May reading list

My May reading list – tada! I had almost a whole week off work this month so I was a bit of machine on the reading front, but as you can see, quantity doesn’t equally quality.Okay, okay, I know I said I was through with the Anita Blake series after being relatively unimpressed with the first three, but what can I say? Once I start something, I like to finish it. Suffice to say the books didn’t get any better. A vampire hunter who doesn’t believe in sex until marriage? WTF! I’m more interested in the ongoing Marvel comic book series now because the art is fan-freaking-tastic. Plus, the mythology’s a bit too loaded with different creatures and myths etc etc. Let me preface this by saying I’m a massive fan of the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Series by Chalaine Harris. I think they’re witty, sexy, funny and addictive. Dead Reckoning didn’t feel like one of them. It felt a bit flat and there were a lot of unnecessary storylines that went nowhere. The ending too was really abrupt. But as my pal Bridie (aka J’Adour Jbaour) said, this feels like its leading up to a really good book. With the next instalment out 2012, I hope she’s right.The Mortal Instruments series I read more to understand the upcoming film adaptation, which is going to be directed by Scott Charles Stewart (Legion, Priest) who I’m a big fan of. Anyway, this was pretty much your standard Young Adult fantasy fiction novel. It had a forbidden romance, plenty of magic/creatures, a strong female protagonist, betrayal and a Harry Potter-esque hierarchy of institutes like Hogwarts and the Ministry Of Magic. I couldn’t overly get into the story, but I did really enjoy the characters, despite the fact they should have been older to make their experiences and conversations more believable. The battle and city in the third novel were particularly good, but overall these aren’t something to write home about. I also didn’t buy this supposedly passionate love story at the centre of the books. Not only is it incestuous for a good part of the series, this `incredible guy’ we’re all supposed to love is a dickhead. Okay, a dickhead who recites Shakespeare but a dickhead none the less. He’s a blonde, selfish and obnoxious douchebag, which is why Alex Pettyfer would be perfect for the role (if the rumour mill is anything to go by, he’s the hot favourite). Seriously, that Brit is a cunt.
Hooray! A book with completely no supernatural themes! It’s a rarity in my reading list this month, but hot damn is it gooo-oood. Note: those extra O’s are for emphasis. The first in what is a proposed series follows the adventures of a middle-aged detective Bernie and his dog Chet, who is the narrator of this tale. It’s Veronica Mars meets Inspector Rex. Funny, witty an action-packed, this isn’t like anything I’ve read before. Telling the story from the dog’s perspective is not only fresh, but freakin’ hilarious. Essentially it’s set in this very adult and somewhat dangerous world, but when told from Chet’s point of view . . .well, this extract might give you an idea:
“I’d never seen a real swan and was wondering how catchable they might be when I heard Iggy’s bark. Iggy had a high-pitched bark, an irritated-sounding yip-yip-yip. I barked. There was a brief silence, and then he barked again. I barked back. He barked. I barked. He barked. I barked. He barked. We got a good rhythm going, faster and faster. I barked. He barker I –“

You get it. This was very quirky and by far my favourite read this month. Plus, it has a quote from Stephen King on the front that sings its praise so when you know you’re in good company.

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April reading list

I know I'm trying to read more this year but seriously, I think I need to cut down on my supernatural fiction because I've been have some weird dreams. But as you can see from last month's reading list, that definitely didn't happen. Oh well, I'll call it research for when I write the supernatural novel TO END all supernatural novels. For those of you who aren't regular readers, Kat from Petticoats and Pemplums and I have this lil' pact where we post what we’ve read each month on our blogs, for better or worse, so we can stay motivated to read more. I'm mightily impressed with her April effort; the gal was travelling the world and she still managed to read four books! Kudos. Anyway, here's my reads:

I mentioned I was re-reading this series last month and yeah, I've come to the end. It was just as incredible as the first time I read it but I do think the third book is the weakest instalment. It lacks the OMFG brilliance of the first and the unpredictability of the second, plus the ending is a lil' too concise for me. In saying that, it's still incredible and the highlights for me were definitely in the city (some of the most horrific scenes in the series happen there) and after a certain pivotal character's death. Also, I loved Katniss' powerful, final act of rebellion. The Hunger Games fans, you know what I mean.

This is one of the freebies palmed off to me by our book reviewer because the press material said it was for “fans of The Hunger Games” aka one of my all time favourite book series. But let me preface this by saying Inside Out is NOTHING like The Hunger Games. The only similarity is that two young women unwittingly start a revolution. The rest couldn’t be more different. Having never read anything of Maria V. Snyder’s before, I’ve got to say this was damn good. I mean, it’s about an 18-year-old girl who essentially lives in air vents so to make that a really interesting and original read is impressive. It’s nearly impossible to talk about this too much without spoiling the book for you (because there are some jaw-dropping surprises) but this is a sci-fi actioner and quite unlike anything I’ve read before. Apparently this is the start of a trilogy, with the next book Outside In due to be released in July and giving the sneak peek at the first chapter . . . I’m really looking forward to it.

Neil Gaiman is a genius. What more really needs to be said? If you’ve read anything he’s written (Coraline, Sandman comic-series etc) then you know this to be true. The Graveyard Book is no exception and I just adored this. Like most Gaiman books, it’s a really dark, modern fairytale and man, the dialogue is just so beautifully written and the characters so rich. This follows Nobody `Bod’ Owens who’s brought up by ghosts and a vampire in a graveyard after his family is slaughtered by a serial killer when he’s a baby. The book follows him from toddler-age through to mid-teens and it’s a delightful read. It’s one of those books you can see yourself being read as a kid and then when you re-read it as an adult, you discover all these really dark undertones. In a nutshell, the cover quote “a modern classic” pretty much sums it up.

Okay, so I’m almost 20-years behind the eight ball here but at least I’m reading the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series now. I was listening to Sunday Night Safran and they had a vampire expert on and she described this series as the one that really started the whole vampire novel phenomenon. Of course, as a huge fan of said `non I got started these down. The first, Guilty Pleasures, was written in 1993 and with more than 19 books in the series now, you can really see how Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake influenced the she bad-ass in pop culture, particularly Buffy and even Sookie Stackhouse. But these aren’t amazing. I’ve only read three so far (working on the fourth at the moment) and yeah, they’re full of action and witty one-liners, but they lack the fun, charm and romance of Charlene Harris’ Southern Vampire series. Or even Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series. Okay, I’ll stop making comparisons before you all realise how much of this stuff I actually read. Don’t get me wrong, they’re okay, but I feel like we’re introduced to the Anita Blake character mid-way through her story and the brief mentions to her past are frustrating. Plus, I think Hamilton mixes too many mythologies here and that’s a pet hate of mine – it overdoes the supernatural element. In summary, these are good, not great and I’m not sure if I will make it through all of the novels but they are a quick, light read that I can smash between something heavier. As a side note, the first three novels were adapted into a Marvel comic book series which is actually pretty kick-ass.

So, until next month . . . .

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February read

So, continuing on with my two-year resolution to read more and document said reads, for better or worse, here’s my list for February. Ok, it’s not quite as many books as my January effort, but Kat’s Creations and I are doing this for reals!
Yeah, alright, my book list this month isn't exactly pushing the literary boundaries. But you know what? That's just fine with me.

I continued on with my quest to read all of Richelle Mead's books because the woman has a knack for witty, digestible fantasy. Thorn Queen, the sequel to Storm Born, was okay. Not brilliant, especially the first half. It was the concluding half of the book I really enjoyed and it actually got me excited for the third installment in The Dark Swan series, which is out this month. My problem with the series though is I like my fantasy to have some grounding in reality (like her books with Rose Hathaway, for example) and with these you sincerely have to check your skepticism at the door and just go on this ride. Which I found difficult to do at times.

Avalon High is by The Princess Diaries author Meg Cabot, who tends to write for mid-teens and yes, I know I'm in my early twenties but I was a big fan of her All American Girl series when I was younger. Also, reading John Douglas' book on some of the most brutal, horrific and fascinating serial crimes, I needed something to break up story after story about real life abductions, murders, rapes and serial killings. It's black, black stuff but an interesting read because as one of the FBI's best (and first) criminal profilers, Douglas really gives you an insight into the criminal mind and the situation of the victims - which usually just turns out to be a case of bad luck, bad timing or bad judgement. I saw Avalon High had been made into a Disney movie and Cabot's read was sufficiently fluffy, enough to balance the death of the Douglas book. I appreciated the research she put into all the King Arthur mythology, but all the American highschool cliches were challenging for me to overlook.

Finally, Matched, which reaffirmed my belief that a dystopian future is the new highschool in young adult fiction these days. I'm a huge fan of The Hunger Games trilogy, so naturally when comparisons were made with Matched I was intrigued. But in reality, they're pretty different. Sure, they're both set in a dystopian future where an all-seeing, all-controlling government force controls the masses, but Matched swaps the blood, horror and politics of The Hunger Games for romance and fate dilemmas. It ain't half bad. You can see its been heavily influenced by George Orwell’s 1984, which I read for the first time last month, but author Ally Condie has reimagined it for a younger audience who perhaps want something a tad less depressing. You know, that `hope’ thing the kids are so big on these days? I was hoping to have finished Hunter S. Thompson’s Hell’s Angels by the end of the month, but couldn’t quite get there. It’s a shame, because it might have restored some of my street cred given the Meg Cabot tween orientated novel here. So shoot me? Her stuff is easy to read and I can smash it out in six hours or less, with absolutely no kiddy rape or murder *cough John Douglas cough*. Stay tuned next month.

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January read

As you may recall, at the end of last year I shared my 2010 reading list after achieving my resolution to read more. The young Martha Stewart over at Kat’s Creations has spurred me to keep going this year and so each month we’re publishing our what-we-read lists. Here’s mine for January, in all its assorted goodness. So, these are the first titles to be added to my 2011 reading list and yes, I've included graphic novels in here. I want to try and read more `classics' this year so I'm throwing one in every three or four reads. This month it was 1984, which was pretty grey albeit genuis right up until the last sixth of the book, and Jane Eyre, which I loved and is now one of my all time favourites. My favourite on the list though is probably the Tiny Book Of Tiny Stories from the collaborative crew at HitRECord.Org. It’s such a beautiful, clever and touching little book I can’t really do it justice in this explanation, but basically it’s made up of one sentence stories with accompanying artwork all submitted by various Hit RECord contributors. You can order it online here. My other favourite was The Bone Collector. Of course I loved the film, however, I’ve been repeatedly told Jeffery Deaver is an amazing crime writer and keen to judge for myself. The praise did not disappoint. It was complex, gory, suspenseful and very smart. I also finally started working my way through some of Richelle Mead’s other works thanks to her numero uno fan at Tynga's Reviews but I wasn't overly into Storm Queen. It was okay, not great, with too many plot holes and fantasy clichés.

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Book, line and sinker

My New Year’s resolution for 2010 was to read more books and since I graduated uni, there was simply no reason to feel guilty reading a book for leisure when I should be reading a textbook. I also joined a book club where we don't exactly have a set book each month, but rather we share whatever we have read with the group and swap books. So I kept track of the titles and decided to post the list come year’s end, for better or worse. With my resolution still undecided for next year, here’s the list of titles I read this year, with stars next to the ones I re-read because they were just so darn enjoyable. In no particular order:

1st To Die-James Patterson

2nd Chance James Patterson

Swimsuit-James Patterson

If I’m Missing Or Dead-Janine Latus

World War Z-Max Brooks

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo-Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played With Fire-Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest -Stieg Larsson

Dead Until Dark-Charlene Harris*

Living Dead In Dallas-Charlene Harris*

Club Dead-Charlene Harris*

Dead To The World-Charlene Harris*

Definitely Dead-Charlene Harris*

All Together Dead-Charlene Harris*

From Dead To Worse-Charlene Harris*

Dead And Gone-Charlene Harris*

Dead In The Family-Charlene Harris

Kick Ass-John Romita Jr and Mark Millar

Scott Pilgrim Vol 1 – 6 – Brian Lee O’Malley

Australian Tragic-Jack Marx

Wuthering Heights-Emily Bronte

Black Widow – Grayson, Jones, Rucka, Hampton

New Moon-Stephenie Meyer*

Scalped-Jason Aaron, R.M Guera

Tomorrow, When The War Began-John Marsden*

Dead Of Night-John Marsden*

The Third Day The Frost-John Marsden*

Darkness Be My Friend-John Marsden*

The Night Is For Hunting-John Marsden*

Burning For Revenge-John Marsden*

The Other Side Of Dawn-John Marsden*

The Ellie Chronicles: While I Live-John Marsden*

The Ellie Chronicles: Incurable-John Marsden*

The Ellie Chronicles: Circle Of Flight-John Marsden

A Touch Of Dead -Charlene Harris

The Complete Animation Course – Chris Patmore

Showgirls, Teen Wolves and Astro Zombies: My Year Long Quest to Find and Watch The Worst Movie Ever Made – Michael Adams

Vampire Academy-Richelle Mead*

Frostbite-Richelle Mead*

Shadow Kiss-Richelle Mead*

Blood Promise-Richelle Mead

Spirit Bound-Richelle Mead

Blood Sacrifice -Richelle Mead

Marvel Encyclopaedia-Various

The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner-Stephenie Meyer

London’s Strangest Tales-Various

Grave Secret-Charlene Harris

The Strain-Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Fall (The Strain Pt II)-Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Nobody’s Perfect: Writing’s From The New Yorker-Anthony Lane*

The Hunger Games-Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire-Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay-Suzanne Collins

Fallen-Lauren Kate

Succubus Blues-Richelle Mead

Love All The People-Bill Hicks

So there you have it. It's 54 books all up . . .well, I think, because I keep trying to recount it and then I get bored. Pretty much one a week and next year I'm going to be keeping a list again, which I will update monthly. I plan on trying to get through a bit more literature. I got a Borders voucher from my family for Christmas and already have a handy list to start off with come tomorrow, in no particular order: 1984 - George Orwell, The Scarecrow - Michael Connelly, Lonely Werewolf Girl - Martin Millar, The Bone Collector - Jeffrey Deaver, Torment - Lauren Kate. And from the lovely ladies at book club: the whole Chronicles Of Narnia series and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith.

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