Half Year Summary and Linkup ~ Books Read

Half Year Summary and Linkup: A list of books read, and abandoned. Also included are interviews for the first half of 2012.

Yes, we’ve been busy reading and wanted to share our list of books in alphabetical order with links to reviews.

One never knows with lists, you may find a new book to read?

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 Shellie ~ Read and Reviewed:

1. A Long Long Sleep ~ by Anna Sheehan (audio)
2. All There Is: Love Stories from Storycorps ~ by David Isay
3. Cinder ~ by Marissa Meyer (audio)
4. Feed ~ by M. T. Anderson (audio)
5. Fever Series ~ by Karen Marie Moning (5 book series)(audio) (+4)
6. Heft ~ by Liz Moore (audio)
7. In Other Worlds ~ by Margaret Atwood (audio)
8. In the Sea there are Crocodiles ~ by Fabio Geda. (audio)
9. Jamrach’s Menagerie ~ by Carol Birch (audio)
10. Kafka on the Shore ~ by Haruki Murakami (audio)
11. Other Kingdoms ~ by Richard Matheson (audio)
12. Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day ~ by Ben Loory
13. Tarnished ~ by Karina Cooper
14. The Age of Miracles ~ by Karen Thompson Walker
15. The Book of Lost Fragrances ~ by M.J. Rose
16. The Cove ~ by Ron Rash
17. The First Days (As the World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy #1) ~ by Rhiannon Frater
18. The Girl Below ~ by Bianca Zander
19. The Island of Dr. Moreau ~ by H. G. Wells  (audio)
20. The Last Storyteller ~ by Frank Delany
21. The Whisperer ~ Donato Carrisi
22. The Women of Nell Gwynne’s ~ by Kage Baker
23. The Wicked Good Stepmother ~ by William G. Bentrim
24. This Perfect Day ~ by Ira Levin
25. Three Weeks in December ~ by Audrey Schulman
26. What Dies in Summer ~ by Tom Wright
27. White Horse ~ by Alex Adams
28. Wood (a novella) ~ by Robert Dunbar

Subtotal: 28 + 4 = 32

Read without Reviews:

1. Fallen ~ by Kate Lauren (audio)
2. Jane Eyre ~ by Charlotte Bronte (audio)
3. Kitty and the Midnight Hour (book #1) ~ by Carie Vaughn (audio)
4. La Vagabonde ~ Collette (audio)
5. Oryx and Crake ~ by Margaret Atwood (audio)
6. The Alzheimer's Prevention Program ~ by Gary Small
7. The Last Werewolf ~ by Glen Duncan (audio)
8. The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing  ~ by Evan Marshall
9. The Sword Edged Blonde (Eddie LaCrosse #1) ~ by Alex Bledsoe (audio)
10. Vegan Fire & Spice ~ by Robin Robertson

Abandoned:

1. A Brush of Darkness ~ by Allison Pang (130 pages)
2. Eyes Like Leaves ~ Charles de Lint (100 pages)
3. Fifty Shades of Grey ~ E.L. James (audio)(50 pages) 
4. Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain  ~ by Maryann Wolf (audio) (30 pages)

Total: 32 + 10 + 4 = 46 books read

John ~ Read and Reviewed:

1. A Bridge of Years ~ by Robert Charles Wilson
2. After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall ~ by Nancy Kress
3. Cleopatra: A Life ~ by Stacy Schiff
4. Lucky Bastard ~ by S. G. Browne
5. Mindscan ~ Robert J. Sawyer
6. Our Man in the Dark ~ by Rashad Harrison
7. Spartacus: The Gladiator ~ by Ben Kane
8. The Broken Universe (Universe 2) ~ by Paul Melko
9. The Forever War ~ by Joe Haldeman
10. The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories #2) ~ by Bernard Cornwell
11. The Revisionists ~ by Thomas Mullen
12. The Whisperer ~ by Donato Carrisi
13. Written in the Ashes ~ by K. Hollan Van Zant

Read and Up for Review:

1. Sacrilege ~ by S. J. Parris
2. The Devil in Silver ~ by Victor Lavalle
3. Watchmen ~ by Alan Moore

Abandoned

1. The Tapestry Shop ~ by Joyce Elson Moore (80 pages)
2. Come Back ~ by Sky Gilbert (30 pages)
3. Tribulations ~ by Ken Shufeldt (50 pages)

Total: 13 + 3 + 3 = 19 books read

Guest Posts and Interviews

• Adam Baker
• Alma Katsu
• Alyx Dellamonica
• Blodeuedd - blogger
• Jane Kindred
• Kristen Wolf
• M.J. Rose
• Nelle Davy
• S.G. Browne
• Spencer Seidel

 

A Question:   Do you consider a book read if it has been abandoned?

Our Best of the Year ~ 2011

It’s our best of the year ~ for 2011. Yep, this list is a bit later than planned, but we had the pleasure of reading some intriguing and engaging books this past year.

So here is our list of “sparklers” for 2011. We have included the covers, our “review overviews”, and each book cover links to our full post for the book, so that you can read our extended thoughts - if so desired. Please enjoy, since it is our hope that you may find a few favorites of your own here.

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Our Very Top of the List:

 

John’s choice: The Windup Girl ~ by Paolo Bacigalupi

Wonderful and highly imaginative, it’s a dystopian novel set in a world-gone-wrong that is both crazy and disturbingly believable. All wrapped up into a complex and many-layered story, this book was a delight to read.  

    

 

Shellie’s choice: Nebula Awards Showcase 2011 ~ edited by Kevin J. Anderson        

An incredible collection of short stories, novelettes, one novella,  poetry and more -representing the best in the science fiction and fantasy field published in 2009. All chosen by peers from the SFWA –Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

 

  Fantasy:

Shellie’s choice:  Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (in audio) ~ by Susanna Clarke;  read by Simon Prebble

There is a reason why some novels win multiple awards; this historical fantasy is one example of a book that deserves all the accolades it has received. An incredible tome which is a grand meandering adventure into the historical, magical, and darkly hilarious. It is a perfect read for fall.

 

Horror | Thriller | Mystery:

John’s choice: The Revisionists ~ by Thomas Mullen 

An excellent and thought-provoking science fiction thriller, featuring an agent from the future who is sent back in time to ensure that cataclysmic world events are allowed to happen. His perfect future depends on near-apocalypse for today’s world.

 

Shellie’s choice: Willy ~ by Robert Dunbar

A disturbing and poignant coming of age story with elements of suspense and psychological terror which verges on the paranormal.

 

 

Non-Fiction | Journalistic:

 

John’s choice: Life ~ by Keith Richards

A fascinating, entertaining and surprisingly detailed biography of Keith Richards – the heart of the Rolling Stones.

 

 

 

Shellie’s choice: The Psychopath Test ~ by Jon Ronson (arc)

A darkly hilarious, and almost unbelievable journalistic journey into how “madness”  is defined, recognized, and treated within western culture and the mental heath industry.

 

 

Historical Fiction:

 

John’s choice: The Killer Angels ~ by Michael Shaara

An excellent historical fiction novel about the greatest battle of the American Civil War, told from the perspective of several of the main protagonists.  

 

 

Shellie’s choice:  Possession ~ by A.S. Byatt  (in audio, performed by Virginia Leishman)

A multilayered award winning tale of interwoven romances. Set in two different centuries and connected ingeniously through letters and journals. It has elements which include faeries, myth, poetry, science, feminism, lgbt, and Victoriana.

 

General Fiction: 

 

John’s choice: Mr. Chartwell ~ by Rebecca Hunt (ARC edition)

A wonderfully original and entertaining debut novel that pits Winston Churchill and a humble librarian against a most unusual common enemy.

 

 

Shellie’s choice: The Inverted Forest ~ by John Dalton

A perfect summer novel for those looking for something with a bit more depth in their reading. This novel has an idyllic summer camp setting in the Ozark Mountains, where an unexpected tragedy is set in motion through a series of complicated events. It is a heart wrenching and insightful story that has a diverse and unusual set of characters.

 

Classics:

 

John’s choice: The Time Machine ~ by H. G. Wells (1895)

An old science fiction classic that still lives up to its reputation; a delightful read and a trend-setter that was published 100 years before anyone ever dreamt up “steampunk”.

 

Shellie’s choice: Wuthering Heights ~ by Emily Brontë

A classic masterpiece that is an incredible work of horrific and tragic fiction. It is a shocking “page turner” that I could not put  down.

 

Translations:

 

John’s choice: The Map of Time ~ by Felix J. Palma

A complex multi-layered historical fantasy that weaves real characters with fictitious ones in a story about time travel and the effects of changing history – with H. G. Wells as the central character.

 

Shellie’s choice: The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine ~ by Alina Bronsky  (translator Tim Mohr)  

A dark modern fable translated from German. It is a literary novel that is tragic and blackly humorous, told by a narrator who is definitely misguided and “unreliable”.

 

 

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Other links of related interest:

• See our - list of books read for 2011.
• See our - favorites list from 2010.

We are looking forward to our best reads for 2012. It’s always exciting since you never know which books we will uncover (no pun intended).

Thanks for reading.

Books Read in 2011 ~ list

Books we’ve read in 2011, pending reviews, and abandoned too. Including some geeky stats.

A bit meager since 2011 included “a dose of the crazies”.  With extended trips to our respective “homes” – England and California, as well as various other catastrophes (see “the gremlin attack” – where I lost my entire hard drive) and some personal losses, there wasn’t as much time for reading as we would have liked. But there’s always 2012!

Each book’s title links to it’s review when applicable. We have also included a few stats at the bottom.

John’s Books Read:

1. The Revisionists ~ by Thomas Mullen (review coming soon)
2. The Immortality Virus ~ by Christine Amsden
3. Fleet of Worlds ~ by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner
4. Banksy: Locations & Tours vol. 1 ~ by Martin Bull
5. Banksy: Locations & Tours vol. 2 ~ by Martin Bull
6. The Windup Girl ~ by Paolo Bacigalupi
7. Low Town ~ by Daniel Polansky
8. Matter (book #8 in the Culture series) ~ by Iain M. Banks
9. The Hum and The Shiver ~ by Alex Bledsoe
10. Outpost ~ by Adam Baker
11. The Devil All the Time ~ by Donald Ray Pollock
12. The American Book of the Dead ~ by Henry Baum
13. Mr. Chartwell ~ by Rebecca Hunt
14. The Knowledge of Good and Evil ~ by Glenn Kleier
15. The Map of Time ~ by Felix J. Palma
16. The Time Machine ~ by H. G. Wells
17. The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady ~ by Elizabeth Stuckey-French
18. Robopocalypse ~ by Daniel H. Wilson
19. The Curse-Maker ~ by Kelli Stanley
20. Lost in Shangri-La ~ by Mitchell Zuckoff
21. WWW:Wonder (#3) ~ by Robert J. Sawyer
22. All the Lives He Led ~ by Frederik Pohl
23. A Visit from the Goon Squad ~ by Jennifer Egan
24. WWW:Watch (#2) ~ by Robert J. Sawyer
25. Variable Star ~ by Robert A. Heinlein and Spider Robinson
26. Seven Years in Tibet ~ by Heinrich Harrer (translation by Robert Graves)
27. The Healers (The Aesculapians, Book One) ~ by Thomas Heric
28. The March ~ by E. L. Doctorow
29. Home Fires ~ by Gene Wolfe
30. WWW:Wake (#1) ~ by Robert J. Sawyer
31. Life ~ by Keith Richards
32. Beware of the Dog ~ by Brian Moore
33. Mr. Toppit ~ by Charles Elton
34. The Killer Angels ~ by Michael Shaara

Not Reviewed:

1. On the Odd Hours ~ by Eric Liberge
2. The Metalmark Contract ~ by David Batchelor

Abandoned:

1. Alice in Sunderland ~ by Bryan Talbot
2. Gateways ~ edited by Elizabeth Anne Hull

Total:  36 read; 2 abandoned

Shellie’s Books Read:

1. The Hermetica of Elysium ~ by Annmarie Banks
2. The Conference of the Birds ~ by Peter Sis
3. The Uncertain Places ~ by Lisa Goldstein
4. The Picture of Dorian Gray (in audio) ~ by Oscar Wilde; read by Simon Vance
5. The Faster I Walk, The Smaller I Am ~ by Kjersti A. Skomsvold
6. Those Across the River (audio) ~ by Christopher Buehlman 
7. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (in audio) ~ by Susanna Clarke
8. Eddie - The Lost Youth of Edgar Allan Poe ~ written and illustrated by Scott Gustafson
9. Eat Vegan on $4 a Day ~ by Ellen Jaffe Jones 
10. Vegan Family Meals ~ by Ann Gentry 
11. Nebula Awards Showcase 2011 ~ edited by Kevin J. Anderson       
12. Promises to Keep ~ by Charles De Lint
13. Electric Ant ~ by Philip K. Dick (adapted by David Mack; illustrated by Pascal Aline) 
14. The Sandman - The Dream Hunters ~ by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Yoshitak Amano 
15. The Hobbit ~ by J.R.R. Tolkien; adapted by David Wenzel 
16. Changeling Moon ~ by Dani Harper
17. The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine ~ by Alina Bronsky  (translator Tim Mohr) 
18. The Inverted Forest ~ by John Dalton 
19. The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus (in audio) ~ by Margaret Atwood   
20. Galore ~ by Michael Crummey  
21. Fabulous Faces: From Motivation to Transformation through Facial Plastic Surgery ~ by Peter A. Adamson M. D.
22. The Psychopath Test ~ by Jon Ronson 
23. Warm Bodies ~ by Isaac Marion 
24. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making ~ by Catherynne M. Valente 
25. Wuthering Heights ~ by Emily Brontë
26. Bury Your Dead (Armand Gamache  #6) ~ by Louise Penny 
27. Willy ~ by Robert Dunbar 
28. Trouble and Her Friends ~ by Melissa Scott 
29. Possession ~ by A.S. Byatt  (in audio)
30. The Oracle of Stamboul ~ by Michael David Lukas
31. Wither (Chemical Garden Trilogy # 1) ~ by Lauren DeStefano 
32. Enough About Love ~ by Hervé Le Tellier
33. Blue ~ Lou Aronica
34. Shadow Bound ~ by Erin Kellison 
35. Delirium ~ by Lauren Oliver 
36. The Afflicted Girls ~ by Susy Witten 
37. Spellwright (Spellwright, #1) ~ by Blake Charlton
38. Healthy Aging ~ by Andrew Weil (mini-review on Goodreads)
39. Writing Short Stories ~ William H. Phillips (mini-review on Goodreads)

Pending Review:

1. In Other Worlds ~ by Margaret Attwood
2. Kafka on the Shore ~ by Haruki Marakami
3. 52 Small Changes ~ by Brett Blumenthal
4. Feed (audio) ~ by M. T. Anderson
5. Name That Movie! A Painless Vocabulary Builder: Comedy & Action Edition ~ by Brian Leaf, M.A.
6. Name That Movie! A Painless Vocabulary Builder: Romantic Comedy & Drama Edition ~ by Brian Leaf, M.A.
7. The Wicked Good Stepmother ~ by William G. Bentrim
8. The Marshall Plan for Writing a Novel ~ by Evan Marshal
9. Rick Steves' Great Britain 2011 with map ~ by Rich Steves
10. A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany ~ by Aubrey Burl

Books in Progress (number of pages read):

1. Every Bitter Thing ~ by Leighton Gage (100)
2. The Time In Between ~ by Maria Duenas (230)
3. The Book of Kells ~ by R.A. MacAvoy (100)
4. The Dove Keepers ~ by Alice Hoffman (270)
5. Ragnarok: The End of the Gods ~ by A.S. Byatt (130)
6. Gulliver’s Travels ~ by Jonathan Swift (100)
7. The First Days ~ by Rhiannon Frater (130)
8. A Long Sleep ~ by Allie Sheehan (200)
9. Stories for the Night and Some for the Day ~ by Ben Loory (100)

Abandoned:

1. The Dying Light ~ by Scott D. Meek
2. Fallen ~ by  Kate Lauren
3. French Lessons ~ by Ellen Sussman
4. Never Let You Go ~ by Erin Healy
5. The Promises She Keeps ~ by Erin Healy
6. Shea Vaughn’s Breakthrough ~ by Shea Vaughn
7. Secret Legacy ~ by Anna Destanfano
8. Unclean Spirits ~ by M.L.N. Hanover
9. Lincoln’s Dream ~ by Connie Willis
10. Afterlife ~ by Merrie Destafano

Totals:  49 books read (10 pending review); books in progress 9; abandoned 10

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Stats for Completed Books

• Female Authors: 25
• Male Authors: 58

Genre|Category

• Speculative Fiction: science fiction, fantasy, and horror:
• SF - 22
• F - 22
• H - 15
• Non Fiction: 19
• General Fiction: 14
• Historical Fiction: 15
• Classics and Literary:  9
• Translations: 5
• Graphic Novels: 5
• Anthologies:  2
• Audio Books: 8
• YA/Children’s/Tweens: 13

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Coming Up:  Our Favorites of 2011 and our Competed (and not so complete) Challenges for 2011! 

picture credit - zenobia_joy