maggie1944 - 10cats10books in 2010

OK, here is a thread for my categories. Sorry for having sent several friends here on a wild goose chase looking for an earlier thread I imagined I had started. This is the real start.

1. Fiction, general
2. Science fiction, fantasy fiction
3. Biography/Autobiography
4. Dragons
5. Hobbies: photography, paper crafts, dogs
6. Book group reads
Travel As A Political Act by Rick Steves: very much enjoyed although occasionally it gave me too much to think about...world peace, hunger, inequalities, etc. I recommend it

7. It's About Time (books I've owned for too long to still be not read)
8. Young Adult reads
9. Childrens'
10. History - very broadly defined.

Got you starred maggie:-)

OK, I've put a real star on your real thread!

thank you very much

Yay, Maggie's here! Welcome!

Category 4: dragons

finished listening to Robin Hobb's Dragon Keeper (Rain Wilds) and recommend it. On to reading more by Robin I think.

That's a good one.

I'm currently third on the reservation list at the library for the sequel Dragon Haven and I'm looking forward to reading it.

I have found that Ms Robb will be at a book signing on May 11, which is the release date for Haven, and I could go. I could go and have her sign both Haven and Keeper. I am tempted. I'd like to thank her for such a fine career of writing many good books. But you know, I probably do not need two more hard bound books with autographs in them. Or...

Category 3 - I just finished listening to Half Broke Horses which I very much enjoyed. Jeannette Walls was writing as if she were her grandmother and told her adult life's story of a "hard scrabble" life in east Texas, and Arizona. Horses, poker playing, floozies and con-men in Chicago, droughts, floods, and half-broke horses. She even once was able to "catch" a wild mustang by using Horse Whisper tactics before they were popular. A "novel" because Ms Walls does not necessarily have all the facts and she is writing in the first person POV, so she explains in the afterword. I completely enjoyed listening to Ms Walls read her book as she has a "western" accent which adds great color to the story.

How would you describe a "western" accent?

well, I'm no expert...but a drawl is certainly part of it. Kind of "country"; maybe a little southern, but not so much as to be southern; vocabulary and color turns of phrase

oh, I don't know, but when I hear it, I do know

Sort of Montana/Wyoming? I think I know what you mean.

yes, maybe add in a little Utah/Colorado

Catefory 2: Sci Fi, etc. I just completed Shaman's Crossing: Book 1 by Robin Hobb. I have mixed feelings about this book. Although I enjoyed it in the main, I did feel as if Ms Hobb spent way too much time describing a world which was basically like Middle Ages/British history with a military school, upper classes, king bla bla bla and then finally, in the last 100 pages, she describes some interesting and fun magicscape and ecological crises stuff. The last pages were somewhat more exciting than the hundreds of pages which went before.

I don't know if I will pick up book 2 of this series. We shall see if the characters inhabit my thoughts in the next week or so and if they do, and they call to me, well then I'll probably get the next installment. Stay tuned.

Category 1: The Secret Life of Bees is finished and recommended for readers who enjoy female coming of age stories.

Category 2 and 4: His Majesty's Dragon finished and loved. Cried over death of a little sweet dragon. Recommended for readers of fantasy. This book is a classic and is very well written, has great context of British shipping history, and has sympathetic characters.

Category 5: Photoshop 8 for Dummies

I can't claim to have read this entire book and probably will not; however, I think I can claim reading it. I start a class in Photoshop 8 next week and fully expect to use this book to help fill in any gaps in understanding. I am excited about the class so I expect I'll be reading in this reference book throughout this weekend.

Category 6: Wolf Hall I am glad to post I have finished reading this book. It was for me a slog, but I do recognize Ms. Mantel's unique style and will confess she did have me feeling I was actually "in" the story at times. I liked the writing and I think if I had one, more detailed background knowledge of this period in English history and two, many more chunks of time when I could read lots at one sitting I might have loved this book. As it is I had a hard time finishing it as it was long, and I never really "married" it.

Category 6: World War Z - I read (listened to an audio abridged version) this book as it is a Green Dragon group read and I was curious about the whole zombie craze. Not my cup of tea but also not a bad story.

OK, I need to take a deep breath and take stock:

1. Fiction, general: 1. The Secret Life of Bees, 2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, 3. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, 4. My Antonia, 5. The Collector

2. Science fiction, fantasy fiction: 1. Shaman's Crossing, Book 1; 2. His Majesty's Dragon, 3. Majestrum

3. Biography/Autobiography: 1. Half-Broke Horses; 2. My Life in France; 3. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman

4. Dragons: 1. Dragon Keeper: Rain Wilds; 2. His Majesty's Dragon; 3. Dragon Haven: Rain Wilds

5. Hobbies: photography, paper crafts, dogs: 1.Photoshop 8 for Dummies

6. Book group reads 1. Travel As A Political Act by Rick Steves; 2. Wolf Hall; 3. World War Z, 4. My Antonia

7. It's About Time (books I've owned for too long to still be not read)

8. Young Adult reads 1. The Hunger Wars; 2. Catching Fire

9. Childrens' 1. Owl Eyes; 2. Magical World of Unicorns

10. History - very broadly defined: 1. The Princes of Ireland (historical fiction) 2. Bad Land

Category 4: Dragons

I finished my third dragon book. Dragon Haven. It is book 2 of Hobb's Rain Wilds series.

Since starting this series I have learned that Robin Hobb lives very near me and many of her descriptions of the environment are seeming to be based on the rain forests near by. I love it. I enjoyed her book, too.

Category 3: No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club

22 - I haven't tried this series by Hobb. The only one I have read, in fact, is Assassin's Apprentice, but I have Ship of Magic to start sometime. Which series do you like best?

So, far of all the Hobb books I've read, I like this new series a great deal. I think she's matured as a writer or perhaps just recognizes a more complex plot with interesting characters is a better book. I would definitely recommend Dragon Keeper and Dragon Haven as best books.

Category 1: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Well, I have finished the trilogy and loved it. I am not thrilled with the very last little bit of this third book. I feel it has an easy solution to a couple of loose threads but that does not really minimize how good these books all are. The characters, both male and female, are fascinating, not simplistic or unidimensional; very human they all are with some possible exceptions. The bad guys are very bad and in this they loose some of their believability. They do not seem quite as human as are all the other characters in the books.

I pretty much would recommend this to all comers except perhaps readers who really do not want to read about the evil that exists in this world nor do they want to read about brutality. I understand and I would not suggest these books for those sorts of readers.

Category 1: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. I have "reviewed" this book a couple of times and need to go do it on the book page. I'll put up a link here later.

I recommend it.

Category 2: Majestrum - author likes to play with language and basic assumptions about reality but left me in the dust too often. I finished it because my book group is reading it but I do not recommend it, unreservedly. Some will love his playing with the language, i.e. private detective = discriminator, and shifting realities so I am not unreservedly negative either. Read some more reviews before you decide.

Hi its been a while since I checked in here. Loved Dragon Haven as well. Robin Hobb has created an interesting world I hope she writes more.

I really must get to read The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane someday it sounds like my kind of book.

Majestrum sounds intriguing, Ill take a look before I decide.

I loved reading My Life in France. Julia Child's experience is fascinating and I enjoyed her successes and delightful meals. I also enjoyed being reminded of my trip to France, including a few days in Paris, and reminded of how interesting France was just after World War II.

Category 8: Young adult reads

I finished Catching Fire and I was very happy with it until an all to convenient ending. Perhaps book 3 will redeem the story.

Category 1 and 6: I finished reading My Antonia and I really enjoyed it. Reminded me a bit of roaming around eastern Washington and north central Idaho, and eastern Oregon, when I was a kid. Love the wide open plains and Cather catches that beauty very capably. She weaves a fine story with characters who grab your heart. I recommend it to all who enjoy sentimental, good fiction set in U.S. A. history.

Category 1: finished reading The Collector by John Fowles. I choose it as an October read of creepy, spooky, decidedly unpleasant subject matter. An English young man who is badly adjusted to life wins a lottery and comes into a fair amount of money. He has been a collector of butterflies and he decides with his new found wealth that he could perhaps collect a pretty girl. I'll not tell you more but say that I enjoyed reading the book and I was very impressed at Fowles ability to slowly, carefully reveal this young man's psychology and in the end I knew that the title of the book was perfect.

Category 9: Magical World of Unicorns and Owl Eyes. Both very magical books. The first is really a book of illustrations, supplemented by some well chosen quotations; the second, a fable from the Mohawk which explains why the Owl should mind his own business and not interfere with The Creator who has work to do. I really liked the latter as it might help my 4 year old charge get the point that I might know how to do a couple of things without his explaining it to me, everytime. hehehe

Category 3: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman

Enjoyable, thought provoking but a little bit dated, this book was read for my book group. I am looking forward to talking about it but I don't know if I would have finished reading it were I "on my own". Richard Feynman is certainly an unique character, and probably a fine scientist. He certainly does a good job toward the end of the book explaining what integrity in the field of science must look like and he clearly has no patience with people who fudge their research to assure funding, or curry favor. I enjoyed reading some of the "inside" stuff about the famous labs developing the atomic bomb at the end of world war two; also, the experiments he conducted on himself in sensory deprivation tanks were interesting. For the most part he avoiding talking about physics which I would not, or could not understand.

One chapter he devoted to criticism of text books chosen for elementary schools and I would love to have an argument with him about some of his criticisms. He apparently would like for the rigors of science to be introduced to the grade school children and I am just not sure he understands developmental psychology and how challenging that might be for public schools to fund. But I can't carry on a one sided argument here. There were a couple of other points at which I wanted to argue with him which is why I consider the book to be thought provoking. In general it was an enjoyable and informative read.

Here's an updated summary:

1. Fiction, general: 1. The Secret Life of Bees, 2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, 3. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, 4. My Antonia, 5. The Collector

2. Science fiction, fantasy fiction: 1. Shaman's Crossing, Book 1; 2. His Majesty's Dragon, 3. Majestrum

3. Biography/Autobiography: 1. Half-Broke Horses; 2. My Life in France; 3. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman; 4. Agatha Christie's Autobiography; 5. The Woman I Was Born To Be

4. Dragons: 1. Dragon Keeper: Rain Wilds; 2. His Majesty's Dragon; 3. Dragon Haven: Rain Wilds

5. Hobbies: photography, paper crafts, dogs: 1.Photoshop 8 for Dummies

6. Book group reads 1. Travel As A Political Act by Rick Steves; 2. Wolf Hall; 3. World War Z, 4. My Antonia

7. It's About Time (books I've owned for too long to still be not read): 1. Listening is an Act of Love

8. Young Adult reads 1. The Hunger Wars; 2. Catching Fire; 3. The Sisters Grimm, Book One, The Fairy Tale Detectives

9. Childrens' 1. Owl Eyes; 2. Magical World of Unicorns; 3. A Fly Went By; 4. One fish two fish red fish blue fish; 5. New Tricks I Can Do

10. History - very broadly defined: 1. The Princes of Ireland (historical fiction) 2. Bad Land; 3. Nine Parts of Desire

Message edited by its author, Today, 5:35pm.

Category 3: Agatha Christie's Autobiography

I have described this book in both the 75 book challenge thread and in my book journal in The Green Dragon.

Suffice it to say here: I enjoyed it and think I might be reading some of her mysteries. I recommend it to any who enjoy a little touch of the English.

Category 9: New Tricks I Can Do, One fish, two fish, red fish blue fish, and A Fly Went By

I expect there are some more kids books sitting around which I need to put in here but these are some I've enjoyed reading aloud.

Category 3: The Woman I Was Born To Be by Susan Boyle. A straight-forward, cleanly written, autobiography of her life pretty much up to today. I am interested in how she'll do from here on out. Her voice is truly a gift and she seems to have a humble knowledge of that. She also suffers from horrible stage fright.

Category 8: The Sisters Grimm, Book One, The Fairy Tale Detectives

I don't feel up to writing about this book right now, but suffice it to say now that I liked it and would recommend it to any young reader.

Category 7: Listening is an Act of Love

I loved reading the accounts that ordinary folks felt drawn to record and appreciated being reminded how much love there is in this world.

Category 10: Nine Parts of Desire

I guess I can call this a history book. It is more current sociology but nonetheless I learned a great deal of history while reading it.

Here's an updated summary, as of December 3, 2010:

1. Fiction, general: 1. The Secret Life of Bees, 2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, 3. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, 4. My Antonia, 5. The Collector

2. Science fiction, fantasy fiction: 1. Shaman's Crossing, Book 1; 2. His Majesty's Dragon, 3. Majestrum; 4. Hogfather; 5. Star Wars Episode I Journal Queen Amidala

3. Biography/Autobiography: 1. Half-Broke Horses; 2. My Life in France; 3. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman; 4. Agatha Christie's Autobiography; 5. The Woman I Was Born To Be

4. Dragons: 1. Dragon Keeper: Rain Wilds; 2. His Majesty's Dragon; 3. Dragon Haven: Rain Wilds

5. Hobbies: photography, paper crafts, dogs: 1.Photoshop 8 for Dummies

6. Book group reads 1. Travel As A Political Act by Rick Steves; 2. Wolf Hall; 3. World War Z, 4. My Antonia

7. It's About Time (books I've owned for too long to still be not read): 1. Listening is an Act of Love; 2. Isaac Asimov's Magical Worlds of Fantasy Faeries

8. Young Adult reads 1. The Hunger Wars; 2. Catching Fire; 3. The Sisters Grimm, Book One, The Fairy Tale Detectives

9. Childrens' 1. Owl Eyes; 2. Magical World of Unicorns; 3. A Fly Went By; 4. One fish two fish red fish blue fish; 5. New Tricks I Can Do; 6. Piglet ahs the Sniffles; 7. Pooh's Spring-Cleaning Mystery; 8. Eeyore Loses His Tail Again; 9. The Tale of Peter Rabbit and 10.The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin

10. History - very broadly defined: 1. The Princes of Ireland (historical fiction) 2. Bad Land; 3. Nine Parts of Desire

Category 7: Issac Asimov's Magical Worlds of Fantasy Faeries

I don't even have any idea when I first picked up this anthology of short stores but I do know that I liked the last story very much. I am glad I picked it up out of the chaos of my library. (I really must get on with putting books back on shelves and getting them into their proper order)

Category 2: Hogfather

Category 2: Star Wars Episode I Journal Queen Amidala

Category 9: 1. Piglet ahs the Sniffles; 2. Pooh's Spring-Cleaning Mystery; 3. Eeyore Loses His Tail Again; 4. The Tale of Peter Rabbit and 5.The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin

This is the final posting on this thread:

My updated list of books read in 2010 follows -

1. Fiction, general: 1. The Secret Life of Bees, 2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, 3. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, 4. My Antonia, 5. The Collector

2. Science fiction, fantasy fiction: 1. Shaman's Crossing, Book 1; 2. His Majesty's Dragon, 3. Majestrum; 4. Hogfather; 5. Star Wars Episode I Journal Queen Amidala

3. Biography/Autobiography: 1. Half-Broke Horses; 2. My Life in France; 3. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman; 4. Agatha Christie's Autobiography; 5. The Woman I Was Born To Be

4. Dragons: 1. Dragon Keeper: Rain Wilds; 2. His Majesty's Dragon; 3. Dragon Haven: Rain Wilds

5. Hobbies: photography, paper crafts, dogs: 1.Photoshop 8 for Dummies

6. Book group reads 1. Travel As A Political Act by Rick Steves; 2. Wolf Hall; 3. World War Z, 4. My Antonia

7. It's About Time (books I've owned for too long to still be not read): 1. Listening is an Act of Love; 2. Isaac Asimov's Magical Worlds of Fantasy Faeries

8. Young Adult reads 1. The Hunger Wars; 2. Catching Fire; 3. The Sisters Grimm, Book One, The Fairy Tale Detectives

9. Childrens' 1. Owl Eyes; 2. Magical World of Unicorns; 3. A Fly Went By; 4. One fish two fish red fish blue fish; 5. New Tricks I Can Do; 6. Piglet ahs the Sniffles; 7. Pooh's Spring-Cleaning Mystery; 8. Eeyore Loses His Tail Again; 9. The Tale of Peter Rabbit and 10.The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin

10. History - very broadly defined: 1. The Princes of Ireland (historical fiction) 2. Bad Land; 3. Nine Parts of Desire
Message edited by its author, Today, 10:36am.