Just finished Brave New World.

It's been awhile since I read regularly. I got started at the beginning of the summer and read through the Harry Potter series. Moved on to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Just finished up Return of the King. I started the Passage yesterday. I've enjoyed it so far.

1-3)Wheel of Time books 12-14
4)The Paris Wife -- it's written from the point of view of Ernest Hemingway's first wife Hadley. Takes place mostly before he became very successful/famous. Pretty interesting reading.
5-7) Divergent series -- First two books were quick but interesting reads. The 3rd book (Allegiant) was a disappointment. Managed to be both convoluted and simplistic with an unsatisfying ending that didn't feel earned.
8-10) Mistborn series -- Read this series because I kept seeing it mentioned here and I had enjoyed the last few books in the WoT series that Sanderson had written. Really liked this one. Did a good job of building a fully realized world without getting bogged down in useless details.
11) The Book Thief -- Very good read. Death as the narrator of a story about WW 2 was really intriguing. Highly recommend it.
12) Gone Girl Have no clue how I feel about this book.
13) The Queens Fool by Philippa Gregory. I give it a B.
14) Roof Tops of Tehran -- I'd give it a B. Story didn't go where I thought it would and felt a bit unfinished. Interesting perspective of a teenage boy in Iran in the 70's.
15-17) Maze Runner series by Dashner. Give it a B+ Not as good as Hunger Games but maybe on par with Divergent. It was definitely a page turner in that it kept me reading and interested to find out what comes next. And it didn't shy away from having characters suffer real consequences including death. It also brought up some interesting moral dilemmas to contemplate. But it felt a little incomplete and not fully formed in a few places. One key story point in particular was never fully fleshed out or explored and it really felt like a big gaping hole in the series. But I would recommend it as the story itself is pretty interesting, particularly if you like post-apocalyptic/zombie type stories. I think it will make a really good movie and do plan to see it (them).
18) Hangman's Daughter -- I enjoyed this well enough but don't think I'll continue the series. It didn't grab me enough to make me want to read it more than the other books on my "to read list"
19) Killing Jesus
20-23) First four books of the Codex Alera series. Still enjoying this one a lot.
24) 1776 Give an A. I really like the way McCullough writes history.
25) Fifth book of the Codex Alera series
26) Frankenstein
27) War of the Worlds
28) Brave New World
29) Percy Jackson, Lightning Thief

Books finished in January:
1) The Great Santini by Pat Conroy A-
2) Living on the Black: Two Pitchers, Two Teams, One Season to Remember by John Feinstein C+

Books finished in February:
3) Lincoln's Dreams by Connie Willis B-
4) Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand A
5) The Master Mind of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs B-

Books finished in March
6) A Fighting Man of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs B
7) Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff B

Books finished in April
8) City of Thieves by David Benioff A
9) The Story of a Soul by Thrse of Lisieux A
10) Spin by Robert Charles Wilson A-

Books finished in May
11) Axis by Robert Charles Wilson C+
12) Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson B-
13) The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt A-

Books finished in June
14) The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbac B
15) Swords of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs C

Books finished in July
16) Synthetic Men of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs B-
17) Llana of Gathol by Edgar Rice Burroughs B+
18) John Carter of Mars: A Collection

• "John Carter and the Giant of Mars" by John Coleman Burroughs D-
• "Skeleton Men of Jupiter" by Edgar Rice Burroughs C (Solid story but Incomplete)

19) With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E. B. Sledge A
20) The Redheaded Outfield and Other Baseball Stories by Zane Grey B-
21) Twelve Years a Slave - Enhanced Edition by Solomon Northup B

Books finished in August
22) The Young Pitcher by Zane Grey B
23) The Black Madonna by Davis Bunn B
24) This Ain't Brain Surgery: How to Win the Pennant Without Losing Your Mind by Larry Dierker A-

Books finished in September
25) The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman A-
26) Out of My League: The Classic Hilarious Account of an Amateur's Ordeal in Professional Baseball by George Plimpton A-

1-3)Wheel of Time books 12-14
4)The Paris Wife -- it's written from the point of view of Ernest Hemingway's first wife Hadley. Takes place mostly before he became very successful/famous. Pretty interesting reading.
5-7) Divergent series -- First two books were quick but interesting reads. The 3rd book (Allegiant) was a disappointment. Managed to be both convoluted and simplistic with an unsatisfying ending that didn't feel earned.
8-10) Mistborn series -- Read this series because I kept seeing it mentioned here and I had enjoyed the last few books in the WoT series that Sanderson had written. Really liked this one. Did a good job of building a fully realized world without getting bogged down in useless details.
11) The Book Thief -- Very good read. Death as the narrator of a story about WW 2 was really intriguing. Highly recommend it.
12) Gone Girl Have no clue how I feel about this book.
13) The Queens Fool by Philippa Gregory. I give it a B.
14) Roof Tops of Tehran -- I'd give it a B. Story didn't go where I thought it would and felt a bit unfinished. Interesting perspective of a teenage boy in Iran in the 70's.
15-17) Maze Runner series by Dashner. Give it a B+ Not as good as Hunger Games but maybe on par with Divergent. It was definitely a page turner in that it kept me reading and interested to find out what comes next. And it didn't shy away from having characters suffer real consequences including death. It also brought up some interesting moral dilemmas to contemplate. But it felt a little incomplete and not fully formed in a few places. One key story point in particular was never fully fleshed out or explored and it really felt like a big gaping hole in the series. But I would recommend it as the story itself is pretty interesting, particularly if you like post-apocalyptic/zombie type stories. I think it will make a really good movie and do plan to see it (them).
18) Hangman's Daughter -- I enjoyed this well enough but don't think I'll continue the series. It didn't grab me enough to make me want to read it more than the other books on my "to read list"
19) Killing Jesus
20-23) First four books of the Codex Alera series. Still enjoying this one a lot.
24) 1776 Give an A. I really like the way McCullough writes history.
25) Fifth book of the Codex Alera series
26) Frankenstein
27) War of the Worlds
28) Brave New World
29) Percy Jackson, Lightning Thief
30) Another re- read of To Kill a Mockingbird

I dragged my feet on reading all summer and *finally* finished The Caine Mutiny yesterday. I really enjoyed it.

I'm now going to reread Old Man and the Sea, which should prove to be a very quick read.

I finished rereading Old Man and the Sea last night and started on the few few pages of Faulkner's A Fable.

I haven't read Faulkner in quite some time, and this is considered one of his lesser known works. We'll see how it pans out.

I read Lords of Discipline earlier this year, and I've been working on Team of Rivals for about a month.

1-3)Wheel of Time books 12-14
4)The Paris Wife -- it's written from the point of view of Ernest Hemingway's first wife Hadley. Takes place mostly before he became very successful/famous. Pretty interesting reading.
5-7) Divergent series -- First two books were quick but interesting reads. The 3rd book (Allegiant) was a disappointment. Managed to be both convoluted and simplistic with an unsatisfying ending that didn't feel earned.
8-10) Mistborn series -- Read this series because I kept seeing it mentioned here and I had enjoyed the last few books in the WoT series that Sanderson had written. Really liked this one. Did a good job of building a fully realized world without getting bogged down in useless details.
11) The Book Thief -- Very good read. Death as the narrator of a story about WW 2 was really intriguing. Highly recommend it.
12) Gone Girl Have no clue how I feel about this book.
13) The Queens Fool by Philippa Gregory. I give it a B.
14) Roof Tops of Tehran -- I'd give it a B. Story didn't go where I thought it would and felt a bit unfinished. Interesting perspective of a teenage boy in Iran in the 70's.
15-17) Maze Runner series by Dashner. Give it a B+ Not as good as Hunger Games but maybe on par with Divergent. It was definitely a page turner in that it kept me reading and interested to find out what comes next. And it didn't shy away from having characters suffer real consequences including death. It also brought up some interesting moral dilemmas to contemplate. But it felt a little incomplete and not fully formed in a few places. One key story point in particular was never fully fleshed out or explored and it really felt like a big gaping hole in the series. But I would recommend it as the story itself is pretty interesting, particularly if you like post-apocalyptic/zombie type stories. I think it will make a really good movie and do plan to see it (them).
18) Hangman's Daughter -- I enjoyed this well enough but don't think I'll continue the series. It didn't grab me enough to make me want to read it more than the other books on my "to read list"
19) Killing Jesus
20-23) First four books of the Codex Alera series. Still enjoying this one a lot.
24) 1776 Give an A. I really like the way McCullough writes history.
25) Fifth book of the Codex Alera series
26) Frankenstein
27) War of the Worlds
28) Brave New World
29) Percy Jackson, Lightning Thief
30) Another re- read of To Kill a Mockingbird
31)I, Robot
32) East, by Edith Pattou
33) Sabriel, by Garth Nix

Just picked up Ken Follet's Edge of Eternity. Kind of snuck up on me, I didn't realize it had been out since middle of Septemever. Looking forward to it and finishing up his century trilogy.

Also just ordered Chris Hadfield's You are Here: Around the world in 92 minutes.

What I've read so far:
1) The Boys of Summer: Roger Kahn
2) The Expatriation of Franklin Pierce: Garry Boulard
3) James Buchanan, The American Presidents Series: Jean H. Baker
4) Team Of Rivals: Doris Kearns Goodwin
5) Crunch and Des: Philip Wylie
6) Wizards and Glass, Dark Tower IV: Stephen King
7) Scorecasting: Tobias Moskowitz
8) Andrew Johnson, American Presidents Series: Annette Gordon-Reed
9) Radical: David Platt
10) The Memoirs of Ulysses S Grant
11) I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist: Frank Turek & Norman Geisler
12) The Ragamuffin Gospel: Brennan Manning
13) Rutherford B Hayes: American Presidential Series: Hans Trefousse, Arthur M., Jr. Schlesinger


Currently Reading:
Dark Tower V: The Wolves of Calla - Stephen King

1-3)Wheel of Time books 12-14
4)The Paris Wife -- it's written from the point of view of Ernest Hemingway's first wife Hadley. Takes place mostly before he became very successful/famous. Pretty interesting reading.
5-7) Divergent series -- First two books were quick but interesting reads. The 3rd book (Allegiant) was a disappointment. Managed to be both convoluted and simplistic with an unsatisfying ending that didn't feel earned.
8-10) Mistborn series -- Read this series because I kept seeing it mentioned here and I had enjoyed the last few books in the WoT series that Sanderson had written. Really liked this one. Did a good job of building a fully realized world without getting bogged down in useless details.
11) The Book Thief -- Very good read. Death as the narrator of a story about WW 2 was really intriguing. Highly recommend it.
12) Gone Girl Have no clue how I feel about this book.
13) The Queens Fool by Philippa Gregory. I give it a B.
14) Roof Tops of Tehran -- I'd give it a B. Story didn't go where I thought it would and felt a bit unfinished. Interesting perspective of a teenage boy in Iran in the 70's.
15-17) Maze Runner series by Dashner. Give it a B+ Not as good as Hunger Games but maybe on par with Divergent. It was definitely a page turner in that it kept me reading and interested to find out what comes next. And it didn't shy away from having characters suffer real consequences including death. It also brought up some interesting moral dilemmas to contemplate. But it felt a little incomplete and not fully formed in a few places. One key story point in particular was never fully fleshed out or explored and it really felt like a big gaping hole in the series. But I would recommend it as the story itself is pretty interesting, particularly if you like post-apocalyptic/zombie type stories. I think it will make a really good movie and do plan to see it (them).
18) Hangman's Daughter -- I enjoyed this well enough but don't think I'll continue the series. It didn't grab me enough to make me want to read it more than the other books on my "to read list"
19) Killing Jesus
20-23) First four books of the Codex Alera series. Still enjoying this one a lot.
24) 1776 Give an A. I really like the way McCullough writes history.
25) Fifth book of the Codex Alera series
26) Frankenstein
27) War of the Worlds
28) Brave New World
29) Percy Jackson, Lightning Thief
30) Another re- read of To Kill a Mockingbird
31)I, Robot
32) East, by Edith Pattou
33) Sabriel, by Garth Nix
34) Solaris

Heaven is for Real
Just As I Am-Billy Graham
1225 Christmas Tree Lane-Debbie Macomber

The Gunslinger - Stephen King B+
Dune - Frank Herbert B
Dune Messiah Herbert B-
The Way of Kings - Sanderson A+
Words of Radiance - Sanderson A+
Warbreaker - Sanderson B+
The Final Empire (Mistborn 1) - Sanderson A-
The Well of Ascension (Mistborn 2) - Sanderson A
The Hero of Ages (Mistborn 3) - Sanderson A+
Kingkiller book 1 - Rothfuss A
Kingkiller book 2 - Rothfuss B+
Blood Song - Anthony Ryan A
Tower Lord - Anthony Ryan A-
The Way of Kings re-read A+
The Alloy of Law - Sanderson B
The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie B-
Before They Are Hanged - Joe Abercrombie B

The Last Argument of Kings - Abercrombie A
I'll admit the series took me a while to get into but the finale was great. I really just think the characters took time to develop. By the end of it I loved Logen's character even though he was an evil *******. Was cool that it finished almost as it started. I wouldn't put the series up there with the fantasy greats but it was a solid trilogy with great fight/battle scenes.

1-3)Wheel of Time books 12-14
4)The Paris Wife -- it's written from the point of view of Ernest Hemingway's first wife Hadley. Takes place mostly before he became very successful/famous. Pretty interesting reading.
5-7) Divergent series -- First two books were quick but interesting reads. The 3rd book (Allegiant) was a disappointment. Managed to be both convoluted and simplistic with an unsatisfying ending that didn't feel earned.
8-10) Mistborn series -- Read this series because I kept seeing it mentioned here and I had enjoyed the last few books in the WoT series that Sanderson had written. Really liked this one. Did a good job of building a fully realized world without getting bogged down in useless details.
11) The Book Thief -- Very good read. Death as the narrator of a story about WW 2 was really intriguing. Highly recommend it.
12) Gone Girl Have no clue how I feel about this book.
13) The Queens Fool by Philippa Gregory. I give it a B.
14) Roof Tops of Tehran -- I'd give it a B. Story didn't go where I thought it would and felt a bit unfinished. Interesting perspective of a teenage boy in Iran in the 70's.
15-17) Maze Runner series by Dashner. Give it a B+ Not as good as Hunger Games but maybe on par with Divergent. It was definitely a page turner in that it kept me reading and interested to find out what comes next. And it didn't shy away from having characters suffer real consequences including death. It also brought up some interesting moral dilemmas to contemplate. But it felt a little incomplete and not fully formed in a few places. One key story point in particular was never fully fleshed out or explored and it really felt like a big gaping hole in the series. But I would recommend it as the story itself is pretty interesting, particularly if you like post-apocalyptic/zombie type stories. I think it will make a really good movie and do plan to see it (them).
18) Hangman's Daughter -- I enjoyed this well enough but don't think I'll continue the series. It didn't grab me enough to make me want to read it more than the other books on my "to read list"
19) Killing Jesus
20-23) First four books of the Codex Alera series. Still enjoying this one a lot.
24) 1776 Give an A. I really like the way McCullough writes history.
25) Fifth book of the Codex Alera series
26) Frankenstein
27) War of the Worlds
28) Brave New World
29) Percy Jackson, Lightning Thief
30) Another re- read of To Kill a Mockingbird
31)I, Robot
32) East, by Edith Pattou
33) Sabriel, by Garth Nix
34) Solaris
35) Merchant of Venice
36) A Midsummer Night's Dream

A billion interweb points to whoever can identify the three English classes I'm currently taking based on my last 10 or 11 works read.

Just reread Slaughterhouse Five for the first time since high school.

Currently on The Green Mile-Stephen King

Feast for Crows (ordered A Dance with Dragons to start next)
The Alchemist - Paulo Coehlo ---> this is my favorite book ever, probably read it 3-4 times now
The Killing Floor, Die Trying, Echo Burning, Bad Luck and in Trouble, One Shot - All by Lee Child
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
The 5th Mountain - Paulo Coehlo
Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller
Re-Read The Great Gatsby

Anyone here read the Kite Runner? If so, do you recommend it?

Yes! Read it.

As of this weekend:

Command Authority by Tom Clancy (B)
With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge (A-)
The Smartest Guys in the Room by McLean and Elkind(B-)
One Minute to Midnight by Michael Dobbs (B-)
Wool by Hugh Howey (A)
Shift by Hugh Howey (A-)
Dust by Hugh Howey (B+)
An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield (A-)
Apollo 13 by Jim Lovell & Jeffrey Kluger (B)
Bioshock by John Shirley (B+)
Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett (C)

I was less than impressed with follett's last book of the century trilogy. Too many spots with filler and sections that didn't contribute to the story or move the plot along. For the tons of world events and actions that took place between the 1950s and 90s, 90% of this book is about the civil rights movement and the Berlin Wall despite still covering the same five families spread across the globe from the first book. Was still worth it to see where everyone in the families ended up, but I think Follett could have done a better job with this one, I enjoyed Fall of Giants and Winter of the World a lot more.

Aggies in space! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OYV3MCY

This kid is a stealth vampire on a planet mostly restricted to humans. He escapes and discovers a bunch of researchers from the nearby planet New Texas' lead university, New Texas A&M. They have been studying the creatures of the giant forest. He joins them in a big battle scene at the end, then goes to New A&M where he's a little befuddled by the traditions.

Cute book, quick read.

For non fiction I finished The Guns of August this summer, about the start of World War I.

http://www.amazon.com/Contrabando-Confessions-Drug-Smuggling-Texas-Cowboy/dp/B00BQ8454C

True story about an Aggie drug smuggler...

Books finished in January:
1) The Great Santini by Pat Conroy A-
2) Living on the Black: Two Pitchers, Two Teams, One Season to Remember by John Feinstein C+

Books finished in February:
3) Lincoln's Dreams by Connie Willis B-
4) Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand A
5) The Master Mind of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs B-

Books finished in March
6) A Fighting Man of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs B
7) Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff B

Books finished in April
8) City of Thieves by David Benioff A
9) The Story of a Soul by Thrse of Lisieux A
10) Spin by Robert Charles Wilson A-

Books finished in May
11) Axis by Robert Charles Wilson C+
12) Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson B-
13) The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt A-

Books finished in June
14) The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbac B
15) Swords of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs C

Books finished in July
16) Synthetic Men of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs B-
17) Llana of Gathol by Edgar Rice Burroughs B+
18) John Carter of Mars: A Collection

• "John Carter and the Giant of Mars" by John Coleman Burroughs D-
• "Skeleton Men of Jupiter" by Edgar Rice Burroughs C (Solid story but Incomplete)

19) With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E. B. Sledge A
20) The Redheaded Outfield and Other Baseball Stories by Zane Grey B-
21) Twelve Years a Slave - Enhanced Edition by Solomon Northup B

Books finished in August
22) The Young Pitcher by Zane Grey B
23) The Black Madonna by Davis Bunn B
24) This Ain't Brain Surgery: How to Win the Pennant Without Losing Your Mind by Larry Dierker A-

Books finished in September
25) The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman A-
26) Out of My League: The Classic Hilarious Account of an Amateur's Ordeal in Professional Baseball by George Plimpton A-

Books finished in October
27) The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco B- (Interesting story but a difficult read)

1-3)Wheel of Time books 12-14
4)The Paris Wife -- it's written from the point of view of Ernest Hemingway's
first wife Hadley. Takes place mostly before he became very successful/famous.
Pretty interesting reading.
5-7) Divergent series -- First two books were quick but interesting reads. The
3rd book (Allegiant) was a disappointment. Managed to be both convoluted and
simplistic with an unsatisfying ending that didn't feel earned.
8-10) Mistborn series -- Read this series because I kept seeing it mentioned
here and I had enjoyed the last few books in the WoT series that Sanderson had
written. Really liked this one. Did a good job of building a fully realized
world without getting bogged down in useless details.
11) The Book Thief -- Very good read. Death as the narrator of a story about WW
2 was really intriguing. Highly recommend it.
12) Gone Girl Have no clue how I feel about this book.
13) The Queens Fool by Philippa Gregory. I give it a B.
14) Roof Tops of Tehran -- I'd give it a B. Story didn't go where I thought it
would and felt a bit unfinished. Interesting perspective of a teenage boy in
Iran in the 70's.
15-17) Maze Runner series by Dashner. Give it a B+ Not as good as Hunger Games
but maybe on par with Divergent. It was definitely a page turner in that it
kept me reading and interested to find out what comes next. And it didn't shy
away from having characters suffer real consequences including death. It also
brought up some interesting moral dilemmas to contemplate. But it felt a little
incomplete and not fully formed in a few places. One key story point in
particular was never fully fleshed out or explored and it really felt like a
big gaping hole in the series. But I would recommend it as the story itself is
pretty interesting, particularly if you like post-apocalyptic/zombie type
stories. I think it will make a really good movie and do plan to see it (them).

18) Hangman's Daughter -- I enjoyed this well enough but don't think I'll
continue the series. It didn't grab me enough to make me want to read it more
than the other books on my "to read list"
19) Killing Jesus
20-23) First four books of the Codex Alera series. Still enjoying this one a
lot.
24) 1776 Give an A. I really like the way McCullough writes history.
25) Fifth book of the Codex Alera series
26) Frankenstein
27) War of the Worlds
28) Brave New World
29) Percy Jackson, Lightning Thief
30) Another re- read of To Kill a Mockingbird
31)I, Robot
32) East, by Edith Pattou
33) Sabriel, by Garth Nix
34) Solaris
35) Merchant of Venice
36) A Midsummer Night's Dream
37) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, by Phillip K Dick
38) I Henry IV
39) Henry V
40) Nova, by Samuel Delany
41) The Outsiders -- I love the movie but had never read the book. Highly recommend it. It's hard to believe Hinton was 16 when she wrote it.

Books finished in January:
1) The Great Santini by Pat Conroy A-
2) Living on the Black: Two Pitchers, Two Teams, One Season to Remember by John Feinstein C+

Books finished in February:
3) Lincoln's Dreams by Connie Willis B-
4) Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand A
5) The Master Mind of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs B-

Books finished in March
6) A Fighting Man of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs B
7) Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff B

Books finished in April
8) City of Thieves by David Benioff A
9) The Story of a Soul by Thrse of Lisieux A
10) Spin by Robert Charles Wilson A-

Books finished in May
11) Axis by Robert Charles Wilson C+
12) Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson B-
13) The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt A-

Books finished in June
14) The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbac B
15) Swords of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs C

Books finished in July
16) Synthetic Men of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs B-
17) Llana of Gathol by Edgar Rice Burroughs B+
18) John Carter of Mars: A Collection

• "John Carter and the Giant of Mars" by John Coleman Burroughs D-
• "Skeleton Men of Jupiter" by Edgar Rice Burroughs C (Solid story but Incomplete)

19) With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E. B. Sledge A
20) The Redheaded Outfield and Other Baseball Stories by Zane Grey B-
21) Twelve Years a Slave - Enhanced Edition by Solomon Northup B

Books finished in August
22) The Young Pitcher by Zane Grey B
23) The Black Madonna by Davis Bunn B
24) This Ain't Brain Surgery: How to Win the Pennant Without Losing Your Mind by Larry Dierker A-

Books finished in September
25) The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman A-
26) Out of My League: The Classic Hilarious Account of an Amateur's Ordeal in Professional Baseball by George Plimpton A-

Book finished in October
27) The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco B- (Interesting story but a difficult read)

Books finished in November
28) The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Ptzsch B+
29) The Dark Monk by Oliver Ptzsch B+

Just finished reading the seven available books in the Iron Druid series. They're not bad, would probably rate a three out of five. Someone recommended them to me knowing that I liked the Dresden Files but they really aren't that similar. Butcher is far better author than Hearne. Still the books are short and entertaining.

1-3)Wheel of Time books 12-14
4)The Paris Wife -- it's written from the point of view of Ernest Hemingway's first wife Hadley. Takes place mostly before he became very successful/famous. Pretty interesting reading.
5-7) Divergent series -- First two books were quick but interesting reads. The 3rd book (Allegiant) was a disappointment. Managed to be both convoluted and simplistic with an unsatisfying ending that didn't feel earned.
8-10) Mistborn series -- Read this series because I kept seeing it mentioned here and I had enjoyed the last few books in the WoT series that Sanderson had written. Really liked this one. Did a good job of building a fully realized world without getting bogged down in useless details.
11) The Book Thief -- Very good read. Death as the narrator of a story about WW 2 was really intriguing. Highly recommend it.
12) Gone Girl Have no clue how I feel about this book.
13) The Queens Fool by Philippa Gregory. I give it a B.
14) Roof Tops of Tehran -- I'd give it a B. Story didn't go where I thought it would and felt a bit unfinished. Interesting perspective of a teenage boy in Iran in the 70's.
15-17) Maze Runner series by Dashner. Give it a B+ Not as good as Hunger Games but maybe on par with Divergent. It was definitely a page turner in that it kept me reading and interested to find out what comes next. And it didn't shy away from having characters suffer real consequences including death. It also
brought up some interesting moral dilemmas to contemplate. But it felt a little incomplete and not fully formed in a few places. One key story point in particular was never fully fleshed out or explored and it really felt like a big gaping hole in the series. But I would recommend it as the story itself is
pretty interesting, particularly if you like post-apocalyptic/zombie type stories. I think it will make a really good movie and do plan to see it (them).
18) Hangman's Daughter -- I enjoyed this well enough but don't think I'll continue the series. It didn't grab me enough to make me want to read it more than the other books on my "to read list"
19) Killing Jesus
20-23) First four books of the Codex Alera series. Still enjoying this one a lot.
24) 1776 Give an A. I really like the way McCullough writes history.
25) Fifth book of the Codex Alera series
26) Frankenstein
27) War of the Worlds
28) Brave New World
29) Percy Jackson, Lightning Thief
30) Another re- read of To Kill a Mockingbird
31)I, Robot
32) East, by Edith Pattou
33) Sabriel, by Garth Nix
34) Solaris
35) Merchant of Venice
36) A Midsummer Night's Dream
37) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, by Phillip K Dick
38) I Henry IV
39) Henry V
40) Nova, by Samuel Delany
41) The Outsiders -- I love the movie but had never read the book. Highly
recommend it. It's hard to believe Hinton was 16 when she wrote it.
42) Hamlet
43) Neuromancer, by William Gibson One of the original Cyberpunknovels. Interesting mainly because Gibson wrote this in the 80's before the internet, cars that talk to you, etc. but created a world that seems very much like our present and/or not too future.
44) Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula Le Guin I wouldn't bother withthis one.
45) The Giver I'm not sure I like this one as much as others butI still plan to read the rest of the books in the series.
46) The Battle of Jericho
47) A Year Down Under Really loved this little book about ayoung girl living with her Grandma for a year in a post- Depression era rural
town in Indiana. Grandma Dowdel is anawesome character.
48) under the mesquite Another quick read that was very good. It's a story about a youngMexican American girl who is the oldest of 8 children trying to figure out who she is (Mexican? American? Both?), hold her family together, and discover her path in life.
49) Macbeth
50) The Windup Girl,by Paolo Bacigalupi. Pretty good read. Story about what happens if petroleum is replaced as the main commodity driving the global economy. While the backdrop/set up is a major environmentalcatastrophe, I didn't find the story itself to be overtly environmentalist andI tend to be sensitive/resistant to that kind of stuff.

1. A Nation of Immigrants - Kennedy. B
2. No Easy Day- Mark Owen. A
3. Your Best Life Now- Osteen.
4. Unbroken- Hillenbrand. A+
5. Topaz- Uris. B
6. Clash of Kings- GRRM. B+
7. Rogue Warrior- Marcinko. A-

Currently reading Fearless by Bleihm and love it.
Next up is Devil in the White City by Larson.

Listening to A Storm of Swords on rides back home.

I finally finished Faulkner's Pulitzer abomination that is "The Fable". I hate reading bad literature, but I have a thing about leaving a started book unfinished.

I plan to start on Kantor's "Andersonville" tonight.

2014
American Gods - Neil Gaiman - B-
Republic of Thieves - Scott Lynch - B+
Open Secrets - Alice Munro - D-
Wool - Hugh Howey - A
The Great and Secret Show - Clive Barker (reread) - C-
Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss - A
Small World - David Lodge - B-
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Phillip K. Dick - C
Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher - C
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury - C+
Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein - A
The Long Walk - Stephen King - A
A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain - Adrianne Harun - B-
Lake of Dead Languages - Carol Goodman - B
Dark Places - Gillian Flynn - A
Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn - A
Lamb - Christopher Moore - (reread) - A

Non-Fiction
Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing - Melissa Mohr - B-
Food Politics - Marion Nestle - B-
On Writing - Stephen King - A
Think Like a Freak - Levitt and Dubnar - B
Lunch Wars - Amy Kalafa - C

Audiobooks:
Red Skies over Red Seas - Scott Lynch - A
The Longest Ride - Nicholas Sparks - D
In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan - B
A Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - C-
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman - B+
Ape House - Sara Guren - B-
Matilda - R. Dahl - A
Rot & Ruin - Jonathan Mayberry - B
Neuromancer - William Gibson - C+
Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein - B
Enchantment - Orson Scott Card - A
Knit One, Kill Two - Maggie Sefton - C-
City of Ember - Jennifer Duprau - B+
Winter People - Jennifer McMahon - B+

Currently Reading:
Gunslinger - Stephen King
The Quick - Lauren Owen

Special thanks to TexAgs for pointing me towards the Gentlemen Ba$tards series, Wool, and Starship Troopers! All were great reads.

The Gunslinger - Stephen King B+
Dune - Frank Herbert B
Dune Messiah Herbert B-
The Way of Kings - Sanderson A+
Words of Radiance - Sanderson A+
Warbreaker - Sanderson B+
The Final Empire (Mistborn 1) - Sanderson A-
The Well of Ascension (Mistborn 2) - Sanderson A
The Hero of Ages (Mistborn 3) - Sanderson A+
Kingkiller book 1 - Rothfuss A
Kingkiller book 2 - Rothfuss B+
Blood Song - Anthony Ryan A
Tower Lord - Anthony Ryan A-
The Way of Kings re-read A+
The Alloy of Law - Sanderson B
The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie B-
Before They Are Hanged - Joe Abercrombie B
The Last Argument of Kings - Abercrombie A

Storm Front - Jim Butcher B+ Flew through this one in an afternoon. Excited to start this series and I'm encourage by his first book.

The Postmortal - Drew Magary B- interesting concept and well written. Was very dark but it was thought provoking and I enjoyed it.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things - Patrick Rothfuss C+ probably not for everyone but I enjoyed the glimpse into the underworld of The Kingkiller Chronicles. I found it odd how he so adamantly tried to defend writing and releasing it in the foreword and acknowledgements. Like with George Martin, I'd prefer he focus on his series but I'm glad he's releasing new material.

Just finished "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?"






















For the 10,000th time this year. Hopefully my daughter picks a new favorite book in 2015.

For us at that age it was "Goodnight, Moon." I had the entire book memorized and could recite it without turning the pages, much to my kids' chagrin.