book list, June 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 June, 2006:

New: 21
---Black Powder War, Naomi Novik (historical fantasy: sequel to His Majesty's Dragon and Throne of Jade; very engaging and continues to fill in the world-building gaps left by the previous books)
---The Duke's Ballad, Lyn McConchie and Andre Norton (fantasy: a Witch World novel in the classic tradition; could use a fair bit of thematic and plot tightening)
---Mélusine, Sarah Monette (fantasy: lush and decadent: see my review)
---Sebastian, Anne Bishop (fantasy: kind of tacky, actually, but quite readable; definitely the beginning of a series)
---Soul of the Sword: An Illustrated History of Weaponry and Warfare from Prehistory to the Present, Robert L. O'Connell, illus. John Batchelor (nonfiction: less illustrated than it sounds, and quite interesting, though it falls apart a bit after WWI)
---Yu-Gi-Oh!, vols. 1, 4, Kazuki Takahashi (manga: games, games, and more games; incredibly tacky, but I love it anyway)
---Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist, vols. 5, 13, 14, Kazuki Takahashi (manga: continuation of the previous series. Okay, I begin to see where people are getting Kaiba/Yami... but I still don't really agree.)
---YuYu Hakusho, vol. 9, Yoshihiro Togashi (manga: archetypical shonen fight story, "like caffeinated crack")
---Gravitation, vols. 2, 3, Maki Murakami (manga: shonen-ai and rockstars; Murakami is on the good crack, oh yes...)
---Fruits Basket, vols 1-6, 11, 12, Natsuki Takaya (manga: somehow manages to include slapstick humor, crack fantasy, high school travails, martial arts fighting, and pull-your-heartstrings drama/romance/tragedy... without seeming to have multiple personality disorder. I would really like to know how Takaya pulled that one off!)



Old: 12
---A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold (science fiction: Regency romance in space! I swear I only meant to reread two pages of this, but this book pulls me in like a black hole, and makes me laugh so much I can't really bring myself to mind.)
---Gryphon's Eyrie, Andre Norton (fantasy: more classic Witch World, sequel to The Crystal Gryphon and Gryphon in Glory, in which Kerovan finally stops being such an idiot... mostly)
---Yu-Gi-Oh!, vols. 2, 5, Kazuki Takahashi (manga: games, games, and more games; incredibly tacky, but I love it anyway)
---Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist, vols. 4, 8, 10-12, Kazuki Takahashi (manga: continuation of the previous series)
---Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart (fantasy: the first adventure of Master Li Kao and Number Ten Ox, in "an ancient China that never was;" complete with gods, fairy tales, scholars, adventure, slapstick comedy, and more; absolutely beautiful; owes a lot to the Judge Dee stories)
---The Story of the Stone, Barry Hughart (fantasy: sequel to Bridge of Birds, more cerebral than the first book, but still quite good)
---Eight Skilled Gentlemen, Barry Hughart (fantasy: third Master Li book, still has flashes of genius but this one's merely okay, and something of a let-down after the two preceeding books)



June Total = 33 books (plus a bunch of fanfiction, a couple newspapers, and several magazines)

Year to Date = 141 books (99 new, 42 old)

book list, June 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 June, 2006:

New: 21
---Black Powder War, Naomi Novik (historical fantasy: sequel to His Majesty's Dragon and Throne of Jade; very engaging and continues to fill in the world-building gaps left by the previous books)
---The Duke's Ballad, Lyn McConchie and Andre Norton (fantasy: a Witch World novel in the classic tradition; could use a fair bit of thematic and plot tightening)
---Mélusine, Sarah Monette (fantasy: lush and decadent: see my review)
---Sebastian, Anne Bishop (fantasy: kind of tacky, actually, but quite readable; definitely the beginning of a series)
---Soul of the Sword: An Illustrated History of Weaponry and Warfare from Prehistory to the Present, Robert L. O'Connell, illus. John Batchelor (nonfiction: less illustrated than it sounds, and quite interesting, though it falls apart a bit after WWI)
---Yu-Gi-Oh!, vols. 1, 4, Kazuki Takahashi (manga: games, games, and more games; incredibly tacky, but I love it anyway)
---Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist, vols. 5, 13, 14, Kazuki Takahashi (manga: continuation of the previous series. Okay, I begin to see where people are getting Kaiba/Yami... but I still don't really agree.)
---YuYu Hakusho, vol. 9, Yoshihiro Togashi (manga: archetypical shonen fight story, "like caffeinated crack")
---Gravitation, vols. 2, 3, Maki Murakami (manga: shonen-ai and rockstars; Murakami is on the good crack, oh yes...)
---Fruits Basket, vols 1-6, 11, 12, Natsuki Takaya (manga: somehow manages to include slapstick humor, crack fantasy, high school travails, martial arts fighting, and pull-your-heartstrings drama/romance/tragedy... without seeming to have multiple personality disorder. I would really like to know how Takaya pulled that one off!)



Old: 12
---A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold (science fiction: Regency romance in space! I swear I only meant to reread two pages of this, but this book pulls me in like a black hole, and makes me laugh so much I can't really bring myself to mind.)
---Gryphon's Eyrie, Andre Norton (fantasy: more classic Witch World, sequel to The Crystal Gryphon and Gryphon in Glory, in which Kerovan finally stops being such an idiot... mostly)
---Yu-Gi-Oh!, vols. 2, 5, Kazuki Takahashi (manga: games, games, and more games; incredibly tacky, but I love it anyway)
---Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist, vols. 4, 8, 10-12, Kazuki Takahashi (manga: continuation of the previous series)
---Bridge of Birds, Barry Hughart (fantasy: the first adventure of Master Li Kao and Number Ten Ox, in "an ancient China that never was;" complete with gods, fairy tales, scholars, adventure, slapstick comedy, and more; absolutely beautiful; owes a lot to the Judge Dee stories)
---The Story of the Stone, Barry Hughart (fantasy: sequel to Bridge of Birds, more cerebral than the first book, but still quite good)
---Eight Skilled Gentlemen, Barry Hughart (fantasy: third Master Li book, still has flashes of genius but this one's merely okay, and something of a let-down after the two preceeding books)



June Total = 33 books (plus a bunch of fanfiction, a couple newspapers, and several magazines)

Year to Date = 141 books (99 new, 42 old)