So far in 2013 I have read 173 books, 27 of which are by Terry Pratchett (cause of me being a speaker a the Discworld Convention). Even after such a binge, I am still eagerly looking forward to the next Discworld book on my list--only six more to go, and then I will have read the whole series in order of publication.
73 of the books I read came from the library, 55 were review copies, 8 were presents, and there were only three re-reads on the whole list (The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman--comfort reading about a grandmother who becomes a CIA agent; The False Prince, by Jennifer Nielsen, and Jinx, by Sage Blackwood). Which means that only 37 came from my tbr pile, and at that rate I will never get through it, and until I do, re-reading is going to have to keep taking a back seat.
Here are my favorite books of 2013 thus far, judged by the simple, and very personal, criteria of me imagining re-reading them (because, darn it, I am a Re-reader):
Brat Farrar, by Josephine Tey. A young man (Brat Farrar) assumes the place in a well-off English family of yesteryear of a boy thought to be dead. Brat Farrar turns out to be one of the most likable, nay even lovable (I would have crushed on him back in the day, now I feel maternal--that what having sons does to a person) characters I met all year. There's a mystery too--what really happened to the boy who dies? Don't read the end before it comes naturally--I did, to make sure Brat was alright, and found out too much. Note for other end-readers, so as to spare them from my mistake: Brat will be ok.
Astronaut Academy: Re-entry, by Dave Roman. I love the whimsical humor of this graphic novel series, and it's another in which I love the characters because of feeling maternal....
Night Watch, by Terry Pratchett. Although I haven't yet re-read this particular Discworld book, I almost feel as though I have, because it has played itself over in my mind so often while I have been doing other things. It made me cry.
The Bards of Bone Plain, by Patricia McKillip. Isn't it lovely when a book by someone who is already a favorite author exceeds your expectations? This one has everything I look for in McKillip--the old stories and musics, the images, the beauty of the writing, the characters I love, the mystery at the heart of the ancient land.
Jinx, by Sage Blackwood, which I have already read twice! Fine middle-grade fantasy, and I am so looking forward to everyone of this new author's future books!
There were lots of other books I enjoyed very much indeed--very good books, happy to recommend them, etc.-- but these are the ones I loved.
Night Watch is probably my favorite in the series and I love Jinx too.
ReplyDeleteI'm a rereader as well and blogging makes it SO HARD. Why are there so many new books to read? I have old favorites to relax with!
please can i get this book in my library at http://unn.edu.ng/library
DeleteWOW!
ReplyDeleteI just did my faves of the first half of 2013 so far, but I only had 62 to choose from. :)
And yep, blogging makes me miss re-reading too. I'm going to have to add Patricia McKillip to my list of authors to try though.
Loved Jinx and The False Prince, both were my favorites thus far and will defiantly read any new books they have coming out.
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm so impressed that you've already read 173 books. That is so amazing. I haven't read any of your favorites yet. I need to read Jinx.
ReplyDeleteI bow to your reading power. :)
ReplyDeleteI only recognized one book out of this list and it's JINX. But I have yet to read it though.
Holy cow! 173! I only just today made it to 42 books read. I don't even know if I'll meet my goal of 100 books for this year at this point. Kudos to you! And I have had Jinx on my wishlist forever it seems. I should definitely think about picking that one up now that you've added it to this list. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to see a McKillip on your list! It reminds me that I got the latest of hers for Christmas and have yet to crack it open. One day soon...
ReplyDeleteThis is an impressive list, not to mention your voracious appetite for middle grade novels. 173 is an awful lot. I wonder, do you have time for anything besides reading and this blog? You are definitely a force to watch. So glad I jumped on this site.
ReplyDelete)I am not at blogger any longer. I can be found at Kid Lit Reviews http://kid-lit-reviews.com
Thanks for stopping by! I am a fast reader...fortunatly, because reading and blogging actually take up less time than all the (more important) things of work and family and house!
DeleteI love Night Watch too...and it's very fun on a reread. The first time, I hadn't read the other City Guard books, so it was such a pleasure to come back again after I'd read the rest--and had context!
ReplyDeleteI like "Night Watch," too (Timeslip Tuesday for adults?), and I've reread "Brat Farrar" I don't know how many times! Looks like I definitely need to check out "Jinx."
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I finally got around to reading Brat! So many people had recommended it to me that I'm not at all sure why it took me so long...
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