1. The Dresden Files -- Read them, loved, them, and so obsessed that I found almost all the short stories that go in between the books. For my immediate reaction after reading Changes see this post.
2. Steig Larsson's Millennium Trilogy -- I have been trying to find them all summer, however they are constantly checked out as they seem to be the IT books of the summer. However, Tony, the library specialist from the Modern Languages Library is on the look out for their copy for me. He's such a nice guy.
3. Devil in the White City -- I started it in May and just finished yesterday (7/31). It isn't really that long of a book, it just moves a little slowly and is rather jumpy going from the architect to the serial killer to the insane assassin. Also, each chapter tries to end with a mini cliff hanger which gets tiresome after awhile. But all in all I really liked it, especially the little bits of sarcastic humor Larson threw in every once in awhile,
"No one saw Twain. He came to Chicago to see the fair but got sick and spent eleven days in his hotel room, then left without ever seeing the White City.
Of all people." (285)
I think my favorite quote about it was the Chicago Sun-Times one on the back of the book, "Larson is a historian with a novelist's soul."
4. Kathy Reichs' series -- I have started Deja Dead, the first book of the series and so far, I am unimpressed, especially in comparison to Bones. The characters aren't very engaging so far and it's a little too graphic for me. I will at least finish it, but if I don't end up liking it, I'm not going to read the others.
Update 8/11: I got through most of the book and just didn't care what happened. It's probably because I love Bones so much, but Reichs' characters seemed kind of flat and the attention to detail was a little too much for me.
5. Orwell's 1984 -- It's in my bag right now and I plan to start it today, as soon as I finish the other book I am currently reading (I'll get to that a little later).
Update 8/11: 1984 just stayed in my bag. I'm just not in the mood for disturbing, dystopian novel, as I'm already bummed enough that classes are starting up and my relative summer freedom is coming to an end.
6. A.S. Byatt's Possession -- I have it checked out from the library and will get to it, but it's a HUGE book, so I am not sure I will be able to finish it before classes start.
7. Italo Calvino -- I am currently reading the revised edition of The Path to the Spiders' Nests (finished 8/2) and so far it's okay. It reminds me For Whom the Bell Tolls a little. I prefer his more experimental fiction so I also checked out If on a winter's night a traveler.
8. The Woman in White -- I still have to catch up to Renae.
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| At least I have most of the books, and no those aren't all the Dresden Files. |
As mentioned in the May post, my reading this summer was not limited to the above list. In addition to the list I have read Namaah's Kiss and Namaah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey (just get past the sex goddess thing and it's an epic tale), Mercedes Lackey's The Sleeping Beauty (see this post), the graphic novel version of Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton, and a few trashy romances to rot my brain.
I really don't think I did too badly, considering all the time I've been at work, plus the TV I've watched as well and the blogs I read daily. But hopefully, I will finish the rest of the list in the next few weeks.
