read 52 books in 2009

It’s hard to be overly critical of any Terry Pratchett novel. His Discworld books are fabulous, mixing humor and satire beautifully. Unfortunately, the long wait for Unseen Academicals didn’t produce the fabulous story I had been hoping for.

It’s not that the story is bad, but the humor is on the light side. Several new characters are introduced in the story, which seems to put the focus on developing the characters rather than using familiar favorites to engage in witty banter and biting satire. The new characters are treated kindly and the story becomes more a lesson in accepting others despite differences than anything ironic. Which is fine and good, but when I read Pratchett, I want text that makes me laugh out loud. There was none of that here.

As mentioned though, any Terry Pratchett makes for a great book, so it’s hard to be too critical. It’s still an excellent story, just not up to par. According to his web site, it sounds like another Tiffany Aching novel is up next, so I’m hoping all the humor will be packed into that.

42. The Clothes on Their Backs – Linda Grant

I had to resort to an audiobook to make it through the New Testament, but it worked. While the reader was a bit dramatic, he helped keep people separate and gave appropriate emphasis in the correct places. I chose this translation because I had heard it was the most “scholarly” and it seemed to be pretty legitimate.

As for the New Testament itself, it was interesting to compare the actual writing to what preachers and conservative Christians think the Bible actually says. The strongest impression is found in the four gospels, where Jesus consistently preaches about love for all and getting along with one another. There’s no hate, but lots of emphasis on not judging other people. It’s sad how distorted this message becomes when in the mouths of the wrong people. Once you get into the letters of Paul and so forth, more of the judgmental ideas start to surface. But if you focus on what Jesus says, it’s really all about loving each other.

I think this needs several listens to really understand, so I look forward to going through it again at some point in the future.

Romantic fiction is not generally my genre of choice, but given that Radclyffe is a popular lesbian fiction writer, I thought it was necessary to give this a try.

Radclyffe has some great plot ideas, and this one is no different. Her ideas for situations are unique and capture the reader’s interest. Her characters aren’t quite as developed as they could be, but they are still different and interesting nonetheless, except for physical features, which seem to standardize with fit and slightly muscular.

That being said, Radclyffe gets stuck in the romance aspect of romance fiction a bit too much. Above All, Honor is actually on the light side of the romance, and because of that, is probably the best one in her Honor series. I much prefer contemplating the plot than hearing about what goes on under the sheets.

Of course, quite a few people think otherwise, so that is what makes Radclyffe popular. She delivers for her audience. However, I can’t help but be slightly disappointed that she doesn’t take a slightly more serious approach to fiction and fully explore her strong creativity for plots and stories that engage the reader, rather than write for the largest common denominator.

41. Tinkers – Paul Harding

This book is essential for any R.E.M. fan. It is a bit light on text to accompany the photographs, but it provides insight into the band nevertheless.

The amount and quality of the photographs seem superficial. Too many of the photos are taken while the band is on stage. Fans already get to see this side of R.E.M., so the pages would have been better spent with showing the band that typical fans don’t see. As they are, too few photos go beyond snapshot quality.

As a photographer myself, I have no doubt I could have produced better images that capture the spirit of R.E.M.. The poetry of their music deserves higher quality art. So while this book provides a taste of the band, it fails to really capture their soul and artistry.

My Quick Review:

I was hesitant to being the Tiffany Aching Adventure series by Terry Pratchett. I love his adult Discworld books so much, I was afraid his attempts at young adult fiction would be subpar and spoil his genius for me. After reading The Wee Free Men, I’m now just disappointed that I waited so long to read it.

While the familiar Discworld characters are absent, Pratchett’s fabulous writing is not. The new characters rank right up there with the Discworld characters and the plot is not watered down for younger readers. If anything, perhaps it’s not sufficiently different to account for younger readers.

The Wee Free Men are wonderful characters, complete with Scottish accents. Tiffany is also a wonderful new addition and has the makings of a wonderful, matter-of-fact, witch. Political and current events satire is missing, but the references to our own world is alive and strong and readers will enjoy making the connections.

Overall, another great book by Pratchett, in which he flaunts his writing range and mastery with ease.

This really isn’t my 34th book read – I’ve actually read more, but it’s taking time to write up my thoughts on them. So I’m starting with the one I finished most recently.

My quick Review:

Terry Pratchett is a remarkable writer, and Wintersmith is one of his finer books. It’s quite rare to read a book that makes me laugh out loud, but this one did so numerous times. While technically a young adult book, this reads just like all the other Discworld books. The main character just happens to be 13.
The witches in Pratchett’s books rank as his best characters, so following TIffany and her continued growth as a witch under the guidance of the elder witches is simply delightful. The Wee Free Men complement the witches perfectly. The witches use truth in wonderful sarcasm, while the Wee Free Men use it in complete innocence. Both result in great moments.
I highly recommend Wintersmith to any Pratchett fan, and to anyone who can appreciate the intelligent sarcasm and irony presented by his characters. Pratchett ranks up with the best writers ever. That’s hard praise to give someone who writes fantasy, but he stands apart in the mastery of telling a story that encompasses so much more.

38. Specials – Scott Westerfeld
39. Saving Grace – Clara Geraghty
40. French Kiss – Sarra Manning
41. Kiss and Make Up – Sarra Manning
42. Sealed with a Kiss – Sarra Manning
43. Are These My Basoomas – Louise Rennison
44. Practical Magic – Alice Hoffman
45. The Dirt – Motley Crue
46. Meet Me On Platform Eight – Carole Matthews
47. Ghost Girl – Torey Hayden
48. Dreamland – Sarah Dessen
49. Midnight In Manhatten – Francesca Delbanco
50. Library Of The Dead – Glenn Cooper
51. Son Of A Witch – Gregory Maguire
52. Vanishing Acts – Jodi Picoult.

And also Lucas – Kevin Brooks, Last Chance Cafe – Sarah Dessen and the 13 and a half lives of Captain Bluebear (a novel). =]
52.

My 27th book for 2009 was NOT LOST FOREVER, by Carmina Salcido, which I described on my blog.

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