What are you reading?

Okay, so my resolve to post more about my reading didn't last very long. I'll blame it on Monday, since that IS the night my gaming group gathers, and there's usually at least one person who stays late. (You know who you are.)

Okay, so it's actually my own fault.

Anyway, I've been reading bunches and bunches of books. Physical books, ebooks (thanks to my iPad), audiobooks, podcast novels…I love books. If I went back over everything I've read since the last time I posted, we would run into a few problems.

• You would run away before I made it a quarter of the way through my list.
• You would decide I was even more insane that you thought.
• I can't remember EVERYTHING I've read.

So, recently finished books it is.

Lamplighter (Monster Blood Tattoo #2) by D.M. Cornish
I love these books. The setting is intriguing and original–a bit steampunk, a bit medieval, with a good dose of oddball semi-organic primitive technology. Plus, the characters are well developed with distinctive personalities. My husband's only complaint is that the hero, Rossamund Bookchild, doesn't seem like a fifteen-year-old boy. I'm okay with it, because at his age in this setting, young people are out working as soldiers, risking their lives fighting bogles (deadly monsters). I think that would sort of skip over much of what we associate with the teen years. I can't wait to read book three, which comes out this month in Australia and New Zealand, and next month in the US, UK, and Canada. (I'm not going to give the title, because the title of each book is Rossamund's profession during that book. It would be a bit of a spoiler.

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins
Like The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay are emotionally harsh. I'm not kidding; lots of characters you come to adore will suffer in grueling, cruel ways, physically and mentally. Some will die.

Strike that; many of them will die. In fact, the games are supposed to end with only one person out of twenty-four still alive. They entire idea is to kill lots of people in a highly entertaining fashion. The entire point of the books is to fight against it.

Despite the gruesome premise, the books are all wonderful. The struggle to overcome a great, pervasive evil is riveting, as is Katniss, the heroine. I find the battle to win over the hearts of the people, inspiring them to join in fighting the corrupt, evil government at least as interesting as the physical battle. (I waited to read Catching Fire until Mockingjay was released because I couldn't stand to wait between them!)

If you can take it emotionally, I highly recommend the series.

New Spring (Wheel of Time prequel) by Robert Jordan
I reread New Spring late last month, as part of the run-up to the release of Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time #13) on November 2. I finished all the other books, but wanted more WoT, and realized that I had only read New Spring once!

As a result, I think I gleaned more from it than any of the other re-reads. The first time through was when it was first released, so a lot has happened in the series since them. Insights into the characters of Morraine, Lan, Elaida, and Siuan (even glimpses of Liandrin) have been illuminating. Certain events that start in The Gathering Storm involving Lan make the bits of Malkieri custom, from a time closer to the fall of Malkier, especially enlightening.

I highly recommend it for all fans of the Wheel of Time; it still shocks me that some haven't read it! And of course, I recommend that all fans of epic fantasy give the Wheel of Time a shot. Not that I'm biased…

Distinctions: The Prologue to Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time #13) by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
I heard one section of the Prologue to ToM at Dragon*Con, read by Brandon, and couldn't resist buying this on my iPad, through the Kindle app. I loved it. It has made me even more excited about the release of Towers of Midnight in just over three weeks! Of course, now chapter one is posted for free on Tor.com. I will say this: it's excellent!

Nim's Island
This is a "middle readers" book. That means about fifth through seventh or eighth grades. I enjoyed it, and finished it quickly. The setting is interesting, and all the characters, human and (non-speaking) animal, are fun. Totally clean and age-appropriate. It could almost convince me that living almost alone on a tiny, remote island would be fun!

Current Reads
Greywalker
The Way of Kings* (Stormlight Archive #1) by Brandon Sanderson
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
The Outsider by Ann H. Gabhart (Kindle app)
Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott
Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart
The Herbal Body Book: A Natural Approach to Healthier Skin, Nails, and Hair by Stephanie L. Toules

*I've been reading The Way of Kings since I got home from Dragon*Con. I am absolutely forcing myself to prolong it. I have definitely enjoyed it, but it helps that it's a huge book, and I'm afraid of damaging it. So I only let myself read it at home.

Loving the Fall!

For most of my life, summer was my favorite time of year! As a kid, it was easy: summers meant no school, which translated to lots of fun time with my mom, siblings, and (until I was twelve or so) my cousin. Lots of time at the pool, and constant trips to the library for more books. Add in Girl Scout day camp and occasional summer camp, and it's a clear choice. Plus, I have a summer birthday. :D

Even when summer meant more time at my part-time job, I was still a die-hard fan of summer. Even summer classes during my very extended college years didn't change that.

But over the last few years, I've come to really love the fall. There are awesome fall festivals everywhere, and the weather is so wonderful: still warm, but breezy and not nearly as humid. The North Georgia mountains are so beautiful, too, come fall, with all the leaves changing. (I'm also a big fan of Halloween, as well as all the winter squashes like sweet dumpling squash.)

Of course, it helps that I am absolutely addicted to hats of all sorts and interesting socks. Summer is so very hot in Georgia that I don't wear socks unless I am hiking, and only straw hats or cotton canvas bucket hats are bearable.

This year, I've already been to the Atlanta Arts Festival (where I browsed but didn't buy) and the Duluth Fall Festival, which is small but one of my favorites! It rained on us, but we still had a blast. I bought my usual supply of handmade soaps from Thistle Ridge Soap out of Walhala, South Carolina and my favorite huckleberry honey from Allen White of Dalton, Georgia. I also bought my first Christmas gift of the year, for my mom.

Tonight I'm headed to the Atlanta Greek Festival, for souvlaki, pastries (yum), music, and street dancing, my favorite part! (I hope I remember the dances; I usually forget half of it!) Next weekend we head to Andy's Trout Farm in Clayton, Georgia with my husband's family, including three of my four nephews. I think we are planning a side trip to Helen for Oktoberfest (which is actually over in Germany!), but I'm not sure.

Hope you're enjoying your fall as much as I am!

Another Book Challenge: Support Your Local Library 2010

So you might have noticed that I like reading challenge. It's because I love books, and it's fun to find new ways to stretch my horizons.

My latest challenge is again from J. Kaye's book blog: the 2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge.

Here's the challenge in a nutshell: read twenty-five books checked out from your local library. That's it! I've already read six or so, but I kept forgetting to actually enroll in the challenge.

So now it's done. Stay tuned as I update my list.

It's Tuesday; what are you reading - 03.16.2010

Yes, I know I'm a day late with this.

So I think I need to change the direction of my reading. A summary of my last week and a half of reading:

Unwind by Neal Shusterman
A story set in the future United States, where all life is protected from conception to age thirteen. From the age of thirteen to eighteen, parents or guardians may choose to "unwind" a life, where the body is dismantled and at least 99.44% of it is reused. This way, the unwanted individual is never ended but is instead divided.

Wonderful characters, intriguing plot, emotionally wrenching. Tragic yet with a note of hope.

The Giver by Lois Lowry
This story is set in the future, an advanced enough future that they are able to institute sameness. Everything is flat; there is no color, and emotion is very, very dulled, except for a few, isolated individuals. Sameness is enforced–terminally if necessary.

Great plot, well-developed characters, emotionally wrenching with a very sad, tragic ending.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Again in the future United States. The country fell apart in the past, dividing into thirteen districts and ruled from the Capitol. Over seventy years earlier, the poor districts rebelled against the Capitol. They were utterly defeated, and District Thirteen was totally wiped out.

To remind the districts of how much they're under the control of the Capitol, they instituted the Hunger Games. Once each year, the Capitol has a massive "festival" nationwide, with a mass gathering mandatory in each district. At the festival, the names of each child age twelve through eighteen are placed in two glass balls (one for boys, one for girls). One boy and one girl are chosen in each district, and those two "tributes" are whisked away to the Capitol. They are given the "honor" of participating in the Hunger Games, where only one can survive. It's proceeded by a week of testing and interviews, which is televised to the nation. (Again, mandatory viewing.) If the tributes impress the audience, sponsors can pay to drop a gift to that kid–tools, food, medicine, clothes, weapons. So the kids must each put on a good show, or else they'll die fast.

The main characters, Katniss and Peeta, are from District Twelve (Appalachia), one of the poorest districts. The Capitol, by contrast, is rich and frivolous, and very technologically advanced, which highlights the cruelty of their rule.

A full cast of well-developed characters. Brutal plot. Redemption. Emotionally wrenching from beginning to end.

Incantation by Alice Hoffman
My husband bought me this audiobook for Christmas. It is set in Spain, at the beginning of the Spanish Inquisition. Sixteen-year-old Estrella deMadrigal lives in a pleasant, peaceful village that's experiencing the first rumblings of serious persecution against Jews, especially "hidden Jews". Some families had pretended to convert to Catholicism generations earlier, after authorities had taken their children, to ensure their return. My husband and I have just reached the point where the executions (murders, really) are beginning.

Masterfully told. Perfectly captures the feeling of the age. Sad, sad, sad.

Give me comedy! I can't take another book like this! Maybe I can find a Robert Aspirin MYTH novel I haven't read yet…because I've read all the Discworld novels in the past five months.

I'm also reading Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson. Not nearly the emotional toll of the other three, but still not light and cheery. (It's excellent; I can't wait to find out what happens to Elantris and the main characters. Like any good book, I also don't want it to end.)

Current non-fiction reads:
The Organic Garden: Green and Easy by Allan Shepherd
1 Dough, 100 Cookies by Linda Doeser
Gardening with Native Plants of the South by Sally Wasowski

Defining Drian, or How to Figure Out Your Character's Identity

I've been playing D&D (that's Dungeons and Dragons, for those of you not into the gaming thing), off and on for, well, years. Right now I'm in an intermittent, extended campaign with a couple of our closest friends. My character is Drian, a second level half-elven cleric. (That's a healer.)

Tonight our party found itself disagreeing over our course of action. As a player, I had certain ideas about the wise thing to do. But I'm not Drian; I'm me. Drian doesn't know what I know about her world.

To figure out her stance on the issue, I had to figure out who she was. That's pretty incredible, because I usually have a full back story and a personality worked out before the first session. Somehow, that didn't happen this time.

Defining a character can be a bit intimidating to a new player. I spent literally weeks agonizing over Xandria the elven cleric-sorceress, my first character. So I thought it might help some new gamer out there if I worked through my process on the web. Here we go.…

Drian is a cleric.
Perhaps nothing else defines Drian so much as her chosen vocation, a cleric. As a cleric, she cares for her party, healing them when they need it, and calling on her god to bless and protect them in difficult situations. As such, she feels very responsible for them. Very, very responsible. In fact, the mental, physical, and spiritual welfare of her allies is second only to her duty to her god, Pelor.

Drian serves Pelor.
Pelor is the god of the sun, and by extension the god of summer, agriculture, and time. His clerics are sworn to uphold the cause of good, and to battle the undead. Such beings are anathema to him, having left behind the natural order of things. They are called to help the helpless wherever they can, and stand vigiliant against evil. Did I mention really, really hates undead?

Drian is good.
Okay, I lied before; this is Drian's most defining characteristic. Everything else plays out around it. Above all else, Drian wants to do what's right; it's why she's a cleric, instead of a merchant or an artisan. It's why she's an adventurer, heading out into every kind of dangerous and unpredictable situation when she could settle down in a nice, safe village or city to serve in Pelor's temple.

Drian is a cultural half-elf.
As a half-elf, Drian has been reconciling two different natures all her life. Half-elves are not elves, and they are not humans, yet they are both. Many half-elves are conflicted, torn between the two societies yet never fully accepted by either. However, Drian was raised in a half-elf community, with a distinctive racial identity. Being raised among people who were comfortable with both races, in a society where each half-elf is encouraged to integrate the aspects of humanity and of elvenkind that best fit them, she's confident and adaptable. She's also more able to relate to someone with a different point of view, making her a natural diplomat and quite insightful. Oh, did I mention that most half-elves dabble in other professions? Well, Drian spent enough time with the warlock down the street to pick up a thing or two.

That's only one part of the picture, though. Drian is also defined by her ability scores and skills. They define her strengths and weaknesses, as well as her areas of interest.

Strength: 14
With a strength of 14, Drian's not the greatest fighter. However, she's not especially weak, so she's not helpless; her mace shows enough wear to make that clear. But fighting's definitely not her strongest suit…

Constitution: 12
Drian's constitution is about average for an adventurer, which is just slightly above average for a regular person. It means she has more than enough endurance to carry a good set of gear (including bearing up under the added weight of a fair amount of armor), and she's not especially fragile. Combine that with strength, and she can stand to put herself in harm's way if necessary to get into position to help a wounded ally or innocent. She'll do it, too, if they need her.

Dexterity: 11
Good thing Drian never wanted to be an archer, because she's not especially dexterous. In fact, she's a bit less so that the typical adventurer. Fortunately, her party members aren't counting on her to pick off distant targets, even if she does carry a crossbow; the party's fighter is much better at that. But she has to hope she doesn't get into a situation where fancy footwork is called for, because she's not cut out for dodging attacks or balancing on a precarious ledge! (She would also make a terrible sneak thief, by the way, if she were the type.)

Intelligence: 12
Drian's book smarts are a bit above the average person's, but dead average for an adventurer. She's certainly not dumb, but she doesn't have an extensive education or a head for obscure facts. The only areas where she shines are the arcane, history and religion, and that's only because of her religious training. But where did she learn to speak and read giant, of all things?

Wisdom: 16
Ah yes, now we're getting to areas where Drian shines! She may not be the most intelligent, but she's got more than her fair share of street smarts. She's also quite empathetic (that's useful in healer), and very self-disciplined. If someone in her party is going to pick up on the subtle clues that indicate danger in the making or get a read on the stranger they encounter on the road, chances are it will be her.

Charisma: 15
And with a high charisma, she'll probably do well getting that stranger to trust her. She's persuasive, with a strong personality and innate leadership abilities. Combine that with her diplomacy skills, and she's a good choice to represent the party, if the party leader isn't available. In a pinch, she may even be able to intimidate those standing in their way; they're less likely to see through her bluffs.

Week 2: It's Monday; what are you reading?

Well, week two for me of participating in J. Kaye's It's Monday; what are you reading?

It's been a busy, Pratchett-filled week! I finished Jingo, which was fun. I have also finished The Last Continent, The Fifth Elephant, Carpe Jugulum, and The Truth. I've started Thief of Time, but I'm nearly a quarter of the way into it and it's just not interesting me. (Blasphemy, I know!)

I'm also reading Mrs. Sharp's Traditions: Reviving Victorian Family Celebrations of Comfort & Joy. I've been reading it a chapter or so at a time, and I like what she says about a home being a refuge, a source of comfort and calm. Though I do really well in the cooking and craft areas, and fairly well in the fiber arts area, and I'm great at figuring out how to use space, I'm terrible at keeping up with it. I'm using this to try and stay motivated.

My husband and I finished our audiobook (Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke), and started a new one: Tiger by Jeff Stone. It's the first book in the Five Ancestors series.

I enjoyed Inkheart. After reading it last year, it was interesting to hear it as an audiobook! I keep forgetting that it's actually a translation from German…if only the translations of the classics from Ancient Greek were so well done!

Tiger I'm not so sure about. The synopsis on the case seems like it should be interesting, but in some ways it comes off as a caricature of Asian literature. It's jsut a little too stereotypical, if you know what I mean.

Oh, I'm also reading Singer's Crown. Very good book. :)

Week 1: It's Monday; what are you reading?

I'm a fan of J. Kaye's Book Blog. She does several reading challenges each year; last March she started a weekly event called "It's Monday; what are you reading?"

Sounds like fun; wish I had found it before!

I've been on a Discworld kick; in the last month and a half, I've read about a dozen of them. (Gotta love Terry Pratchett!)

My husband and I are listening to the audiobook of Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. I read it last year, but my husband the media specialist happened across it at the public library. We're about three-quarters done, and I'm really enjoying the reading.

Today I finished Hogfather, which is hilarious. It's the Discworld take on Santa Claus. But of course, since we're talking Discworld, it's pretty odd. Especially when Death and Death of Rats get involved, dragging Death's adopted granddaughter into things. (I really wanted to get to this one before Christmas, but c'est la vie. At least it's still technically the Christmas season, since Epiphany/Twelfth Night isn't until tomorrow.)

Then I started the next book, Jingo, at lunch. This one is a reread for me. In true Discworld fashion, it takes all those legends of lost or sunken continents, throws in some mindless nationalism, and brings it through insanity and out the other side. It also gives Leonard of Quirm, the Ankh Morpork version of Leonardo da Vinci, a prominent role. (I love his names for stuff…like the "Going Under the Water Machine", for a submarine!)

I'm also reading The Bread Machine Cookbook. Tonight I'm going to take on Honey Whole Wheat Bread for the second time.

Also, I've decided to give up on the One Year Bible thing, since it never works for me. Instead, I'm going to try to read The Old Testament this year, and the New Testament next year. (I was inspired by our Minister of Administration, who is doing a two year plan for the Bible.) I'm in Genesis, which I always find fascinating.

That's really it for right now.

Signed up for the 2010 100+ Book Challenge

For the second year, I'm signing up for J. Kaye's 2010 Book Challenge! Last year I exceeded my goal: I counted one hundred twenty-three books in 2009. And I missed some books, during the madness that was buying a house (July) and my usual November madness, so I know I read at least one hundred twenty-five; probably more. Thinking about it, it had to be more, because I certainly read more than four books in November!

I loved doing this; I always read tons of books, but I never really remember when I read what. This took care of that problem! (Well, for the most part…)

I had a bunch of books I never finished reading this year. So I'm going to set those aside, to either add to the abandoned list or start over with later. Well, I finished up the last chapter of Feet of Clay at 2 am on New Year's Day, so that will count for last year. :)

If you want to join me, sign up at J. Kaye's blog!

By the way, books marked with an asterisk are audiobooks.

January 2010 (11 books)

• Hogfather (Discworld #20) by Terry Pratchett
• Jingo (Discworld #21) by Terry Pratchett
• The Last Continent (Discworld #22) by Terry Pratchett
• Carpe Jugulum (Discworld #23) by Terry Pratchett
• The Fifth Elephant (Discworld #24) by Terry Pratchett
• The Truth (Discworld #25) by Terry Pratchett
• The Last Hero* (Discworld #27) by Terry Pratchett
• Inkheart* by Cornelia Funke
• The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (Discworld #28) by Terry Pratchett
• Night Watch (Discworld #29) by Terry Pratchett
• The Singer's Crown by Elaine Isaak

February 2010 (13 books)

• Star Wars: Soldier for the Empire
• Star Wars: Rebel Agent
• Star Wars: Jedi Knight
• Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
• Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia
• Star Wars: Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell
• Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
• War of the Worlds Audio Drama
• Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia
• Star Wars: Soldier for the Empire
• Star Wars: Rebel Agent* (Checked out fr library; horrible full cast recording, with cheesy sound effects–especially the moaning voices on the planet–and overdone evilness from the Dark Jedi)
• Northhanger Abbey
• Star Wars: Jedi Knight

March 2010 (6 books; several missing)

• Heist Society by Ally Carter
• Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
• Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson
• Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) by Brandon Sanderson
• Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) by Brandon Sanderson
• The Warrior's Apprentice (Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold

April 2010 (3 books; many missing)

• The Gathering Storm (The Wheel of Time #12) by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
• I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You (Gallagher Girls #1) by Ally Carter
• A Way with Words II: Approaches to Literature by Michael D. C. Drout

May 2010 (10 books)

• The Season
• Distant Waves: a Novel of the Titanic by Suzanne Weyn
• Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
• Lord of Chaos (Wheel of Time #6) by Robert Jordan
• Unwind by Neal Shusterman
• The Hunger Games (Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins
• Mike McGrath's Book of Compost by Mike McGrath
• The Roar by Emma Clayton
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• Victoriana Player's Handbook

June 2010 (7 books; several missing)

• The Vor Game (Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold
• Mountains of Mist (Vorkosigan Saga) by Lois McMaster Bujold
• You Can't Judge a Girl By Her Cover (Gallagher Girls #3) by Ally Carter
• Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Gallagher Girls #4) by Ally Carter
• The Path of Daggers (Wheel of Time #7) by Robert Jordan
• Dracula* by Bram Stoker
• Preserving Summer's Bounty: A Quick and Easy Guide to Freezing, Canning, Preserving, and Drying What You Grow by Susan McClure

July 2010 (8 books; a few missing)

• Ringworld by Larry Niven
• The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (Twilight novella) by Stephenie Meyer
• Water for Elephants* by Sara Gruen
• There's a Monster at the End of This Book
• Dead Until Dark (Southern Vamp Mysteries #1) by Charlaine Harris
• Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vamp Mysteries #2) by Charlaine Harris
• Club Dead (Southern Vamp Mysteries #3) by Charlaine Harris
• Dead to the World (Southern Vamp Mysteries #4) by Charlaine Harris

August 2010 (12 books)

• Dead as a Doornail (Southern Vamp Mysteries #5) by Charlaine Harris
• Definitely Dead (Southern Vamp Mysteries #6) by Charlaine Harris
• All Together Dead (Southern Vamp Mysteries #7) by Charlaine Harris
• From Dead to Worse (Southern Vamp Mysteries #8) by Charlaine Harris
• Dead and Gone (Southern Vamp Mysteries #9) by Charlaine Harris
• Dead in the Family (Southern Vamp Mysteries #10) by Charlaine Harris
• Time Travelers Never Die* by Jack McDevitt
• Rendevous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
• Barefoot in the Park
by Neil Simon
• The Passage* by Justin Cronin
• Slightly Shady by Amanda Quick
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (HP #5) by J.K. Rowling

September 2010 (14 books)

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HP #6) by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows (HP #7) by J.K. Rowling
• Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
• Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (HP #1) by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (HP #2) by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (HP #3) by J.K. Rowling
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (HP #4) by J.K. Rowling
• Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins
• Mockingjay* (Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins
• A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman
• Princess Academy* by Shannon Hale
• You See but You Do Not Observe
• Catch a Rising Star by Tracey Bateman
• The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint

October 2010 (8 books)

• New Spring (Wheel of Time prequel) by Robert Jordan
• Nim's Island by Wendy Orr
• Lamplighter (Monster Blood Tattoo #2) by D. M. Cornish
• Greywalker (Greywalker #1) by Kat Richardson
• The Herbal Body Book: A Natural Approach to Healthier Skin, Nails, and Hair by Stephanie L. Toules
• Belgarath the Sorceror (Belgariad series) by David and Leigh Eddings
• Pawn of Prophecy (Belgariad #1) by David Eddings
• Queen of Sorcery (Belgariad #2) by David Eddings

November 2010 (9 books; a few missing)

• Magician's Gambit (Belgariad #3) by David Eddings
• Castle of Wizardry (Belgariad #4) by David Eddings
• Enchanter's Endgame (Belgariad #5) by David Eddings
• The Wisewoman by Philippa Gregory
• Take a Thief (Valdemar series) by Mercedes Lackey
• Exile's Honor (Valdemar series) by Mercedes Lackey
• Arrows of the Queen (Valdemar series) by Mercedes Lackey
• Arrow's Flight (Valdemar series) by Mercedes Lackey
• The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downey Hahn
• Arrow's Fall (Valdemar series) by Mercedes Lackey

December 2010

• The Outsider by Ann H. Gabhart (Kindle app)
• Winds of Fate (Valdemar series) by Mercedes Lackey
• Dune (Dune #1) by Frank Herbert
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo* (Millennium #1) by Stieg Larson
• The Boleyn Inheritance (Tudor series) by Philippa Gregory
  
• Fire (Graceling #2) by Kristin Cashore

Currently Reading

• The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) by Brandon Sanderson
• The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
• Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott
• Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart
• Mrs. Sharp's Tradtions: Reviving Victorian Family Celebrations Of Comfort & Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach
• The Warrior's Heir (Heir Trilogy #1) by Cinda Williams Chima
  

Abandoned

• Thief of Time* (Discworld, Book 26) by Terry Pratchett
• Tiger* (The Five Ancestors, Book 1) by Jeff Stone
• The Gearhart*

In the Queue

• Confessions by Saint Augustine
• Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith