edenfalling | Jun. 1st, 2006

Jun. 1st, 2006

I made three resolutions this year. First, get a job. (Done!) Second, exercise more regularly and lose weight. (Done!) Third, keep a list of the books I read.

These are the books I read in May, 2006:

New: 22
---Throne of Jade, Naomi Novik (historical fantasy: sequel to His Majesty's Dragon, very engaging and addresses some of the squidgy bits in the previous novel's world-building)
---Silver May Tarnish, Lyn McConchie and Andre Norton (fantasy: a Witch World novel in the classic tradition)
---Chinese Painting Techniques, Alison Stilwell Cameron (nonfiction: sort of an instructional primer)
---Bad Prince Charlie, John Moore (fantasy: humorous take-off on both Hamlet and modern politics, brain candy, not to be taken too seriously)
---Home-Alone America: The Hidden Toll of Day Care, Behavioral Drugs, and Other Parent Substitutes, Mary Eberstadt (nonfiction: it is useful to know what people think, even if you don't agree with everything they say. Her subtle bias -- yes, kids need parents, but it never even occurs to Eberstadt that fathers can stay home as well as mothers -- really gets to me even though I would otherwise go along with several of her conclusions.)
---Burn, James Patrick Kelly (science fiction: see my review)
---Yu-Gi-Oh!, vols. 2,3, 5-7 (manga: games, games, and more games; incredibly tacky, but I love it anyway)
---Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist, vols. 1-4, 6-12 (manga: continuation of the previous series)

Old: 8
---Lud-in-the-Mist, Hope Mirrlees (fantasy: beautiful, beautiful story, about art, truth, love, family, the structure of society, and the nature of humanity)
---The Crystal Gryphon, Andre Norton (fantasy: classic Witch World -- I obsessed over this book when I was about 10 or 11)
---Gryphon in Glory, Andre Norton (fantasy: sequel to The Crystal Gryphon, in which Joisan is still ten times more sensible than Kerovan, and they rescue each other some more)
---Dealing With Dragons, Patricia C. Wrede (fantasy: Book One of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, in which Cimorene runs off to become a dragon's princess)
---Searching For Dragons, Patricia C. Wrede (fantasy: Book Two of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, in which Mendanbar has problems with wizards and meets Cimorene; my favorite of the series)
---Calling On Dragons, Patricia C. Wrede (fantasy: Book Three of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, in which someone steals Mendanbar's sword and a quest ensues)
---Talking To Dragons, Patricia C. Wrede (fantasy: Book Four of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, which picks up 17 years later and resolves the semi-cliffhanger at the end of Book Three)
---The Wizardry Cursed, Rick Cook (fantasy: computer programmers do magic! Book 3 in a series, utterly silly, total brain candy, and never fails to make me smile.)

May Total = 30 books (plus a bunch of fanfiction, a few newspapers, and a few magazines)

Year to Date = 108 books (78 new, 30 old)

Current Mood: accomplished

Current Mood: accomplished

This month, I've read volumes 2, 3, and 5-7 of Yu-Gi-Oh! and volumes 1-4 and 6-12 of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist. I've also read a couple months' worth of Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium World in issues of the English-language "Shonen Jump."

I'm not sure why I like it so much. The plots are fairly simplistic, people get way too worked up over little things, the darker undertones are glossed over disturbingly quickly, and really, it's awfully tacky. Also, the willful mutilation of both high technology and Ancient Egyptian history and religion is enough to make me cry, if I let myself take it seriously.

The story's kind of heartwarming, though, with the emphasis on friendship, family, trust, and hope. And by the end of the first series, Kazuki Takahashi's artwork has evolved/resolved into a very interesting stylized form. And the characters are so damn likeable...

Ah, whatever. Sometimes, you just like things 'because,' and you really can't give a rational reason.

Some thoughts, in no particular order:

( Names )

(Incidentally, the name thing can cut both ways. I love Death Note to pieces, but I wanted to scream during the chapters with Raye Penber. For one thing, Raye and Rae are female spellings; for men, it's just Ray, no 'e.' For another, that list of FBI agents' names? Those are not real names. Not in Japan, not in America, and not in any country I've ever heard of.)

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( Yugi and What's His Name )

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( Bakura )

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( Kaiba )

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( Outfits and Hair )

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( Jounouchi )

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( Pairings )

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( Minor Timeline Problem )

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As I read more, I may add to this.

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Additions, 6/12/06

( Honda )

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( Anzu )

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I may continue extending this when the mood strikes me.

Current Mood: thoughtful