8. 
Title: [Tiger Lily]
Author: Jodi Lynn
Pages: 304
Genre: YA
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 30, 2012
Rating: ***

9-10. 
Title: [An Alpha's Path] and [A Taste for a Mate]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Pages: 336
Genre: Paranormal romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 28, 2012
Rating: **1/2

I picked up Redwood Pack Vol. 1 (which contains the first two books in the series), because the title of a later novella caught my interest.  The most prominent feature of Ryan's books is her apparent failure of freshman level English; the grammatical errors are prevalent, and speak to both a poor grasp of mechanics on the part of the author, plus a terrible editor.  The narrative itself is formulaic werewolf paranormal romance, and actually fairly meta, as it is saturated with references to "romance novels."

11. 
Title: [Trinity Bound]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Pages: 359
Genre: Paranormal romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 30, 2012
Rating: ***

For being such a "strong" pack of werewolves, it certainly is easy for enemies to sneak in and make off with selected individuals (usually defenseless female mates, of course, but in this case one of the weaker sons of the Alpha, who meets his own mates in the course of their escape).  What makes this text more appealing than the last is the exploration of a nontraditional relationship: a male werewolf (the alpha of the relationship), a human ex-SEAL, and a female witch.  I enjoyed watching the characters explore what I felt were natural uncertainties and nervousness, and appreciated that sexuality did not necessarily determine gender identity.  Formulaic and in need of an editor, yes, but thankfully less than the previous two. 

12.
Title: [Blurred Expectations]
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan
Pages: 73
Genre: Paranormal romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 30, 2012
Rating: **

The story that sparked my interest: the "trinity" from my last entry, attempting (and failing) to conceive.  My curiosity now sated, I doubt I will return to The Redwood Pack. 

13.
Title: [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]
Author: Ken Kesey
Pages: 320
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: January 31, 2012
Rating: *****

This text has generated some very interesting and thoughtful discussions this semester - Kesey's novel is a keeper. 

7.
Title: Girl of Nightmares
Author: Kendare Blake
Pages: 332
Genre: YA Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: January 18, 2012
Rating: **1/2

The weakest plot device of the first book, Anna Dressed in Blood, takes center stage in the sequel, Girl of Nightmares.  There is no greater believability in the second book, the tension is slow to build, and the narrative delves into one 1970s B-movie cliche after another.  That all being said, the conclusion to the action is highly satisfactory, making me glad I continued to read after all. 

5.
Title: Primal Bonds
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Pages: 320
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January ?, 2012
Rating: ***

6.
Title: Kitty Goes to Washington
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Pages: 360
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: January 15, 2012
Rating: ****

Kitty Norville, late-night radio DJ, is an unlikely werewolf after surviving two different - and  yet similar - attacks in a single night.  After a series of conflicts lead to a near-challenge of her pack leader, Kitty finds herself essentially exiled from her home, and taking her radio show on the road, a la gypsy-like traveling. Along the way she is asked to speak at a Congressional hearing, and finds herself in DC, and in regular trouble.

"Discovery" is something that many urban fantasy authors attempt to address, with varying success.  One of my favorite "unveilings" is Kim Harrison's, which blames a mutant strain of tomatoes for killing off a large chunk of the human population, while leaving supernaturals unharmed.  Whoops.  Vaughn's broadcasting seems to suggest that Kitty herself is a primary player, which challenges believability.  However, when Vaughn brings the consequences to DC, and shows the political ramifications of such a discovery, she slams right back into reality.  The bureaucracy, the red tape, the hearings, the politicians arguing, the reporters hounding - if the word "werewolf" was not included it could easy read like contemporary politics.  This is a great strength in Vaughn's book, and makes the series promising in the future. 

I found something else particularly interesting: Alette, the "master" vampire of DC.  In Kitty Goes to Washington, the most powerful vampire in the immediate area carries a strong and often neglected role in the genre - she is a mother.  And, she suggests at the novel's conclusion, she becomes a vampire to become a better mother to her two children.  This maternal role is not entirely unique, but is often played in the opposite fashion - female vampires are often incapable of reproduction or maternal roles (with notable exceptions, I know) - and alludes to the deeper history of vampire mythology, which goes back to Lillith's revenge for her own children, the Greek Gello, etc.  Alette is a bit of a missing link in contemporary fiction, and a character I find very rewarding. 

4.
Title: Pride Mates
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Pages: 304
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 4, 2012
Rating: ****

It's not often that I will rate a romance book a 4-star read (even if I rate within genres instead of across the spectrum), but the first book in Ashley's "Shifters Unbound" series is just that, because she managed to make me extraordinarily uncomfortable within the parameters of an otherwise traditional shapeshifter romance.  The source of my discomfort wasn't the romance itself, and ultimately isn't unique to Ashley's work: she left me shuddering at racism and bigotry.  In her series, shapeshifters have been revealed, and the expected tension arises from humans, but the American creation of a distinct second class is all too familiar and ugly.  Instead of outright slaughtering shapeshifters, the government forces them to wear "Collars" - part magic and part technology that cannot be removed, and deliver debilitating pain when the wearer acts violently (even in self defense).  Shapeshifters are also forced to live in "Shiftertowns" - isolation camps (they are free to leave, just not live elsewhere), are not allowed technology, can only work minimum wage jobs, and are not allowed to even apply to four-year universities.  Much of the tension in the novel (smartly) pulls from this prejudice, and leaves the novels feeling all too familiar.  I appreciate that the conflicts are not insular to the world of supernaturals, and doesn't provide an easy peace.  This is a matter that most paranormal authors have to face sooner or later, and this particular account is far too ugly to not be believable. 

2.
Title: "Orion's Way"
Author: DC Juris
Pages: 30
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 3, 2012
Rating: *

The premise of "Orion's Way" is interesting: a vampire who has experienced sexual abuse works to reclaim his role in a BDSM "lair" to keep his partner.  However, the story does not deliver, as it remains cryptic and vague.  Even erotic short stories contain some development, and this story has none beyond the final sex scene.

3.
Title: [Saint's Curse]
Author: Lee Brazil
Pages: 60
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: January 3, 2012
Rating: ***

"Saint's Curse" is a m/m paranormal romance that focuses on the all-important discovery of one's paranormal status by his partner.  With more development than Juris's story, "Saint's Curse" is more narratively satisfying, although the "action" is superfluous to the plot (and sex) line.  The self-loathing of the werewolf is a bit too gratuitous, and smacks of "closeting," which I'm sure is no coincidence.  Overall, while not suiting my present purposes, the story delivers on its promise. 

Book List for 2012

List of Books Read in 2012

1.  Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.  1.1.12.  *****
2.  English After the Fall by Robert E. Scholes.  1.1.12.  ***
3.  "Rules for Virgins" by Amy Tan.  1.2.12. ****
4.  Green River Killer by Jeff Jensen.  1.3.12.  ****
5.  The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.  1.5.12. *****
6.  "The Crazy Old Lady in the Attic" by Kathleen Valentine.  1.6.12.  ***
7.  Stitches: A Memoir by David Small.  1.8.12.  *****
8.  Feynman by Ottaviani and Myrick.  1.9.12.  *****
9.  The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike.  1.11.12.  ***
10.  Inside the Victorian Home by Judith Flanders.  1.16.12.  ***
11.  Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. 1.17.12.  **1/2
12.  Black Blood by Christopher Pike.  1.17.12.  ***
13.  The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan.  1.17.12.  ***1/2
14.  The Terrible Axe-Man of New Orleans by Rick Geary.  1.24.12.  ***1/2
15.  A Taste of Midnight by Lara Adrian.  1.27.12.  ***1/2
16.  Darker After Midnight by Lara Adrian.  1.28.12.  ****

17.  Lothaire by Kresley Cole.  2.3.13.  *
18.  Oedipus the King by Sophocles.  2.7.12. 
19.  Ex Libris: Confessions of an Common Reader by Anne Fadiman.  2.10.12.  ****
20.  Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  2.11.12.  ****1/2
21.  Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood.  2.14.12.  ***
22.  Wither by Lauren DeStefano.  2.21.12.  ****
23.  One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.  2.21.12.
24.  Timeless by Gail Carriger.  2.24.12.  ****

25. A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison.  3.1.12.  ****1/2
26.  Torso by Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko.  3.4.12.  **1/2
27.  Fair Game by Patricia Briggs.  3.10.12.  *****
28.  Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead by Christina Miller.  3.14.12.  ****
29.  Habibi by Craig Thompson.  3.15.12.  *****
30.  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  3.24.12.  ***
31. Return of the Rose by  Theresa Ragan.  3.31.12.  ****
32.   Othello by Shakespeare.  3.31.12

33.  Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu.  4.5.12.  ****
34.  Hexed by  Ilona Andrews and others.  4.5.12.  ***
35.  At Home by Bill Bryson.  4.21.12.  ***
36.  Simon Said by Sarah R. Shaber.  4.27.12.  ***
37.  Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett.  4.27.12. 

38. Broadmoor Revealed by  Mark Stevens.  5.3.12.  *** 
39.Death Comes to Pemberly by  P. D. James.  5.4.12.  *
40.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night by  Mark Haddon.  5.4.12.  ****
41.  "Beauty: An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Outtake" by Laurell K. Hamilon.  5.9.12.  ***
42. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by  Alan Bradley.  5.13.12.  ***
43. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.  5.15.12.  ****
44.  Chime by Franny Billingsley.  5.17.12.  ***1/2
45. Charlotte Collins by Jennifer Whiteley Becton.  5.19.12.  *****
46.  Baby Shark by  Robert Fate.  5.19.12.  ****1/2
47.  A Tale of 3 Witches by Christiana Miller and Barbra Annino.  5.30.12.  **

48.  Avalon High by Meg Cabot.  6.6.12.  **1/2
49.  Kiss the Dead by  Laurell K. Hamilton.  6.7.12.  ***1/2
50.  Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues by Robert Fate.  6.9.12.  ***1/2
51. Witch Way to Murder by Shirley Damsgard.  6.26.12.  **1/2
52.  The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot.  6.?.12.  ***
53.  Insatiable by Meg Cabit.  Incomplete. 

54.  Persuasion by Jane Austen.  7.7.12.  ****
55.  Some Like it Hawk by Donna Andrews.  7.20.12.  ***
56. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.  7.28.12.  ***
57.  Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong.  7.29.12.  *****

58.  Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  8.4.12.  *****
59.  The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing.  8.24.12.  *****
60.  Never Buried by Edie Claire.  8.28.12.  ***
61.  Kitty Steals the Show by Carrie Vaughn.  8.31.12.  ***

62.  Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths.  9.23.12.  ***

63.  The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson.  10.7.12.  ***
64. Feed by M.T. Anderson.  10.14.12.  **
65.  Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown.  10.17.12.  ***1/2
66.  Othello by William Shakespeare.  10.20.12.  *****

67.  The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary e. Pearson.  11.1.12.  ***1/2
68.  Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare. 11.1.12.  *****
69.  The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny.  11.2.12.  ***
70.  The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross.  11.11.12.  ***
71.  We Sinners by Hanna Pylväinen.  11.20.12.  ****
72.  The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross.  11.22.12.  ***

73.  God Save the Queen by Kate Locke.  12.5.12.  ***
74.  Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter. 12.11.12. **1/2
75.  Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.  12.12.12.  ****
76. Penelope by Rebecca Harrington.  **
77.  The Darkest Prison by Gena Showalter.  12.13.12.  ***
78.  Amityville Horrible by Kelley Armstrong.  12.13.12.  ****
79.  Delirium by Lauren Oliver.  12.17.12.  **
80.  Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander.  12.29.12.  **1/2
81.  Divergent by Veronica Roth.  12.30.12.  ***

80.
Title: Nightshifted
Author: Cassie Alexander
Pages: 352
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 29, 2012
Rating: **1/2

Another reviewer on LibraryThing comments that a female protagonist is rare in urban fantasy; apparently we have entirely different reading habits, because I find the genre to be saturated with strong-yet-annoyingly-vulnerable female protagonists with cozy-like occupations (shop clerk, DJ, nurse).  And Nightshifted is just such a novel.  The protagonist, Edie, is a nurse who takes a job on a secret supernatural ward in exchange for mysteries powers-that-be promising to keep her junkie brother clean.  Initially, this is an interesting plot device, but the novel proves to be more niche-focused than generally appealing; Nightshifted relies largely on genre fans with some personal attachment to nursing/hospitals, and falls flat for a reader like me. 

81.
Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 576
Genre: YA Dystopian
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Borrowed from the library
Date Completed: December 30, 2012
Rating: ***

If you're read more than one young adult dystopian novel, then you've read this before. 

In a genre that essentially lacks originality, what I find important is character development and pacing.  In Divergent, the reader follows Tris as she (predictably) leaves the faction of her birth to join the (predictably) violent faction in charge of "security," where she (predictably) makes enemies, proves to be "different," and finds a teenage love interest.  Ultimately, Tris is not an unlikeable protagonist, but the pacing of the novel shifts from tedious to absurdly rushed. The shift is jolting, and disrupts any suspension of disbelief.  Ultimately, Divergent is stronger than novels like Delirium, but is not the best example of the genre that has been published in recent years. 

74.
Title: [Deep Kiss of Winter]
Author: Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter
Pages: 436
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 11, 2012
Rating: **1/2

I've encountered both of these authors with varying success before, and as I approach a paper on paranormal romance I thought jumping into this pairing would be a good step back into the genre.  Both works, as this marketing scheme requires, are loosely related to a single idea used to bind the two stories together, with a bit of fan-girl-fawning over each other in the acknowledgements.  Cole's is certainly the stronger story, although neither is particularly captivating. Fans of either should stick with solo publications.  

75.
Title: [Anna Dressed in Blood]
Author: Kendare Blake
Pages: 320
Genre: YA Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: December 12, 2012
Rating: ****

Anna Dressed in Blood is a true ghost story, of the kind that so often mark a horror enthusiast's early introduction to the genre.  This begins as the kind of story I would "sneak" out of the library and read under the covers, a la Scary Stories to Read in the Dark.  Cas is a ghost-hunter who, like his father, is dedicating his life to sending back murderous spirits.  He takes up the athame after his father ultimately lost who own battle with such a spirit, and with his witch mother travels the country, trying to keep the living safe from the dead.  As has to happen in YA novels, something is different about this ghost - Anna Dressed in Blood - and Cas finds himself with unlikely accomplices, despite his years of solo work. 

Blake wonderfully weaves in traditional ghost stories into this plot, giving audiences the hitchhiker and the haunted house that are so often abandoned after summer camps are a thing of the past.  Anna Dressed in Blood favorably reminds me of I Am Not a Serial Killer, and like the latter has what I'll call an "unnecessary element" that detracts from narrative.  Overall, the book is highly successful, and highly enjoyable. 

76.
Title: [Penelope]
Author: Rebecca Harrington
Pages: 120 read before giving up
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed:
Rating: **

I can understand why people would find this book entertaining, and even why people would like Penelope, the socially awkward and completely human Harvard freshman trying to find her way.  Personally, I found Penelope overly immature and dull, and found the social interactions even less interesting than when I myself was in college.  Penelope is not for me. 

77.
Title: [The Darkest Prison]
Author: Gena Showalter
Pages: ?  LT says 448, but there's no way
Genre: Supernatural Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 13, 2012
Rating: ***

Standard fare. 

78.
Title: [Amittyville Horrible]
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Pages:
Genre:
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 13, 2012
Rating: ****

When Armstrong concluded her Otherwood series with Thirteen she promised fans that this wouldn't be the last they'd see of the characters they'd come to love, and with the novella/short story "Amittyville Horrible" she keeps that promise.  This one follows Jamie, necromancer, as she's roped into another reality special - "for charity."  Like always, Armstrong is consistent with her characters, paces the stories well, and offers a twist I didn't expect.  "Amittyville Horrible" is a very fun read. 

79.
Title: [Delirium]
Author: Lauren Oliver
Pages: 480
Genre: YA Dystopian
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Borrowed from the library
Date Completed: December 17, 2012
Rating: **

Love is identified as a fatal disease, a "cure" is found, and the US closes its borders as it pushes to eradicate human connection in pursuit of "happiness."  Yes, you've stumbled upon a YA dystopian.  And, of course, this means that a rebellion is brewing, and our perfectly plain and unassuming protagonist is in for dangerous romance, rebellion, and chaos. 

Delirium was listed by a colleague as being one of "the best" of the genre, and if this is true then I would have to identify the genre as one that is inherently weak.  The story is trite and the plot devices are shallow; that an author would actually say that love is a disease is sophomoric and uninteresting, overshadowing all that could be redeemable in the narrative. 

73.
Title: God Save the Queen
Author: Kate Locke
Pages: 
Genre: Steampunk-scifi-esque
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 5, 2012
Rating: ***

 God Save the Queen: a perhaps-antisocial young woman living in a supernaturally-drenched world discovers that things aren't what they seem, and neither is she (do I even need to mention the inevitable love interest of standard characteristics and loyalty?). While not wholly original, this formula is one I enjoy, and pursue knowingly.

 Kate Locke's God Save the Queen is a fun little romp that could have been so much more, if Locke wasn't so concerned with the current trend in the supernatural genres. As opposed to focusing on her own story and creative endeavors, she seeks to write against other popular stories, which only works as a disservice to her own book. It's all well and good to offer alternative mythologies, and (as I've said just recently), tastes will vary even among loyal genre-fans, but the drive to be-or-not-be can overshadow a text. After the anti-Twilight barb in her introduction (which itself unnecessarily defends her own mythology - probably because she fears the same kind of backlash Meyers faces), quotes such as this: "Now, they write romances and make foolish teen films about {vampires and werewolves}" not-so-subtlely allude to the same text. What this does, however, is not separate Locke from Meyers by adopting a popular criticism of the series, but rather illustrates her own ignorance of the tradition and evolution of the genre in which she is publishing by arguing against vampires and werewolves as romantic figures. Not only is Dracula (1897) romantic, but so are "Carmilla" (1872) and "Christabel," (1797) to name just three of many examples. I won't argue that in-depth knowledge of the genre is necessary to write successfully within that genre, but I will argue that one should conduct better research before publishing such barbs, in order not to be mocked herself.

 I will be reading the second in the series, with the hope that another book will bring greater confidence on the part of the narrative as its own creation.

71. Title: [We Sinners] Author: Hanna Pylväinen Pages: 208 Genre: Fiction Medium: Hardcover Acquisition: LT rec from Padre, library book Date Completed: November 20, 2012 Rating: **** We Sinners follows a family of eleven who belong to a claustrophobicly-conservative Lutheran sect that bans everything from television to "music with a beat." Though their religion seems surreal from an outside perspective, the members of the family prove to be all too human. The father struggles with anger, stress, and anxiety, the mother struggles with making the right choices for her nine children, and the children find themselves split as they find their way through contemporary America. The characters are sympathetic and horrifying - and sometimes both. The story is compelling, and the narrative is clear and engaging. 72. Title: [The Girl in the Clockwork Collar] Author: Kady Cross Pages: 416 Genre: Steampunk Teen Medium: Hardcover Acquisition: Library book Date Completed: November 22, 2012 Rating: *** Highly predictable and self-indulgent, but distracting. I find that I can appreciate books of this sort more when they're borrowed rather than purchased.