I've been seeing this 52 Books in 52 Weeks thing popping up all over and it got me to thinking about how I rarely read actual books anymore. It's almost all fanfic of late. So I'm making a conscious effort to try some real novels. I don't know if I'll get to 52 or manage one a week, but there's got to be some really good books out there I'm missing. I'm thinking a running list might help. So far:


March 2009

(01)Week 1: Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn - The problem with this one is that I just didn't give a rat's ass about Kitty. Stuff happened, but I can't really recall what or be bothered to care.

(02)Week 2: His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik - The first book in the Temeraire series and I am so glad I picked this one up. It was just charming. I've placed my order for the rest of the series and am anxiously awaiting their arrival. Hallelujah for grown up characters!

(03)Week 3: The Nymphos of Rocky Flats by Mario Acevedo - My total reaction to this one is just, 'meh.' I was expecting funny, but it fell flat. The mystery/detective work angle was pretty weak too.

(04)Week 4: The Wrecks of Time by Michael Moorcock - It's not bad but is very dated. In 1967, when it was originally published, it was probably a pretty interesting idea. Now days it's no surprise.


April 2009

(00)Week 5: No books. I read a lot of Due South fanfic.

(05)Week 6: Stargate Atlantis: Rising by Sally Malcolm - Just a novelization of the first episode of SGA, but it had some pretty good POV stuff and the author did have a really good grasp on the characters. You could tell she really is a big fan of the show.

(06)Week 7: Death of a Glutton by M.C. Beaton - Kind of the standard group of quirky people on holiday in a small town and one of them is killed mystery. I really like Hamish Macbeth and although I've read better mysteries, it wasn't a bad whodunit.

(00)Weeks 8 & 9: More Due South fanfic plus some Stargate Atlantis fic.


May 2009

(07)Week 10: Downtown by Ed McBain - Sort of wacky adventure through downtown New York. I enjoyed it. Not a lot in the way of engaging characters or intriguing plot, but there were plenty of clever turns of phrase and some pretty decent one liners.

(00)Week 11: More fanfic. And Amazon had a DVD sale.

(00)Week 12: Watched Battlestar Galactica's first season.

(08)Week 13: Ill Wind by Rachel Caine - This one follows the urban-fantasy/supernatural-tough-chick formula, but with a truly original execution. 1) It's weather wardens and djinn rather than vampires and werewolves--a brand new supernatural set up that works surprisingly well. 2) The main character wasn't a Mary Sue--at least not yet. I'll definitely pick up the next book in the series.


June 2009

(00)Week 14: Re-watched SGA Season 3, Read some Merlin fic

(09)Week 15: Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik - This is the second Temeraire book. I think this one was even better than the first. I thought the desciptions of China and the totally different way they viewed dragons was just fascinating.

(00)Week 16: Re-watched SGA Season 4, Watched NCIS Season 1

(00)Week 17: Finished re-watching SGA Season 4, plus NCIS Season 2


July 2009

(00)Week 18: Started SGA Season 5, reading Star Trek reboot fic, NCIS Season 3

(10)Week 19: Black Powder War by Naomi Novik - Third Temeraire book. I found this one a little slow. However I suspect that's because I'm not really interested in desert travel or Turkey which was the setting for much of this one. When they got to Prussia it picked up a bit. I'm really looking forward to the next one where they finally get back to Britain.

(00)Week 20: NCIS Season 4, more Star Trek Kirk/Spock fic

(11)Week 21: The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan - This one is by one of my favorite HP fanfic writers, so I've been looking forward to it ever since she announced publication on her blog. It didn't disappoint. Interesting world creation, snappy dialogue, and a solid plot. The best part was the main character who was a top notch anti-hero--not at all the run of the mill protagonist. The big reveal was perhaps not quite as much of a surprise as it should of been, kind of obvious from about half way through. Otherwise it was an excellent book, very entertaining.

(00)Week 22: NCIS Season 5, organizing my DS & SGA fic links


August 2009

(00)Week 23: Battlestar Galactica

(00)Week 24: More Battlestar Galactica

(12)Week 25: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett - First of the Discworld Novels. It was mildly amusing. I'm happy I read it just for the classic of fantasy factor. But, I don't think I'll be picking up any of the further installments.

(13)Week 26: Partners in Crime 1: Boy Meets Body by Josh Lanyon and Sarah Black - Actually two novellas rather than a novel. The Josh Lanyon one was cute. It was his usually delicate author solves a mystery with the help of his cop boyfriend, but the mystery made sense and the romance part was sweet. The Sarah Black novella was very amateur. The writing was packed with florid similies and metaphors and she did a lot of telling rather than showing. It was not professional quality writing.