One imperfect letter, one missing page

25. *The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Book 1
Young Adult, Fantasy, 375 pages

Greek myths updated for the present day.

Some parts of this book were extremely predictable and some were less so, but either way it was a fun read. I enjoyed it, but it didn't really grab me - I may read the rest of the series some day but I don't need to run out and grab them all right now.

26. *The Magicians of Caprona by Diana Wynne Jones
Chrestomanci series, book 4
Young Adult, Fantasy, 269 pages

27. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
Young adult, Historical Fiction, 122 pages

28. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Young Adult, Fantasy, 471 pages

(mostly quoted from previous review)

A Graceling is a person with a gift, an almost magical ability to do something (although it's never referred to as magic). Someone Graced with speed, say, or swimming, or juggling can perform feats in that area that no regular person could hope to achieve. In Middluns, Gracelings are feared no matter how benign their Grace may be, and that fear is multiplied with Katsa's killing Grace. Even her uncle the King fears her, though he uses his authority to force her to dole out punishment across his kingdom. But what if she decides she will no longer only be his pawn?

Katsa is a wonderful character who grows constantly and believably over the course of the book. The only thing that bothered me, both times I've read this book, was the climax of the book. With such an enormous build-up, the climax was shockingly brief and unsatisfying and the first time I read it, I was concerned for most of the rest of the book that something was wrong and things were somehow not what they seemed.

I enjoyed Graceling from beginning to end, with that one exception, and I am looking forward to the upcoming book in the series (Bitterblue).

29. Fire by Kristin Cashore
Young Adult, Fantasy, 461 pages
Companion to Graceling

(quoted from previous review)

Fire is a monster - an unnaturally beautiful creature who can control the minds of people and animals around her. Fire is also human. As a human monster, she is mistrusted, hated, feared, and desired. Her father was a monster and also a monster, cruel, controlling, and indiscriminate in the use of his abilities, but Fire was raised with human morals.

It's not easy to describe this book, because the story is less about people running around doing things then about the various characters learning about each other and themselves. And yet the story moves quickly and there is certainly action, since Fire's country is at war. Fire is a wonderful book.

29 / 160 books. 18% done!

12 / 80 *new books. 15% done!

0 / 7 ^non-fiction. 0% done!

7854 / 48000 pages. 16% done!
Audiobooks: 9h03m

Final books of 2008:

150. The Android's Dream by John Scalzi (394)

One of the funniest books I have ever read. The book group I'm in is reading this for next month, so I reread it again.

151. *The Risen Empire by Scott Westerfeld (352)

I liked this book, though I'm not going to run out to grab the next in the series. As much as I love Westerfeld's writing, being manipulated irritates me and the end of this book is a cliffhanger that neglected to answer basic questions posed in the book, questions that I felt really should have been answered.

152. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern by Lillian Jackson Braun (192)
153. The Cat Who Turned On and Off by Lillian Jackson Braun (272)
154. The Cat Who Went Underground by Lillian Jackson Braun (288)

Whenever I'm in Ohio visiting my grandmother, I read a few of these Cat Who books. I love them, they're short, sweet, and light reading (for all they're murder mysteries).

155. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce (384)

Christmas gift from my sister, book one in the Immortals quartet. Daine takes a job as assistant to a horse buyer and ends up with new friends, a new home, and skills she never dreamed of.

156. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman (122)

YA historical fiction about a homeless orphaned girl who is taken in by a local midwife as her apprentice. The girl learns, grows, and changes, eventually discovering that she has desires beyond her immediate needs. She is a complex and interesting character to read about and it is a thoroughly enjoyable book.

Abandonded books:
Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
I was reading this for the book group I joined recently and...well, I probably never would have picked it up if I'd known what it was about, book group or no. I read a lot of Holocaust/WWII fiction when I was younger, so I pretty much stay away from it now. An alternate history in which WWII ended the other way is not something I would have picked up by choice.

That said, I did get about halfway through it and of course the writing is very good, and I found the culture clashes interesting.

156 / 150 books. 104% done!

71 / 75 *new books. 95% done!

7 / 10 ^non-fiction. 70% done!

42398 / 40000 pages. 106% done!

Originally posted April 22, 2006 in fiveforsilver:

28. *A Game of Thrones George R. R. Martin (807)

My sister gave me this book. It was...interesting. The beginning was very, very confusing, because there are a dozen different characters and settings. I did get into the story after a while, but I'm not sure I will go out and get the next book on my own. However, when she finishes it in a few months and gives it to me, I'll read it.

29. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman (122)

I really enjoy this and the other book by Cushman that I have, Catherine, Called Birdy. They are fascinating looks at what it might have been like for those not in power during medieval times.

*New reads

29 / 200 books (14.5%)

8 / 50 new books (16.0%)

11,108 / 50,000 (22.2%)