Book List 2008
I love books.
I have always been an avid reader, which has annoyed my family to no end as I got very good at hiding somewhere and reading rather than helping with chores or what have you. I’ve always wondered how many books I can read in a year, and I decided this year to keep a list of all the books I read. I may put a blurb about what I thought about the book as well.
You’ll probably see a number of notes about me re-reading a book. When a new book in a series comes out, I’ll read some of the previous books to get myself ‘back in that universe’, especially if I’ve been waiting a while for the sequel. I also will grab a random book by a favourite author when I want something I know I’ll enjoy but don’t want to get too caught up in (probably why my David Eddings books are very worn down after having read each about 20 times). Random smutty romance books are good when I’m sick and such, and I have favourites there as well. I’ll only note those if I read the full book though.
1. The Green Rider by Kristen Britain: This was a re-read to get me back in this world. This book was a random find about 2 years ago, I’d finished a fantasy series and was looking for something new in the genre. I wasn’t sure about how much I’d enjoy it, but ended up devouring it. This book is a quick action filled read from start to finish, it was more of a ride than a read for me.
2. First Rider’s Call by Kristen Britain: Another re-read, it came out a year or so ago and is the sequel to The Green Rider. This continues the story, but I found it a much slower read. There was a lot of background that had to be added to help the reader understand where the story was going. I found this was done quite well by adding journal entries from about 1000 years before the time of the book. It kept me in the know without breaking up the story too much.
3. The High King’s Tomb by Kristen Britain: And this is why I re-read the previous two. This is the newest book in the Green Rider series, and I got it for Christmas. The story takes a bit of a darker turn in this book and I found myself dreading the outcome of things as I read. I was happily surprised to find that the series isn’t finished yet, even though I thought it was a trilogy. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book.
4. First Test by Tamora Pierce: I read this book about 4 years ago, but could never find the rest of the series. Luckily the publication company is releasing the books again so I was able to find the middle two books. Tamora Pierce writes books for preteen to teenage girls. What I love most about her Tortall books is that each series has a strong heroine and this book doesn’t let down. It was a fast read, but an enjoyable one.
5. Page by Tamora Pierce: Second in this series, this book is an immediate continuation of the last book. Another quick and enjoyable read.
6. Squire by Tamora Pierce: The third book in this series. After reading this book, I must say that I personally would not give this book to a preteen unless you’re sure they’re ready to talk about sex, pregnancy, contraception and the feelings that are involved in relationships. It also deals with war and fighting, as all these books do, so just be aware of that. I really enjoyed this book tho, a fast read with a great story.
7. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory: I had heard about this book a long while ago when it first came out, however I had never had more than a passing curiousity about it. I’m more of a fantasy/fun romance novel reader, and it was historical fiction. However, I recently looked at my books and realized that of my romance novels almost all of them were historical romance, and that when I read them, I usually skipped the smuttier parts. So I decided to give this book a try (especially when I saw that the movie was coming out in February). This was an incredibly enjoyable book. It really seemed to pull you into the time and you could imagine King Henry VIII’s court all around you. However, I had one issue with the book. I love this era of time, Elizabethan and the times around it, so I’ve studied it quite a bit. The story of Mary Boleyn also greatly interested me in history. I found that I kept having issues with the fiction where my studious side would pull out of the book and go “wait, it didn’t happen like that” at certain points, and I’d have to remind myself that it was a fictional book about a real time and that all the facts weren’t going to be right. If you can get around that point and allow the story to be a story this book was wonderful and I’m very much looking forward to reading other books by Phillipa Gregory.
8. Kushiel’s Chosen by Jacqueline Carey: The second of the Kushiel books. I think I liked this book better than the first. Mainly because it focused more on the mystery that started in the first book and less on some of the more touchy points of the world created by the author. I don’t want to give too much away (I know people hate spoilers), but I felt this was more of a story with a plot than a book meant to shock you (the first book really kind of worked into my brain and was kind of intense). This book definitely has a point of no return, it’s about 2/3 through the book, and once I hit it (and C hit it when he was reading it), we couldn’t put the book down. All things considered, I really enjoyed this book, and we’ve already got the next in the series. However if you don’t like the thought of essentially prostitution or bondage or S&M this probably isn’t the series for you.
9. Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce: The last book in the “Protector of the Small” series, and as I said with the last book, this may be in the “young readers” section, but I think it’s better for early to mid teens as there are some concepts and issues that come up that probably wouldn’t be good for younger children. All told I really liked this book and as with all of Tamora Pierce’s books, I love getting glimpses of past heroines and seeing how their lives have continued after their series’ ended.
I’ll keep updating this page as I read more books. It’ll probably be mostly fantasy and romance novels, but I’m pretty game for most things except horror. If you’d like to suggest some books, go right ahead, I’ll check them out and if I read them, I’ll add them.
Till next time.
