
480 pgs |
1/2/2003 |
3.5 |
Another good Follett novel, this one a
combination of CIA intrigue, NASA projects, and therapy-induced
amnesia. Pretty good. |
| The
Summons |
John Grisham |
384 pgs |
1/1/2003 |
2.0 |
I was surprisingly unimpressed by this book.
The ending redeemed it somewhat, but it didn't get interesting until
250 pages into the book, which could have been condensed into 50
pages. Don't bother; Pelican Brief and The Firm were both highly
superior and recommended instead. |
Want to see more? Look at the books completed in 2002.
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