May 2015

20.
Title: [Guilty Pleasures]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 7, 2015
Rating:

I've always intended to reread the entire series prior to the release of the next series installment, but I've never managed it.  I'm trying again, as I enjoy turning off and tuning out for a bit of the summer.  It's interesting to reread early books, given the recent turns of the series.  I know the debate is hot between vintage and contemporary Anita Blake fans, and I don't really want to get into it anymore, other than to say I'm personally glad she's loosened up.

21.
Title: [The Laughing Corpse]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 10, 2015
Rating:

22.
Title: [Joker]
Author: Brian Azzarello
Genre: Comicbook
Medium: Hardcover
Acquisition:
Date Completed: May 11, 2015
Rating: ****

Lee Bermejo's artwork is absolutely stunning, and really made this book for me - especially the portraiture of the titular character.  The texture and depth of the visuals continue the rhetoric of Azzarello's story, weaving a familiar but intriguing story. One scene of the book was named one of the most outrageous Joker moments which would never make it into film, and so I decided to seek out the book as a whole. I was not disappointed, although my gender studies curiosity is raised by the consistent and nearly-complete silence of the handful of female characters, including Harley (who is named, incorrectly is seems, as the inspiration for Joker's Outrageous Act).

23.
Title: [Circus of the Damned]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 13, 2015
Rating:

24.
Title: [Bloody Bones]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 19, 2015
Rating:

What strikes me most in my series re-reading is how deeply, deeply flawed Anita is.  Her anger will be a long topic of conversation later in the series, but in these early books her racism and closed-mindedness is really front-and-center.

25.
Title: [The Killing Dance]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 25, 2015
Rating:

26.

Title: [The Princess in Black]

Author: Shannon Hale

Genre: Children's

Medium: Hardback

Acquisition: Library Book

Date Completed: May 26, 2015

Rating: ****

The Princess in Black hit my radar after a friend posted an article by the author on social media, in which Hale decried the gendering of children's books.  While on a book tour Hale occasionally found herself in an auditorium of only girls, only to find out later that administrators only allowed girls to attend the readings, assuming that princesses = girl books, and boys shouldn't/wouldn't be interested.  Sadly, there was one story of a single boy who was given special permission to attend, but stayed back out of embarrassment.  Sympathetic to her gender-neutral arguments for her book, and knowing my own guys would love a monster-fighting ninja princess, I grabbed one of the titles on my last trip.  Intended for very early readers, The Princess in Black offers short, well-illustrated "chapters" organized much like longer chapter books, with enough action and just enough detail to keep readers interested.  We read the whole thing in a single sitting, and Middle Child begged to sleep with the book, and the next day proclaimed that he woke up early just so he could "read" it again before school (he can't yet read, but it won't be long!). All three said they loved the story, and have asked for it more than once.  Monster-fighting and ninjas are anyone's game, and Hale does deliver a story that will delight (nearly) all.  

On a related note, First Born gave me a dose of gender studies not too long ago: I was attending a bridal shower which was limited to only women.  First Born asked to attend with me, and I had to explain, "it's just for ladies." 

"Mommy, there's no such thing as 'girl' things and 'boy' things" he argued.  Well played, little man.  I told him it wasn't my choice, unfortunately, but that he was entirely correct.  I'm so proud.  It's amazing how much of a fight gender normativity is, even at this age, though. 

April 2015

14.
Title: [The Hobbit]
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Genre: Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Teaching
Date Completed: April 2, 2015
Rating: *****

Each spring I teach a unit on heroes and heroism, comparing the legends of The Hobbit and
Beowulf. Though most students know the latter more than the former, and are surprised with the juvenile nature of the former (given the film franchise), the unit as a whole always goes over very well.
15.
Title: [Beowulf]
Author: trans. Seamus Heaney
Genre: Poetry
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Teaching
Date Completed: April 12, 2015
Rating: *****

In "Monsters and Critics," Professor Tolkien shares an allegory of a tower: he describes a man building a tower from old building materials from an ancient structure.  Others come and knock the tower down to look for clues related to the original structure, and all wonder why the man would build "a nonsensical tower ... But, from the top of the tower, the man had been able to look out upon the sea" (not a direct quote, but close wording).  I read excerpts from Tolkien's famous lecture as we moved into Beowulf, and used this to frame our initial responses to the poem - as a tower that allows us to see the sea, or as an art artifact worth reading for the sake of itself. We also compare the most recent film version, and consider the role of film as the new orators sharing "great" myths.

16.
Title: [The Island of Doctor Moreau]
Author: H.G. Wells
Genre: Scientific Romance
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Teaching
Date Completed: April 19, 2015
Rating: *****

My edition of Moreau includes a wonderful introduction by Margaret Atwood, called "Ten Ways of Looking at The Island of Doctor Moreau," to which I add an eleventh - that of narrative gaps.  Atwood's "Ten Ways" presents a great starting point to help unfamiliar readers approach a genre, and lead to informed responses, since students can rely on Atwood's descriptions.  This time I used a different discussion topic, and considered Moreau's monstrous/villainous traits for the Victorian audience, as compared to the traits, actions, and ideas that would be identified by contemporary audiences.  It was a productive conversation, and students determined that Moreau is actually more monstrous today than he may even have been in the nineteenth-century.

17.
Title: Copyright
Author: Dozens
Genre: Mostly nonfiction; academic
Medium: PDFs
Acquisition: Required Course Reading
Date Completed: April 2015
Rating:

I'm adding this as a book, because it consumed most of my semester.  I didn't manage to finish all of the reading, and I still managed to read well over 120 pages a week for this single course.  This felt like a great deal, given the extensive reading and writing for my other course, and all of my grading, although I know there are plenty (probably in my program!) who would laugh at me for saying so.

18.
Title: Student Essays
Author: Dozens
Genre: Academic
Medium: PDFs
Acquisition: Due dates!
Date completed: May 7, 2015
Page Read: 1005+

19.
Title: [Master of O]
Author: Ernest Greene
Genre: BDSM
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: April 2015
Rating: ***

According to the forward of his 764-page erotica novel, Ernest Greene situates Master of O as an answer to his disappointment with Pauline Reage's Story of O (which I have not read nor heard of). I came across Greene's work as a recommendation for a "real" Fifty Shades of Grey (which I've also never read), and given the hype of the latter thought I would see what constitutes such reality.  Several points of the book made me uncomfortable, which was an interesting experience for me, and not something to be discounted - I like to push myself out of my reading comfort zone now and again, and Greene's novel offered me such an opportunity.  I can't say I liked it from an entertainment perspective, but I finished it, and it has a lot to offer in terms of genre and audience expectations and the place of subcultures in popular culture.

One great critique is the ridiculous socio-economic divide demonstrated: the unbelievable wealth of the characters.  Of course, it's fantasy, but as said in a quote I can't attribute, "if this had taken place in a trailer park, it'd be an episode of CSI." Which is an interesting debate to consider itself.

March 2015

8.
Title: [Dead Heat]
Author: Patricia Briggs
Genre: Urban Fantasy?
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Pre-Order
Date Completed: March 5, 2015
Rating: ****

The fourth book in the Alpha Omega series finds Anna and Charles traveling to warmer climes, and getting wrapped up in both personal drama and fae-hunting.  The personal conflict felt by Charles as he visits old friends is far more compelling than anything between he and his wife, which is a bit of a shame; their resolution is tertiary to everything else in the book, which makes it ultimately disappointing.  However, the action of the story is what I would expect from a Briggs werewolf story, and the active plot is thus far more satisfying. Briggs opens too many doors to write completely, but I can't rate it too low, since it kept my attention enough to read it in a single sitting.

9.

Title:[The Picture of Dorian Grey]

Author: Oscar Wilde

Genre: Gothic

Medium: Norton Critical Paperback

Acquisition: 

Date Completed: March 9, 2015

Rating: *****

The Picture of Dorian Grey is my favorite novel, and each time I read Wilde's longest work I find something new to cherish, question, and consider.  This time I again brought the novel to my classroom, with similar mixed results as previous attempts.  I focused on the establishment of identity and character - how each character creates a self, and Wilde's relation to his three principal characters - and whether or not readers should condemn Dorian's vanity (his face, after all, is very clearly his only value).  I'm not sure I'll use it again in the future, because anything less than perfect enthusiasm is disappointing.

10.

Title: [The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]

Author: Alan Moore 

Genre: Graphic Novel 

Medium: Paperback

Acquisition: 

Date Completed: March 13, 2015

Rating: ***

I suppose the best I can say is that I didn't dislike the book as much as I did during my first reading. Focusing on intended audience and multimedia literacy, we compared characterization from the comic and the original source material. I held on to the fact that the text establishes literature as a savior of mankind (although it's also the villain), but ultimately it's not a text I favor. 

11.

Title: [The Wind Done Gone]

Author: Alice Randall

Genre: Appropriative Novel 

Medium: Paperback

Acquisition: For class

Date Completed: March 21, 2015

Rating: 

12.

Title: [Reality Hunger]

Author: David Shields

Genre: Nonfiction

Medium: Paperback

Acquisition: For class

Date Completed: March 22, 2015

Rating: 

13.

Title: [Prudence]

Author: Gail Carriger

Genre: Steampunk

Medium: Kindle

Acquisition: 

Date Completed: March 28, 2015

Rating: ***.5

I miss The Parasol Protectorate, and so was very happy to hear about the famous daughter, Prudence Akeldama. She is much like Carriger readers would expect from previous books, but it's much more fantasy and less Victorian - Prudence spends a great deal of time nude, given her abilities.  Social decorum is arbitrarily addressed, and I missed more of an attempt at polite society, which is certainly not the world in which Prudence finds herself here.  Regardless, it was a fun fantasy romp through an almost-19th-century-India, and I'll certainly follow the series if it develops as it has begun.  

February 2015

6.
Title: [We Have Always Lived in the Castle]
Author: Shirley Jackson
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 10, 2015
Rating: *****

My favorite of Jackson's fiction, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is fascinating for its endgame: leading readers through the process of local-legend-building, from the perspective of the legends. It is fascinating to see the different in perspective, and to consider the story from a broader history.  During class discussions we discussed the complication of another untrustworthy narrator, where our sympathies lie - and why it's complicated - and attempted to armchair-diagnose the Blackwood family.  Many students came to tell me how much they actually enjoyed the reading, so we can call this one a win.

7.

Title: [Who Could That Be at This Hour?]: All the Wrong Questions Book 1

Author: Lemony Snicket

Genre: YA

Medium: Hardback

Acquisition: Gifted to First Born, from us

Date Completed: February 13, 2015

Rating: ****

Like his picture books, what I found most appealing about Lemony Snicket's first All the Wrong Questions book were his vocabulary lessons, which are both ludicrous and well=integrated into the text (ludicrous as in unbelievable, but perfectly presented as part of the story).  Lemony Snicket the character is appealing, as are most of the children and the librarian.  This is a great take on a mystery for very young readers, as questions are constantly posed, and the conclusion answers most, but not all - providing both satisfaction and further enticement to read the series.  While m guys are still trying to figure out this whole "chapter book" thing, and wandered around their rooms during story time, they were always able to tell me what was going on in the story, and asked plenty of their own questions at the end of each chapter.  I certainly do not regret buying the first two at once. 

3.
Title: [Tales of the Otherworld]
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Vacation Purchase
Date Completed: January 12, 2015
Rating: ***

I've read this book before; as a matter of fact, I've purchased this book before, as a hardback.  I'm not sure whether my slip in memory is telling of my own frazzled state, or the quality of the stories. Ultimately, though, I do not regret purchasing it in two separate formats, as Armstrong promises that all proceeds will benefit a Canadian literacy charity.  In the end, I'd say it's a great mistake for a lazy winter afternoon.

4.  
Title: [Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory]
Author: Caitlin Doughty
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Purchased on colleague rec
Date Completed: January 25, 2015
Rating: ***

As most of my review is critical, I think I should start by stating simply that I enjoyed most of this book.

Caitlin Doughty has an agenda made blatantly clear from the beginning, not unlike Jessica Mitford, whose efforts Doughty both applauds and condemns.  Well informed of the funerary practices of cultures other than the sanitized American standard, Doughty preaches for a new understanding of death and corpse disposal - one that recognizes that "natural" is not formaldehyde and grease paint, but skin slippage and face rot.

Responses to Doughty's book will likely hinge on one's own beliefs. Not unfamiliar with the industry, thanks to other similar popular texts, and the cultural histories she cites, thanks to a curiosity Doughty would find sympathetic, I found int he text what I hoped -anecdotes of the industry. However, I would not be surprised if her heavy criticism and lack of sympathy would alienate some readers. She does, to a great extent, lecture the American public for their failures. While I can appreciate her efforts and her arguments, and found a great sense of realism and peace in her narratives, I fear her rhetoric will ultimately prove unsuccessful.

Then again, an Oprah stooge loved it, so maybe I'm the one off-base. For those with morbid curiosity, dig in - it's not a bad ride.

5.
Title: [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]
Author: Ken Kesey
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: January 30, 2015
Rating: *****

I've been using One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in my freshman classes for quite some time now, and today I am reflecting on the changes to my approach and personal analysis as I read the book every year (if not twice a year).  At first I began with character analysis, looking at the saturation of detail and the roles f minor characters in shaping the larger narrative. Then, my focus shifted to the unreliable narrator, and how readers can parse the "truth" through some close reading and critical thinking.  Most recently I shifted to varying definitions of "madness" and the institutional arguments o the text.  This semester, though, I've come to some of my favorite arguments yet.

I began our reading by considering the unreliable narrator, and the role of madness. But I argued that the narrator isn't most unreliable for his hallucinations and paranoia, but rather for his personal prejudices - that Bromden himself expresses critical opinions of other marginalized groups, and why he might do so.  Most productive, though, was a study of masculinity, and the archetypes Kesey includes on the ward - we identified "types," thought about the implications of those types, and looked closely at type-deviation to find arguments and responses to archetypes.  This shifted the discussion to McMurphy's role as "savior" on the ward, and whether he internalizes and accepts this designation, or if it's against his type - if the patients, and the audience, cast him as a hero, when he has no intention of behaving heroically.  Finally, we wrapped today with a reconsideration of Nurse Ratched. Though I've come to no conclusion, I had students consider the evidence against her supposed villainy, including the narrow lens of her narrators (Bromden, Harding, and McMurphy), the admittedly-fallacious histories they construct for her, her actual job on the ward, and her resources in her role.  I never suggest she's a good person, but I pointed to several passages that allow us to question whether she i the maniacal tyrant some of the characters would have audiences believe.

It made for some great questions, a good deal of resistance, and testing of the analytical waters.  Next week we'll move into multimedia comparative analysis (film and comic), and then on to a comparison with Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle.  I think we've hit our grove.

2.
Title: [How the Light Gets In]
Author: Louise Penny
Genre: Mystery
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Pre-order, late read
Date Completed: January 9, 2015
Rating: *****

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny is narrative perfection.  Penny's writing is quietly elegant, building suspense with few gimmicks, and allowing characters to drive the story without overburdening the story with indulgent introspection, or unnecessary action sequences. Here, Gamache works through three mysteries, two of which are intimately connected, and all of which drive the detective back to the Utpoia of Three Pines.  I'm afraid to say anything more for fear of spoiling the story for any who hasn't gotten to it yet, so I will simply say that Penny again meets - and exceeds - the high standards I now have for her work.

Books Read in 2014

Books Read in 2014

1.  Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger.  Steampunk. 1.7.14. ****
2.  The Goddess Chronicle by Natsuo Kirino.  Mythology.  January Resolution Book.  1.15.14.  *****
3.  Life Below Stairs: True LIves of Edwardian Servants by Alison Maloney.  Wikipedia4.  The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How it Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World. by Steven Johnson.  Nonfiction.  1.20.14. ***
5.  The Darkest Secret by Gena Showalter.  Paranormal Romance.  1.23.14.  ***1/2
6.  Incubus Wolf by Bonnie Vanak.  Paranormal Romance.  1.23.14. *
7.  Seduced by the Wolf by Bonnie Vonak.  Paranormal Romance.  1.24.14.  *
8.  The Darkest Surrender by Gena Showalter.  Paranormal Romance.  1.27.14.  ***1/2
9.  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.  Fiction.  Work.  1.31.14. ****

10.  Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger.  Steampunk.  2.1.14.  ***
11.  MacRieve by Kresley Cole.  Paranormal Romance.  2.2.14. ****
12.  The House of Dead Maids by Clare B. Dunke. YA Horror.  2.6.12.  **
13.  Bonds of Denial by Lynda Aicher.  M/M Romance.  2.8.14.  ****1/2
14.  We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.  Gothic. Work.  2.9.14.  ****1/2
15.  The Redwood Pack: Volume 3 by Carrie Ann Ryan.  Paranormal Romance.  2.11.14. ***
16.  The Redwood Pack: Volume 4 by Carrie Ann Ryan.  Paranormal Romance.  2.13.14. ***1/2
17.  Othello by William Shakespeare.  Drama. Work.  2.13.14.  ****1/2
18.  Bonds of Trust by Lynda Aicher.  Romance.  2.15.14. **1/2
19.  Bared by Stacey Kennedy.  Romance.  2.14.

20.  The Truth by Terry Pratchett.  Fantasy. Work.  3.6.14. *****
21.  Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.  Fantasy.  3.17.14. ****
22.  The Savage Garden by Peter D'Amato.  Horticulture.  3.17.14.  ****
23.  Night Broken by Patricia Briggs.  Urban Fantasy.  3.20.14.  ****1/2

24.  The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Fantasy. 4.1.14.  ****1/2
25.  Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett.  Fantasy.  4.2.14.  ****
26.  One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey.  Fiction/Work.  4.4.14.
27.  Oedipus Rex by Sophocles.  Drama/Work.  4.16.14.
28.  Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells.  Scientific Romance/Work. 4.17.14
29. Maus by Art Spiegelman.  Graphic Novel.  4.28.14. ****
30.  Maus II by Art Spiegelman.  Graphic Novel. 4.28.14. ****

31.  Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo. Fiction.  5.9.14. ***
32. Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger. Fable.  5.12.14. *****
33. Embroideries by  Marjane Satrapi.  Graphic Novel. 5.12.14. ****
34.  The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth.  Graphic Novel.  5.13.14.  ***1/2
35.  Princesses Behaving Badly by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie.  Nonfiction.  5.16.14.  ***1/2
36.  Cress by Marissa Meyer.  Science Fiction.  5.17.14. *****
37. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.  Graphic Novel.  5.19.14. ***
38. Daytripper by Gabriel Ba. Graphic Novel.  5.21.14.  ****
39. Persepolis II by Marjane Satrapi.  Graphic Novel.  5.21.14. ***
40. The Three Incestuous Sisters by Audrey Niffenegger.  Graphic Novel.  5.22.14. ****
41.  Batman: A Death in the Family by Jim Starlin.  Graphic Novel.  5.24.14.  **

*Note: I stopped recording faithfully in May ... not long before beginning my coursework.*

42.  Real World by Natsuo Kirino.  FIction.  5.27.14 *
43. Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins.  YA Science Fiction.  5.27.14.  ****

44.  Shadows of the Workhouse by Jennifer Worth.  Memoir.  6.1.14. ****
45. Audition by Ryu Murakami. Pulp.  6.8.14.  ***1/2
46.  I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Delphine Minoui.  Meoir.  6.10.14
47.  Out by Natsuo Kirino.  Fiction.  6.14. Abandoned.
48.  Logicomix by Aspostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou.  Graphic Nonfiction.  Abandoned June 2014 for greater responsibilities, and a library due date.
49.  Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End by Jenifer Worth.  Memoir.  6.17.14.  ***
50. 'Zine by Pagan Kennedy.  Early Review, Memoir.  6.20.14.  **
51. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.  YA Fantasy.  6.25.14. *
52. The Private Letters of Countess Erzsebet Bathory by Kimberly L. Craft. History. 6.15.14.  **
53. My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf. Nonfiction Graphic Novel. 6.26.14.  ****1/4
54. Catwoman: Nine Lives of a Feline Fatale by Ed Brubaker.  Graphic Novel.  6.28.14. ****1/2
55.  Superman vs. Lex Luther by various.  Graphic novels. 6.30.14

56. The Death of Superman by Dan Jurgens. Graphic novel. 7.2.14.
57. Catwoman: Volume 1 by Ed Brubaker. Graphic Novel. 7.2014
58. Catwoman: Volume 2 by Ed Brubaker. Graphic Novel. 7.2014
59. Sweet Life: Erotic Fantasies for Couples by Violet Blue. Erotica. 7.2014.
60. Batman: Nightfall Volume 1 by Various. Graphic Novel. 7.2014.
61. Hero by Perry Moore. YA Superhero. 7.2014. ***1/2
62. Ultra: Seven Days by Jonathan Luna. Graphic Novel. 7.2014. *
63. Watchmen by Alan Moore. GraphicNovel. 7.2014.
64. Wanted by Mark Millar. Graphic Novel. 7.2014.
65. Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days by Ed Brubaker. Graphic Novel. 7.2014
66. Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller. Graphic Novel. 7.2014.
67.  Cage by Brian Azzarello. Graphic Novel. 7.2014.
68. Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar.  Graphic Novel. 7.2014.  **
69. Catwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka. Graphic Novel. 7.2014.
70. Rhetoric articles, 1,500+ pages.  7.2014.
71. Superhero and US Media Articles - approximate 500 pages.  7.2014
72. Icon: A Hero's Welcome by Dwayne McDuffie.  Graphic Novel. 7.30.14.

73. The Girl in 6E by Alessandra Torre. Thriller, Early Review. 8.1.14
74. No Biking int he House Without a Helmet. by Melissa Fay Green. Adoption Memoir. 8.2014. ****
75. Batman Knightfall: Volume 1 by Doug Moench. Graphic Novel.

76. Girls Who Bite by Delilah Devon. Erotica. 9.2014. *

77. The Keepsake for 1829 by Paula R. Feldman. British Periodical. 10.2014.
78. Sol by Madison Stevens. Romance. 10.2014. ***

79. Titus by Madison Stevens. Romance. 11.2014. ***
80. Lucius by Madison Stevens. Romance. 11.7.14. ***
81. Victorian Print Media: A Reader by John Plunkett. Periodicals. Fall 2014.
82. The Pleasure's All Mine by Joan Kelly. Memoir. August 2014. *
83. Multicultural Comics: from Zap to Blue Beetle by Frederick Luis Aldama. Academic. August 2014. ****

84. If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho trans. Anne Carson. Poetry. 9.24.14. *****
85. Othello by Shakespeare.  Drama. 10.15.14. *****
86. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.  YA Fantasy. 11.3.14. *****
87 The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. Scientific Romance. 11.11.14. *****
88. Mark Twain's Helpful Hints for Good Living. Essays. 8.29.14. *****
89. Gothic Stories by Mark Blair. Gothic Literature. 9.16.14. *****
90. Oxford Book of Essays. 10.2014. ****
91. Lysistrata trans. Sarah Ruden. 10.8.14. *
92. Othello by Shakespeare.  Drama. 10.24.14. *****
93.  Titus Andronicus by Shakespeare. Drama. 11.5.14

94. A Life in Books: The Rise and Fall of Bleu Mobley by Warren Lehrer. Illuminated Fiction. 123.14. ****
95. Bound by Blood by Cynthia Eden. Paranormal Romance. 12.17.14. **
96. A Shiver of Light by Laurell K. Hamilton. Urban Fantasy. 12.21.14. ***1/2

1.
Title: [Jason]
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Impulse buy
Date Completed: January 6, 2015
Rating: **1/2

Oh, the angst! Oh, the melodrama! Oh, the whining! It should be surprising how un-sexy a book about joyful (intended) sex can be, but this books is so conflicted and political and introspective (while remaining shallow) that no amount of fantasy can save it. I'm so disappointed that this wasn't the fun romp I thought it would be.

Early Review from A.R. Torre

73.
Title: [The Girl in 6E]
Author: Alessandra Torre
Genre: Thriller
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Early Review Text
Date Completed: August 1, 2014
Rating:

The Girl in 6E by A. R. Torre is a thriller about a woman who locks herself in her apartment for three years for fear of going on a murderous rampage, until an extreme situation elicits her sympathy and sends her on a twelve-hour drive.  The premise of the story is interesting, as it explores the "opportunities" for an enclosed existence thanks to the internet, and the new life choices now available to enterprising individuals.  Along the same lines of I Am Not a Serial Killer, Deanna struggles with an overwhelming desire to kill others, just to watch them die.  And, like the former, she copes by arranging a life that will keep her from doing so, including avoiding all human contact for three years, and paying a junkie neighbor to deadbolt her door from the outside at night. 

The similarities between the two continue, although Torre's characterization seems more forced and less confident than Wells' potential sociopath; Deanna is less capable and more empathetic, and therefore less believable.  However, for those who are less-than-pleased with Wells' conclusions, Torre may be more satisfying, as her conclusion stays more grounded.

I've wavered between 3.5-4 stars for this novel, based on my personal response.  I found the plot to be greatly disturbing, and not in the mildly-enjoyable way of many thrillers, due exclusively to the victims.  While the overall narrative does have some redeeming qualities, I did have to put it down in the middle in order to regroup. 

Overall, I think The Girl in 6E will appeal to fans of thrillers, specifically those who enjoy books like Dan Wells' Serial Killer trilogy.

72.
Title: [Icon: A Hero's Welcome]
Author: Dwayne McDuffie
Genre: Comics
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Class Text
Date Completed: July 30, 2014
Rating: