I really mainlined books last year. Here are the last two months' entries from the reading journal.
- 125. Naked Once More, by Elizabeth Peters. Who I am wishful would publish a new book! On where we get ideas (ha): "You didn't get ideas. You smelled them out, tracked them down, wrestled them into submission; you pursued them with forks and hope, and if you were lucky enough to catch one you impaled it, with the forks, before the sneaky little devil could get away."
- 126. The Tightrope Walker, by Dorothy Gilman. Why isn't this available for Kindle yet? It's a long-standing favorite of mine.
- 127. Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell. Fictional treatment of a heartbreaking true story.
- 128. The Velvet Room, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. I must have read this at least a dozen times. It's a great treatment of the Depression, for young readers.
- 129. Jenny and the Cat Club, by Esther Averill. So cute.
- 130. My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George. Another lifelong favorite.
- 131. The Far Side of the Mountain, by JCG. More bluntly activist.
- 132. Frightful's Mountain, by JCG. Almost entirely activist, from the falcon's POV. Really love the author's illustrations in all three. A great set of stories for the budding naturalist.
- 133. The Call of the Wild, by Jack London. Uncompromising, swift, and extremely evocative.
- 134. Kiki Strike Inside the Shadow City, by Kirsten Miller. I am in favor of smart adventure stories for girls.
- 135. Kiki Strike: The Empress' Tomb, by Kirsten Miller. Next, please. Any day now.
- 136. The Players, by Stephanie Cowell. The best part of this was the historical notes at the end.
- 137. Spring, 1600, by Emlyn Williams. A play. I loved it. Would like to see it staged!
- 138. I am Number Four, by "Pittacus Lore." A really good young-adult SF adventure/thriller, part of a rapidly growing series.
- 139. The Grand Escape, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. A cat story featuring nice watercolor illustrations, but fairly harrowing adventures and all notions of responsible pet ownership are pretty much obscured.
- 140. Will in the World, by Stephen Greenblatt. Very well-written, if not entirely convincing - due to the necessary frequency of "could," "might," and "may."
- 141. The Fire Horse, by Elizabeth Mitchell. A nonfiction novella-length piece, quite thrilling. Also: four short stories by John Scalzi: "How I Proposed to My Wife: An Alien Sex Story;" "An Election;" "Judge Sn Goes Golfing;" and "Questions for a Soldier." I liked all of these, but especially the first one.
- 142. More by Scalzi: "The Sagan Diary", parts are terrific;" "The Tale of the Wicked," unreserved like; and "The God Engines," ick. Also, "Minette's Feast," by Susanna Reich, a lovely children's book about Julia Child and her cat.
- 143. Daniel Defoe, by William Minto. A highly entertaining biography.
- 144. The Lodger Shakespeare: His Life on Silver Street, by Charles Nicholl. Excellent.
- 145. The World of Christopher Marlowe, by David Riggs. Ay, what a slog.
- 146. Dying on the Vine, by Aaron Elkins. More armchair-detective than some of the previous titles, but set in Tuscany and redolent of wine, who can complain?
- 147. Skilled Work: American Craft in the Renwick Gallery, K. Trapp, ed.
- 148. The School of Night, by Louis Bayard. Not as engaging as I was hoping.
- 149. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott. Also: "Mrs. Hudson's Case," by Laurie R. King (short story).
- 150. Celebrity in Death, by J.D. Robb. Some mental refreshment through re-reading.
- 151. A Dead Man in Deptford, by Anthony Burgess. Witty, inventive, and lovely language in this re-imagining of Christopher Marlowe.
- 152. Miss Billings Treads the Boards, by Carla Kelly. Why I like CK: "The effort of thinking caused his feet to turn inward, and he stood there, pigeon-toed, skinny-legged, and bereft of idea." Also: "I am Maru," by "mugumogu."
- 153. Libby's London Merchant, by CK. I am shortly to pass along the CK paperbacks since they are now all available for the Kindle.
I read all those young-readers titles because I was packing them into a bag for the Toys for Tots collection at the December chapter dance. Don't worry, they appear unread. I kept "The Velvet Room."
Naked Once More is one of my frequent rereads. I also like her romantic suspense under the name Barbara Michaels.
Posted by: Nicoleandmaggie | January 23, 2013 at 10:40 AM