Books Read in 2010

1	Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner
2	A Cold Treachery by Charles Todd
3	Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
4	Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley
5	Scott Pilgrim vs. The World by Bryan Lee O'Malley
6	Child of a Rainless Year by Jane Lindskold
7	Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
8	Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O'Malley
9	Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together by Bryan Lee O'Malley
10	Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe by Bryan Lee O'Malley
11	Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey
12	The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
13	The Silver Bough by Lisa Tuttle
14	The God Engines by John Scalzi
15	The Murder Stone by Charles Todd
16	The Charm School by Nelson DeMille
17	A Long Shadow by Charles Todd
18	Madam Xanadu 1: Disenchanted by Matt Wagner
19	Madam Xanadu 2: Exodus Noir by Matt Wagner
20	The Charwoman's Shadow by Lord Dunsany
21	Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale
22	Trouble on Titan by Alan E. Nourse
23	Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees
24	Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
25	Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
26	Mainspring by Jay Lake
27	Lucifer 1: Devil in the Gateway by Mike Carey
28	The Maeve Binchy Writers' Club by Maeve Binchy
29	Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin
30	The Fallen 1: The Fallen and Leviathan by Thomas Sniegoski
31	The Ruby Key by Holly Lisle
32	A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George
33	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
34	Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C.S. Forester
35	How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
36	The Domino Men by Jonathan Barnes
37	Lieutenant Hornblower by C.S. Forester
38	Hornblower and the Hotspur by C.S. Forester
39	White Cat by Holly Black
40	The Seance by John Harwood
41	Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
42	The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
43	City of Dragons by Kelli Stanley
44	The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
45	A False Mirror by Charles Todd
46	Bangkok 8 by John Burdett
47	The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
48	Hornblower During the Crisis by C.S. Forester
49	Bangkok Tattoo by John Burdett
50	A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King
51	Bangkok Haunts by John Burdett
52	A Pale Horse by Charles Todd
53	Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O'Malley
54	The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
55	The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
56	The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
57	Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan
58	Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers
59	Lords of the Middle Dark by Jack Chalker
60	Pirates of the Thunder by Jack Chalker
61	Warriors of the Storm by Jack Chalker
64	Masks of the Martyrs by Jack Chalker
65	Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love by Chris Roberson and Chrissie Zullo
66	The Grave Gourmet by Alexander Campion
67	The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larson
68	Jumper by Steven Gould
69	A Matter of Justice by Charles Todd
70	What Angels Fear by C. S. Harris
71	Hornblower and the Atropos by C.S. Forester
72	Beat to Quarters by C.S. Forester
73	When Gods Die by C.S. Harris
74	Why Mermaids Sing by C.S. Harris
75	Where Serpents Sleep by C.S. Harris
76	Magick Charm by Jennifer Wells
77	What Remains of Heaven by C.S. Harris
78	Dreadnaught by Cherie Priest
79	The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
80	Escapement by Jay Lake
81	Flora Segunda by Ysabeau Wilce
82	Flora's Dare by Ysabeau Wilce
83	Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
84	The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Cat Valente
85	Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Recap of 2008

 I will be deleting the sidebar list of books read in 2008 to make room for the list of 2010 books. For posterity, I will paste it here. Total: 103

Books Read in 2008
Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris
Death Note Volume 2 by Tsugumi Ohba
An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris
Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon by Donna Andrews
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Death Note Volume 1 by Tsugumi Ohba
Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos by Donna Andrews
Tales of Beetle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
Fables 11: War and Pieces by Bill Willingham
We'll Always Have Parrots by Donna Andrews
Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
Murder with Puffins by Donna Andrews
Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews
Powers 11: Secret Identity by Bendis & Oeming
Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris
Wings of Fire by Charles Todd
A Test of Wills by Charles Todd
Powers 10: Cosmic by Bendis & Oeming
Powers 9: Psychotic by Bendis & Oeming
Zeus, A Journey through Greece in the Footsteps of a God by Tom Stone
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Nathan Hale
The Atrocity Archive by Charles Stross
Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris
The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber
Powers 8: Legends by Bendis & Oeming
Powers 7: Forever by Bendis & Oeming
Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum
Powers 6: Sellouts by Bendis & Oeming
Powers 5: Anarchy by Bendis & Oeming
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing Vol. 1 by M.T.Anderson
Powers 4: Supergroup by Bendis & Oeming
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves
Fables: 1,001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham
Fables 10: The Good Prince by Bill Willingham
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Real Murders by Charlaine Harris
Powers 3: Little Deaths by Bendis & Oeming
New Amsterdam by Elizabeth Bear
The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
Courage to Start: Running for Life by John Bingham
Powers 2: Roleplay by Bendis & Oeming
Don't Murder Your Mystery by Chris Roerden
Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy
Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman
The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia
Superior Saturday by Garth Nix
From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
Powers 1: Who Killed Retro Girl? by Bendis & Oeming
Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar
Chapter After Chapter by Heather Sellers
Fables 9: Sons of Empire by Bill Willingham
Fables 8: Wolves by Bill Willingham
Fables 7: Arabian Nights (and Days) by Bill Willingham
Fables 6: Homelands by Bill Willingham
Fables 5: The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham
Fables 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham
Fables 3: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham
Fables 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham
Fables 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riorden
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riorden
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riorden
The Killing Dance by Laurell Hamilton
Bloody Bones by Laurell Hamilton
The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell Hamilton
Circus of the Damned by Laurell Hamilton
The Laughing Corpse by Lauell Hamilton
Guilty Pleasures by Laurell Hamilton
The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison
For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison
A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison
Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison
The Good, the Bad and the Undead by Kim Harrison
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander Mccall Smith
Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander Mccall Smith
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander Mccall Smith
Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
Neither Flesh Nor Feathers by Cherie Priest
Wings to the Kingdom by Cherie Priest
Page After Page by Heather Sellers
Dust by Elizabeth Bear
Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Eldest by Christopher Paoli

This Fray Well Becomes Me...

Finished reading Cherie Priest's Those Who Went Before Remain There Still. A short, tight read. I liked how pared down it was; it would have been hard to retain that suspense for a longer read. I'm not sure what was going on with the sister in the mine, but I loved the quote that she holds on to -

No gypsy slut nor doxy,
shall win my Mad Tom from me
I'll weep all night, the stars I'll fight,
the fray shall well become me.

Does this fray - my life and all the current running around - become me? I don't think so, but does it make sense to say that I want to be in the midst of a fray that well becomes me?

True Excitement

True Blood, the series based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire novels is getting ready to premiere on HBO tomorrow night. I was pretty excited going in, but they showed a vampire documentary tonight on HBO as a lead up, and now I am geared up! It makes me want to go reread Dead until Dark, the first book. I read it earlier this year, but I want to read it again now! Agh! I should have gotten it at the bookstore this morning.

In other news, I began a 13-week walk-to-run program today. The goal is to be able to run for an hour at the end of the 13 weeks. I have tried to run before, but never succeeded. I am determined to do it this time, and I'm running with S_, and she is even more psyched than I am. I have also decided that I am going to do the Miles to Rivendell countdown, as outlined here. So on that note:

Miles to Rivendell: 444.6

Maybe I can counterbalance it by reading War and Peace... 13 times.

OK, I admit that I have the reading and music tastes of a teenage girl. At least that's what my wife says, and looking at my reading list for 2008 so far, I'd have to agree with her. Earlier this year, I read the first three books of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, and with every page, I kept thinking "This is pap" and then I would turn the page and keep going. I think a lot of adults have that experience when reading this series. It's just such page-turning pap...

So it was with some trepidation that I picked up Breaking Dawn, the last book, and one that had garnered some less-than-positive reviews. My wife asked me if I wanted her to buy it for me... to spare me the public shame of the purchase. I declined. I can be ashamed in public, thank you very much.

It was as I expected. Pap, but I finished all 600 plus pages in a day and a half. It was like a fever. I just had to purge it and be done. It was OK... A couple of times, I felt like she chickened out from really exploring the ramifications of what was going on. My wife, reading the summary and reviews, was incensed that Stephanie Meyer was creating a role model for girls everywhere. She felt that as a best-selling author, she had more responsibility than that.

Cherie Priest - Love Her

Just finished Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest and have started the sequel. I loved how she was able to give the whole Southern Gothic thing without my ever having lived in that part of the country. I appreciate that her protagonist, Eden, is a little nonplussed by her ability to see ghosts. I get the feeling that up to this point in Eden's life, it's pretty much been a background thing - something she's so used to that she doesn't really let it rule her life anymore. My wife has just finished the third book and said it was the creepiest of them all.