The 104 Book Challenge - 2016 discussion

1. The Baskerville Tales (Short Stories): The Adventure of the Wollaston Ritual, The Strange and Alarming Courtship of Miss Imogen Roth, The Steamspinner Mutiny I enjoyed these short stories because it rounds out some things mentioned in the trilogy.

One good thing about travel during holidays is time to read!

2. Dead Girls Are Easy Quick and easy mystery in the girl talks to ghosts subgenre (though caused by near death experience instead of head injury!!). Character name is Nikki Styx, and beside the main mystery (which is decent), there is also a (SPOILER) reveal of a secret twin (named Kelly Charon). Characters are somewhat stock, but show a chance of fleshing out, and the twin promises an interesting plotline. I'd read the next one of the series.

3. Drop Dead Beauty Another sub-genre mystery of girl talks to ghosts. This is the fifth in the Ghost Dusters series. I liked the first one okay, and the second one was so gosh darn awful I could hardly stand it. Read this one out of order because it was only $1 in some Nook special. Obviously, I missed some plot points, but liked it enough I'm considering finding #3 and #4.

C/YA 1. The Looney Experiment Cute middle grades read. Pros are interesting characters, cute romance, good character development. Cons are that it's too heavily in the "loser finds inner strength and redemption" trope, things happen too quickly for real development, and there's an incidence of bullying that I can't believe wouldn't actually get investigated.

4. The Kill Room Ahhhh.... now this scratched my Deaver itch. This *is* a new Lincoln Rhyme mystery, and it's as good as ever. I know enough to know I'll be tricked, but I couldn't figure all the tricks out. Really liked it.

5. Midnight Riot I've been holding onto this one for a while; my brother-in-law really liked it and we have similar tastes. I knew it was a mystery, but I didn't know it had elements of the supernatural in it. Also, it's very British with its locations and slang and pop cultures. I absolutely loved it. Had to go back to work, so I haven't tracked down the sequels yet, but I'm looking forward to when I can.

C/YA 2. & 3. The Cupcake Queen & Frosted Kisses I actually started on Frosted Kisses first, then realized it was a sequel, and that the first one was sitting on my shelf. I kinda read them concurrently, which isn't a problem since together they cover only about four months. Fairly typical teen book, though the main character is 14 and acts closer to 16. Teen characters are dealing with parents' divorce and mean girls in small town NY. I enjoyed them once I got started on them and liked the characters.

M1. & 2. Yowamushi Pedal Omnibus (2-in-1 Edition), Volume 1 So some list I read suggested this manga, so I picked it up. Socially awkward freshman wants to join a manga club in high school to have someone to travel to Tokyo with and geek out over capsule toys, anime, and manga. Unfortunately, the club gets canceled, and through a series of events he gets linked up with the cycling club (he's a natural talent since he's been biking to Tokyo everyday). It's pretty sweet, the characters are all pretty nice, and there's a *ton* of biking terminology and info.

M3. Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 23 Ok volume - focuses on a secondary character breaking up with her boyfriend. Not my favorite character and it was all kind of predictable. Hopefully next volume is back to main character.

Annual sale of manga + snow days + general laziness and not wanting to grade projects = excessive binge reading....

M. 4-M. 31. Yowamushi I'm not going to go and hunt down all of the covers, because after I got hooked on the first two stories, I went and read the rest on line. It's a typical underdog winning the big race (told over 270 installments.....) but the characters are so much fun it's a pretty good hook. The series continues after the big race, but there's not enough to tell if I"ll like it.

M32-M49. Food Wars!, Vol. 1: Shokugeki no Soma Again, I totally binged on the story line - and caught up with what is on-line after I tore through the ten available as e-books. Follows a laid-back cooking savant teen as he goes to an exclusive cooking high school. It's filled with the ridiculous characters of manga, and it's Shonen - so when characters taste something really good (or really bad) their clothes fly off (metaphorically, but you still have a lot of naked characters with bits covered strategically)

M. 50-52 Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Volume 3, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Volume 4, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 5 And this continues a take on Aladdin. Still a few boob jokes (Shonen) but mostly focusing on the themes of finding family and friends and the choices that loyalty causes.

M. 53-55 The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 1, The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 2, The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 3 Whereas this one is Shojo, and focuses more on the high school girl falling in love with the guide spirit to a newly discovered house/inn. Of course, there's Yokai (spirits) around to confuse things, add sinister overtones, and be plot development.

M56. Natsume's Book of Friends , Vol. 19 One of my favorites - Natsume sees the Yokai all around, and is now learning to overcome the isolation that this has caused. Very gentle paced manga and also very sweet.

Um. That's a lot of manga for one month. I'm not sure what that says about my work ethic....

6. - 8. A Match Made in Hell, You're the One That I Haunt, Silent Night, Haunted Night These round out the Nikki Styx mysteries. They were fairly decent, and I expect there won't be more because the characters all end up fairly mature and happily. I enjoyed these and the growth the characters show. I'm getting irked about covers though; (begin rant) the last two go from a typical mystery cover to the large smouldering figure romance cover - which would be fine if the drawings on the cover even vaguely resembled the characters. Nikki, who despite her goth roots and short spiky hair, dresses modestly but sexily, is shown wearing a leather haltervest top with long, smooth hair. Joe, the ER doctor, is shown bare-chested with a long leather trenchcoat. I get it's advertising, but c'mon! At least pay attention to what's between the covers! (end rant)

9. The Skin Collector Brand new (paperback) Deaver. Continue to love. Continue to be surprised by twisty plots. Continue to eagerly wait for the next one.

10. A Ghoul's Guide to Love and Murder This one got bought as a physical book partly because it's the last of this series, and partly because I just like them that much. MJ is a ghostbuster, and now that she and best friend are both getting married and moving on, this is a last ghost-bust to tie up loose ends and set them on their way. Frankly, I'm not surprised the series is ending because each book had them facing a bigger and badder big-bad, and short of traveling to hell to face down Satan there really wasn't going to be anywhere else to go for the series to continue and the characters to grow. It was a fun send-off, and a nice end to the series.

11. Fatal Fortune This is Laurie's other grown-up series (though she's hinted she might start another one) focusing on Abby, a psychic who gets drawn into mysteries through her husband's work (FBI) and her best friend (PI). Continues the series on well, and it was a fun mystery. As an aside, the character routinely and slightly blithely lies to her husband - seems slightly unrealistic (which, considering the character's psychic, is perhaps not the right bone to pick...).

Wow. Don't think I can keep up this pace throughout the year, but it's been a pretty relaxing month!

M57. Big Hero 6, Vol. 1 Enjoyed this more than the movie - space to grow the characters more, I suppose. Would be interested in finding out if there's more published.

C/YA 4. Blackbird Fly I really liked this one. Apple, a Philippine transplant to Louisiana, is in middle school and feeling an outcast. It gets worse during the school year thanks to some bullying I really can't buy as realistic (and some that I can), but makes a friend and starts working towards getting a guitar so she can play the Beatles (hence the title). I liked this one a lot.

12. The Lost Chalice: The Epic Hunt for a Priceless Masterpiece a nonfiction read detailing the path of a greek chalice from tomb robber to the present. It,s very detailed and explains the antiquity trade market effectively. It,s a little wordy, and there,s essentially no pictures (literally one)-which makes sense when you realize it,s the guy,s doctoral thesis.

13. Staked love. Lovelovelovelovelove. 8th of 9 books about Atticus, the iron druid. Hearn has a great writing style, though he doesn,t have the voice of Owen, the older Druid, down ss well as the other two. This details the druid war against Vampires, and waiting for Ragnaroch, which i assume book 9 will be about. Really like this, and so sad series will end with ninth book.

14. & 15. Night Owls & Grave Matters first was a nook special that i liked enough to get the second book. Typical vampire in modern book with enough originality to make it good. Nice collection of characters with good personality. Plot develops well with lots of room for more in the series.

C/YA 5. The Last Kids on Earth How does a group of school kids survive when their town gets hit by the monster/zombie apocalypse? By building an awesome tree house and smashing up things, of course. I actually liked this one, but it was hard to say what kids I would give this - probably it would interest seventh grade and up, but the writing style's a little simple. It was clever, though, and I did like it.

C/YA 6. Better off Friends This was a fun read, and the characters were pretty well drawn and interesting. It traces a four year friendship between a boy and a girl, and their dates and friends who keep thinking the two are dating (though they aren't). My one disappointment (SPOILER) is that they end up dating at the end - which kind of blows the whole point of the title, no?

C/YA 7. Love, Lucas This books traces 17-year-old Oakley's spring in California following her brother's death from cancer. She struggles with grief and recovers through reading a notebook her brother left her and a romance with the surfer boy next door. The book is realistic, interesting, and pretty good up until 75% through. Then, when she's apologizing to surfer boy for a fight he (SPOILER) gets his leg bit off by a shark. Uh... huh? It's certainly something that happens in real life, and it's not completely out of the blue, but it didn't quite work for me and felt a little too deus ex machina (um... pistris ex oceanum?) as it solved a couple of problems too conveniently.

C/YA 8. The Hobbit I estimate that this is my 12th time or so reading this, this time aloud so that the 6 year old is introduced to it. I still love this despite there being no female characters throughout the whole thing.

C/YA 9. Princess in Disguise 4th book in the series, and enjoyable is somewhat light. The mystery's not hard to figure out, and the scenes are a little predictable, but it's a good read and continues a solid series. Probably best for around 8 year olds.

16. Dead Heat Patricia Briggs is just one of my all time favorite authors. period. I miss her high fantasy books, but I love this series. She takes a small vignette/adventure and turns it into a whole book, handling the duality of the immediate action and the implications that has for her universe. Sigh. Just love these.

M58. Skip Beat!, Vol. 36 Speaking of series I love - I get a sense of deja vu, because I've read ahead online, and there's a juxtaposition of storylines and then the official translation often gives slightly different nuances. Still thoroughly enjoying this.

M59. The Ancient Magus' Bride, Vol. 3 Not completely sold on this story - Victorian England with magic and creatures that go bump in the night. Protagonist is young girl coming into her own. Like but not love.

M60. Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 15 I really like this one. Last volume of the main story, so the censorship storyline gets wrapped up - guess they didn't want to write past that. Some bonus volumes apparently coming, and I'll read those.

M61. The Ancient Magus' Bride, Vol. 4 These are coming out fairly quickly, so I think the series is much further along in Japan. Main character, Chise, is continuing on with her development, while the "mage" Elias is also developing. It's good enough, I'll probably keep following this.

M62. Behind the Scenes!!, Vol. 1 Found this in the bookstore, picked it up, started flipping through it. The story was cute, and I was thinking how much like Ouran High School Host Club it was - and then realized it's done by the same woman. Derp. Basic plot is that a college loser gets into an art club that will give him friendship and let him develop self-confidence. Common trope, but made fun with the characters and looks pretty good.

M 63-66. Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 1, Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 2, Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 3, Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 4 Whereas this one takes the common trope and flips it on the head - the main character is a girl who is obsessed with anime and manga - but especially for ones that portray homosexual relationships. So when she becomes suddenly slim and (of course) a knockout with four hot guys chasing her, her main focus is how they could be with each other, not her. It's kind of funny, and there's still character development.

M61. The Ancient Magus' Bride, Vol. 4 Coming out quickly, so they must be further along in Japan. Main characters, Chise and Elias, are developing into self-awareness. Decent enough, and I like the background of fairies and magic.

M62. Behind the Scenes!!, Vol. 1 Found this in the bookstore, liked the store, thought it was *really* similar to Ouran High Host Club, then realized it's done by the same woman. Derp. Basic trope of loser finding his spot and developing self-confidence, but done with fun characters and an Art background, so I like it.

M63-66. Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 1, Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 2, Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 3, Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 4 Here the storyline gets turned on its head a bit - main character is obsessed with manga and anime, especially ones with homosexuality. So, when she becomes suddenly slim and has 4 hot guys chasing after her, she's much more interested in picturing them together than with her. It's lighthearted, goofy, with nothing explicit, so it's played for laughs.

C/YA 10. The Eyes of the Amaryllis Older daughter's reading this for school, and it was the only thing in the car when she went in for a lesson. Same author of Tuck Everlasting which I like a lot since teaching it a few years ago (though save yourself and skip the movie...) This has several similarities - time frame, young female protagonist, supernatural overtures, and several shared motifs. It was a fast read, and I enjoyed the characters and (slight) plot. I'm interested in reading a third book by her to find if the similarities are coincidental with these two books, or if all her books are kind of the same.

C/YA11. Nightrise And.... a complete shift in tone. This is the fourth book in the Gatekeepers series, and it's setting the stage for oncoming armageddon. It's Horowitz, so not so big on character development, but plenty of action. It's not quite as unbearably grim as the Maze Runner, but close. Not sure how it's all going to end up (my guess - okay for the world, bad for the characters...).

urg, finally checking my nook for books I've read - there's a lot more than I remember...

C/YA 12. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Read aloud for bedtime. First time for the 6-year-old, so lots of fun.

17.-18. Bronze Gods , Silver Mirrors First two books in a series - don't know when next one will come out. Like it in that the authors have a developed world, like the characters, plot was interesting. Kind of steampunk crossed with magic.

19. 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen by Leonard Maltin. Completely biased list of movies Maltin found interesting. I enjoyed this, and the five or so I've seen I'd thoroughly enjoyed, and the half or so I'd heard of sounded intriguing. So, fun to read through, some ideas of what to watch.

20. Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies by Michael Adams. Whereas this was a vicarious crapfest of movies that I have no wish to see - and only saw maybe one of these. Adams fell into a self-challenge of a year to find the worst movie ever made, and he describes the "winners" by month. I enjoyed this, but I love bad movies. Not sure everyone else would.

C/YA13. Demigods of Olympus: An Interactive Adventure Chose-your-own-adventure for Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson universe. You can't die, but there's one better path than the others. It was entertaining.

C/YA14-15. 13 Little Blue Envelopes, The Last Little Blue Envelope I enjoyed these. Fairly standard YA, with a far out plot of high school girl following a trail through Europe left by her dead aunt.

21.-22. The Twelve Clues of Christmas & Heirs and Graces Two more in the Royal Georgie cozy mystery series. They're satisfyingly British and cozy.

23. The Oracle Code What to read when you don't have a Dirk Pitt book around. Fun beach read, even on an airplane.

24. Solitude Creek I really liked this one - Deaver, so no surprise. Still managed to have twists and turns I didn't see coming. This is one featuring Kathryn Dance.

25. Fire Touched Finally broke down and bought one of Briggs' Mercy books in hardback (though for the nook). Got to the end, went back to the beginning and read again. I really like these that much. Like urban fantasy? Read Briggs. Like strong female characters? Read Briggs. Like well-developed characters and plots? Read Briggs. Like good writing? Read Briggs. Seriously. Just read her stuff. It's all good. (though I will say, very little sexytimes. But that's available else where.)

26. Moon Called This is the first in the series (Fire Touched is 9th). Turns out I had it on my nook, so instead of reading Fire Touched a third time, I went back to the beginning. Some stuff I had forgotten, so it was enjoyable. Start here; read the series; enjoy.

M67-71. Naruto, Vol. 06: The Forest of Death, Naruto, Vol. 07: Orochimaru's Curse, Naruto, Vol. 08: Life-and-Death Battles, Naruto, Vol. 09: Turning the Tables, Naruto, Vol. 10: A Splendid Ninja Got these for the Nook in the annual sale in January. I like this, despite being silly and over the top there's a certain heart to them. Naruto (which is finally finished at around vol. 72...) here is still in Ninja training and still discovering his own limitations. They're fun.

27. Agatha H and the Airship City First in the girl genius series. Pluses are that it's good sci-fi, it's funny, it's a strong female character, and I like the Foglios work. Minuses are sometimes it's a little too clever by half and can get a little too self-referencing. Overall enjoyed it; interested in looking for the graphic novel or more in the series.

28. The Book of You Creepy!! Nook special, so I thought I'd try it. Realistic fiction, so outside my normal reads. It's a story of a woman dealing with a stalker and anything else gives it away. I really wanted to keep reading and get to the end, but it is creepy!!

29. The Greatcoat Enh. Slight ghost story set after WW II in England. Okay, I guess.

30-32. A Ghostly Grave, A Ghostly Demise, A Ghostly Murder. This finishes up what's available in this series. If not great, they're enjoyable - I can't really slag anything I read three of in a row... The southern angle does get a little thick at times, but they're effective cozy mysteries.

33. Devil Without a Cause Whereas this is a follow-up to the Nikki Styx books, but focusing on the demon Sammy rather than Nikki. Much more sexytimes, much less mystery. More a romance. Wraps up a storyline, but it was kind of an odd addition.

Oooh, the Scholastic box came...

C/YA 16. Revenge of the Girl with the Great Personality Some really good things about this - realistic characters, real world issues with no solutions magically happening, and good writing. Some issues, too - some plot points feel more like wish fulfillment rather than realistic, and the endings a bit abrupt. Figured out it was the same author as Better Off Friends which I also enjoyed until the end. Makes me want to try a third to see if it's her style or if she's improving as an author.

C/YA 17. Since You've Been Gone Meanwhile, I want to find more books by this author because I enjoyed it that much. Realistic characters (though a little suspension of disbelief is necessary for the family situations) that's a realistic look at friendship and teenage development.

C/YA 18. The Witch's Buttons Read aloud to six year old. I never read these in the 70s, but they still make me totally nostalgic - simple stories with real magic that appeal to young kids. Very age appropriate with relatable characters who aren't perfect. Very quick, but sweet.

C/YA 19. The Hidden Oracle Read so older child would not disown me. New series in the Riordan universe. Pretty good, main character of Apollo (one of my favorite Greek gods) is not one of Riordan's favorites, so a lot of the book is about his vanity, etc... Solid entry, and the series should be good.

34. Unprocessed: My City-Dwelling Year of Reclaiming Real Food So I have a thing for "my year of..." books. In this one, the author decides to eat "unprocessed" food - defined as food that she can make herself. She's a journalist, so the book is pretty solid with her attempts (often successful - make chocolate, make salt, butcher a sheep) and her exploration of our food system. Nice balance of conviction without being preachy.

C/YA 20. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl I do not get how they turned this book into a movie. It's main character is a high school boy who is made by his mother to visit a classmate who has leukemia. He acts like a real high school boy, with several cringe worthy moments, but the plot and development are fairly slight. I liked it, but I'm a little hard-pressed to explain why.

C/YA 21. The Heir and the Spare Decent YA romance about a girl who follows in her late mother's footsteps to go to school in the UK. Of course a prince is involved, and while predictable, this was fairly well-written.

C/YA 22. Royally Lost Whereas this one had character and dialogue issues that made the (likeable) characters kind of wooden. Another typical teen meets royal prince story. Fairly predictable again.

35., 36. Suddenly Royal, Recklessly Royal So Royally Lost name-checked Suddenly Royal, and as it continued my theme, I checked out this series. Too much sexytimes for YA, but about the same plot. The second book focuses on the younger sister princess. There's a third about the younger prince - I'll probably get around to it at some point because these were easy reads and well-written with fun characters even if fluffy and predictable.

37. The Warlock in Spite of Himself Nook special which I grabbed and read that day. I fell in love with this series when I was 13, even though it was written before I was born. Oldstyle SF - space traveler finds a planet modeled after medieval Europe. Add in a growing population of Espers, a meddling "bad" time-travel agency, and a primer of economics, and I just love these books. It's slightly dated, but I really just love these still.

38. -40. Justice Calling, Murder of Crows, Pack of Lies First three in a series called the twenty-sided sorceress. Quick, easy, reads with decent characters and plots. Basic urban fantasy that I'd continue on reading.

41. Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day Forgot how I found this, but I enjoyed it - this started out as a project to see how people on food stamps could afford to eat, and it developed into this guide/cookbook. While some of these things I would never eat, there's a lot here that actually sound pretty tasty.

C/YA 23. Fangirl Got sucked into this, stayed up way too late to finish and enjoyed it. The characters are perhaps a little idealized or not fully developed, but they're not one-dimensional either. Very good look at life with a mentally ill parent, and some good stuff on college life, too. The main draw is the fan-fic the main character writes that is sprinkled throughout the book (referencing a thinly veiled Harry Potter character). Apparently the fan-fic was popular, because her next book is the fan-fic fleshed out like a real book Carry On. Still hardback, so I'm not rushing to buy it, but I'm looking forward to reading it (my 7th grade girls are swooning over it, so take that as an endorsement or a warning.)

C/YA 24. Forget You Zoey has a bad day - finding her mother after she attempted suicide just months after her parents divorced. After being moved to her dad's house and then left alone, she has a car accident that causes her to lose the night before the accident - and spends the book piecing together what happens. She wanders around and does stupid stuff that is really annoying - until I realized it's intentional because the character is in crisis, at which point I liked the book a lot better. Echols knows how to write teen romance, so this was pretty good.

C/YA 25. The Night We Said Yes Pretty solid YA romance. There's a few rough patches that make me think it could be the author's first book - just little character blips or sentence hints- especially one where it implies the male character is lying, but then nothing follows it up. It was an interesting read, and good friendships, so that was a plus.

C/YA 26. Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between This one felt very smooth and developed, and also had four main characters - a couple deciding to break up before leaving for college and their friends- but felt a little too slick or pat in spots. Nothing bad - I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, but got the same feeling from another book I read by her, The Geography of You and Me, so it may just be my reaction to her style.

42. Paws & Effect: The Healing Power of Dogs Picked this up from our school library - very interesting. It chronicles the use of dogs in service capacities. I actually learned some things (always a plus!) and of course, got my heartstrings totally plucked by some of the stories. Easy read, and a definite if you're a dog person.

43. Almost Interesting Memoir by David Spade. Focuses mostly on his SNL years, with some odd stories and some filthy parts thrown in. Mixed feelings on this - he's clearly really intelligent, kinda messed up, reads as a nice guy but a DB with women. Lots of omissions - never mentions his daughter, or hardly anything after SNL. I was interested while reading, but kept waiting for more substance.

C/YA 27. The Start of Me and You Another YA novel with the trope of main character girl with quirky best friend who finds an unexpected boy that brings out her best. It was good, but they're starting to run together.... the one thing I do like about this trend is that the girl pals are supportive and real, with no backstabbing or fakery.

C/YA 28-31. [[book:Alanna: The First Adventure|9394691], In the Hand of the Goddess, book:The Woman Who Rides Like a Man|7298451], Lioness Rampant So Tamora Pierce's world is Tortall, and this is the opening series to it (there's like 7-8 other series). I really love these, especially because they all have strong female characters who aren't plaster saints but actual flawed, developed characters. I would suggest reading this one first to understand the world and the background story - otherwise order's not too important. So- I bought this for the 12 year old to read on a car trip, but she said the first chapter was boring, so I stole them and re-read all of them in about 2 days, being reminded of how good these actually are. (on the last day she tried again and got into them 1/2 way through the first book and finished off the second book right away.)

44. Getting Wilde Nook special - decent urban fantasy with an interesting world of magic, and a mage society built on the conceit of tarot cards. Very quick read that I enjoyed.

45. Maplecroft This was my reward for finishing grading - it builds a universe where Lizzie Borden and Lovecraft collide. The style deliberately imitates Lovecraft, so it's a little slow and simmering. I really, really, enjoyed this, but I wouldn't recommend it if one doesn't like Lovecraft. I thought there was more than just a second one in the series, but not yet. I definitely want to read the next one.

46. Bloodfire Oh right, almost forgot I read this one. It was a decent urban fantasy - a world made of shapeshifters living aside humans. Yeah, it was okay.

47. Ghost at Work Interesting mystery- detective is a ghost. Allows for a lot of getting around physics. It was a little different, but enjoyable.

48. Finders Keepers Typical space / sci-fi romance from Sinclair. I like her writing, and this is an old favorite. came up as a nook special, so I snagged it and read it.

Finally finding some free time to catch up...

M72-76. orange #1, orange 2 Read good things about this, and since Manga was on sale in July, picked it up. Really, really good. A girl starts getting letters from herself 10 years in the future, telling her how to erase regrets and help a friend. Very touching. Also kicked off another manga reading blitz....

M 77. Yukarism, Vol. 1 Another time travel manga - this one is a teenage boy is the reincarnation of a famous Geisha from the Edo (I think) period. Might continue this, I might not.

M 78.-90. Voice Over!: Seiyu Academy, Vol. 1 Read all 12 volumes of this. Typical manga story of a hard-working, under-appreciated girl who through spunk, optimism, and luck works her way to her goals. In this case, becoming a voice actor. Liked enough I went and found the author's other series.

M. 91-108. Special A, Vol. 01 This one is very similar to Ouran High School Host Club- not sure which series came first. But, serious girl has love/hate/competitive relationship with near superhuman boy. Takes place at high school, and of course they're all filthy rich so that any plot contrivance can happen. Fun.

M. 109-113. Komomo Confiserie 1 Same author. Same basic trope. Plucky, optimistic girl who has lost her fortune works for a pastry chef from her past. Um... it makes more sense when you read it...

And then catching up with the regular series...

M114.-115. The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 4, The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 5

M116. The Ancient Magus' Bride, Vol. 5

M117. Behind the Scenes!!, Vol. 2 Still liking this one, though this volume focuses more on the secondary characters who aren't as much fun. Enjoy the art background.

C/YA 32.-33. Witch's Cat, The Witch's Garden Again, bedtime stories. These are very sweet - not a grand overarching plot, just regular kids in a brief situation. They're very quick, interesting, and not predictable. Good for 8 and under, I'd guess.

49. Stuff White People Like: A Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions I found this really funny, and a really effective piece of satire. Thought it was well done.

C/YA 34. Water Thief This is a follow up to Golding's quarter of books - which I haven't read yet. Enjoyed enough without having the background - would probably have made more sense if I knew the characters from the series already.

C/YA 35. A Girl Named Summer Straightforward teen romance (but old, so realistic, very little angst, and no sex) that I remember liking way back, and still like a lot. Running theme which also appeals to me.

C/YA 36. Inside Out Light YA SF - I think this author writes adult fiction better. Figured out the twist early on, but still enjoyed. Not enough to check out the sequel yet, though.

50. A Toxic Trousseau Latest addition to Blackwell's cozy magic mystery series. Enjoyed it.

51. Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously Had been interested in the movie, so picked this up when it came on special. MUCH less about Julia Child than I expected. Much MORE narcissism than expected about her. That may be colored by what I read about her second book - I liked this one enough to be curious about her sequel, and the reviews there just turned me off completely. Ah well, real life is messy. Also note: another year of doing something book.

52. P.S. I Love You Another movie tie-in that made me curious. Dear lord, this is an absolutely shameless tear-jerker. But, it's also very accomplished at this, and had enough skill to be entertaining. Also did not go cliche at the end, which I appreciated.

53. Where Bears Roam the Streets I liked this, though I took it in small bites. Author writes about a long-time friend in Russia, musing on cultural differences. Loosely organized, but interesting.

54. The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World And... another movie tie-in... (sometimes I don't see the trend in my reading until I record them). This is more of a journalist retelling about the piecing of the story than the actual story. It was very interesting, though, and she includes several salient observations about our changing society.

55. Bastion Ok, first annoyed that the Nook book still has hardcover pricing when the paperback's been out for almost a year. Reading this because of how much I used to love Lackey's Valdemar series. I feel that her writing is now much less plot driven than social commentary - sort of, "Look how I would have society run and how much better it would be." By the time something actually happens, it's 3/4 through the story and all the action takes place and gets wrapped up at the end. But, I still like the world enough to keep reading.

C/YA 37. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Very quick read as it's the actual script. I was very pleasantly surprised by this. I enjoyed the story and the characters, and there were only a few parts where it felt like it was fan service. I felt it was a good addition to the canon.

56. The King's Deception Read for a book club. Typical action adventure in the Dirk Pitt vein, but interesting and unique for the history involved. Takes historical facts about the Tudor period, shakes and stirs. Thought it was fun, though the action was fairly predictable.

M118. Komomo Confiserie 5 This wrapped up the series, and in a very quick, predictable way. Wish the author had taken another volume or so and developed it further.

M119-120. Maid-sama! (2-in-1 Edition), Vol. 5: Includes Vols. 9 & 10 I'm very glad this came out - it's original English publication stopped at vol. 8, so I'm glad to pick up the story again. Fairly typical story, but I enjoy it.

M121. Noragami, Band 1 Start to another series that I find interesting. Title character is the most minor god who is trying to gather followers to work his way up the chain of command. Not typical, and curious to see where it goes.

C/YA 38. Beastly Bones I liked this sequel to Jackaby very much. The characters are developing, it's still a nice mix of fantasy and historical setting, and it's non-predictable and entertaining.

C/YA 39. The Bronze Key So excited this third book came out. So frustrated by the ending and that I need to wait a year for book four.... Any explanation would be spoilers. Good solid middle grades fantasy.

M118. Skip Beat!, Vol. 37 Fun to read this with the "official" translation - it's just a little smoother than the on-line rough. Still my favorite manga, and this one deals with the Kyoko's relationship with her mother.

M119. Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 22 This is fun, but light fantasy. Trip through land of the dead with personal discoveries and character development.

YA 40. Just Listen The first Sarah Dressen I tried, and I *really* liked it - realistic teen problems, believable characters, and one of the times I felt strongly like the narrator's decisions and thoughts were the result of her personality.

YA 41. That Summer So, I liked Just Listen so much I grabbed another Sarah Dressen - and I think this might be her first one. It's not as good - there're characters who seem superfluous, and the plot and characters aren't as even. Still good, but a little disappointing. However, if it was her first one, good effort and she got better!

YA 42. My Ex From Hell I'm a total sucker for mythology based books, and there's certainly a lot to choose from! This one (spoiler) is a high school student who is a reincarnation of Persephone in the middle of a war for hell. Hijinks ensue. Large amounts of snark.

YA 43. 52 Reasons to Hate My Father Thought this would be cute and was pleasantly surprised by the depth of character and heart to this story. Spoiled heiress has to spend a year working entry-level jobs to earn her trust fund. Enjoyed this one a lot.

57. Poison or Protect Short novel (128 pages) set in Carriger's steampunk Victoria era. Focus less on plot and more on sexytime character development between the couple. Fun, short read.

58. Prudence First in the series dealing with Prudence, the daughter of the couple from the Soulless series. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Soulless series; the lighthearted tone felt more forced. Still good enough and interesting enough plot to read the next one.

59. The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money Interesting book about how to teach kids about money. Generally worthwhile.

60. Piggybanking: Preparing Your Financial Life for Kids and Your Kids for a Financial Life I liked this one better, though, for a more practical approach about teaching kids how to manage finances.

61. Eligible There are just some books I'm a sucker for (a year of doing something books, mythology) and Pride and Prejudice based books are one of them. This is a decent modern retelling - much like the original with more reality tv and sex. I enjoyed it, though I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if not for the P&P connection.

62. Pride and Prejudice Haven't read this for a year or so, so read through it again. Still really like this.

63. Persuasion Never read this one before, and I liked it. I know it's supposed to be a stronger book, but I still enjoy P&P more. I did like this a lot, though.

C/YA 44. Eleven Things I Promised Girl tries to complete a bike marathon by herself. Lots of the story was fresh, and it was an interesting read. Enjoyed it lots.

C/YA 45. The Possibility of Now Girl in her junior year has a panic attack that ends up as a youtube video, so she goes to live with her dad while things calm down. Interesting characters, and a realistic ending.

C/YA 46. Dash & Lily's Book of DaresWhile this book is much more wish fulfillment than realistic. Characters are fun, and it's a fun story, though. Takes place during a Christmas season.

M120. Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 24 I still like this one, but it's starting to get draggy and repetitive - will the high school kids go to the same college? will they stay together? will he get along with his father? It's been the same for like four volumes, so time to move on!

C/YA 47. The Moon and More Thought this was a new Sarah Dressen - but apparently a few years old?? Anyways, I'm beginning to think Just Listen was a fluke, because I didn't like this one as much, either. It's still pretty solid, just not as good. main character is dealing with her last summer home before college with requisite boyfriend drama, life discoveries, and quirky friends.

C/YA 48. Never Mind!: A Twin Novel Very quick read about a week of misadventures with a set of twins. Amusing and tightly plotted. Middle School level.

C/YA 49. Carols and Crushes by Natalie Blitt. Okay, first weird thing is that I got this from Scholastic, yet the book is nowhere to be found on Goodreads, B&N, or Amazon. Huh. This is a fairly charming romance, but it's an odd blend - it's set in middle school, and the characters are all appropriately aged and behaved, but the plot reads as more for high school students. Perhaps the trend is to move romance stories to middle school?

C/YA 50. The Ex Games Guilty pleasure of the simon pulse Romantic Comedies - I think this one is probably the best of the series (guilty of reading all 30 of them at least once). This one has interesting characters, funny dialogue, and at least plausible plotting. I just like this one and needed a quick read one evening.

64. Charming Start to another urban fantasy, and there's at least five, so it must be somewhat successful. I enjoyed the characters in the this one, and there's a strong female lead (both literally and figuratively) that made it good. I felt like there was a little too much plot, action, and monster of the week, but still thought it was a solid story.

C/YA 51: My Secret Guide to Paris I was prepared to like this one and did for about 75% of the book. 4-6 grade audience, I'd say - a girl has a kindred spirit in a grandmother, but the mother is estranged from the grandmother. Grandmother promises girl trip to Paris, then dies. Mother agrees to go, and fences are mended. It was just that the cause of the estrangement was so flipping stupid that I lost interest.

C/YA 52. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist Dash & Lily's Book of Dares made me curious about this one as it was an earlier effort by same authors. I liked this one a little better, though the make-out scenes read as a little creepy as the characters are just out of high school. I can see this as a movie, though I liked the book enough I don't know if I feel like seeing it - Michael Cera doesn't work as Nick the way I read it.

C/YA 53. The Hammer of Thor

C/YA 54. What You Always Wanted

C/YA 55. Keep Me In Mind

C/YA 56. Let it Snow

65. Sh*t My Dad Says

66. Yes Please

67. The Night Circus

M121-150. Haikyu!!, Vol. 1

M151. A Silent Voice, Vol. 1

C/YA 57. The Heir

68. In Good Company

So grand total, is M151, C/YA 57, 68. Much more than last year! See you all next year!

Erm, actually M151, C/YA 58, 68.

58. P.S. I Like You liked this a lot, but read it as physical book, so that,s why it fell through cracks.