Fahrenheit 451, Cast in Fury, Cry Wolf, Tales of Beedle the Bard
61/50 books I made it!
61. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling
- Fantasy (111 pages)
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a collection of Wizarding classic fairy tales. Reading them gives new insight into the world of Harry Potter.
The stories are accompanied by delightful pen-and-ink illustrations by Ms. Rowling herself, featuring a still-life frontispiece for each one. Professor Dumbledore’s commentary-apparently written some eighteen months before his death
- Very cute and short. I liked it. I really liked the commentary. (4/5)
60. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
- Science Fiction & Fantasy (320 pages)
- Continues right where Alpha and Omega left off.
- LOVE! (5/5)
59. Alpha and Omega (prequel to Cry Wolf) by Patricia Briggs
- Fantasy (81 pages)
- Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack…and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member-and as his mate. -from amazon
- LOVE! I love Briggs' Mercy series and this is set in the same world, but focusing with some characters. (5/5)
58. Cast in Fury by Michelle Sagara
-Science Fiction & Fantasy (416 pages)
-As a member of the Hawks, sworn to defend the city of Elantra, Private Kaylin Neva has managed to maintain friendly relations with the five races that coexist within the city boundaries. Assigned to assist the emperor's chosen playwright in composing a work that will ease the tensions between the telepathic Tha'alani and the humans who believe them responsible for the city's near-destruction by a tidal wave, the unorthodox but effective Neva finds her work complicated by the arrest of her longtime friend and sergeant and his replacement by a Hawk who is a stickler for the rules. Sagara's latest addition to her ongoing fantasy detective series. -from Barnes and Noble
- I love this series. LOVE. I have just fallen in love with the world Sagara has created. (4.5/5)
57. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
-Classics & Fantasy (208 pages)
-In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's classic, frightening vision of the future, firemen don't put out fires--they start them in order to burn books. Bradbury's vividly painted society holds up the appearance of happiness as the highest goal--a place where trivial information is good, and knowledge and ideas are bad.
Guy Montag is a book-burning fireman undergoing a crisis of faith. His wife spends all day with her television "family," imploring Montag to work harder so that they can afford a fourth TV wall. Their dull, empty life sharply contrasts with that of his next-door neighbor Clarisse, a young girl thrilled by the ideas in books, and more interested in what she can see in the world around her than in the mindless chatter of the tube. When Clarisse disappears mysteriously, Montag is moved to make some changes, and starts hiding books in his home. Eventually, his wife turns him in, and he must answer the call to burn his secret cache of books. After fleeing to avoid arrest, Montag winds up joining an outlaw band of scholars who keep the contents of books in their heads, waiting for the time society will once again need the wisdom of literature. -from amazon
- I don't know why it took me so long to read this book. I liked it a lot. It reminded me of A Brave New World, but I liked it better. Short, but makes you think. (3.5/5)
56. Full Moon by Jim Butcher
-Science Fiction & Fantasy (320 pages)
- In this volume Dresden is trying to solve a serial killer problem which seems to involve several different kinds of werewolves. These range from nasty people who think they are wolves right up to the honest-to-God tear-you-and-all-your-friends-to-pieces loup-garou. Inevitably Harry goes into each struggle well armed with wands, charms, and even guns. And inevitably he drops or loses all of them. - from Amazon
- I loved the first Dresden book, Storm Front, and I liked this book. But... meh (3/5)
55. God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert
-Science Fiction & Fantasy (400 pages)
-This fourth and apparently final episode in the Atreides saga. 3500 years have passed since the death of Paul Atreides and the accession of his son Leto II: the ecological transformation of Dune is complete, the sandworms have vanished, ending the spice production; the God Emperor Leto broods in his citadel as he slowly metamorphoses into Shai-Hulud, the fearsome giant sandworm of old Dune. So now there's a dullish peace throughout the Empire, rigidly enforced by the Emperor's ruthless control of the remaining melange and his omniscient, oracular vision. But, while wise old royal majordomo Moneo is convinced of Leto's essentially benevolent intentions, embittered Siona and bewildered, reincarnated Duncan Idaho view him as a vicious tyrant to be expunged at all costs. Leto himself, however, gradually emerges as a genuinely tragic hero, accepting (and even abetting) his own approaching doom at the hands of Siona and Idaho - who never fully appreciate the terrible sacrifices Leto has made in order to redeem a humanity of which he is no longer wholly a part. -from Amazon
-I love these books, but I have to listen them on audio book instead of on print. I know a good bit goes over my head, but I can't help but loving them. (5/5)
53. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
- Fiction (304 pages)
-When Clay Jenson plays the cassette tapes he received in a mysterious package, he's surprised to hear the voice of dead classmate Hannah Baker. He's one of 13 people who receive Hannah's story, which details the circumstances that led to her suicide. Clay spends the rest of the day and long into the night listening to Hannah's voice and going to the locations she wants him to visit. The text alternates, sometimes quickly, between Hannah's voice and Clay's thoughts as he listens to her words, which illuminate betrayals and secrets that demonstrate the consequences of even small actions. Hannah, herself, is not free from guilt, her own inaction having played a part in an accidental auto death and a rape. - From Amazon
- Wow. I normally don't read anything this... deep? dark? I like reading lighter books, but this drew me in and made me think about how I affect other people. A very good book. (3/5)
54. Vampire High by Douglas Rees
- Young Adult (240 pages)
-When Cody Elliot's parents receive his less-than-stellar report card, they decide it's time for a change. Vlad Dracul Magnet School. Cody knows there is something decidedly different about this place. He also learns why he gets admitted: most of the students are vampires and they will die if they get wet. State standards require a water-polo team, so the school takes in non-vampire students for the team. Cody makes fast friends with two classmates by defending one of them against bullies, but eventually the differences in their vampire status cause friction. By the end, however, Cody finds a simple solution to meeting the state standards, and everyone lives happily ever after. -from Amazon
-I picked this because I wanted something light. Interesting premise but I'm shocked I finished it. It had a cute, but predictable, ending (1.5/5)
61. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling
- Fantasy (111 pages)
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a collection of Wizarding classic fairy tales. Reading them gives new insight into the world of Harry Potter.
The stories are accompanied by delightful pen-and-ink illustrations by Ms. Rowling herself, featuring a still-life frontispiece for each one. Professor Dumbledore’s commentary-apparently written some eighteen months before his death
- Very cute and short. I liked it. I really liked the commentary. (4/5)
60. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
- Science Fiction & Fantasy (320 pages)
- Continues right where Alpha and Omega left off.
- LOVE! (5/5)
59. Alpha and Omega (prequel to Cry Wolf) by Patricia Briggs
- Fantasy (81 pages)
- Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack…and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member-and as his mate. -from amazon
- LOVE! I love Briggs' Mercy series and this is set in the same world, but focusing with some characters. (5/5)
58. Cast in Fury by Michelle Sagara
-Science Fiction & Fantasy (416 pages)
-As a member of the Hawks, sworn to defend the city of Elantra, Private Kaylin Neva has managed to maintain friendly relations with the five races that coexist within the city boundaries. Assigned to assist the emperor's chosen playwright in composing a work that will ease the tensions between the telepathic Tha'alani and the humans who believe them responsible for the city's near-destruction by a tidal wave, the unorthodox but effective Neva finds her work complicated by the arrest of her longtime friend and sergeant and his replacement by a Hawk who is a stickler for the rules. Sagara's latest addition to her ongoing fantasy detective series. -from Barnes and Noble
- I love this series. LOVE. I have just fallen in love with the world Sagara has created. (4.5/5)
57. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
-Classics & Fantasy (208 pages)
-In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's classic, frightening vision of the future, firemen don't put out fires--they start them in order to burn books. Bradbury's vividly painted society holds up the appearance of happiness as the highest goal--a place where trivial information is good, and knowledge and ideas are bad.
Guy Montag is a book-burning fireman undergoing a crisis of faith. His wife spends all day with her television "family," imploring Montag to work harder so that they can afford a fourth TV wall. Their dull, empty life sharply contrasts with that of his next-door neighbor Clarisse, a young girl thrilled by the ideas in books, and more interested in what she can see in the world around her than in the mindless chatter of the tube. When Clarisse disappears mysteriously, Montag is moved to make some changes, and starts hiding books in his home. Eventually, his wife turns him in, and he must answer the call to burn his secret cache of books. After fleeing to avoid arrest, Montag winds up joining an outlaw band of scholars who keep the contents of books in their heads, waiting for the time society will once again need the wisdom of literature. -from amazon
- I don't know why it took me so long to read this book. I liked it a lot. It reminded me of A Brave New World, but I liked it better. Short, but makes you think. (3.5/5)
56. Full Moon by Jim Butcher
-Science Fiction & Fantasy (320 pages)
- In this volume Dresden is trying to solve a serial killer problem which seems to involve several different kinds of werewolves. These range from nasty people who think they are wolves right up to the honest-to-God tear-you-and-all-your-friends-to-pieces loup-garou. Inevitably Harry goes into each struggle well armed with wands, charms, and even guns. And inevitably he drops or loses all of them. - from Amazon
- I loved the first Dresden book, Storm Front, and I liked this book. But... meh (3/5)
55. God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert
-Science Fiction & Fantasy (400 pages)
-This fourth and apparently final episode in the Atreides saga. 3500 years have passed since the death of Paul Atreides and the accession of his son Leto II: the ecological transformation of Dune is complete, the sandworms have vanished, ending the spice production; the God Emperor Leto broods in his citadel as he slowly metamorphoses into Shai-Hulud, the fearsome giant sandworm of old Dune. So now there's a dullish peace throughout the Empire, rigidly enforced by the Emperor's ruthless control of the remaining melange and his omniscient, oracular vision. But, while wise old royal majordomo Moneo is convinced of Leto's essentially benevolent intentions, embittered Siona and bewildered, reincarnated Duncan Idaho view him as a vicious tyrant to be expunged at all costs. Leto himself, however, gradually emerges as a genuinely tragic hero, accepting (and even abetting) his own approaching doom at the hands of Siona and Idaho - who never fully appreciate the terrible sacrifices Leto has made in order to redeem a humanity of which he is no longer wholly a part. -from Amazon
-I love these books, but I have to listen them on audio book instead of on print. I know a good bit goes over my head, but I can't help but loving them. (5/5)
53. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
- Fiction (304 pages)
-When Clay Jenson plays the cassette tapes he received in a mysterious package, he's surprised to hear the voice of dead classmate Hannah Baker. He's one of 13 people who receive Hannah's story, which details the circumstances that led to her suicide. Clay spends the rest of the day and long into the night listening to Hannah's voice and going to the locations she wants him to visit. The text alternates, sometimes quickly, between Hannah's voice and Clay's thoughts as he listens to her words, which illuminate betrayals and secrets that demonstrate the consequences of even small actions. Hannah, herself, is not free from guilt, her own inaction having played a part in an accidental auto death and a rape. - From Amazon
- Wow. I normally don't read anything this... deep? dark? I like reading lighter books, but this drew me in and made me think about how I affect other people. A very good book. (3/5)
54. Vampire High by Douglas Rees
- Young Adult (240 pages)
-When Cody Elliot's parents receive his less-than-stellar report card, they decide it's time for a change. Vlad Dracul Magnet School. Cody knows there is something decidedly different about this place. He also learns why he gets admitted: most of the students are vampires and they will die if they get wet. State standards require a water-polo team, so the school takes in non-vampire students for the team. Cody makes fast friends with two classmates by defending one of them against bullies, but eventually the differences in their vampire status cause friction. By the end, however, Cody finds a simple solution to meeting the state standards, and everyone lives happily ever after. -from Amazon
-I picked this because I wanted something light. Interesting premise but I'm shocked I finished it. It had a cute, but predictable, ending (1.5/5)