Current location:	work but not working
Current mood:	contemplative
Current music:	spring break silence
Entry tags:	2007, booklist

2007 Book List
Ok, so I know that at the beginning of the year, there were a couple of comms that put out a challenge to read 50 or so books over the course of this year. Well, I'm sorry, I can tell you right now that I won't be able to do that. I have this little thing called living to do, and as of right now, it's taking up most of my time. I did, however, want to read more this year (see the "year of Bond" entry). And to help myself track that, I've decided to create a list of the books I've read this year. I haven't decided whether I'll continue to update this post over the year, or just make a new post with the same tags, but whatever I choose, here I go.

Books I've Read This Year

1. The Historian by Elizabeth Kosteva (fiction)
I first heard about this book about six months to a year before it came out. The author won the Hopwood Award for this story while completing her MFA at UofM. I read a few paragraphs in the online alumni newsletter they send me, and was intrigued.

This is a vampire book, specifically a Dracula book. However, the book is less about Dracula and more about the way that 3 generations of people's lives had been shaped by his existence. It was an interesting read, and it made me long to visit Eastern Europe....also to go back to that really good Hungarian restaurant and piano bar in Scottsdale. I also like that Dracula, in this story, is a bibliophile. And not just that, but that it makes sense for his character in this book according to traditional Dracula lore.

2. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (fiction)
Brilliantly funny. It reminded me a lot of Lamb by Christopher Moore, I guess they have similar senses of humor. Everything from the (Satanic) Order of the Chattering Nuns to Dog, the Hellhound was just so well done. I'll probably read this one again before the year is out.

3. The Secret Life of Vicorian Houses by Elan and Susan Zingman-Leith (non-fiction)
I picked this one up for my mom at a used booksale on Hayden Lawn last week. Initially, I picked it up because it had a lot of pretty pictures of the interiors of Victorian houses. (My mom has a degree in historic preservation with Victorian houses being her favorite structures, so this is right up her alley.) I then read the blurb on the dust jacket and realized that I would like to read the book for myself. So I did. It was a surprisingly engaging book that spoke of everthing from the parlor to the women's rights movement, from designating sex association onto different rooms of the house to Orientalism to the Sears catalog to why Victorian houses don't have many closets. It's definitely a view I hadn't considered before. Yay books.

updated 6/25/07
4. Fluke by Christopher Moore
This man greatly amuses me. I love how his books manage to be sincere, yet comedic at the same time. This book also contains my favorite description of a kissing scene ever. (quotation from book goes here) I'll leave you with two words: whale willies.

5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
I could review this book, but why bother when someone else is doing such a bang-up job?

6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
I had always believed that this book was the weakest in the Harry Potter series. But as I was reading through it the last couple of days I realized that this book, more than any other, has Harry think more about his actions. He doesn't just rush headlong and fall back on dumb luck to get through the book. Yes, rewards and punishments are still meted out arbitrarily. Yes, there is still the inherent mistrust of adult and authority figures. Yes, this book introduces one of the most hated characters in fandom this side of Jar Jar Binks. And yes, there is still the careless disregard for rule of law and perhaps why those rules are there, but the dumbass factor in this book is not quite as high as in most of the others.

updated 7/09/07
7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
This is another book where I could review it myself, but this guy has done it before, and better.

8. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
What? A theme? Nooooooo... [/sarcasm] Why yes, I am rereading all of these in anticipation of "Deathly Hallows". I'm looking for things I may have missed in the first read-throughs. But ooof! let me tell you, I had difficulties making it through this one again. I found myself getting bored, not wanting to read. Barty Crouch, Jr as Alastor Moody was awesome, and Ferret!Malfoy is endlessly entertaining, but so many of the characters appeared so much more 1-dimensional in this book. They never strayed far from their stereotypes, hence it was very predictable, hence I got bored.

9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Now by the time I got to book 5, I had forgotten my initial reason for re-reading the books, and wasn't reminded of it until I was a couple chapters from the end. Therefore, there were things that I missed. I'm going to have to go back and scan books 4 and 5 again. Curses. Wizard Angst The primary theme of this book. I actually hated Harry the first time I read through it. In fact, the wizard angst was so irritating, it made me gloss over a couple of foreshadowing things I really should have seen. Grrr.