52 Books 2014 Wrap Up

 Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks 2014 Wrap Up

 

How many books did you read and did you meet your own personal goal?

My goal was 100 books and I read 148. (link to books) Of course, 47 of those books were rereads (J.D. Robb's In Death series (39) and Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series (8) so if I didn’t count those, the total would be 101.

The statistical breakdown is 90 physical books and 58 Ebooks.  Last year it was 50/50 split and I was determined to read more ‘real’ books versus ‘virtual.’   I read a lot of series so the breakdown of male to female was 14 males to 34 females.  Out of those 16 were new to me authors.

Challenge wise  (link to books) I cleared my shelves of 10 dusty books, 8 chunky books, and 5 faith reads. Also completed A to Z except for Y and Z which will do within the next week.

I visited 11 countries including Israel, Japan, China, England, Italy, Wales Istanbul, Brazil, United States, and Afghanistan and made it through several centuries including 46BC, 10ad, 12^th – 16^th and the 19^th Century. So did better than I thought.
 

Most thrilling, oh my goodness, I want to read it again, unputdownable book?

It would have to be Cindy Gerard’s The Way Home.  The story was a romantic suspense set in the U.S. and Afghanistan and involved a U.S. Military soldier injured and trapped as a POW in the middle east.  The ending was so poignant it left me in tears. That doesn’t happen very often.

Top 5 favorite stories?  So hard to choose, especially when my mind and mood changes each time I look at the list.   Besides J.D. Robb’s In Death series which I just read for the umpteenth time again, I think Across the Nightengale Floor by Lian Hearn, Cindy Gerard’s The Way Home, Dean Koontz's False Memory, Qui Xiaolong’s When Red is Black and Sharon Kay Penman’s Here Be Dragons.


Least favorite book?  It would be The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder.  I’ve read some pretty graphic, creepy stories but this one I just couldn’t handle.

Are you ready to do it all over again?  Certainly!  

Do you have any goals to check out different genres or authors, read translated books or stories in another language for 2015

I always bite off more than I can chew with the mini challenges and overextend myself so for the new year besides the dusty, chunky, and A to Z, I’ll do the 5/5/15 - 5 Books in 5 Categories in 2015.  My categories will be translated books, classics, centuries, 1001 books and inspirational.




I had so much fun this year hosting Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks and look forward to doing it all over again in 2015. 

Book Review: Concealed in Death by J.D. Robb

Author Synopsis:  In a decrepit, long-empty New York building, Lieutenant Eve Dallas's husband begins the demolition process by swinging a sledgehammer into a wall. When the dust clears, there are two skeletons wrapped in plastic behind it. He summons his wife immediately–and by the time she's done with the crime scene, there are twelve murders to be solved.

The place once housed a makeshift shelter for troubled teenagers, back in the mid–2040s, and Eve tracks down the people who ran it. Between their recollections and the work of the force’s new forensic anthropologist, Eve begins to put names and faces to the remains. They are all young girls. A tattooed tough girl who dealt in illegal drugs. The runaway daughter of a pair of well–to–do doctors. They all had their stories. And they all lost their chance for a better life.

 

Then Eve discovers a connection between the victims and someone she knows. And she grows even more determined to reveal the secrets of the place that was called The Sanctuary–and the evil concealed in one human heart.

As always, once I started reading, couldn't put it down. Eve is trying to solve the murder of 12 homeless kids between the ages of 12 - 14. Their bones were found hidden behind false walls in a closed shelter. As each one was identified and a forensic artist provided faces to go with each one, Eve is left with the task of having to notify the families. The beginning is different in that it isn't a death scene or the voice of Eve, we hear, but Roark's which sets an entirely different tone for the story.  The death of children is always a difficult subject and I can see why some folks had a hard time with the story. And there wasn't too much excitement, compared to the prior story, Thankless in Death, in which the reader got blasted entirely too much with the horrific thoughts of the killer. All the characters we love were involved, and learned more about Mavis's background, prior to meeting Eve. Plus a new character is introduced - forensic anthropologist, Garnet DeWinter. It was more a straight forward police procedural and the ending a bit anticlimactic, both for Eve and the reader, as she was left not entirely satisfied, even though she caught the killer.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Book Review: The Twelve by Justin Cronin

Author Synopsis: In the present day: As a man-made apocalypse unfolds, three strangers navigate the chaos, desperate to find others, to survive, to witness the dawn on the other side of disaster. Lila, a doctor and an expectant mother, has been so broken by the spread of violence and infection that she continues to plan for her child’s arrival even as society dissolves around her. Kittridge, known to the world as “Last Stand in Denver,” has been forced by loss of electrical power to flee his stronghold and is now on the road, dodging the infected, armed but alone and well aware that a tank of gas will get him only so far. April is a teenager fighting to guide her little brother safely through a minefield of death and ruin. These three will learn that they have not been fully abandoned—and that in connection lies hope, even on the darkest of nights.

A hundred years in the future: Amy, Peter, Alicia, and the others introduced in The Passage work with a cast of new characters to hunt the original twelve virals… unaware that the rules of the game have changed, and that one of them will have to sacrifice everything to bring the Twelve down.

The scope widens and the intensity deepens as the epic tale of sacrifice and survival begun in The Passage surges forward in its breathtaking sequel—The Twelve


It took me a bit of time to really get into The Twelve (#2 in the Passage Trilogy). Even though I went back and reread The Passage prior to starting the book, the beginning half was confusing. Too many new characters and story lines jumping back and forth in time.  It wasn't until the halfway point, I was able to put it all together and follow where Cronin was going with the story. It jumped between the beginning of the virus and how the infection killed or transformed people and the present with Peter, Amy, Michael and the cast of others from The Passage until the storyline merged to a cohesive whole and the fight to destroy the Twelve. It is one of those books that is definitely worth a reread. Especially since the last book, The City of Mirrors, is coming out some time this year. Yes, The Twelve was good, but a bit of a slog at first.

Book Review: Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman

 

Author Synopsis: Set in the 13th Century, Here Be Dragons is the story of King John and his England. A paradoxical man, he was charming, generous, clever -- and he was unstable and brutal. He was capable of great kindnesses, but he butchered child hostages. He was the youngest son and favorite of Henry Plantagenet, but he would betray his father in order to seize the throne of England. For centuries, history recorded him as a bad king, upon whom the Magna Carta was forced. Yet history also tells us he was intent on bringing a measure of justice to his realm in the face of his greedy barons' refusal to accept the law.

Here Be Dragons is also the story of Llewelyn the Great of Wales. At 14, he began a civil war; by 21, he held all North Wales. He was John's vassal -- and most bitter enemy. His dream of a free and united Wales, unencumbered by English laws or lords, was to spur a lifelong crusade that left little time for peace or pleasure.

 And, at its heart, Here Be Dragons is the story of Joanna: daughter to one, wife to the other. Bastard-born, hidden from her father until her embittered mother's death, then brought, a bewildered five-year-old, to John's court. He would cherish her, cosset her,and yet use her as a political pawn, marrying her off at fifteen to a wild Welsh prince She was terrified, but he was the father she adored and obeyed. Wife to Llewelyn, whom he came to love, daughter to John, whom she worshipped, Joanna was trapped in the crossfire of their implacable enmity. Told with a richness of detail that brings the England, France, and Wales of the thirteenth century fully to life, Here Be Dragons combines high drama, romance, adventure, and authentic historical fact.

I inherited quite a few historical and historical fiction books about Britain from my late, very English, mother in law. I think the whole reason I came up with the Centuries challenge was so I'd have some incentive to read some of the books.  I finally read Here Be Dragons and took a trip through the 13th century with King John, and Lleweleyn - Prince of Wales, who married John's daughter Joanna to form an alliance between England and Wales. Political intrigue and infighting, arranged marriages, wars between England and Wales, England and France, threats by the Pope to excommunicate everyone involved, fluid political alliances. Penman took a very dry subject, at least for me, and made it interesting. She personalized the characters, taking you inside their heads and lives, from childhood to death.Once starting reading it, found it very hard to put down and the story, the characters stayed in my head, drawing me back to the story. Thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading the rest of the Welsh princes series.

January Wrap Up

Courtyard Arch by Sung Kim

The best laid plans tend to go awry.  I think the best plan sometimes is no plan and to just go with the flow and see what happens.  Then again, the benefit of planning is you know what to expect.  So my plan to not buy anymore new books for at least 4 months.  Out the window within a week. However, the thought of not buying books made me think hard before adding to my stacks.  The majority were actually writing books including Julie Cameron's The Right to Write, Elizabeth George's Write Away and Writers and Their Notebooks edited by Diana Raab.   

I moved our big comfy chair into the corner of the living room and made myself a nice little reading and writing nook.  The cats are loving it, especially Melvin, who has been curling up in my lap more than ever.  Not part of the plan, but oh well.  *grin*  Back to the plan which was for January to read books set in or written by Japanese authors for our 52 Books Around the World challenge.  Books set in the 12th century for my Centuries challenge.  Plus since it is wintertime, books set in a winter setting or with winter, frost, ice, cold, or other synonyms in the title. 

I started off the year with An Antarctic Mystery by Jules Verne, which was set in 1839 Antarctic.   Last year, after reading The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym by Edgar Allan Poe, I discovered Verne had written a sequel.  The captain in the story was obsessed with finding the survivors of Pym's story.  Poe's story was exciting and captivating, while Verne's story was cold and stilted, reading more like a travelogue. 

Moved on to Faith Hunter's latest in her Jane Yellowrock series, Black Arts.  Jane is a kick A** biker chick who is also a skinwalker and working as an enforcer for the vampires.  The story was action packed, non stop from beginning to end. 

After reading 1Q84 last year, decided to take on another tale of Haruki Murakami's, The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. It was 600 pages and there were too many rabbit trails that didn't lead anywhere and too many unanswered questions. At the end I found myself coming online searching out answers and seeing what other folks were saying and about half felt pretty much the way I did. The other half - well loved it because it was Murakami. I loved 1Q84. Wind Up, while intriguing and interesting, and kept me reading, was a disappointment at the end. 

Soothed my soul with James Rollins' Ice Hunt. Like all Rollins stories, it was a thrill ride from beginning to end.

For my 12th century read, found the first volume in The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki.  While interesting and gives one a good look at the 12th century culture and romance in Japan, the lack of commas drove me completely crazy.

Decided I was ready to read Justin Cronin's The Twelve, but before I did, wanted to refresh my memory of what had taken place in the first book. I started skimming through The Passage and discovered I couldn't remember any of the story, so decided to reread it. It was better the 2nd time, since must have consumed it the first time, reading entirely too fast and missed a few things. Once I started reading it, didn't want to put it down. Cronin's writing is superb, he really knows how to paint a literary picture and pulls you into the character's world, taking you on an emotional ride. Looking forward to reading The Twelve. 

Finished off the month with Diana Rowland's latest in the Demon series - Fury of the Demon.  Excellent as always and one of those series I'll probably be rereading from the beginning.  Once started reading it, didn't want to put it down. 

It is interesting because in the last couple years, I have been reading at least 10 to 15 books a month. Reading is my escape so I tend to bury my head in books when things are stressful.   I think this is going to be a year of reading a  bit more slowly and deliberately, savoring rather than consuming.  Plus decided not to waste my time finishing books that don't grab me or are poorly written.  There were three I shelved due to poor writing.  

Like I was telling someone the other day,  I find it very difficult to enjoy a story, even a romping good one,  if the writing quality is lower quality or poor. Lower quality being a writer (James Patterson for instance) who writes at the 10th grade level and thinks the reader has absolutely no imagination.  Poor writing gets me every time, whether it be grammar or typos or just plain stupidity.   If the writing is stellar, I can forgive a less than stellar story, but it has to be at least interesting enough to keep me reading.  Does that make sense.   I'm also a very visual person, so if I can't dive into the story and see it, then forget it. Which is why I don't like blood and guts horror - can't handle it.   Some books are like well done paintings - in which you sit there, picking out all the nuances as well as enjoying the whole picture.  Others, an eclectic mess in which you sit there saying I don't get it.

Onward and Upward! Happy Reading!