Introverted Reader

2014 Reading by the Numbers

It appears that I didn't write this recap post last year. What a shame. No one else may be interested but I like looking back over my reading year! The StatsI set my GoodReads goal at 75 books for the year but I finished up with 90. Yay for me! That was largely due to the huge increase in audio books. I've previously only listened to them in the car or on my runs but I finally realized that I like listening to them as I putter about the house when I'm home alone as well. That somehow led to a huge increase. I listened to 25 audiobooks, up from 17 last year. I read 17 books on my nook, about the same as 2013. I can't help it--I just prefer my real books. The nook definitely has its place at the gym or on vacation though. I read 9 middle grade and 15 young adult novels. Those numbers increased a bit. My longest book was A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin at 978 pages. No surprise there. I read 20,069 pages, down about 2,000 from last year. But with an increase in audio books, I'm not sure that means anything. I read 39 books by men and 47 books by women. The other four were anthologies. I'm always surprised that I keep that fairly balanced. Categories The breakdown of the categories I read. I did not choose any re-reads as favorites, nor did I choose a book for more than one category. If I haven't reviewed a book yet, I linked to a synopsis. AudioRead: 25Favorite: The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood, narrated by Katherine Kellgren Banned/ChallengedRead: 6Favorite: The Witches by Roald Dahl ClassicsRead: 3Favorite: The Awakening by Kate Chopin…

0 Comments

January 6, 2015

Bookish Miscellany

Top Ten Books of 2014

I hate to say it, but 2014 was by and large just an average reading year for me. I read a lot of books I liked, some of them quite a lot, but I didn't actually rate anything five stars. I'm not sure what that means. Is my taste changing and my book choices aren't reflecting that? Have I set my standards too high, looking for books that will absolutely knock my socks off? I'm not sure. I hope I get this straightened out this year. So here are my top ten books of 2014. If I haven't reviewed the book, I've linked to a synopsis on GoodReads. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood, narrated by Katherine Kellgren--I adored this tale of the taming of three children who have been raised by wolves. I would have enjoyed it in print but Ms. Kellgren's narration put this one over the top for me. My favorite book of the year. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger--Gail Carriger can do no wrong in my eyes. The first book in her young adult series does not disappoint. There are gadgets aplenty, a fabulous heroine in young Sophronia, and appearances by young Lady Kingair and Genevieve Lefoux. In the Belly of the Bloodhound by L. A. Meyer, read by Katherine Kellgren--This is another can't-miss series for me. Irrepressible Jacky Faber never fails to delight me. Neither does narrator Katherine Kellgren. It's no coincidence that she narrated two of my top ten books of the year. She's amazing. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, read by George Guidall--The title alone practically guaranteed that I would enjoy this one. I worried for naive Chava as well as world-weary Ahmad. I was intrigued by this twist on a classic immigrant…

3 Comments

January 5, 2015

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Posted: Meeting the Authors: Kate DiCamillo Meeting the Authors: Rick Bragg Movie Review: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies--2 Stars I also posted my sign-ups for the Eclectic Reader Challenge, European Reading Challenge, and Banned Books Challenge. Read: Maus: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History--A re-read for book club. It's still five stars. Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began--Five stars as well. I won't write another review of these fantastic graphic novels, but please read them for yourself. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman--I've enjoyed listening to the BBC Radio 4 adaptation this week. You can listen free at the link for another couple of weeks. Currently Reading: Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye, read by Campbell Scott Up Next: I probably won't finish anything except the audio book this week. I don't know what I'll be in the mood for then. But I am finally up to #2 on the hold list for the audio book of Cress by Marissa Meyer! What are you reading this week? I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site. My opinions are completely my own.

7 Comments

January 5, 2015

Read more about the article <i>The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies</i> Movie Review

Screen and Stage Review

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Movie Review

My husband and I went to see the new Hobbit movie Saturday night. It's been 20+ years since I read the book so I haven't been plagued with the urge to compare it to the movies, which has been pretty nice. I've been able to just sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Then we got to the third movie. I've been wondering how such an average-sized book could possibly be made into a movie trilogy without ruining it. They saved the worst for last. Luis and I were both disappointed. I had a feeling we might be when the second movie just stopped right in the middle of everything. Well-written movies (or books for that matter) shouldn't have to rely on such blatant cliffhangers to keep viewers coming back. The third movie did pick up right where the third one left off but I knew we were in trouble when that particular scene ended within what felt like five minutes. What could possibly be left? Apparently just a bunch of seemingly endless fight scenes and a whole lot of stuff about Thorin losing his mind to "The Dragon's Sickness," i.e. greed. There was very, very, very little plot. I wrote on Facebook that the money they should have spent on a plot went toward the endless CGI war. I walked away feeling like I had watched a 2.5 hour battle. Of course there were smaller fights within the larger battles and those just got ridiculous. I'm sitting there as someone comes back for literally the fourth or fifth time after we thought he'd been killed off, muttering, "You've got to be kidding me." And then there was another individual fight that did not keep resurrecting one of the combatants but it managed to be even worse so then I'm sitting…

5 Comments

January 2, 2015

Book Review Lists

2015 Banned Books Challenge

I'm signing up for the Banned Books Challenge hosted at Buckling Bookshelves again. Obviously, the idea is to read banned or challenged books. I always read several for Banned Books Week anyway, so this is a natural fit for me. For more information or to sign up yourself, visit Buckling Bookshelves. I'm signing up as a Trouble-Maker, reading 3-5 banned books. I'll track my progress here. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury Update on January 1, 2016: I bombed this year! I was on vacation during Banned Books Week so I wasn't even thinking about reading banned books. Hopefully I'll do better next year. I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site. My opinions are completely my own.

0 Comments

January 1, 2015

Book Review Lists

2015 European Reading Challenge

I'm signing up for the European Reading Challenge hosted at Rose City Reader again. The gist: The idea is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books can be anything – novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, or any other genre. You can participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour. Here is the list, in alphabetical order: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City. I never do as well as I expect to with this challenge. I always meet my goal but I aim low. I think I read a lot of books set in Europe, and I kind of do, but they're all set in the UK or maybe France. I need to branch out a little. And that's why I keep signing up for this challenge! I'm signing up at the Honeymooner level--four European books. I'll track my progress here. For more details or to sign up, visit Rose City Reader. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (France) Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier (Ireland) The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (Sweden) The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak (Russia) Seriously Mum, What's an Alpaca? by Alan Parks (Spain) Passion of the Purple Plumeria by Lauren Willig, read by Kate Reading (United Kingdom) Update on…

1 Comment

December 31, 2014

Author Spotlight

Rick Bragg: Meeting the Authors

Yet again, I have no pictures. Rick Bragg came to speak about his new book, Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story at Malaprop's recently. I personally am not interested in Jerry Lee Lewis but I knew I had to go see Rick Bragg. I fell in love with his work when I read Ava's Man. What an experience! Ron Rash introduced Rick Bragg and a [...]

0 Comments

December 30, 2014

Book Review Lists

2015 Eclectic Reader Challenge

Shelleyrae at Book'd Out is hosting the Eclectic Reader Challenge again for 2015. The goal is to read 12 books across a variety of genres and expose ourselves to some books we might not have found otherwise. The categories this year are Retellings--Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier (Beauty & the Beast) A book set in a country starting with the letter S--The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (Sweden) PI Crime --The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, read by a full cast A novel published before you were born--My Ántonia by Willa Cather (1918) Contemporary romance--How to tell Toledo from the Night Sky by Lydia Netzer Fiction for foodies --First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen Microhistory (Non Fiction)--Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach Science Fiction set in space--The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury Sports (Fiction or Non fiction)--Rome, 1960: The Olympics that Changed the World by David Maraniss Featuring diversity--Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok, read by Grayce Wey Epistolary Fiction --Frances and Bernard by Carlene Bauer, read by Angela Brazil and Stephen R. Thorne Middle Grade/YA Adventure--Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger Some of these (Retellings, middle grade, before I was born) will be pretty easy. Others (Science fiction set in space, sports, food, microhistory) will be tough. But that's the whole idea of the challenge, right? Right. I'll track my progress here. My personal challenge will be to review more of the books that I read for this. Last year I only reviewed three! That's pathetic. For more details visit Book'd Out. Thanks to Shelleyrae for hosting again! Update on January 1, 2016: I completed the challenge, reading and reviewing all twelve books! Woohoo!

0 Comments

December 30, 2014

Author Spotlight

Meeting the Authors: Kate DiCamillo

Kate DiCamillo came to Spellbound Children's Bookshop, another local bookstore, recently. The space was packed with parents and children! It's hard to say which group was most excited. I'm terrible about taking pictures at these things so I don't have any to share. But Ms. DiCamillo was very kind and gracious and pretty funny. She asked the audience whether we wanted a reading or just a Q&A session and the group requested that she read from Because of Winn Dixie. I haven't read it before. As Ms. DiCamillo said, I tend to shy away from books about animals. I don't trust authors not to kill them off. Why can't we stop with a happily ever after for pets too? Then she answered quite a few questions from the audience, standing up on a step stool the whole time so we could see her. The signing line looked terrible but it was actually pretty organized and moved along pretty quickly. Ms. DiCamillo had agreed to sign as many books as we wanted and some people literally had a bag full. Holy cow. When I got to the front, she was very kind and when I said that her hand must be hurting she said no, she enjoyed seeing us all. I had The Tale of Despereaux and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane signed for myself and Flora & Ulysses signed for my niece. If you ever have the opportunity, I recommend that you go meet this talented author in person! I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site. My opinions are completely my own.

0 Comments

December 29, 2014

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and/or happy holiday and/or good week! I know I did. Posted: I posted the sign up pages for the three challenges I host. I try to keep my challenges attainable so you can read only one book and meet the challenge! If you're a fan, I do have higher levels in my challenges as well. I hope you see something you like and you decide to join me in one, two, or all! Books in Translation Reading Challenge Sign Up Nonfiction Reading Challenge Sign Up Southern Literature Reading Challenge Sign Up Read: The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves, read by Christopher Evan Welch Currently Reading: Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach--I read Stiff by this author several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm off to a good start with this one too. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman--This is a re-read for me and my choice for my book club's January read. None of them have ever read a graphic novel so I'm curious to see what they think of it. Up Next: I should finish Maus I quickly and move on to Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began. What can I say? My book club ladies were good sports when I insisted we had to read the whole story. I also just downloaded Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye, read by Campbell Scott. Can you believe that it just dawned on me that I'm on a mousy theme here? It was all done subconsciously! I guess I wanted some (hopefully) happy mice in the mix too.…

10 Comments

December 29, 2014