Mirime's Reading List 2012!

See also: Mirime's Reading List 2011 and Mirime's Reading List 2010

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1. Birds of America by Lorrie Moore
An interesting collection of short stories-- very much in the style of New Yorker fiction. Some of them were a bit depressing, but overall I enjoyed the book.

2. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
I read this book a few years ago and decided it was time for a re-read. I love, love, love it! The narrator is a lot of fun and a strong character, and there's vampires and supernatural elements without romanticism: no Edwards here.

3. The Nine Lives of Chloe King: The Fallen by Liz Braswell

4. Haven by Joel Shepherd
The final book of a series I started reading last year. He wove a complicated political plot filled with lots of battles and inner conflicts, and wrapped everything up in a very satisfying way, I thought. A good read, especially for fans of more 'military' fiction.

5. Bleak History by John Shirley
A sort of paranormal adventure-type novel, this book reminded me a lot of the Dresden files, though with a more limited scope and plot arc. Still an enjoyable read, though.

6. Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Bronte
A re-read for me-- it's been a while. I enjoyed paying attention to the characterizations this time, and think I got a bit more out of it as well as mere enjoyment. Certainly a classic.

7. Spindle's End by Robin McKinley
This was a very nice book :) I could fuzzily see how everything was going to work out, but it was still a good read.

8. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Picked up a new pulp paranormal series for a break!

9. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

10. Beauty by Robin McKinley
After enjoying Spindle's End, I was bit disappointed by this fairytale retelling. I didn't think that it really added anything to the story and was generally a bit insipid.

11. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

12. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

13. Making the Cat Laugh by Lynne Truss

14. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
One thing I did appreciate about this book was Katniss' reactions to the killings (and her own involvement)-- she felt it and didn't just gloss over it. Still, Collins took some effort to distance Katniss from dirtying her hands, as it were-- it was never hand-to-hand, but with a bow and arrow or something in the arena.

15. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Plot-wise, this was the best one, but the character development was a bit lacking, I felt.

16. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
I'd read this book before, way back in high school, but was amazed at the difference several years makes in my perspective on it. Equally enjoyable and beautifully written.

17. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Overall I wasn't that impressed, really. I didn't mind the fast-moving twists at the end but the ending was rather abrupt, like she just lost patience with it and ended it.

18. Survivor by Chuck Pahlaniuk
I see what Pahlaniuk is going for here, and his dark humor is well-written-- just not my thing.

19. The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar

20. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Always a pleasure.

21. Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

22. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
One of those truly intense books that stays with you for quite a while after you finish reading it. The narrator's voice is powerful and compelling.

23. Snuff by Terry Pratchett
Pratchett never disappoints, though I'm not as familiar with the Nightwatch characters. Some good themes here too, as always.

24. Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
Fun light reading :P

25. The Sorcerer's House by Gene Wolfe
I really enjoyed this book! It's complex, cleverly written, a bit of a puzzle, and very fun.

26. End of the Century by Chris Roberson
I was really enjoying the premise and story of this book, until it got all weird and super-technical sci-fi at the end. I feel like the author had a great setup and then got way too complicated to explain how everything works. It seems he has several books built around the same universe though, so perhaps it's more well thought-out than I'm giving him credit for and just isn't my thing.

27. Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

28. River Marked by Patricia Briggs

29. Working Stiff by Rachel Caine
A very silly book, but it only cost 29 cents. I mean, the main character turn into a zombie, yet has all of her brain functions! *grumble*

30. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
I hadn't read this in a while and was reminded of it recently :)

31. Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett
That made me want to re-read another Pratchett novel!

32. Storm Warning by Mercedes Lackey
I hadn't read these since 2004, so I decided it was time for a revisit.

33. Storm Rising by Mercedes Lackey

34. Storm Breaking by Mercedes Lackey
By the third book I was getting rather fed up with Lackey's writing style. It's just a bit too labored, with too many long expository passages. Admittedly this is a difficult thing to do well.

35. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
I finally got my hands on this book! Of course it was a quick read, but very enjoyable and delightfully dark in a fun kind of way.

36. The Art of Arrow Cutting by Stephen Dedman
I really enjoyed this book! It was well-written and an imaginative urban-fantasy adventure :)

37. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
A really great high fantasy novel! It was complex and quick-paced enough to keep me reading and I finished it far too quickly... now I have to find the next one :P

38. Footnotes in Gaza by Joe Sacco
Wow. A very depressing, but wonderfully written graphic novel.

39. Waterlog by Roger Deakin
I read this a few years ago, and in the midst of a summer heat wave I decided it was time for a re-read! Beautifully written and really inspiring meditations on swimming and nature.

40. Day by A/L. Kennedy

41. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami

42. Look At Me by Jennifer Egan
I loved this book! Well-written, an intriguing storyline, and some really thoughtful insights into identity and the pains of growing up.

43. Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett

44. Persopolis

45. The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul by Douglas Adams

46. The Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams

47. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obrecht

48. Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Another really amazing book, filled with characters who are "only human"; not an idealized utopia of a world by any means but in the end, still uplifting.

49. Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

50. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
Yeah buddy.

51. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

52. This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

53. Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter
Hey, it was a free ebook :P Could've been worse!

54. Evren: Enter the Dragonette by Marian Tee
Another free kindle book, whee. I think this one was oriented towards teens, but it was all right.

55. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
I'd actually never read these before, so it was fun! They are very Victorian with the usual pompous language and a rather dismissive attitude towards women, but hey, what can you expect?

56. Before the Moon Rises by Catherine Bybee

57. Glamour by Penelope Fletcher
Well, it's not as poorly written or as irritating as what I've read of Twilight.

58. Drawn by Marian Tee

59. Akasha

60. Fierce Reads: A Tor Anthology

61. Rant by Chuck Pahlianuk
What a great book! Not as dark as some of his other works but just my kind of cynical, and then at the end, pretty mind-bending...

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Reading challenge 2012