7.
Title: [Maskerade]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: February 12, 2017
Rating: ****

Nanny Ogg is worried about her friend Granny Weatherwax, who has fallen into a depression since Magrat became queen and found herself too busy for witchcraft. Afraid that Granny may become like Black Aliss, a dark witch of the passed whom Granny has surpassed in power, Nanny cooks up a plot to find a third witch to train, the better to keep Granny occupied.  She quickly settles on Agnes Nitt, a promising potential craft practitioner, who seems to have wandered off...

Agnes Nitt is the kind of girl described as having beautiful hair and a nice personality; she's a sturdy country lass with good sense and a cool head, and none of the romantic qulities so often found in early nineteenth-century poetry. But with her gift for the craft, which she's determined to ignore, comes an extraordinary voice, and she determines to find her fortune on the stage of the AnkhMorpork opera. Unfortunately for Agnes, the fashion for rubenesque sopranos has passed in the city, but as Perdita Dream she is hired for the chorus, and explores the surreal world of the opera - complete with an opera ghost.  Pratchett's twist on The Phantom of the Opera skillfully uses theatrical archetypes to satirize melodrama and theatrical culture, while maintaining its sense of fun and fair play.

6.
Title: [Interesting Times]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: February 4, 2017
Rating: *****

This is one I hadn't read before, and likely wouldn't have picked up if I wasn't working through the whole. And I'm so glad I did! The mysterious and reclusive Counterweight Continent has not sent a message to Vetinari asking for "The Great Wizzard," and Vetinari has not instructed Ridcully to send him over by teatime.  The errant "z" stirring a memory, the wizards recall a terribly bad wizard who used to help the Librarian, and thus Rincewind is located and put to, er, "good" use.  Meanwhile, the Silver Horde lead by Cohen the Barbarian has set upon their own epic quest, and together the stories weave an interesting satire of foreign politics, devotion, class, and power.

5.
Title: [Soul Music]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: January 2017
Rating: ****

4.
Title: [Men at Arms]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: January 18, 2017
Rating: *****

Of course Corporal Carrot is the heir to the AnkhMorpork throne: it's written in his narrative blood. He's physically imposing, while thoroughly charming, a natural leader to whom others can't help but listen, and so honest and earnest he registers as simple. But woe be unto him who confuses simple with stupid, as Carrot certainly isn't the latter.  In fact, he's too smart to fall for the romance of kingship, and smart enough, too, to recognize just how well his city of birth operates under the controversial-yet-thoughtful patrician, Vetinari. Unfortunately, as they are wont, the noblemen aren't satisfied with a social system that puts guilds members at their elbows as opposed to below their feet, and one such nobleman takes it upon himself to depose the tyrant patrician and raise up the rightful king.  And he has a secret weapon.

On the ground, this weapon causes strife and mystery, and it's up to Sam Vimes to get to the bottom of it - before his untimely marriage to Lady Sibyl, upon which he'll retire to become a gentleman of *shudder* leisure. New guardsmen and women have joined the ranks of the Night Watch, and the wheels of change are firmly in motion.

The guards books remain some of the strongest in the Discworld series, cutting critical paths through wide swathes of social territory with wit and humor, and unforgettable characters.  If anyone is uncertain over whether or not they'd like to Pratchett, this may be the book to try - if you don't enjoy this one, I don't know that you'd enjoy any.

3.
Title: [Lords and Ladies]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: January 2017
Rating: ***1/2

When the Ramptops witches return from their fairy godmothering jaunt, the youngest witch, Magrat, finds her future has been organized in her absence.  King Verence, with whom she has had a quiet but unsettled "agreement" has chosen a wedding date, purchased her bridal gown, and otherwise assumed the particulars, as his research has told him he ought. Following a riff with Granny Weatherwax which leaves her feeling alienated in their coven once again, Magrat accepts Verence's orchestrations and moves into the castle, while Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax organize themselves to fight an old foe who has been awakened by silly girls playing at The Craft.

Pratchett's take on A Midsummer Night's Dream thinks about folklore and community traditions, and reaches back into a history when people really knew that all that's beautiful isn't good. Satirizing contemporary appreciation for cultural knowledge, this fantasy well develops an otherwise hyperbolic crone, and balances humor and tension in an overall enjoyable story.

2.

Title: [Small Gods]

Author: Terry Pratchett

Genre: Satiric Fantasy

Medium: Paperback

Acquisition: Purchased

Date Completed: January 7, 2017

Rating: ***

"Your sexual organs to sprout wings and fly away! ... Your intestines to be wound around a tree until you are sorry!" (34)

Small Gods tells the tale of Om, a once-great Discworld god now consigned to the physical manifestation of a turtle, desperately clinging to his sole true believer (despite a nation of thousands which proclaim their devotion). Faith makes the god here, and Om tries to direct Brutha in ways that may reignite the faith of others, or at least wreck petty vengence on those whom Om judges harshly, before he is forgotten and fades entirely. At times plodding and others fantastically engaging, Small Gods satirizes ancient religious cultures and peoples, and offers critique that is not that alien today. Though I think I enjoyed it much more the first time around, it's possible that this easily stand-alone novel just couldn't hold up to the other fun things begging for my attention this weekend. 

1.
Title: [Witches Abroad]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: January 2, 2017
Rating: ****

Witches may know when they're going to die, but this doesn't always mean they leave behind clear instructions.  Knowing the moment of her own death, Ramtop witch Desiderata has a neighbor dig a grave, buys her coffin, and asks a neighbor to deliver a package once he finishes filling in her grave (by pre-arrangement). When Death arrives they stroll out together, and she ends her life tidily tucked into her pine box.

The story she leaves to continue in her absence isn't quite so neat.  For one, Desiderata was a fairy godmother whose charge is still in need of some help. The package she has delivered is her wand, Emberella does not marry the prince.

A new-to-me witch story, Witches Abroad takes the small Ramtops coven of Granny, Nanny, and Magrat away from their homes and on a journey to "foreign parts," to save a young girl from a story she never actually wished for.  The novel's take on stories, and the pervasive nature of urban myths and folklore, makes a strong vehicle for a fun romp, where everything is just familiar enough to be endearing, and just uncanny enough to be interesting.

Books Read in 2016

Books Read in 2016

1. Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton. Vampires. 1.3.16. Bah.
2. Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton. Vampires. 1.6.16. ****
3. Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel. Graphic Autobiography. 1.12.16. ****
4. The Missionary by Sydney Owenson.  Victorian Oriental Fiction. 1.13.16. *
5. Through the Woods by Emily Carroll.  Graphic Ghost Stories. 1.14.16. ****
6. Medea by Euripides. Greek Drama. 1.16.16. ****
7. Manhood in America by Michael Kimmel. Masculinity Studies. 1.22.16. ***
8. Lady Susan by Jane Austen. Nineteenth-Century. 1.24.16. *****

9. Jack Sheppard by William Harrison Ainsworth. Newgate fiction. 2.1.16. ****
10. The Politics of Gender in Victorian Britain: Masculinity, Political Culture and the Struggle for Women's Rights by Ben Griffin. Masculinity Studies. 2.5.16. ***
11. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. Fiction. 2.10.16. *****
12. Manliness & Civilization by Gail Bederman. Masculinity. 2.20.16. ***1/2
13. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. Gothic Satire. 2.23.16. ****

14. Victorian Masculinities: Manhood and Masculine Poetics in Early Victorian Literature and Art by Herbert Sussman. Masculinities. 3.4.16. ***1/2
15. Houdini, Tarzan, and the Perfect Man: The White Male Body and the Challenge of Modernity in America by John F. Kasson. Masculinities. 3.4.16. ****
16. Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs. Urban Fantasy. 3.9.16. ***
17. Masculinity, Crime and Self-Defence in Victorian Literature: Duelling with Danger by Emelyne Godfrey. Masculinities. 3.19.16. ****
18. The Joker: Death of the Family by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo.  Comics. 3.20.16. *****
19. The Man Who Laughs by Ed Brubaker. Comics. 3.21.16. ****
20. Primary source readings in Victorian Gender. 3.27.16. *****

21. Manning the Race by Marlon B Ross. Sexuality and Masculinity. 4.1.16. ***1/2
22. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Fantasy. 4.5.16. *****
23. Batman Detective Comics #1: Faces of Death by Tony S. Daniel. Comics. 4.2.16. *****
24. Batman/Houdini: The Devil's Workshop by Howard Chaykin.  Comic. 4.7.16. **
25. From Hell by Alan Moore.  Comic. 4.8.16. ***
26. Batman #1 by Bob Cane. Comic. 4.9.16. ****
27.  The Nigger's Opera; or, The Darkie That Walked in Her Sleep by William Brough. Drama. 4.9.16. ***
28. The Gypsy Maid by William Brough. Drama. 4.10.16. **
29.  Beowulf trans. Seamus Heaney.  Anglo-Saxon. 4.14.16. *****
30. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Victorian. 4.17.16. *****
31. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Victorian. 4.17.16. ***
32. 200+ Pages of Student Research Papers. Work. 4.21.16.
33. The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. Scientific Romance. 4.25.16. *****
34. Selections from A Question of Manhood Vol. 2 by various. Masculinity. 4.34.16. ****

35. Over 300 pages of student essays. Work. 5.3.15.
36. The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon by W.T. Stead. Journalism. 5.5.16. *****
37. Poetry selections from the Broadview Anthology by Various. Spring 2016. *****
38. Nonfiction selections from Victorian Prose and
Victorian Prose by various. Spring 2016. *****39. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. Victorian Gothic.  Spring 2016. ******
40. The Odd Women by George Gissing. Victorian Fiction. 5.6.16. ****
41. The God, The Bad, and the Emus by Donna Andrews. Cozy Mystery. 5.8.16. ***
42. The Nightingale Before Christmas by Donna Andrews. Cozy Mystery. 5.10.16. **1/2
43. Lord of the Wings by Donna Andrews. Cozy Mystery. 5.12.16. ***1/2
44. American Vampire by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, and Stephen King. Graphic Novel. 5.12.16. ***1/2
45. Wytches by Scot Snyder, Joch, Hollingsworth, and Robins. Graphic Novel. 5.13.16. *****
46. Coffin Hill Volume 1 by Caitlin Kittredge. Graphic Novel. 5.13.16. ***1/2
47. The Astonishing X-Men by Joss Whedon. Graphic Novel. 5.18.16. ****
48. Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain, 1942 by the United States War Department. Historical Guide. 5.20.16. ****
49. Batman Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. Comic Books. 5.28.16. ****
50. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Fantasy. 5.2016. **
51. Extraordinary X-Men: X-Haven by Lemire and Ramos. Comics.  5.2016. **

52. The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan. Fantasy. 6.9.16. **
53. Amazing X-Men: The Quest for Nighcrawler by Jason Aaron. Comic. 6.17.16. ***
54. Batman: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder. Comic. 6.18.2016. ****
55. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. Historical Fiction. 6.0.16. *****
56. The G-String Murders by Gypsy Rose Lee. Pulp. 6.23.16. *****
57. Mother Finds a Body by Gypsy Rose Lee. Pulp. 6.25.16. ***
58. Sex Criminals: Vol. 1 by Matt Fraction. Comic. 6.27.16. ***
59. Lost Girls: Vol. 1 by Alan Moore. Graphic Novel. 6.16.16. ****
60. Lost Girls: Vol. 2 by Alan Moore. Graphic Novel. 6.17.16. ****

61. The Female Detective by Andrew Forrester. Detective Novel. 7.5.16. ***
62. Clean Room by Gail Simone. Graphic Novel. 7.6.16. *****
63. Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton. Urban Fantasy. 7.10.16. **
64. Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda. Graphic Novel. 7.12.16. *****
65. Lost Girls: Vol. 3 by Alan More. Graphic Novel. 7.14.16. ***1/2
66. Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton. Urban Fantasy. 7.12.16. *
67. Kiss the Dead by Laurell K. Hamilton. Urban Fantasy. 7.18.16. **
68. Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton. Urban Fantasy. 7.25.16. ****
69. Dead Ice by Laurell K. Hamilton. Urban Fantasy. 7.28.16. ***

70. Batman: The City of Owls by Scott Snyder. Comic. 8.2.16. ***
71. The Joker: Endgame by Scott Snyder. Comic. 8.3.16. ******
72. Pretty Deadly by Kelly Sue Deconnick. Comic. 8.3.16. ***1/2
73. The Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore. Comic. 8.8.16. ***
74. 300 by Frank Miller. Comic. 8.9.16. ***
75. Catwoman: A Celebration of 75 Years by Frank Miller. Comic. 8.9.16. ***
76. Suicide Squad: Trial by Fire by John Ostrander. Comic. 8.2016. ****
77. The Perfect Gentleman: The Pursuit of Timeless Elegance and Style in London. by James Sherwood. Fashion History. 8.2016. ****

78. Suicide Squad: The Nightshade Odyssey by John Ostrander, Luke McDonnell, and Bob Lewis. Comic. 9.2.16. **
79. Gotham City Central: In the Line of Duty by Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker. Comic 9.17.16. ****
80. Gotham City Central: Jokers and Madmen by Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker. Comic. 9.19.16. ****
81. Catwoman: Selina's Big Score by Darwyn Cooke. Comic. 9.20.16. ***1/2
82. Catwoman: Vol. 1 Th Game by Judd Winick. Comic. 9.21.16. ***
83. Victorian Fashion by Jayne Shrimpton. Fashion History. 9.23.16. ***
84. Victoriana by James Laver. Material Culture, History. 9.25.16. ***

85. Dark Night by Paul Dini. Graphic Memoir. 10.2016. **
86. Fashioning Gothic Bodies by Catherine Spooner. Fashion and Literary Theory. 10.2016. *****
87. Dress Culture in Late Victorian Women's Fiction by Christine Bayles Kortsch. Fashion, Gender, and Literary Theory. 10.2016. *****

88. Hidden Destiny by Carrie Ann Ryan. Supernatural Romance. 11.2.16. ***
89. Tattered Loyalties by Carrie Ann Ryan. Supernatural Romance. 11.3.16. ***
90. Bodies by Si Spencer, et al. Graphic Novel. 11.4.16. ***
91. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 11.7.16. ***
92. The Long Halloween by Jeoph Loeb. Comic. 11.8.16. ***1/2
93. The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 11.13.16. ***
94. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 11.16.16. ****
95. Mort by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 11.17.16. *****
96. Sourcery by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 11.23.16. ***
97. Die Like an Eagle by Donna Andrews. Cozy Mystery. 11.25.16. ****
98. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 11.27.16. ****
99. Pyramids by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 11.29.16. ***

100. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 12.7.16. *****
101. Eric by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 12.10.16. **
102. The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey. Science Fiction. **
103. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. Children's. 12.12.16. ****
104. Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 12.18.16. ****
105. The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket. Children's. 12,19.16. ****
106. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. Graphic Memoir. 12.20.16. ****
107. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Ghost Story. 12.22.16. *****
108. Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 12.29.2016. ****

108.
Title: [Reaper Man]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: December 29, 2016
Rating: ****

The character of Death in Terry Pratchett's Discworld is a fan-favorite, just outside of human existence enough to ask probing existential questions, just robotic enough to be interestingly uncanny, yet familiar and human enough to garner sympathy and interest. Death is not something (or someone) to fear, but a force (and personality) that is simply there, no matter what. Reaper Man is the book in which this personality is most fully developed for the first time, building on his last appearance as a master taking an apprentice, and focusing on Death as a primary character.

Concerned about his force of personality - the fact that he is a he at all - the Auditors of the universe decide to force Death's retirement, introducing his own life timer, and sending Discworld into undead disarray. With time on his hands for the first, well, time, Death rides off to experience life, settling in as a farm hand while trying to work out this whole existence thing. Meanwhile, the rest of Discworld is noticing a stasis of life, with people and things dying ... but not going anywhere. Such is the case with Windle Poons, a wizard who achieves 130 years and dies on appointment, only to get up a bit later when the afterlife isn't quite what he expected. After all, there's nothing there, and for the first time in awhile he has the force of will to walk and talk.

Under the care of Archchancellor Ridcully, the wizards are far more endearing and entertaining, a first look at the undead offers a good chuckle to fans of horror, and the true character of Death shines.

The book puts me in mind of another piece of Pratchett's writing: his 2010 essay My Case for a Euthanasia Tribunal. I used this in the college classroom to teach rhetoric, which Pratchett uses beautifully, but I also enjoy his writing for the thing itself. It also speaks to how and why Pratchett creates his Death character as he does.

Back to write reviews, because the holiday is over and now I can.

104.
Title: [Moving Pictures]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: December 18, 2016
Rating: ****

Moving Pictures is the first in the "industry" sub-genre of Discworld, and satirizes the rise and fall of a HollywoodHoly Wood
empire.  The Alchemists have learned how to turn light, not lead, into gold, and set out into the desert, away from the oppressive gaze of Wizards who may call it magic, to do just that.  Around the Discworld others feel the pull and draw of Holy Wood, and set out to fill their niches.  What none realize, however, is that the untimely death of a hermit priest, who never found time to train a successor, has released an unusual magic into the social sphere, and its this menacing force which is luring people out and into a world of fantasy.
The sarcasm and satire of Moving Pictures carries a narrative of forgettable characters, and serves as a solid stand-alone book for those who enjoy old Hollywood, and Pratchett's brand of snark.


105.
Title: [The Reptile Room]
Author: Lemony Snicket
Genre: Children's
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: 12.19.16
Rating: ****

After the discovery of Count Olaf's nefarious theatrical plans, the orphans are withdrawn from the proffered peace of a life with the Judge, and instead taken out into the countryside to another very distant and hitherto unknown relative.  They are relieved to find that this relative is rather well suited to their emotional and intellectual care, as a portly scientist who is rather fond of movies. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny feel almost guilty in their relief and happiness, and look forward to the expedition on which they are scheduled to depart with their cheerful new guardian.

That is, until the new assistant arrives.

The second installment of Unfortunate Events is perhaps even more charming than the first. Reading much like a short story to an adult audience, the pacing is strong, the narrative voice is compelling, and the predictability contributes rather than detracts from the story's overall success.

106.
Title: [Hyperbole and a Half]
Author: Allie Brosh
Genre: Graphic Memoirs
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: 12.20.16
Rating: ****

Even readers who are unfamiliar with likely know the work of Allie Brosh, if only for the saturation of meme culture and the use of her "All the Things." 

The Original:


And homages/appropriations:
 

Brosh's book is a collection of short essays and narratives, most (if not all? I'm not entirely sure) available on her blog, but perhaps more satisfying in physical textual form for reasons only my nerdy-lizard-hind brain understands. Her self-awareness and self-deprecation serve as both a point of sympathy and understanding for the reader, and as a defense mechanism for the author, and the end product is a collection of narratives which turns discomfort into something ultimately positive.  No knowledge of her blog is necessary to enjoy Brosh's writing, and it may make an interesting segue into the world of graphic texts/memoirs for those who are not traditionally fans of the genre.

107.
Title: [A Christmas Carol]
Author: Charles Dickens
Genre: Ghost Story
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: 12.22.16
Rating: *****

In deference to long nights, foreboding weather, and a general desire to cozy up to their fellows, the Victorians enjoyed a publication tradition perhaps a bit unusual today, but one which I would love to see revived: they marketed ghost stories for Christmas.  Literary magazines would publish special "extra" editions in December, and featured both serialized and whole works of fiction of the gothic or horrific bent, like Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Body Snatcher," published in December of 1884. The popularity of the macabre is a well-known nineteenth-century cultural institution, and as they invented Christmas as we largely understand the celebration today the Victorians maintained their investment in the cult of mourning, the macabre, and a hyper-awareness of the tenuous nature of life.

Charles Dickens' short novel A Christmas Carol is a fantastically constructed cultural capsule, delightful in its prose, familiar in its story, and charming in its narrative. It is the Christmas Victoriana known and assumed today, and while Victoriana is itself far more complicated than this, one could do worse than Scrooge, ghosts, and a Dickensian Christmas.  I attempt to read the book every December, and it's no laborious task - and I'm not one who generally enjoys Dickens.

103.
Title: [A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning]
Author: Lemony Snicket
Genre: Children's
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: 12.12.16
Rating: ****

The Baudelaire children, Violet (14), Klaus (12), and Sunny, are privileged, intelligent, and loyal figures who are very quickly orphaned by a catastrophic fire, and whisked off to live with a previously-unknown relative, Count Olaf. Olaf, of course, has eyes only for their fortune, and begins some dreadful scheming as soon as the bank solicitor Mr. Poe informs him that no one can tough the fortune until Violet is of age. Intended for early readers, the plot of this novel is quick and simple, without being simplistic - Lemony Snicket does not make the mistake of underestimating his readers, and instead shows that he believes children can handle unsavory narratives and new vocabulary with just a little help. The story is built on themes such as sibling bonding, research, self-sufficiency, and the absolutely ludicrous culture of adulthood which favors strange legalities over happy endings.  I will certainly suggest this one to my own offspring, and will seek out the second for myself.

102.
Title: [The Girl With All the Gifts]
Author: M.R. Carey
Genre: science fiction
Medium: hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: Gave up after 250 pages
Rating: **

Released as a film in September of 2016, Carey's The Girl With All the Gifts seemed to be a fresh take on the dystopian zombie genre, offering fresh ideas and dynamic characters in a thoroughly saturated market. The protagonist is Melanie, a young girl with no memories other than the compound in which she lives, and understanding the world outside only through the lessons she and her fellow children receive from a handful of questionably-qualified instructors. As the novel progresses, or if the audience has already seen the trailer, it becomes clear that Melanie is actually a zombie child, and that the facility is testing zombie children who retain some semblance of mental prowess in order to distill an antidote, or vaccine.  The strength of Carey's novel is in Melanie herself, whose complexity is balanced with her naturally childlike innocence and demeanor - here is a zombie one would want to shelter and protect, whose IQ is higher than most of the living adults around her. She's fascinating, and not just to the likely-psychopathic Dr. Caldwell who has collected these zombie children as test subjects to be dissected and discarded.

And after 250 pages I just couldn't push through any further.  I really wanted to like this book - it holds such promise. Ultimately, though, I found the secondary characters to be wooden, the plot plodding, and the push for differentiating too ludicrous.  Take, for example, the vocabulary of this dystopian world: zombies are called hungries.  Hungries.  Because the obvious "zombies" is too ... banal? And "hungries" is so much more ... I have no idea. It's a juvenile departure from canon that disrupts the attempts at scientific and humanistic approach, suggesting a sophomoric and nearly hispter approach that is unnecessary for the progress of the text. The characters are trite to the point of exhaustion, and after so long I just couldn't care any longer. While I would love to know what happens to Melanie, I just couldn't invest any more time in the book.


A point of curiosity from the film preview: they've swapped races. Melanie, blonde-haired and blue-eyed in the novel, is played by Sennia Nanua; Helen Justineau, described as an overwhelmingly beautiful woman of African descent in the novel, is portrayed by Gemma Arterton. While I'm inclined to posit theories and offer cultural analysis, I'm resisting the temptation without seeing the film. Still, it seems like a potentially charged decision to change the race of the captive, dangerous, at-times bestial zombie, held in captivity by militant white figures.

101.
Title: [Eric]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: December 10, 2016
Rating: **

The most favorable feature of this books is its length, coming in at just 197 pages and utilizing a larger-than-usual font. A young demonologist tries to call a hell-bound slave to satisfy his three wishes, and in a plot twist never believably developed ends up with the lamentable Rincewind instead. Rincewind is a coward, dislikes the current situation, and tries to run. The end.

100.
Title: [Guards! Guards!]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: December 7, 2016
Rating: *****

Some of the most memorable characters in AnkhMorpork are on the Watch, and this is the first novel which introduces them to readers. Sam Vimes is the mostly-drunk Captain of the Night Watch, whose primary function is to yell "all is well!," and who quickly run the other way when it isn't. Vimes, though, possesses an ingrained sense of "right" which is at war with his drunken lethargy, inspired by the cruel mistress that is the city he loves, and which is ultimately brought to the forefront by an enthusiastic new recruit, Carrot, and the Patrician's assurance that the (extinct/imaginary) dragon Vimes claims to have seen could only be a large wading bird.  And that's the tip of the iceberg.

As Vimes attempts to unravel the mystery of the dragon, readers follow the actions of secret societies, watch a developing monarchy, and meet Sybil Ruskin, the posh warrior-esque woman who raises small swamp dragons. Full of wit and satire, and driven by strong characters, Guards! Guards! is a particularly enjoyable Discworld novel, and a clear favorite for fans.

99.
Title: [Pyramids]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 29, 2016
Rating: ***

This rather plodding and repetitive novel follows Teppic, the prince and later kind of a strip of dessert kingdom known for building pyramids, never changing, and being the one division between two far larger and more prosperous countries. Following the request of his deceased wife, Teppic's father allows his son to attend the School for Assassins in Ankh Morpork, where wealthy citizens often send their children, as the school boasts an excellent and thorough education - for those who survive. After Teppic's final exam mystic events call him back to the country of his birth, which he recognizes as exceptionally backwards and uncomfortable, especially under the control of the head priest Dios, who resists change like the proverbial unmovable object.  Though Teppic may be sympathetic for his role as young leader with new ideas, facing the same obstacles as every other younger generation attempting to wrest control and inspire change from the last, his only interesting qualities come from his role as an assassin, which is far too limited. The book as a whole is entirely predictable, and not in an overly enjoyable way, with most of the interest being left behind once Teppic journeys home. I'm not sure if I dislike this book as much as I dislike the first two, but it's not one I'd want to return to a third time, and serves here as only a checked box in my determination to read all of Discworld in order. It still earns three stars for being a Pratchett, which means fantastic one-liners, and general superiority to others of the genre.

Feeling super cruddy, so after a morning of chores I finished this one in the bath.  And as soon as I drained the tub my partner came dashing in to tell me that a pipe has busted, pouring my bath water all over the bathroom below.

Sigh.

98.
Title: [Wyrd Sisters]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 27, 2016
Rating: ****

It's particularly easy to describe the plot of Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters: it's Macbeth. Largely. With humor, big personalities, and a whole different kind of magic. Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Margrat are three Ramtops witches held together in a familiar but not always warm friendship that is inevitable when mixing big personalities and trying to introduce new ideas to traditionalists.  But when a king is murdered, and the land makes it clear that the new ruler is unacceptable, the makeshift coven works together to try to set things, if not to rights, at least back to a familiar peace.

A master of character-driven narratives, Pratchett gives readers a cast that is nearly uncanny - familiar, and yet apt to behave differently than one would expect. The hijinks are enjoyable, and the familiar story is made surprisingly cheerful and humorous for a plot of murder, intrigue, and madness.  While not my favorite, the witch books generally do not disappoint.

97.
Title: [Die Like an Eagle]
Author: Donna Andrews
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 25, 2016
Rating: ****

It's time for Meg Langslow's twins to start baseball, and who else would step in as team mom, as Michael coaches the young Eagles? New to the league, Meg and Michael are quick to learn of the reigning terror of Biff Brown, whose Draconian mismanagement of the league and grounds has caused quite a bit of disquiet.  When Biff's brother ends up dead in a ball field outhouse everyone assumes the killer got the wrong guy - or that Biff himself may have done the deed.

In the past I've had some difficulty reconciling Meg's constant movements and subsequent detachment from her immediate family, from whom she spouses her identity derives. This book, though, does much better in establishing a sense of reality, improving the suspension of disbelief needed in fiction, and further humanizing many of the characters. Although the neighborhood is growing in a series already saturated with big personalities, many of Meg's family fall back to make room, and Andrews establishes a good balance of old and new characters without overwhelming the reader. The mystery, too, is very well paced, and offered some turns and developments I did not expect, even given my experience with the series. A fun mystery, and one I'd recommend for fans of the series.

96.
Title: [Sourcery]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 23, 2016
Rating: ***

<>Here we go again...
Everyone knows that Wizards must avoid relations with women ... unless they're cooking their food or working stains out of their laundry, of course. But some years ago a wizard fell in love, was booted from Unseen University, and proceeded to father eight sons.
And thus Coin, the first sourcerer in thousands of years, is born, and the magic of Discworld threatens to return to its earlier state.

A third Rincewind novel, this follows his adventures with new but not entirely unfamiliar company, as propelling forces, including his own conscience, lead him in an awkward attempt to save the Disc from the disaster of the previous Mage wars. Like other Rincewind novels, and perhaps Wizard novels in general, the novel fell a bit flat for me. Though the humor is better than the earliest books, I think I just can't find interest in people Wizards behaving stupidly, even when they demonstrate their own better knowledge.

The rising action, climax, and conclusion are all resoundingly familiar, following the same pattern as the other Rincewind novels, and collectively showing very little development in character or narrative complexity. Unless one is a strong fan of Rincewind or Disc wizards generally, I wouldn't enthusiastically recommend this installment.

94.
Title: [Equal Rites]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 16, 2016
Rating: ****

The Eighth Son of an Eighth Son is destined to become a wizard, and a dying wizard may choose, as he nears death, to pass on his magical lineage to another when such a one is born. Equal Rites opens with a wizard traveling with just such a behest in mind, approaching a blacksmith as the blacksmith's wife is busy bringing their eighth child into the world. Thinking that it wouldn't be such a bad thing to have a wizard in the family, the blacksmith doesn't hesitate to drag the midwife out with her bundle the moment the child is born, and neither man listens as she protests the rites of magical staff passage to the infant, followed by the wizard's immediate and expected demise.  And thus the first female wizard is made, Granny Weatherwax is quick to retort, huffing at the mess these men have made.

At a time and place where witches are (women) useful members of society, curing ills, serving as midwives, and generally seeing to the natural order of things, and wizards are (men) magical intellectuals fretting about ceremonies and dinners and copious amounts of tobacco, a young girl starts to shake things up. Caring for her, Granny Weatherwax at first takes on the girl to train her as a witch, but as her powers grow Granny sees that Unseen University, the school of wizardry, is really the one place for her to learn to control her powers.

Equal Rites is the first book in the series to introduce Discworld Witches, Granny Weatherwax specifically, and the small communities of the Ramtops. It tackles gendered professionalism and education with wit and understanding, and establishes immediately and lastingly one of the biggest personalities of the series, who will continue to be a favorite throughout the sub-genre of Witch novels. With each novel the Discworld becomes more refined and just a tad sharper, and as the novels focus on characterization the charm of the canon is quickly developed.  A great read.

95.
Title: [Mort]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 17, 2016
Rating: *****

On a cold night in a small town Death approaches the last remaining boy seeking an apprenticeship, just moments before the hiring day concludes.  Seeing the  ANTHROPOMORPHIC PERSONIFICATION as he truly is, the boy Mort nonetheless accepts the offered indenture, as his father less-clearly agrees to allow his son to accept an apprenticeship as a mortician. Flying away on Death's magnificent horse Binky, Mort sets off on an adventure that takes him from AnkhMorpork to Klatch to Death's own realm, learning the scythe, shoveling horse manure, and generally bickering with Death's adopted human daughter, Ysabel.  Hijinks, adventure, and general comedy ensue.

The character of Death, not unlike Granny Weatherwax of the last, is a great favorite of the series, here growing from his earlier abrupt appearances into a distant yet invested figure at once separate from humanity, and yet occasionally curious about the human condition. Taking on an apprentice sets him adrift, and as Mort struggles to find his dead-sea-legs, in the business, Death finds himself with time off for the first time, and tries to figure out what all the hullabaloo of life is really about.

This is the first of my re-reads as I work though Discworld in order of publication, and I was just as charmed the second time as the first. Death is likely my favorite character in the series, so it was a relief to come to the character I know, as opposed to the far more aggressive figure in the early Rincewind novels.

93.
Title: [The Light Fantastic]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 13, 2016
Rating: ***

In the first Discworld novel, The Colour of Magic, readers are introduced to Rincewind, a failed wizard whose head holds a spell so frightening that all of the other spells he attempts to learn are too frightened to be remembered. This one of Eight Great Spells serves as a major catalyst for The Light Fantastic, which sees Rincewind on his return journey with companion-tourist Twoflower, as a blazing read star appears and frightens the inhabitants of their space-swimming world.

Rincewind is not one of my favorite characters, but the cast that Pratchett builds is already beginning to resemble the Discworld inhabitants I know and love so much - most notably, Cohen the barbarian. With strong pacing and good comic timing, The Light Fantastic is already a narrative improvement over the first, and shows the promise that the series will develop by its end.

92.
Title: [The Long Halloween]
Author: Jeph Loeb
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 8, 2016
Rating: ****

The Long Halloween tell the story of a mob-drenched Gotham City, and Batman's tenuous relationship with Gordon and Dent as the triad attempts to subvert the control of professional criminals. But when these criminals start dying by assassination, the media dubbing the serial killer "Holiday" for his/her preferred time of executions, doubt begins to creep in, and even the more colorful rogues of Gotham show interest in putting things to rights. The primary characters of interest here are the mobsters and Dent, the focus being the struggles against principles and necessitous action carrying the narrative through, with only brief interventions of the cowled hero in a well-paced examination of right versus wrong. The success of the book hinges on its careful pacing and strong characterization, ultimately rendering the book a success for its development of the Batman canon, and resistance to relying on the ex machina of the titular character.

91.
Title: [The Colour of Magic]
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 7, 2016
Rating: ***

The Colour of Magic, first in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, introduces readers to A'tuin, AnkhMorpork, and a genre for which Pratchett will come to be known, mixing fantastic elements with wit, charm, and cultural awareness to create a space that is both humorously foreign and delightfully familiar. In this the first, AnkhMorpork is introduced to something entirely new - a tourist, who has purposefully left his prosperous continent in order to experience "everything" the twin cities have to offer, and beyond. Having the fortunate misfortune of giving this poor sap a linguistic hand at a tavern, Rincewind is consequently charged with protecting the tourist by the Patrician himself, and what follows is a series of struggles from cultural and personality clashes. The joyful absurdity that is the Luggage makes its first appearance, and Twoflower and Rincewind are engaging protagonists different enough to inspire the narrative, but not so dissimilar that it's unclear how they could come to be companions. Ultimately, though, this is not the Discworld I know and love - having read The Truth first, many many years ago, and enjoying all of the later novels, returning to the first (for the first time) was a bit jarring, as the book lacks the polish and charm of the later productions. Little is seen of AnkMorpork proper, there's too much going on in the plot with too great reliance on magic to move from space to space and, most tragically, Death is not the character he comes to be.

If this had been the first Pratchett I had read I don't know that I would have continued; it's very much a first-novel, and as a reader who doesn't actually favor fantasy I don't know that it holds much for me. However, as an actual fan it's interesting to go back to a beginning of which I was unaware. And so begins my project of reading the entire run, in order.

90.
Title: [Bodies]
Author: Si Spencer, et al.
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 4, 2016
Rating: ***

At four points in time, but presumably the same space, a mutilated body is found, and an unusual murder investigation begins. Thrice, the detectives in charge demonstrate integrity which positively marks them, and once the very deviance of the detective generates strong interest in the reader. As the audience skips from point to point, seeing the parallels lost to the characters in the story, they are treated to sympathetic and interesting characters, fantastic and varied artwork, and an engaging pace which builds and threads from four corners all to a central point. Unfortunately, once that point is reached the strength of the text dissolves, along with any semblance of originality, and not even the compelling protagonists can pull it through. Taking strong cues from the ridiculous moves and conclusion of From Hell, which is similarly smart and interesting until taking this turn for the worst, the narrative dissolves into the ridiculous, and is so close to Alan Moore's take on Jack the Ripper that its adaptation walks the line of direct mimicry. Those who enjoyed the conclusion of From Hell would likely enjoy Bodies just as much, and I'd encourage them to do so. For others, I'd say that the early development and artwork are reason enough to pick it up, but would caution anyone from growing too invested in the book's conclusion.

85.
Title: [Dark Night]
Author: Paul Dini
Genre: Graphic memoir
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: purchased
Date Completed: October 2016
Rating: **

To call this a "True Batman Story" is figurative, and does the job of disguising the genre through the application of the author's profession. The book describes, as promised, a dark night, and the author's brutal and violent beating that left him physically devastated and emotionally crippled. The author, it happens, was a writer for the then-running Batman cartoon, and in his ennui he struggles with why his favorite fictional property "wasn't there." In his own mind, the author retreats to a society of cartoon and comic characters, using dialogue to try to work through his own psychological trauma and depression. The characters appear, but are not themselves, looming familiarly but unfamiliarity, as they are imagined by one of their authors, but represented for his sole purpose.

His experience is a terrible one, and the therapeutic power of the creation of the book is undeniable. He writes that he hopes his story may give others hope, who may identify with his life or experience. As a reader who does not, I felt badly for his experience, but found the book as a whole indulgent and of little personal value.

86.
Title: [Fashioning Gothic Bodies]
Author: Catherine Spooner
Genre: Fashion and Literary Theory
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: October 2016
Rating: *****

As amazing as I find this book, I won't be able to properly review it until long after my comprehensive exam (in which it features heavily) ... which begins tomorrow.

87.
Title: [Dress Culture in Late Victorian Women's Fiction]
Author: Christine Bayles Kortsch
Genre: Fashion, Gender, and Literary Theory
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: October 2016
Rating: *****

Equally as amazing as Spooner, equally as important, with the same looming deadline that leaves me unable to write anything but my exam answers.

88.
Title: [Hidden Destiny]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Genre: Supernatural Romance
Medium: Kindle E-book
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 2, 2016
Rating: ***

Still in social and intellectual recovery from October, I said to a friend on Wednesday that "what I really need is a smutty novel and a bath bomb."  And then I immediately looked up a series I had read once-upon-a-time, and had a relaxing soak.

 
89.
Title: [Tattered Loyalties]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Genre: Supernatural Romance
Medium: Kindle E-book
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: November 3, 2016
Rating: ***

And then, even though the last one wasn't really that great, I downloaded another, which kept me occupied while I stood in line for early voting.


Tonight I'm working on the introduction of my dissertation prospectus, and then plan to treat myself to [Bodies], which arrived today, and looks to be very promising.

81.
Title: [Catwoman: Selina's Big Score]
Author: Darwyn Cooke
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: September 20, 2016
Rating: ***1/2

A re-read, with some interesting history

82.
Title: [Catwoman: Vol. 1 the Game]
Author: Judd Winick
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: September 21, 2016
Rating: ***

Another reread.

83.
Title: [Victorian Fashion]
Author: Jayne Shrimpton
Genre: Fashion History
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: September 23, 2016
Rating: ***

Jayne Shrimpton's slim volume is a brief introduction to the forms and functions of fashion; its greatest value is that it does not limit its object of study to women's fashion, as is common, but rather extends her subject to men and children as well. Some interesting trivia is included for the more-familiar, such as the inspiration for men's facial hair, and the origins of the term "crinoline," but the text is more greatly geared towards the curious but uninformed. While it does not suit my current purposes, it is a charming little book.

84.
Title: [Victoriana]
Author: James Laver
Genre: Material Culture, History
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: September 25, 2016
Rating: ***

James Laver’s Victoriana is a companion history for aspiring collectors of Victorian kitsch, broadly identifying artistic movements and points of taste. The content of the book is a glossing of material culture, more useful for its illustrative presumptions and suppositions, often reading objects at face value (such as fashion plates representing “real” life) and thereby articulating cultural beliefs that may run contrary to the lived experiences of even the Victorian middle class.  Much of this use value is expressed in Laver’s introduction, which both defines “Victoriana,” and offers such keen insights as “the collapse of Victorianism …[and] the end of the Patriarchal System” thanks to the “New Woman” (25), and “the result [of the emancipation of the servant class is] that all women are now back at the kitchen sink” (25). That these two statements occur in parallel paragraphs speaks pretty greatly to the cultural moment of the 1960s, and undoes the argument that Victorianism and the Patriarchal system have collapsed.

80.
Title: [Gotham City Central]: Jokers and Madmen
Author: Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: September 19, 2016
Rating: ****

Th second volume of Gothic City Central is just as compelling a the first, carefully blending the genres of caped comics and police procedurals and ending up with a strong, character-driven book that develops carefully and with the drama and action appropriate to each, without jumping the shark (or nuking the fridge? What are we going with these days?). Well done, and a pleasure to read.