desert_vixen's lair

Christmas Surprises by Jenn Faulk – Hysterical Christmas story about a family trying to have the PERFECT Christmas.  Plenty of people up in everyone else’s business and a happy ending.              

Cold Serial by Brian Forschner – Interesting series of unsolved murders in early 1900s Dayton.              

Dorothy Dale: A Girl of Today by Margaret Penrose – Classic teen fiction,  a little on the syrupy side.      

Good Girls and Wicked Witches by Amy Davis – Not as interesting as expected, more an overall look at Disney influence on popular culture than what it says on the tin. 

Haunted Roads of Western Pennsylvania by Thomas White – Nice little read, especially if you’d like to actually check out some of the places.

Mistletoe Mysteries ed. Charlotte MacLeod – I had a dead tree version of this years ago (likely when it first came out) and found it cheap on Kindle.  Interesting, but still haven’t read many of the people beside the editor.               

One Wicked Winter by Emma Leech – A nice little Christmas Regency.

Rewirement: Rewiring Think About Retirement by Jamie P. Hopkins – Book looking at how we plan for retirement and suggesting a better way of looking at it – money and what you will actually be doing.  Worth reading if you’re in the age group to be planning.

The Happy Hollisters at Snowflake Camp by Jerry West – Classic kid lit, pretty standard and syrupy. 

The Jefferson County Egan Murders by Dave Shampine – OK older true crime book about a family of petty criminals who get killed. 

The Last Chance Christmas Ball ed. Mary Jo Putney – Collection of several short Regency stories all tied together by the Last Chance Ball.  Quality varied but overall worth having.  Particularly liked the one with the injured hero and its partner story.                      

The Murder of Maggie Hume: Cold Case by Blaine Pardoe – Decent short true crime read, but “cold” case is a little misleading.  It’s a more of a “most likely killer known but not charged” but still worth the read.

The Plain Old Man by Charlotte MacLeod, Charlotte – Sarah Kelling and Crew, guest starring Emma and Gilbert & Sullivan.  The ending is a little obvious but nicely done.

The Whole Truth and Nothing But by Hedda Hopper – A dishy tell-some that’s very much set in the 1960, has plenty to tell about the studio system by someone who lived it, but not anything that is too shocking or hasn’t been put out.

Dead Tree Reading:

Jessica   by Mary Frances Shura – 1980s teen historical romance that I found a pristine copy of – pretty decent read with some nice realistic relationships.

Coming Home for Christmas by Carla Kelly – If you loved Carla Kelly’s Regencies, you will enjoy these – 3 novellas tied together (father – son – grandson ) and their military Christmas romances.  Very nicely done sweet reads.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander – Yes, finally got around to my HP 3 book box set and this was the only one I liked.

A Scandalous Journey by Susannah Carleton – The first of her six Regency set, very enjoyable couple and story.

Did I Do That? The Best and Worst of the 90s by Amber Humphrey – A run down of 90s pop culture in all its glory (including Urkel, of course).  Decent read found on the clearance shelf.

A Line in the Sand: Alamo in Blood and Memory  by Roberts/Olson – A look at the history of the Alamo and how that history has been interpreted/presented.  Solid read but nothing new in it.

A Christmas Party (Envious Casca) by Georgette Heyer – Re-title of Georgette Heyer’s Envious Casca emphasizing its Christmas aspect.  Always an enjoyable read, and a mystery fo historians to enjoy, given the nature of the clue.

Linda Carlton Air Pilot (1931) by Edith Lavell – Vintage teen girl series, pretty solid read.  Looking at some more on Kindle.

October Kindle Reading.

19 read, 8 deleted.. but 28 added, so broke even.

And No One Can Hurt Him by Carol J. Rothgeb – Sad reminder of how views on child abuse have changed, but the system has not.  True crime.

Early Graves: True Story of Murder by Thomas H. Cook – Creepy true-crime spree style killings.

Injury Time: Collected Mysteries by Catherine Aird – Short stories featuring CD Sloan and crew, very enjoyable.

Judith's Place by Diane Craver – Sweet Amish story, part of a series dealing with people thinking about leaving the Amish.  Decent read.

Killing Season: NE Serial Killer by Carlton Smith – Unsolved serial killer string, also sad commentary on how society views crime.  I did not know the author had passed on already.

Koreatown: A Cookbook by Hong/Rodbard – Om nom nom Korean food, with side dishes of how diverse Koreatowns can be.

Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Others by Washington Irving – The classic story and some of his other writings, worth the read.

Love's Providence by Jennifer H. Westall – Modern Christian romance dealing with the “temptations of dating” which apparently involve being shot at by your squeeze’s crazy ex.  (Yes, this does happen but it’s hardly COMMON.)

Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes NYT by Mark Bittman – What it says on the label.

TCW Saw Red by Lilian Jackson Braun – An early Quilleran mystery that has an ABSOLUTELY WRENCHING moment where he thinks the cats are dead (I KNEW they weren’t and it still hit me hard) and a rather gruesome final clue (that I saw coming).  It definitely helped to have read later books in the series, but a good one.

The Ancient History of the Near East by Henry R. Hall – Pre-WW1 history of the Middle East, and it’s as dry as the desert.

The Butcher's Guide to Well-Raised Meat by Joshua Applestone – Pretty much what it sounds like on the label, with a lot on sustainable meat.  More a book about food than a cookbook.

The Crime of the Century by Dennis L. Breo – Book about the Richard Speck nurse murders.  Very good read.

The Dumpling Sisters Cookbook by Amy Zhang – Chinese comfort food book, interesting reading and a few recipes worth making.

The Dutch Shoe Mystery by Ellery Queen – Not quite what I thought it would be, but pretty decent read.

The Poison Tree by Alan Prendergast – Kids kill abusive parent – or was he?  It’s a pretty decent read, but definitely a product of its time (early 80s).

The Serial Killer's Apprentice by James Renner – Collection of unsolved cases, including one that personally affected the author.  Excellent read.

Tish Plays the Game by Mary Roberts Rinehart – Good collection of short stories about some meddlesome older ladies. Enjoyable read.

White Knight by Staci Stallings – Excellent modern Christian romance, part of a series about first responders.  It builds off characters from an earlier novel, but you don’t need to have read it.  I think this one had a lot more development.

October Dead Tree Reading

I read six books this month (1 off the pile and 5 new), discarded 10 off the pile and 11 new ones.  It's really getting cut down to size!                                                                 

Roasting in Hell's Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay, Gordon – Bio of the Hell’s Kitchen chef, pretty good read.  It’s definitely his voice.

Greek Fire, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs by Adrienne Mayor, Adrienne – This is a replacement for a book that was damaged in one of our moves.  It’s every bit as interesting as it sounds about ancient warfare.  My favorite is the dummies made with beehives.

Lost to the West by Lars Brownworth – Excellent history of the Byzantine Empire and its rulers, definitely worth picking up.

The Vanishing Hitchhiker by Jan Harold Brunvand, Jan Harold – The classic urban legend reference.  I have it for Kindle as well.  Dated but worth the read.

1947 The Green Book (facsimile version) ed. Victor Green – Great facsimile version of a Green Book (directory of places where Negros could safely stay/be served while traveling by car, kept at Esso stations). 

1976 Childcraft #3 Children Everywhere  - A piece of my childhood with short stories.  Well-worth the read.

There were no catalog-related errors this month, thankfully.  However, apropos of a conversation xinef and I were having at the luncheon to honor Meg Justus' life about how the Kindles have plenty of space.  Partly due to my acquisition and auto-download of the Fairy Tail manga, I ran out of space. :)  The manga titles don't stay on the Paperwhite, but I also removed 300-plus titles to Amazon Cloud.  I also found a few misplaced titles.

August Kindle reading:

I read 26 Kindle titles this month on the Paperwhite, and deleted 25.  I forgot to count up how many I added, but it wasn't 51, so coming out ahead!

A Dead Liberty by Catherine Aird – An interesting mystery featuring a suspect who won’t speak on their own behalf and corporate scheming.

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen – The classic play,  Depressing but worth reading.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle – The SF/F childhood classic.  Good read – I see why people didn’t like the movie (which I quite enjoyed, but this was not one of my childhood classics) and I enjoyed it.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell – I didn’t intend to read everything by this author this month, it’s just how it worked out.  This is her first novel, and it shows a little, but still a good read and love letter to being who you are.

Behind the Curtain by PC Zick – I’d read one other by this author, and this one was not as good.  The situations were just not all that believable, and required characters to act stupid.

Fly: Goose Girl Retold by Demelza Carlton – Another of the retold fairytales, this one links up to her Cinderella one.  It ended up being a good read, but the beginning of it does have some graphic violence and sexual violence – more than I really preferred.

From Twisted Roots by SH Cooper – A collection of creepy and/or thought-provoking stories, some sad and some lighter.  I would recommend it.  There’s a good and creepy one about a carnival, one about bullying, one about a little girl and her spiders (that one was sad), and a few supernatural savior type stories. 

Girls Who Rocked the World by Michelle Roehm McCann – This covers a lot of the same ground of Rejected Princesses but is aimed at a younger crowd.  Okay read.

Horror Movie a Day: The Book by Brian W. Collins – Pretty much what it says on the cover.  Interesting read through not-super-well-known horror flicks.

Pieces of Granite by Brenda Anderson – Christian fiction about a family dealing with some issues, pretty decent read.

Sealed With A Kiss by Leeanna Morgan, Leeanna – Modern romance with an overprotective father and a little girl who wants help finding a new mother.  It was good but not great.

Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews – Another in the author’s Innkeeper series, this one was a great deal more entertaining. 

“She wishes to obtain a small predator.”

“A small predator?”

“Yes.” Nuan Ara nodded. “The silent, stealthy, vicious killer that prowls by night and mercilessly murders its victims for food and pleasure.”

Um… What? “And she believes she can find this predator here?”

Nuan Ara nodded. “She has seen the images. They have glowing eyes and razor claws and are renowned for their cruelty.”

As she goes on to note, small predators are available at your local Petsmart.  We call them kittens.

Taming Natasha by Nora Roberts – An older one that I have read before, but picked up in a Kindle sale.

The Case of the Late Pig by Margery Allingham – A Campion mystery involving an old classmate who isn’t as dead as she seems.

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold – A re-read of one of LMB’s best fantasy novels, bought at the Kindle sale.  Must say  I enjoyed it much more this time around, knowing where the story is going.

“What’s the matter with him?” he heard the maid’s voice, as their footsteps trailed off down the corridor, and the tears trailed down the inside of his nose.

The page answered disgustedly, “A madman, I suppose.”

After a short pause, the maid’s voice floated back faintly, “Well, he’ll fit right in here, then, won’t he…”

The Earl's Defiant Wallflower by Erica Ridley – A decent little Regency, with a heroine who’s a bit shaky on how dowries work and a husband who makes it not matter, as well as a nice resolution.

The Electra Story by Robert J. Serling – Story of the Electra plane and its downfall, written by the brother of Rod Serling.  Solid writing and interesting story.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Douglas - Mostly harmless.  Know where your towel is. Be a hoopy frood.  And be kind to mice.  Obviously a re-read.

The Luck of Roaring Camp and Other Tales by Bret Harte – The title story is good, along with “Outcasts of Poker Flats” and a few of the satires (especially the one with children trapped in chambers and explosions).  Some are not as good.

The Odd Job by Charlotte MacLeod – A pretty standard outing with the Kelling and Bittersohn crew, enjoyable read.

The Picnic by Marnie Hanel – A cookbook aimed at picnics, a nice little read.

The Recycled Citizen by Charlotte MacLeod – An involved story featuring the Kelling and Bittersohn crew, with a whole crop of Kellings.  Well worth reading.

Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur – More focused on candy and desserts, not restaurant dishes, but worth reading.

Waiting for Nick  by Nora Roberts – Re-read of an older title, picked up on Kindle.  I really enjoyed this one when I was younger but it’s not aged as well.  But a bad day with Nora is still better than a good day with others.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson – Classic and creepy, and the reveal packs a punch.

Indiana  by George Sand – Rambling historical set in Paris, with plenty of infidelity, moralizing, and overplayed emotions, with a slight twist at the end.

Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell – Long tale of a fallen woman who gets in bad through no real fault of her own, although this one features a male character who actually stands up for the injustice of her situation.  The end is somewhat predictable and Victorian.

Mini - 17 titles read, 21 added this month.  I basically use the Kindle app on my iPad Mini for graphic/color titles.

So, having discovered that there are only 3 Master’s Collections of Fairy Tail, and the individual volumes are 10.99 in paperback vs. 7.99 on Kindle, I might have decided to go with the Kindle versions.  (People don’t seem to be getting rid of their Fairy Tail collections on PBS or at used-book stores.)

Fairy Tail Rhodonite by Mashima/Shibiani – Side story that follows Gajeel, Levy, and Pantherlily.

Fairy Tail S Volume 1 by Mashima – Collection of side stories, funny and a little naughty in a few places.

Fairy Tail S Volume 2 by Mashima - Collection of side stories, funny and a little naughty in a few places.

Fairy Tail Volume 13 by Mashima – One of the better volumes of the Battle for Fairy Tail arc.

Fairy Tail Volume 15 by Mashima – Also a great volume of Battle for Fairy Tail arc, with the final showdown between Laxus, Natsu and Gajeel.

Fairy Tail Volume 24 by Mashima – The end of Edolas and the beginning of the S-Class trials.

Fairy Tail Volume 25 by Mashima – More S-class trials.

Fairy Tail Volume 26 by Mashima  - Still more S-class trials.

Fairy Tail Volume 32 by Mashima – The Grand Magic Games, which I think is my favorite arc.

Fairy Tail Volume 34 by Mashima – The Grand Magic Games, which I think is my favorite arc.

Fairy Tail Volume 35 by Mashima – The Grand Magic Games, which I think is my favorite arc.

Fairy Tail Volume 36 by Mashima – The Grand Magic Games, which I think is my favorite arc.

Fairy Tail Volume 37 by Mashima – The Grand Magic Games, which I think is my favorite arc.

Fairy Tail Volume 38 by Mashima – The Grand Magic Games, which I think is my favorite arc.

Fairy Tail Volume 39 by Mashima – The Grand Magic Games, which I think is my favorite arc.

Fairy Tail Volume 40 by Mashima– The Grand Magic Games, which I think is my favorite arc.

Fairy Tail Volume 49 by Mashima – The end of the Tartaros arc.

Aug Dead Tree Reading:

I read 6 titles off the pile and 4 new titles.  I discarded 28 books off the pile and 2 newer ones as well.  Progress!

28 old discards and 2 new discards          

Cirak's Daughter by Charlotte MacLeod – YA mystery by the author of the Sarah Kelling & Max Bittersohn, decent little read.

Fairy Tail Master's Collection 2 by Hiro Mashima – Volumes 6-10 of the series (of 63).  Not my favorite part of the series but worth having.

Fairy Tail Master's Collection 3 by Hiro Mashima – Volumes 11-15 of the series, which does include part of one of my favorite arcs.  However, I was quite disappointed to find out that this one was the last of the master’s collection set finished. 

Accident by Danielle Steele – An interesting story that deals with both parents dealing with their children being in a bad car accident and the fact that one of the fathers was not where he said he was going to be…because he’s having an affair with someone.  It was an excellent read.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – So I loved the whole angst of going away to college and trying to function without the comfortable things you’re used to, and writing fanfic.  But she didn’t tell us if she killed off the Draco-character…  It was a really good read.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell – Read it last year on Kindle and really enjoyed it, enough that I got a dead tree copy of it.  I think I liked it better knowing where the story was going, and I still really loved the relationships.  And now I need more.

The Serrano Sucession by Elizabeth Moon – Omnibus of Change of Command and Against All Odds.  A fitting end to the Serrano series.

Garden of Lies by Amanda Quick – I used to really enjoy her Regencies and the Arcane series, but some of these the stories just got old.  This one is Victorian but I liked the plot of the mystery, and more importantly, I liked the couple.

BSC #6: Kristy's Big Day  by Martin/Galligan – The latest of the Baby-Sitters’ Club novels to be turned into a graphic novel.  This is one of my favorites, so I was excited to see it finally come out.

The Private Life of The Cat Who by Lilian Jackson Braun – Snippets of the Siamese from The Cat Who series.  It’s very short and fluffy.

 Here's what I read in 2017.  I won the reading challenge in our history major group with a grand total of 301, but did not count all of the books I read for that one.

These were, in my opinion, the best 17 reads of 2017 (no particular order):

1. Fantastic Creatures by HL Burke – Collection of SF/F stories that are a great mix.  There are some REALLY good stories, including a flying squid in a steampunk story and the Pacific Tree Octopus, and a Nessie type creature. 

2. They All Saw A Cat by Brendan Wenzel – This is a lovely children’s book that shows how different animals see the cat.  The illustrations are great.  I bought a copy for myself, but I think I’m going to buy one for my nephew’s birthday as well.

3.Brand X by Christianna Brand – Really good collection of short stories, some mysteries and some really trippy.  The first two stories are pretty light - an entertaining one about a double or triple cross, and a light travel story.  Then they start getting pretty dark. I don't recommend reading this one close to bedtime, because while not horror, some of them are unpleasant and are going to stick with you. The Kite, involving an old woman's relationship with a bird of prey on her territory, falls into this category - just enough detail for the conclusion to take shape in your mind.  The Charm Farm is also light, with a twist I was expecting. A Bit of Bovver is just sad. The Blackthorn is interesting, and involves a little bit of magic and "being careful what you wish for". The Hilltop is probably the most graphic story, and you know exactly where it is going until the very end. Bless This House has a sad and unexpected twist - yet when you go back over it, it's perfectly obvious. Spring 1941 is drawn from her own experience. Murder Hath Charms is interesting. Pigeon Pie seems like it's going to go way dark - and while still super depressing, has a bit of light at the end. (If you're sensitive to animal violence and cruelty to children, you may want to do yourself a favor and skip Pigeon Pie.) Madame Thinks Quick and The Scapegoat are quite good, and a little lighter after the middle stories.

4. The War That Killed Achilles by Caroline Alexander – This was an excellent book on the Trojan War from a viewpoint I had not normally considered (usually focus on Odysseus myself) and I really enjoyed the connections the author made with modern warfare, and how war is portrayed in the Iliad.  Definitely worth the read.

5. Cinnamon by Neil Gaiman – Lavishly illustrated kids’ book about a modern fairy-tale sort of story with a girl who won’t  talk and the tiger who helps.  Not sure if it’s based on an Indian story or not, but the Indian-inspired art is rich and gorgeous and wow.

6.The Amazons by Adrienne Mayor – This is a thick but entertaining read, looking at Amazons in art and myth, and at the real women that the Amazon stories were likely based on (Scythians and other nomadic tribes of that area) and a great look at some of the archaeology.  I can’t recommend it enough.

7. War Letters to a Wife by Rowland Feilding – Written by a British officer in WW1, this is a very good read.  It’s also proof that no matter how much times change, some things about war stay the same (like having to overwrite awards so they’ll get approved).  Long but worth reading.

8.  A Tangled Web        by L. M. Montgomery – I don’t know where this book has been all my life, but I loved it.  It had the very soap-opera small town feel going on, but for several characters there was quite a bit of heart.  There was one scene that while I expected it, it got tears.  (It involves feline death).  Also, Sourcebooks has released a TPB with a lovely cover.  I highly recommend.  If you really enjoyed all the gossipy stories and family dynamics in the Anne books, you’ll enjoy this.  Definitely aimed at a more adult audience

9. 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline – Excellent scholarly look at the era of the fall of Troy and the general collapse of Bronze Age Civilization.  Short but well done, worth reading if you are into the subject.

10. Live Alone and Like It by Marjorie Hillis – Excellent 1930s etiquette book for single women.  Dated, but in a deliciously period way, illustrated with little case stories.  It’s an amusing book, especially if you’re into the period.

11. Penric's Fox by Lois McMaster Bujold – Another delightful novella in the Five Gods world (also known as Chalion Saga), this time featuring more of the shaman/Hallowed Hunt related characters.  And foxes, so you know I enjoyed it!

12. Six Against the Yard by the London Detection Club – This one was very good, with mystery writers coming up with a “perfect crime” and an actual Scotland Yard superintendant picking it apart.

13. Dance: Cinderella Retold by Demelza Carlton – This is a set the author is doing of retellings.  Her last one was pretty good and this one is excellent.  It has some Mulan-like elements, and it’s smashingly good.  The shoes take a new turn in this one, but it really fits.

14. Bridge Daughter by Jim Nelson – Very interesting SF/F book about a society in which women give birth to “bridge daughters” who are pregnant with the actual child, takes 12 years to gestate.  This focuses on a bridge daughter who doesn’t do what is expected of her.  Have tissues.

15. Saxons v. Vikings by Ed West – This is a funny, snarky wander through England’s Dark Age.  Example: The Frankish king Louis III chased out the Norsemen at Saucourt, close to the river Somme, in 881, but the following year he died after falling off his horse while chasing a girl he had amorous designs on, a quintessentially French death if ever there was one.

16. Ties That Bind by Cindy Woodsmall – Good book about an interesting subject.  Cindy Woodsmall’s Amish books are generally a little more nuanced and complicated.  This one involves an Amish family discovering that one of their children was swapped with a Englisch baby, and everyone tries to deal with it in their own way.  Very absorbing read.

17. The Nutmeg Tree by Margery Sharp – I’m really starting to get into her writing, when it appears on the Daily Deal.  This one features an improper mother who’s trying really hard to be proper.  It’s a delightful romp.

READING FOR 2017: