100 Books in 2009 Challenge
17 / 100 books. 17% done!
1. Bag of Bones, by Stephen King
2. The Golden Compass, of the His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman
3. Cry to Heaven, by Anne Rice
4. The Good Guy, by Dean Koontz
5. The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke
6. Duma Key by Stephen King
7. Watership Down by Richard Adams
8. The Intelligence of Dogs: Canine Consciousness and Capabilities by Stanley Coren
9. I Sing the Body Electric, by Ray Bradbury
This was another of my flea-market purchases. Oddly, I didn't get into most of the stories within. The title story was strangely affecting, but hard to put into words. The one tale that got to me the most was Henry the Eighth, about a time in the future when the entire population of the British Isles had moved to warmer climes ... except for one man, who remained behind and took upon himself the burden of representing everything that England was. That kind of fierce love for a place and its history struck a chord in me.
10. Last Dance, Last Chance by Ann Rule
Lois owns it. I just borrowed it. We collect a lot of true-crime books, specifically Ann Rule. This is one of her books wherein she has a long story, novella length, and then some short accounts after it. In this case, the long story is about Dr. Anthony Pignatarro and his wife, Debbie, whom he poisoned with arsenic. The depths to which people will sink never fail to fascinate and horrify me - and sometimes to provide details for later use in writing.
11. Dogs Who Found Me, by Ken Foster
This guy has about the world's worst luck. He was living in New York City with his rescued Great Dane/pit bull mix, Brando, in 2001. They survived the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath, later moving to Florida and then New Orleans. Yup, he was in New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina, this time with three dogs - Brando, Zephyr, a Rottie, and Sula, a pit bull. And then after he'd gone through all that, his heart stopped working and he had to have a pacemaker installed. Yet the book itself manages to be about the dogs, how Foster rescues them and they in turn rescue him, full of wit and humor and stories about dogs. Of course I love it.
12. Wolf Hunting by Jane Lindskold
13. Through Wolf's Eyes by Jane Lindskold
14. Wolf's Head, Wolf's Heart by Jane Lindskold
15. The Dragon of Despair by Jane Lindskold
These are part of a series - I actually read the fifth book, Wolf Hunting, first, because I got it at the flea market. Twenty pages in, I was hooked, and I quickly went to my local used bookstore and snatched up the rest of the series. They can stand alone, but are beautiful read in series - you become absorbed in the continuing tale. The story follows a girl who was raised by intelligent Royal Wolves. I pretty much went nuts over these - the series is incredible. Read it if you like fantasy, if you like wolves, if you just like good writing.
16. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
I went into the bookstore looking for the newest Mercy Thompson book by this author (I own the previous three, Moon Called, Blood Bound, and Iron Kissed, all fantastic reads). I found Bone Crossed, but it was in hardback, and I am a cheap person - I'll wait for paperback. While browsing to see if it was out in paperback yet, I found this one. It's set in the same world of werewolves, skinwalkers, vampires, and fae, and features the same supporting cast, but Mercy isn't in it. Instead we meet Anna, who as a character seemed to lack Mercy's verve and fire. Eventually I realized that this was because the Mercy books are written in first person; we see every snarky thing that crosses her mind. Cry Wolf is third person, and it's still a good read, if not as indescribably fantastic as the Mercy books. Incidentally, if you liked Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake books before they turned into character-assassinating softcore porn, and miss a kick-ass heroine who deals with supernatural critters, go find a Mercy Thompson book and read it.
17. Aerie by Mercedes Lackey
While looking for Bone Crossed, I discovered that Lackey has a new Valdemar book out - again, in hardcover. *pouts* I went to see if Foundations was in paperback yet, and it was not, but they did have this book, which is the conclusion of the dragon jousters' series. Lots of fantasy writers have handled dragons, but Lackey's take manages to be unique. This concluding volume seemed to skip a signifcant portion of time between the last book and this one, and I floundered a bit before getting my bearings. If you like dragons, I'd suggest you start with the first book in the series, Joust, and follow up with the sequels Alta and Sanctuary. These books combine Egyptian-esque mythology and history with dragons, magic, and a host of Lackey's other pet interests (she manages to work falconry into it, one of her passions).