You Lost Me There - reading

Finished "You Lost Me There" by Rosecrans Baldwin. Holy crap, did the author ever lose me. I nearly gave up halfway through but because I haven't reached the point where I can put a bad book down like a rabid dog, I finished it. The cover said "intelligent prose, [...] wears its smarts lightly and probes its emotions deeply." It's possible I'm just too stupid to get the intelligent prose, but wasn't one of the faults of the main character that he hasn't grieved for his late wife? Denial does not equal probing your emotions deeply. Not recommended by me. Ask someone smart.

2011 Top Ten Books

I went through 2011's books and selected ten that I would recommend. Note: these are books I read (or listened to - many were audiobooks) in 2011, not books that were published in 2011.

10. Haiku
9. Paul is Undead
8. The Return of the King
7. The Dark Volume
6. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
5. Redwall
4. The Kite Runner
3. The Terror
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
1. The Pillars of the Earth

I did it countdown-style which implies I believe "The Pillars of the Earth" to be the best of the bunch, though depending on the day any of several others could slide up to that top spot. They're all good, though.

The Spirit Thief - reading

Finished "The Spirit Thief" by Rachel Aaron. This had an interesting premise and some decent characters, but I disliked the dialogue. I think the characters stopped just shy of calling the king "dude." As the story progressed, I had an easier time imagining a group of gamers sitting around the D&D (or whatever system they use) table playing through these encounters than I did the characters themselves living in their world. I've played with people who while gaming talk like those in the book.

There were hints to future story arcs but I don't think enough got done in this one book. I wanted a little more closure (or at least fewer loose ends). I won't be picking up the next in the series.

Boneshaker - reading

Finished "Boneshaker" by Cherie Priest. I was sometimes envious of the author's ability to give just enough words to paint a picture in my mind, and sometimes wishing she would linger in a scene a bit longer. Either way, though, the book evoked great mental images of history gone sideways. It was a fun and enjoyable read all around. I can't say I was 100% satisfied by the ending, but it did bring things together and change the lives of the characters.

A Touch of Dead - reading

Finished "A Touch of Dead" by Charlaine Harris. A collection of stories about Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress with vampire and werewolf friends. The stories were entertaining and quick. Pick it up!

Ice - reading

Finished "Ice" by Linda Howard. First of all, if you name a character Darwin, I am expecting he will be the first to die. Second, if Darwin is coupled with Nikki, I'm thinking you're a Prince fan (Darling Nikki). There was a lot of repetition of phrases, and a lot of times when the phrasing didn't make sense - enough that it was distracting. There were times when I thought the author didn't do her research. The distance between the climax of the story and the end was much too long for such a short book. It wasn't all bad, though. On the good side, she wrote from the perspective of different characters and it influenced how she wrote each one. I thought the change in style from each character was well done. I could have done without the overlap in story when perspective changed, where the same section of story was told from both sides. The premise was good, and there were some good (though brief) tense moments. I didn't expect the sex scene, but I am not familiar with Linda Howard's other work. Maybe there's more of that in her other books. I was torn between rating this 3/5 ("I liked it") or 2/5 ("It was ok"). I must be feeling nice.

The Kite Runner - reading

Finished "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. Sadly it was the abridged version. I will have to find the full version soon. It was beautiful. It was violent. It was poetic. It offered a glimpse into a culture I only know from the outside. I might have to see the movie, now.