[Fiacha]

The challenge for me will be remembering to update the list.
1. Connie Willis - The Doomsday Book
2. Connie Willis - Blackout
3. Connie Willis - All Clear
Time travellers visit the time of the Black Death near Oxford. The story is a prequel to the events of Blackout and All Clear. In Blackout, time travellers get stuck in London at the beginning of WWII.
Effective depiction of the life of the average person in each era. Female protagonists. Engaging writing but a little too much tragedy for my taste.
4. David Duncan - Alchemists Pursuit
Whodunit set in a 17th century Venice where small magics work and the nobility wear beards. Third story about Zeno.
5. Diana Wynne Jones - Hexwood
6. Diana Wynne Jones - Ogre Downstairs
Young Adult fantasies with a large helding of whimsical humor. Hexwood was a little too contrived for my taste while Ogre was a little too juvenile
7. Robin McKinley - Dragonhaven
Coming of age? First Contact? Young Adult? Definitely fantasy with dragons. Wordier than it needs to be but I'll end up rereading it which is not something that I am sure about for the first 6.
8. Robin McKinley & Peter Dickinson - Fire
A collection of novellas - on my reread list - I'm now looking for their Water collection
9. Diana Wynne Jones - A Sudden Wild Magic
A war of magic in a multi-verse on many levels. I far preferred The Dark Lord of Derkholm but it will be worth a reread in a few years.
10. Emma Bull - War of the Oaks
Reread this because I read her 'Territory' afew months ago. Good quality mind candy (entertaining for the moment but not memorable)
11. Lois McMaster Bujold - The Hallowed Hunt
Better quality mind candy.
12. Charlaine Harris - Dead Until Dark
13. Elizabeth Rolls - His Lady Mistress
I wanted to find out why Sookie was popular. I suppose sex sells. The Elizabeth Rolls was a Harlequin freebie from last year, reinforcing the theory that sex sells. It is time to flush my mind with something different
14. Suzanne Collins - Hunger Games
15. Suzanne Collins - Catching Fire
16. Suzanne Collins - Mockingjay
These were left on the Kobo I bought and then I learnt that they are famous. I'm unlikely to want to reread the series. I think that my main problem is that I can't relate to any of the protagonists, not because they are young adults but because of their response to situations. The social engineering behind the situations doesn't work for me either.
17. Robin McKinley & Peter Dickinson - Water
Includes a story in the world of The Blue Sword and The Hero and The Crown. Worth rereading, but not anytime soon
18. Mercedes Lackey - Intrigues
Has the feel of being book two of a trilogy. Otherwise a fairly standard Valdemar tale, i.e. abused child grows up to save the kingdom.
19. David Weber - Apocalypse Troll
I reread this to check out a color Nook. The political arena is now dated but the rest of the story is fine. Worth a read if you like military science fiction.
20. Guy Gavriel Key - Under Heaven
A highly recommended drama in a Tang Dynasty like setting. There are a couple of fantasy elements in the scene setting but this is not really a fantasy.
21. Vincent Trigili -The Enemy of an Ememy
It starts out as a space opera (distant future, vast empire, hints at players behind the scenes) with hero pitted against a mysterious enemy. Sadly, I found the prose to be heavy going and the shift from technology to magic was not to my taste.
22. Mercedes Lackey - Arrows of the Queen
This was a reread triggered by reading Intrigues. Introduces Valemar and introduces her standard plot of abused adolescent (girl in this case) growing up to save the kingdom. Unlike Vincent's hero, Mercedes' heroine takes time to find and grow into her magical abilities, which makes for a better story.
23. Tamora Pierce - Page
24. Tamora Pierce - Squire
25. Tamora Pierce - Lady Knight
Chronicles of a girl working her way through the ranks in a chauvinistic society. I couldn't find the first book in the set at the library. Fantasy world with coming of age elements as the heroine age from 12 to 18. A good series that I will come back to when I need somethinglight and upbeat.
26. James Schmitz - Witches of Karres
Another old favorite. Adding magic to a space opera setting. Seems to have been written with the intent to be whimsical and yet the way the hero grows in to his abilities as he saves the universe from alien invaders seems more credible than Vincent's hero in book 21.
27. Tamora Pierce - First Test
First book in the 23-25 series
28. S.M.Stirling - The Sky People
Adventure in a 'Pellucidar' like Venus. Well written and mildly recommended.
29. Mark W Tiedemann - Remains
A well written tale of the near future. A mystery, of a sort, hinging on the interaction of awareness and brain implant.
30. Diana Wynne Jones - Enchanted Glass
A juvenile in intent although the protagonist isn't. A fair mix of whimsy and magic worth rereading.
31. S.M.Stirling - Conquistador
What happens when a collection of amoral adventurers take advantage of a gate to a parallel world. I did feel that he spent too many words extolling the virtues of a California that is not suffering from overpopulation.
32. Harry Turtledove - Curious Notions
A different take on a similar situation. Could be classed as a juvenile because of the teen protagonist and his potential girl friend but the tale is, perhaps, too complex. Overall, Stirling seems to write lightweight stories in interesting surroundings while Turtledove seems to write more complex but darker stories.
33. Glen Cook - Sweet Silver Blues
The first of the Garrett P.I. stories. Light entertainment detective stories set in a world that would make sense to a dedicated D&D player.
34. Glen Cook - Bitter Gold Hearts
35. Glen Cook - Cold Copper Tears
36. Glen Cook - Old Tin Sorrows
37. Glen Cook - Dread Brass Shadows
Just making my way through the series
38. Brandon Sanderson - The Way of Kings
This makes up for any lack of weight in the other books, to the point one might accuse it of having too many pages. Being book one, it ends in a cliffhanger and one has to wonder if subsequent volumes will be worth the wait. That is, when it comes out, will I remember this volume well enough and fondly enough to jump in or will I be deterred by the thought of having to wade through 1200 pages to pick the story and continue into a new monster volume. I have this problem with Steven Erikson's Malazan series where I got stuck after 6 1000 page monster books.