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mehitabels continues to neglect family for fiction

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message 1: by Valissa (last edited Dec 23, 2011 07:18AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) I was far more confident in my neglecting abilities than I actually managed, the downfall of having a wonderful family. I'll tone it down a bit but still aim higher than last year! Now if I could only figure out a way to read while exercising . . .

message 2: by LynnB (new)

LynnB Love your title!

Journeywoman | 36 comments How to read while exercising--Audiobooks!

message 4: by Vicky (new)

Vicky (ladyvictoria5) | 98 comments I agree with Journeywoman. However, I do better with the old-fashioned tape players than the discs. Since I'm now into disc (finished most of the books on tape at the library) I put the disc into a stand alone player and turn it very high while I'm on the treadmill. That creates a different problem--I can't exercise unless I'm the only one in the house! Excuses, excuses!

message 5: by Valissa (last edited Sep 06, 2011 05:06AM) (new)

message 6: by Valissa (last edited Mar 06, 2011 06:21PM) (new)

message 7: by Valissa (last edited Sep 06, 2011 05:07AM) (new)

message 8: by Valissa (last edited Sep 06, 2011 05:07AM) (new)

message 9: by Valissa (last edited Sep 06, 2011 05:07AM) (new)

message 10: by Valissa (last edited Sep 06, 2011 05:07AM) (new)

message 11: by Valissa (last edited Sep 06, 2011 05:07AM) (new)

message 12: by Valissa (last edited Sep 06, 2011 05:07AM) (new)

message 13: by Valissa (last edited Oct 09, 2011 09:05AM) (new)

message 14: by Valissa (last edited Nov 01, 2011 01:25PM) (new)

message 15: by Valissa (last edited Dec 20, 2011 11:00AM) (new)

message 16: by Valissa (last edited Dec 26, 2011 05:36AM) (new)

message 17: by Valissa (last edited Jan 23, 2011 07:47AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) 1. Fated by S.G. Browne Fated by S.G. Browne 01/02/11 - excellent, among the new fad of writing about mythological characters, gods, and creatures, this book was a fun and silly boyish book. I ran across it on the new fiction shelf at the library, and it reminds me to thank my local librarians.

message 18: by Valissa (last edited Mar 06, 2011 06:22PM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) Spook Country (Bigend, #2) by William Gibson

01/05/11 - Spook Country by William Gibson
a reread, since my husband got the 2nd book for xmas (so what's his is mine, what's the problem). had completely forgotten the ending, which made for excellent surprise and enjoyment.

message 19: by Valissa (last edited Mar 06, 2011 06:22PM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) One for the Money (Stephanie Plum, #1) by Janet Evanovich

01/06/11 - One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
gotta love the book swap, for some reason the local library doesn't have the first of many mystery series, which makes me crazy. lightly enjoyable.

message 20: by Valissa (last edited Mar 06, 2011 06:23PM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

01/08/11 - A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
as a book for kids, excellent. a fun voice, with creepy asides, plus some very original and gory Grimm fairy tales. Certainly the better of modern attempts to introduce kids to original stories.

message 21: by Valissa (last edited Mar 06, 2011 06:24PM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

01/13/11 - Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner
very interesting. perhaps I've read too many tween books lately, there seems to be a lot of them about, which does raise the question of who exactly is reading them, but this had some very interesting aspects. the build up for the trilogy is a little juvenile, but I am quite sure I will find myself reading the next one too.

message 22: by Valissa (last edited Mar 06, 2011 06:25PM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) The Kills (Fairstein, Linda) by Linda Fairstein

6. 01/15/11 - The Kills by Linda Fairstein
Love the bookswap! this wasn't bad, as far as mysteries go. I felt there were too many characters, too many mysteries, but she maintained and there was only one part that I scoffed at. nice easy and very entertaining for a sick day read.

Valissa (mehitabels) Freedom and Necessity by Steven Brust

7. Freedom and Necessity Steven Brust & Emma Bull - 01/18/11 - this enormous book took me forever to read, but after reading Territory by Emma Bull I had to pull this off my shelf where it had been languishing for years.
excellent, interesting, weirdly magical, and fascinatingly historical. I know more know about the Chartists movement than I ever learned in history class. and I've met characters I long to see again . . . alas and dammit.

Stacie (stacieh) | 247 comments You are not good for my resolution to make a dent in my TBR pile... I just added 3 of yours to my list ;p

Valissa (mehitabels) doh! I have to limit my review of other readers for that very reason. the book swap doesn't help either! but I-can't-stop!

message 26: by Valissa (last edited Feb 20, 2011 08:08AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) Blind Spot by Terri Persons

8. Blind Spot by Terri Persons

well, poot. I was really hoping that this would be better. strangely appealing premise, and moderately interesting criminal, oh, and a very intriguing main character cliff-hanger, but even added all together, felt like a freshman effort.

message 27: by Valissa (last edited Feb 03, 2011 04:16PM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

9.Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

2/1/2011 - This was fantastic, funny, charming, interesting. I am actually excited for further stories in this world. far more adult, all right all right, slacker adult than the Twilight series.

definitely the best entertainment so far this year.

Valissa (mehitabels) The Confessions (Penguin Classics) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

10. The Confessions (Penguin Classics) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

2/3/2011 - I'm totally counting for my English class reading, since I actually read this with more intent than anything I've read in the past, oh, 15 years. what? fine, 17 years, hush up.
I actually enjoyed it too, Rousseau turns out to be hilarious if you don't take him too seriously. and what a pervert! surprise surprise surprise.

Valissa (mehitabels) Pop Apocalypse A Possible Satire (P.S.) by Lee Konstantinou

11. Pop Apocalypse: A Possible Satire by Lee Konstantinou

2/7/11 - how have I missed so much modern satire? This is definitely lad-lit, but it was fun, funny, and politically interesting. I have to say, it made me far more aware of the Egyptian protests than I would have been. entertaining read, I look forward to more from this author.

message 30: by Valissa (last edited Feb 20, 2011 08:06AM) (new)

message 32: by Valissa (last edited Dec 20, 2011 11:22AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) The Woad to Wuin (Sir Apropos of Nothing, #2) by Peter David

14. The Woad to Wuin by Peter David

as a huge fan of Brit comedy, Terry Pratchett, and silliness I thought this pun-filled adventure would suit me. plus I hugely enjoyed Darkness of the Light. but alas, this one did not fill my heart with glee. falling somewhere between comedy, groans, and adventure, with either too much or not enough of any.

hasn't stopped me from enjoying any other his other books however.

message 33: by Valissa (last edited Dec 20, 2011 11:51AM) (new)

message 34: by Valissa (last edited Dec 20, 2011 11:55AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) Autobiography by John Stuart Mill

16. Autobiography by John Stuart Mill

This was an assignment read, but in the end it was probably the best thing I'd read all semester. Dry, Victorian-ish, yet powerfully optimistic about mankind. Despite his rather depressing upbringing, JSM had a wit and razor mind that leads me to believe he would be a wonderful dinner guest.

Plus the decades long love affair, which he barely mentions, is titillating in the extreme. Perhaps not the first feminist, but a true one nonetheless.

message 35: by Valissa (last edited Dec 21, 2011 10:00AM) (new)

message 36: by Valissa (last edited Dec 21, 2011 10:04AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) Hotel Paradise (Emma Graham #1) by Martha Grimes

18. 03/03/11 Hotel Paradise by Martha Grimes

I really liked this book, to the point of dragging my mother to the library to get it. The main character is so desperately twelve, and wonderfully smart and unspoiled.
Or maybe I just have a thing for smartass girls. I love the de Luce novels (A Red Herring Without Mustard) as well.

Valissa (mehitabels) Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews

19. Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews

Sassy, southern, house and interior designer porn. Not bad, but far too chick lit for my mood.

message 39: by Valissa (last edited May 31, 2011 04:51AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) Lost in Translation A Life in a New Language by Eva Hoffman

21. Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language by Eva Hoffman

once again I am reminded that I am not the amazing genius that I think I am.

a Polish teen brought to North America, learns not only an entirely new language, but expresses herself more poetically and beautifully than most native speakers.

this is her struggle to find her voice and her self in the two worlds of old Europe and new America.

lovely, fascinating, and crushing.

message 40: by Valissa (last edited Dec 21, 2011 10:10AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) 22. The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah

This nonfiction book was really great, and at the same time a struggle to get through. I feel as though the author lacks imagination, he describes beautifully, but failed to bring many characters and adventure to life for me.
Again, spoiled by previous readings (I'm looking at you Shantaram).

message 41: by Valissa (last edited Dec 21, 2011 10:14AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) The Water Room (Bryant & May Mysteries) by Christopher Fowler

23. The Water Room by Christopher Fowler

Oh, how I wish they would take this story and turn it into a movie.

Descriptively wonderful, crotchety old men, the type of mystery where you constantly think you have it figured out, but NO.

Adorable.

message 42: by Valissa (last edited Dec 22, 2011 09:04AM) (new)

message 43: by Valissa (last edited Dec 22, 2011 09:14AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) The Thief of Always A Fable by Clive Barker

25. The Thief of Always: A Fable by Clive Barker

For some reason I pick this book up thinking it’s a Clive Barker I haven’t read, but I’ve read it now at least three times.
Weird and fantastical, but childish. I can’t even claim to have shivered the first time I read it.

message 44: by Valissa (last edited Dec 22, 2011 09:10AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) A Red Herring Without Mustard (A Flavia de Luce Mystery #3) by Alan Bradley

26. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

Something is just magical about Flavie de Luce. These books are amazing, Flavia is obviously young, but poised and curious in just an engaging manner. I am so very happy to have been introduced to these books.

message 45: by Valissa (last edited Dec 22, 2011 09:14AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) Darkness, Take My Hand (Kenzie & Gennaro, #2) by Dennis Lehane

27. Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane

Someone gave this book to my husband, and he left it in the “throne room” which is how I ended up reading it. It joins the short list of books that I still shake my head at, wondering why I spent the time on THIS particular book.
Not horrible, but really, not worth the sixty words I’ve written about it.

message 46: by Valissa (last edited Dec 22, 2011 09:15AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

28. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

Damn. Hemingway is good. All those critics were right.
I hate it when that happens.
A memoir of his time in Paris, with his first wife. Read it with equal parts longing sighs and edge-of-the-seat excitement. WAY funnier than I expected.

message 47: by Valissa (last edited Dec 22, 2011 09:14AM) (new)

message 48: by Valissa (last edited Dec 22, 2011 09:15AM) (new)

message 49: by Valissa (last edited Dec 22, 2011 09:27AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) Ravens by George Dawes Green

31. Ravens by George Dawes Green

Winner of the "Meh" award for the year's reading.

I will say, NOT comic at all. But I agree to original. Maybe too original for me . . .

message 50: by Valissa (last edited Dec 22, 2011 09:27AM) (new)

Valissa (mehitabels) The Gates by John Connolly

32. The Gates by John Connolly

This is a book that people will insist on giving to me. I can only assume because they never get around to reading it themselves. But they should. Definitely movie material.
Childishly scary, silly, with groan inducing puns you have to share.

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