read 50 books in 2008

5. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew, by Daniel Pool
6. Lord of Scoundrels, by Loretta Chase
7. One for the Money, by Janet Evanovich
8. Two for the Dough, by Janet Evanovich
9. Three to Get Deadly, by Janet Evanovich
10. Menage, by Emma Holly
11. Getting Rid of Bradley, by Jennifer Crusie
12. Faking It, by Jennifer Crusie
13. House of Cards, by C.E. Murphy
14. Passage, by Lois McMaster Bujold

Storm Front, by Jim Butcher

I actually quite enjoyed this book. There were a few parts where the writing was weak, or a little hokey, but all in all it was a fun read. And I’ve heard that in further books, the plotting stays the same caliber and the writing gets better, so I’ve bought the next couple books in the series, and we shall see.

His Majesty’s Dragon, by Naomi Novik

The Fall of the Kings, by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman

Dust, by Elizabeth Bear

I have really mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the story, and the main characters were absolutely delightful. The setting and worldbuilding, I thought, were very unique and intriguing. Basically, I really really enjoyed it—until five pages from the end.

I’ve actually had this issue with Bear before. She writes really fantastic stories—and then completely and utterly fails to stick the landing. So, I’m torn between “the story is really good” and “the ending sucks rocks through barstraws”...

I did this in 2007, and it wasn’t too difficult, despite getting very behind several times. Now that I have no schoolwork and can read during my long commute, it should be a piece of cake in 2008. I considered increasing my goal to 75 for this year, but then decided that I didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on myself. I can read a book at a lazy pace, if I want to, and still finish it in a week. Instead, this year I want to review all of the books I read. I didn’t take the time to do that for any in 2007, but I always enjoy reading everyone’s comments on the books they read. So, that’s my goal for 2008: to read and review 50 books in 2008.

I’m looking forward to it!