250 in 2012 by Dejah_Thoris

It's time to try this again. All my reading will be on this list - most of these books will also count toward my 75 Book Challenge or 12 in 12, which is where any reviews will be posted.

1. Coming Home for Christmas by Carla Kelly (75)
2. Sweet Revenge by Andrea Penrose (12in12 Cat 3)
3. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (75)

4. D.C. Dead by Stuart Woods (12in12 Cat #9)
5. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (75)
6. Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful by Amy Stewart (12in12 Cat #1)
7. Ghoul Interrupted by Victoria Laurie (12in12 Cat #9)
8. The Garner Files by James Garner and Jon Winokur (12in12 Cat #4)

9. Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon (reread, TIOLI #19)
10. Giant Tomatoes by Marvin H. Meisner (Cat #1, TIOLI #)
11. Tricks of the Trade by Laura Anne Gilman (75, TIOLI #19)

12. Sins of the Demon by Diana Rowland (Cat #9, TIOLI #8)

13. Taken by the Others by Jess Haines (75, TIOLI #19)
14. Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly (Cat #9, TIOLI #8)

15. The Wild Ways by Tanya Huff (75, TIOLI #2)
16. Murder in Burnt Orange by Jeanne M. Dams (Cat #3, TIOLI #22)

17. Alien Proliferation by Gini Koch (75, TIOLI #20)

18. Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy (Cat #3, TIOLI #20)

19. Letter from the Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. (TIOLI #1)
20. Physical Education by Maggie Barbieri (75, TIOLI #1)
21. Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson (Cat 12, TIOLI #16)
22. Seeker by Jack McDevitt (reread, TIOLI #22)
23. 100 Unforgettable Dresses by Hal Rubenstein (Cat #12, TIOLI #8)

24. The Alpine Winter by Mary Daheim (75, TIOLI #4)
25. Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz (Cat #3, TIOLI #8)

26. The House at Sea’s End by Elly Griffiths (75, TIOLI #20)
27. Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang (Cat #5, TIOLI #3)

28. The New Dawn for the Kissimmee River: Orlando to Okeechobee by Kayak by Doug Alderson (75, TIOLI #5)

And that's it for January.

That's a pretty good start to the year! I have some catching up to do.

Thanks! It was a quiet January for me in many ways -- plus, some of these were very short, others very fluffy!

Favourites? Least faves?

I really enjoyed some of the non fiction I read in January: Factory Girls, Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. and Flower Confidential top that list, in order.

Fiction is a little trickier. Tricks of the Trade, Sins of the Demon and The Wild Ways were probably the best new books I read, in no particular order. Of course I really like my reread - Seeker - or I wouldn't have read it again!

The worst book I read was Taken by the Others -- it just did not work for me, although the series is popular with several folks I know. Go figure.

29. Wild Wild Death by Casey Daniels (Cat #9, TIOLI #3)
30. The Elephant to Hollywood by Michael Caine (Cat #4, TIOLI #5)
31. Old World Murder by Kathleen Ernst (Cat #3, TIOLI #1)
32. The Devil’s Eye by Jack McDevitt (reread, TIOLI #20)
33. Quickstep to Murder by Ella Barrick (75, TIOLI #15)

34. The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester (75, TIOLI #5)

35. Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer (reread, TIOLI #5)
36. Zarafa: A Giraffe’s True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris by Michael Allin (Cat #8, TIOLI #5, shared)

37. Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet (75, TIOLI #11)

38. The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKIllip (75, TIOLI #9)
39. The Evil That Men Do by Jeanne M. Dams (75, TIOLI #1)
40. More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Georgia Women by Sara Hines Martin (Cat#2, TIOLI #5)

41. Heir of Sea and Fire by Patricia A. McKillip (75, TIOLI #6)

42. Haunted Ground by Erin Hart (75, TIOLI #8)
43. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (reread, TIOLI #19)
44. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (Cat #7, TIOLI #11)
45. Frozen Thames by Helen Humphries (75, TIOLI #13)

46. War Horse by Michael Morpurgo (Cat #7, TIOLI #5)

> 45.

I really enjoyed The Frozen Thames it offers a unique view of the history of London. I grew up near a river and now live beside that river and I get a lot of enjoyment from it.

I thought The Frozen Thames was brilliant - without question one of the best books I've read in a while.

I love rivers and am jealous of yours, not even knowing which one it is! I have a small pond and a tiny creek and wetland which I love. We've been in exceptional (or worse) drought since we moved here last Fall, so I've wondering how much bigger my creek will someday get....

Thanks for visiting!

47. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick (Cat #7, TIOLI #5)

I live beside the St. John River in Fredericton New Brunswick, Canada. The river runs the length of the province and flows into the Atlantic. Check out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John_River_%28Bay_of_Fundy%29

Penny

How beautiful! I envy you your river, but not your weather. I'm afraid I was meant for milder climes. Do you canoe or kayak - or on a river that size, perhaps sail?

48. Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon (reread, TIOLI #5)
49. Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo (75, TIOLI #5)

Everything from canoes to small yachts are on the river but I only look at them. I am not fond of the cold weather either. Last night it snowed and all the branches of the trees are laden with snow - it looks like a winter wonderland! However a strong wind will turn the branches into brown/black sticks again. I think winter takes away the delicate movement of the trees.

the winter takes away the delicate movement of the trees

That's quite beautiful - and I'm sure your view is beautiful as well. Winter sports are not for me....

50. Bellwether by Connie Willis (75, TIOLI #19)
51. A Darkly Hidden Truth by Donna Fletcher Crow (Cat #11, TIOLI #13)
52. Harpist in the Wind by Patricia A. McKillip (75, TIOLI #6)

53. Austenland by Shannon Hale (75, TIOLI #13)

54. A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett (TIOLI #15)

55. A Princess of the Aerie by John Barnes (75, TIOLI #4)

56. No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie (75, TIOLI #8)

I am waiting to get my Kindle up and running and will then get No Mark Upon Her. Is it as good as her past works?
Penny

It was excellent! I'm amazed that she is able to consistently produce such layered and intelligent works -- especially with such likable characters!

I'm sick, so I expect I'll be getting in some extra reading time....

57. Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb (Cat #9, TIOLI #12)
58. Divided Allegiance by Elizabeth Moon (reread, TIOLI #14)
59. Death of a Kingfisher by M.C. Beaton (Cat #9, TIOLI #12)

60. Oath of Gold by Elizabeth Moon (reread, TIOLI #14)

There's nothing like being sick to help you get lots of reading done....

I suppose one can put a positive spin on just about anything even illness. :)

I think it's one of those 'I might as well make the best of it' things!

61. Tempest in the Tea Leaves by Kari Lee Townsend (75, TIOLI #6)

62. God’s War by Kameron Hurley (75, TIOLI #18)

63. Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James (Cat #3, TIOLI #1)
64. Fair Game by Patricia Briggs (Cat #9, TIOLI #12)

Oh, I am waiting for Death Comes to Pemberley, my sister-in-law read it and says it is very good and true to Austin.

It actually is fairly true to Austen, but I wasn't really enthralled. I generally avoid Austen sequels / revisits because I'm so fond of the originals. Opinions seem to vary widely on this one. I hope you enjoy it!

65. Choke by Kaye George (75, TIOLI #3)
66. Mallory’s Oracle by Carol O’Connell (75, TIOLI #21)
67. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (Cat #3, TIOLI #3)
68. Angels' Flight by Nalini Singh (Cat #9, TIOLI #12)
69. Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry (75, TIOLI #3)
70. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (75, TIOLI #21)
71. The Heirloom Murders by Kathleen Ernst (Cat #3, TIOLI #19)
72. The Cold Light of Mourning by Elizabeth J. Duncan (75, TIOLI #3)

73. The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley (Cat #3, TIOLI #19)

74. Timeless by Gail Carriger (Cat #9, TIOLI #12)
75. Lysistrata by Aristophanes (Cat #6, TIOLI #13)

Yah! You are finished Lysistrata (I cannot get a touchstone to work - what's up with that?). What did you think of it overall?

Actual reading time was next to nothing, but I got distracted part way through!

I was struck by several things. Some of the 'feminist' elements still resonate. An example is the bit where the husband tries to get his wife to come home because their poor little tyke hasn't had a bath in a week and she essentially replies it's too bad the father and a household of servants can't manage to take care of him. While you wouldn't hear it too much now, the idea that women could run a household (including home industries) but not be qualified to have in say in state spending is a refrain that continued for thousands of years.

The anti war message resonate, too. I loved the idea that women paid taxes in the form of the sons they bear to fight and die for their country. Given the feminist / war issues, you'd think that Lysistrata would be staged more often - and then I remember the incredibly vulgar visual humor. I can just imagine either of the two local community theater proposing to stage a play in which actors would be walking around with enormous faux erections! A university or experimental theater group could get away wit it - it would be fun! On the other hand, I suspect that "Lysistrata Jones", a musical update of Lysistrata in which the cheerleaders / girlfriends won't have sex with their boyfriends on the basketball team until they win a game, while failing horribly on Broadway will find success in community and regional theaters around the country.

I enjoyed not only how much time/place specific humor there was, but also how much can be specifically identified in footnotes. Note: this is a small community near Athens known for its gnat problem. What a hoot! I wonder how many cultural references in "Lysistrata Jones' will be footnotable in 2300 years?

At any rate, I enjoyed it. I still think I prefer the punch of Greek Tragedy, but the Comedy is fun, too. I'm game to try The Clouds and The Wasps if you're interested. Let me know!

I know my omnibus has Clouds and two others so I will check tonight and let you know. I saw Clouds performed years ago and loved it so I would like to actually read the play at some point. Count me in!

I enjoyed your comments. I too found it interesting to compare then and now to see how little/how much has changed. There were parts where it seemed like a really progressive society and I was impressed. But then there were parts where you could see the old gender bias creeping through and I thought "hunh, things haven't changed much". But I saw it as kind of a seesaw with a lot of back and forth, give and take before things got resolved.

Great! Just let me know when you're interested in tackling another one. It's always amazing to me that things written so long ago can still connect with a modern reader.

76. Aya by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie (75, TIOLI #15)
77. The Man Who Cast Two Shadows by Carol O’Connell (75, TIOLI #19)
78. Grayson by Lynn Cox (75, TIOLI #5)

79. Murder, With Peacocks by Donna Andrews (reread, TIOLI #3)
80. Aya of Yop City by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie (75, TIOLI #15)

81. Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Backett (reread, TIOLI #6)

82. Century Girl: 100 Years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies by Lauren Redniss (Cat #4, TIOLI #5)
83. The Odd Couple (Female Version) by Neil Simon (Cat #6, TIOLI #6)

84. The House on Durrow Street by Galen Beckett (75, TIOLI #6)
85. Las Soldaderas: Women of the Mexican Revolution by Elena Poniatowska (Cat #12, TIOLI #5)

86. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Cat #7, TIOLI #15)
87. Savannah’s Crooked Little Houses by Susan B. Johnson (Cat #2, TIOLI #14)
88. Dire Threads by Janet Bolin (75, TIOLI #6)
89. Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry (Cat #7, TIOLI #21)

90. Better Off Undead by D. D. Barant (reread, TIOLI #15)
91. Lake of Sorrows by Erin Hart (75, TIOLI #5)
92. The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott (75, TIOLI #4)
92. Cold Touch by Leslie Parrish (75, TIOLI #21)

93. Back from the Undead by D.D. Barant (Cat #9, TIOLI #1)
94. When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: Empire, Intrigue, Murder and the New Madrid Earthquakes by Jay Feldman (Cat #10, TIOLI #14)

95. The Master of Heathcrest Hall by Galen Beckett (75, TIOLI #1)

96. Roman Blood by Steven Saylor (Cat #3, TIOLI #21)
97. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (75, TIOLI #3)

Another week and you will hit a milestone... congrats! And keep going.

Thank you! I read an absurd number of short books in March - 3 plays, 3 graphic novels and 3 fairly short non fiction works plus a bunch of mysteries. All combined, they really inflated my numbers!

Short ones count just as much as the chunksters :)

98. Heat Rises by Richard Castle (75, TIOLI #21)
99. Hard Magic by Larry Correia (75, TIOLI #1)
100. Artifacts by Mary Anna Evans (reread, TIOLI #5)
101. Murder With Puffins by Donna Andrews (reread, TIOLI #1)
102. Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos by Donna Andrews (reread, TIOLI #20)
103. The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill (Cat #3, TIOLI #1)
104. The Witness by Nora Roberts (Cat #9)
105. Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin (75, TIOLI #1)
106. Unnatural Acts by Stuart Woods (Cat #9)
107. Borrowed Light by Carla Kelly (Cat #11, TIOLI #1)
108. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (75, TIOLI #3)
109. The Yard by Alex Grecian (Cat #3, TIOLI #5)
110. Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon by Donna Andrews (reread)
111. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (reread, TIOLI #20)
112. Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (reread, TIOLI #1)

The first big number past, you must feel good. Congratulations!!!

Thank you so much! I haven't been on LT much in April, but I've still been reading. I have to admit, though, that several of the books I read this month have been rereads. Oh well - for this, they count!

113. We’ll Always Have Parrots by Donna Andrews (reread)

I often enjoy a book more on the second reading than on the first. Dick Francis is my go to for comfort reading, and I do count re-reads.

On this list, I definitely count rereads - I want to log everything. I read a bunch of Dick Francis years ago. I remember them as being great fun except for that one stretch during which he must have been really depressed....

114. Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon (75, TIOLI #1)
115. Placing History: How Maps, Spatial Data and GIS are Changing Historical Scholarship by Anne Kelly Knowles ed. (Cat #8, TIOLI #17)
116. Hay Fever by Noel Coward (Cat #6, TIOLI #1)
117. Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris (Cat #9, TIOLI #18)

118. Relics by Mary Anna Evans (reread, TIOLI #14)
119. In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play by Sarah Ruhl (Cat #6, TIOLI #8)
120. Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia (75, TIOLI #18)
121. Hush Now, Don’t You Cry by Rhys Bowen (Cat #3, TIOLI #16)

122. Rotten Lies by Charlotte and Aaron Elkins (reread, TIOLI #4)
123. Plunder by Mary Anna Evans (75, TIOLI #3)
124. Wicked City by Alaya Johnson (pub 10 Apr, read 8-9 May) (Cat #9, TIOLI #16)
125. The Heidi Chronicles by Wendy Wasserstein (Cat #6, TIOLI #8)
126. Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell (75, TIOLI #12)