Entry tags:

books, sunday book coveting

I blame my server being down and the newsletter and perhaps Bambi fanvids for not getting this done Saturday night. Then, of course, I worked all day. Happy Memorial Day to me. Time and a half, thank you very much $dayjob for letting me shake down your wallet with my eight hour shift. It'll be like a 37 hour week! Treadmill, here I come. Then last night I literally passed out with my laptop talking to owlmoose, so maybe my body was trying to tell me something. For instance, "get more sleep!" Regardless, I added a crap top of books to my reading list this week! Now I'm going to talk about them at length and bore the internets.

This is why my to-be-read list never gets smaller. I can add them faster than I read them.



1. Voices by Ursula Le Guin: I have never read any of Le Guin's work even though I have been prodded to do so. However, Powers was a Nebula winner and I traced it back to the first book published and thought it sounded interesting. I don't believe the books are connected as sequels, but instead build upon the same world. I could be wrong, but I liked the sound of this one, so I guess I'm giving it a whirl (after my library acquires it; they have Gifts but not this one, ha ha).

Would it be wrong to walk into the library and ask them if I could just have a supply of those little suggestion pads?

2. Fire by Kristin Cashore: I loved Graceling. I loved it so much I'm reading it again and highlighting all my favorite parts. I love it so much I'm writing nerdy fanfiction for it. I do not understand why The Hunger Games came out as the clear winner of most readable YA SF/F last year, except how I do know and the answer is more than one hot guy. Hush, internets! Do not attempt to tell me I'm wrong. The Hunger Games had two awesome love interests, Graceling only had one, that's twice the sexy times action, so give it up now. I'm no fool! You cannot trick me; I've seen the wreckage behind Twilight's shambling over the sexuality of teen girls (and possibly teen guys, if they are like me and want an alternate world where Edward and Jacob make out) everywhere.

Fire is a prequel and sounds interesting, but I want Bitterblue, the third book, more. *suffers*

3. Nation by Terry Pratchett: Pinning this one on Nymeth. I wasn't going to read it, despite it getting a Printz honor, but her review convinced me that I needed to give it a shot. I've read two Pratchett titles: The Wee Free Men, which I loved while reading it, but grew sour second-guessing myself after finishing it, and Good Omens, which was lovely but went over my head. I'm such a conceited American who doesn't get British references. We'll see how this one goes!



4. Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock: I read Dairy Queen and felt so-so about this series, then read Off Season and fell in love with DJ. Gosh, I want more female protagonists like her, she's so refreshing, even if I do get tired of how bone-headed and uncommunicative her family is. This is the last book in what I figure will be a trilogy? I have really high hopes, and none of them involve Brian Nelson. >|

5. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley: I forget why I wanted to read this! I believe it's because the author has been recced...a lot. I've never read any of her work, so this is probably why I added this title.

6. Waiting for Normal by Leslie Conner: ...someone said this could have been a Newbery contender last year (it wasn't) and I lost track of it and now I've found it again! Ahoy. Really, could anything have competed with last year's Newbery winners? It's not like Gaiman's The Graveyard Book was a literary behemoth or anythi—wait.



7. Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher: It's Becky's fault.

8. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell: Easy: National Book Award winner, and a mystery of sorts? I've heard mixed reviews about this title, but I really like the cover (atmosphere!) and I picked it up in B&N to read a little and it was good, so hey. I'll give it a shot. I am nervous about the war aspect, because no war fiction has really worked for me since The Book Thief. *shakes fist as Markus Zusak*

9. Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers: This is one of our Nerds Heart YA titles. spindizzy and I are co-reviewing and this is one of the titles that's in our tier, so there's a good chance I might have to read it, anyway. Plus, straight boy who likes drag. I'm there!



10. The Dawning of Power by Brian Rathbone: I can't decide whether this title sounds the same as any other fantasy title out there. Girl with powers she wasn't aware of, leaves home to learn how to use them, drama drama drama. I added it because it could be interesting, although I'm keeping my expectations set to "yet another generic fantasy novel". I think I'm trying to fill the void in anticipation for Republic of Thieves (no offense, Brian Rathbone).

11. Genesis by Bernard Beckett:

Anax, the dedicated student historian at the center of Beckett's brutal dystopian novel, lives far in the future—the distant past events of the 21st century are taught in classrooms. The world of that era, we learn, was ravaged by plague and decay, the legacy of the Last War. Only the island Republic, situated near the bottom of the globe, remained stable and ordered, but at the cost of personal freedom.

Sold.

12. Ash by Malinda Lo: Guys, it's a fucking lesbian retelling of Cinderella. I am all over this and want it yesterday. Is it September yet?


Also, it's time for me to alert the world that Merlin debuts on NBC Sunday, June 21st at 8/7c. What this means is that I will miss it because I have to work so everyone else who is able must watch it and keep the ratings high so they will continue to bug for new episodes and the actors will keep their jobs and I will have plenty of awesome Merlin/Arthur fanfic to read into the considerable future. Okay, I'm glad we're on the same page of "it's all about Renay". Awesome!