wookiebender's attempt at 100 books

Didn't do so well last year, but here's hoping for a good reading year in 2016!

1. The Annotated Alice, Lewis Carroll
2. The Devil's Cub, Georgette Heyer
3. The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed, Patrick Rothfuss
4. Reign of Beasts, Tansy Rayner Roberts
5. My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante

Currently reading: Seveneves, Neal Stephenson

No worries. That's what new years are for: to start over again. :) I'm wishing you the best!

Good luck, Tania.
Best wishes for a great year of reading :)

Welcome back!

Fingers crossed for a more satisfying reading year this time!

woohoo!! We all hope for a better year ... reading and otherwise! Glad you're here!

Thanks everyone! Glad to be back, hope I can make more time to read and catch up with everyone here this year. :)

1. The Annotated Alice, Lewis Carroll

Nothing like starting a new year with an old favourite. The annotations are by the mathematician Martin Gardner and are brilliant, but I did skip them to a great extent this time around.

A delightful read, I should schedule re-reads of this one more often.

*****

2. The Devil's Cub, Georgette Heyer

Fabulous fashions, silly characters, romantic misunderstandings, Regency England (and France, in this case). Must be Georgette Heyer! And another fun silly romp.

Funnily enough, another book I read in 2015 used the same initial plot device (good sister sets out to save her sillier sister from elopement and subsequent disgrace, but ends up mistakenly being misidentified as the silly sister by the gentleman in question, and by the time it's sorted, her own reputation is potentially in tatters). I thought at first Heyer was reusing her plot, but turns out that one of the Pink Carnation series was borrowing from Heyer.

***1/2

>8 wookiebender: I need to try and get hold of that. I love the Alice books and I've enjoyed Martin Gardner's books too, but I've never been able to find Annotated Alice in the shops. I might just have to go ahead and order it online sometime.

Good Luck!
Re: #8: I have The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition sitting in my living room, waiting for me to start reading, well continue, i think i read the forward so far. The problem is its so big and bulky, would get ruined taking to work on the train, and now I've picked up other books. Hope to get to it this year though.

I've had my copy of The Annotated Alice forEVER, no idea where I picked it up from, and I've read it many times since I was a teenager. It's not that big of a book, but maybe because it's not a "definitive" edition, there's probably been a few editions since my old paperback copy from the 1970s. :)

3. The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed, Patrick Rothfuss



Oh my. Delightfully dark. I have seen a video of Mr Rothfuss reading this aloud at a convention, if you can find that, it's worth watching.

*****

4. Reign of Beasts, Tansy Rayner Roberts



A satisfying conclusion to a rather fun, and unexpected, fantasy series.

****

>11 Zefariath: I just bought a copy of the 150th Anniversary edition a couple of days ago. It is rather awkward to read at that size, though it's a beautiful looking book.

>13 wookiebender: Not heard of that one, but it sounds fun. Sadly it doesn't seem like something I'd be able to get hold of.

>15 valkyrdeath: Try this, I think it's the one I've seen previously: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Q3N3XUj5M

>14 wookiebender: Sounds interesting. The library doesn't have it but I see the series is available for Kindle for $5.99 each. Worth it?

Well, I'm paying $22 (each) for the paperbacks, and I think that's money well spent. :)

It is a somewhat unusual series, set in a pseudo 1920s Europe and centred around three women who work making dresses/ribbons/wreaths for the endless religious ceremonies (and then the fantasy elements kick in). It all makes sense when you read it, but if you're looking for something more along the lines of a standard swords-and-magic epic, this isn't it, nor is it your usual alt history. I liked the freshness of the setting, but it was a surprise at first when I was expecting something more familiar. The plot is also not paint-by-numbers (although sometimes you think it might head that way, it veered away nicely in the nick of time). And interesting characters.

I've had the sample set to my Kindle--it looks interesting.

Btw, Happy Thingaversary today!!

>16 wookiebender: Thanks for that video link! That was brilliant, and very cleverly done. And despite all the not for kids stuff, I would have absolutely loved it back then too.

Oh, I neglected my Thingaversary! 10 years now I think. (My, how time has flown.)

I think that means I get to buy 11 books. :P

oh! Congrats! And yes it means you can buy books!

I'm not sure if I've got room for another 11 books on my shelves though. :P

All that means is that you need another bookshelf!

Happy Australia Day! Are you celebrating?

25> LOL, I'll get rid of the TV, that'll give me more room for bookshelves... ;)

26> I had the day off, and we had a friend over for a BBQ (only to have it die on us, so a quick swap to the kitchen and a roast instead), but that's about as much celebration I do. :)

Quick shout out for Seveneves, the latest from Neal Stephenson which is ENORMOUS, but also packing in a lot of plot. I keep on getting so immersed in it that I forget it's not actually real. (I panicked slightly at today's Google doodle, which has a shooting star: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/astronomy/google-doodle-honours-beatri... - if you've read Seveneves you might realise why meteors are a little scary right now.)

yay for Seveneves!! Loved it! Glad you are enjoying reading it.

Hit by yet another BB. Put Seveneves on my library list...