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2009 Reading List
18/12/09 22:37I've posted this at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
50bookchallenge, and since it took me nearly two hours to write, I'm cross-posting it here. I think the ones I've recommended might be relevant to you guys, since a lot of it is gay fiction (and some has smut!).
Here's the list of what I've read so far this year, with some extra info/summary/rating bits for the ones I enjoyed and would recommend the most.
( #1-5 )
6. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Summary: Seconds before the Earth is demolished for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is saved by Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised Guide. Together they stick out their thumbs to the stars and begin a wild journey through time and space.
Thoughts: I heart this series so hard. I first heard about it years and years ago, but was always a bit reluctant to try it (it was too 'geeky'). This year I decided to exercise my geek, and I did not regret it! The story is confusing at times, lmfao-funny, full of wonderful irony and sarcasm, and just so completely brilliant that it boggles the mind. I would say that Adams isn't necessarily for everyone, as his writing tends to lean towards the completely insane a good portion of the time, but if you can get behind that kind of writing, it is a MUST READ.
Rating: 10/10
( #7-14 )
15. The Bone Key – Sarah Monette
Summary: The dead and the monstrous will not leave Kyle Murchison Booth alone, for an unwilling foray into necromancy has made him sensitive to-and attractive to-the creatures who roam the darkness of his once-safe world. Ghosts, ghouls, incubi: all have one thing in common. They know Booth for one of their own . . .
Thoughts: I really enjoyed the cohesiveness of this series. Even thought the stories were separate and could be read as stand-alones, I thought they flowed very well into each other. Each was unique and interesting, and I finished the book feeling a deep-seeded connection with Kyle. Perhaps it's the librarian in me.
Warning: There is homosexuality in one of the stories (I won't say which so as not to spoil anything), so if that's not your thing, I would not recommend choosing this book to read.
Rating: 10/10
( #16-17 )
18. Scarlet and the White Wolf – Kirby Crow
Summary: Scarlet of Lysia is an honest peddler, a young merchant traveling the wild, undefended roads to support his aging parents. Liall, called the Wolf of Omara, is the handsome, world-weary chieftain of a tribe of bandits blocking a mountain road that Scarlet needs to cross. When Liall jokingly demands a carnal toll for the privilege, Scarlet refuses and an inventive battle of wills ensues, with disastrous results.
Scarlet is convinced that Liall is a worthless, immoral rogue, but when the hostile countryside explodes into violence and Liall unexpectedly fights to save the lives of Scarlet's family, Scarlet is forced to admit that the Wolf is not the worst ally he could have, but what price will proud Scarlet ultimately have to pay for Liall's friendship?
Thoughts: This was my first foray into both e-books and gay fiction. At first, I was uncertain as to whether I would enjoy either. I was hooked within the first twenty pages. The writing isn't perhaps on par with Tolkien or Jacques, but the story is absolutely compelling and I loved every minute of it. I loved the contentious relationship between Liall and Scarlet in the beginning of the series. The intrigue and political strife, both of which normally bore me to death, were both very interesting to read. I loved everything about this book, and it's two sequels.
Notes on format: I read this novel and the two sequels as e-books and found that I read faster in the e-book format than I do in the paper format. However, the books are available in print, if you prefer the paper format.
Rating: 9/10
( #19-35 )
36. Hero – Perry Moore
Summary: Thom Creed is used to being on his own. Even as a highschool basketball star, he has to keep his distance because of his father. Hal Creed had once been one of the greatest and most beloved superheroes of The League—until the Wilson Towers incident. After that Thom's mother disappeared and his proud father became an outcast.
The last thing in the world Thom would ever want is to disappoint his father. So Thom keeps two secrets from him: First is that he's gay. The second is that he has the power to heal people. Initially, Thom had trouble controlling his powers. But with trail and error he improves, until he gets so good that he catches the attention of the League and is asked to join. Even though he knows it would kill his dad, Thom can't resist. When he joins the League, he meets a motely crew of other heroes, including tough-talking Scarlett, who has the power of fire from growing up near a nuclear power plant; Typhoid Larry, who makes everyone sick by touching them, but is actually a really sweet guy; and wise Ruth, who has the power to see the future. Together these unlikely heroes become friends and begin to uncover a plot to kill the superheroes.
Along the way, Thom falls in love, and discovers the difficult truth about his parents' past. This is a moving, funny, and wonderfully original novel that shows that things are not always what they seem, and love can be found in the unlikeliest of places.
Thoughts: If I attempted to describe how much I enjoyed this book, I know I would fail. It was just... absolutely brilliant. The struggles and heartache Thom goes through are so heart-wrenching they're painful to read. His parents were both complete train wrecks. Spoiler *His mother was completely disgusting character, whom I felt absolutely no sympathy for.* His father I felt equal parts pity and hatred for. But even with all the pain, the book also has a lot of humor. Thom's fantasies about Uberman were pure snort-inducing brilliance and the clusterf*ck of mishaps he gets into made want to palm-face. All-in-all, I highly recommend this as a fantastic read.
Rating: 10/10
( #37-40 )
41. The Elf and the Shoemaker – M. L. Rhodes
Summary: Logan Shoemaker's honest, hardworking, and loves what he does. Though he never expects to get rich, he's fared well enough to stay comfortable with his quirky metaphysical store, Shoemaker's Magick Shoppe. But when the economy falls on hard times, his store pays the price. As each month passes, slow sales turn into no sales, and soon Logan's living off ramen noodles and sleeping in a freezing house during the cold winter nights as he struggles to make ends meet. His personal life isn't much better--the worse business at the store grows, the more isolated and lonely he becomes. After a string of mishaps that wipe out the last of his small savings, he finally hits rock bottom the day he discovers the disconnection notice from the electric company hanging on his door. That night, desperate and in despair, he makes a plea to the universe, asking for help. Needless to say, he never anticipates receiving a response so quickly. Not only does he awaken the next morning to find on his kitchen table four little bottles of a special potion labeled "PASSION," but he keeps remembering the erotically charged dream he'd had during the night. A dream where a tall, gorgeous man with pointed ears comes to his bed and shows him just what kind of magick they can make together. But was it a dream? All Logan knows is that his customers can't get enough of the special potion--an aphrodisiac--and he can't stop thinking about the sweet seduction of the nighttime visitor who made it. As he tries to sort out what's real and what's not, he discovers there's a much bigger world out there than he'd ever believed, and his true heart's desire might come in a most unexpected form.
Thoughts: My only problem with this story was that it was too short. I would have enjoyed an epilogue of some sort. Otherwise, this was an excellently written retelling of an old fairy tale with a gay twist. I loved it.
Rating: 9/10
( #42-44 )
Disclaimer: Summaries stolen from BN.com because I am rubbish at them.
50bookchallenge, and since it took me nearly two hours to write, I'm cross-posting it here. I think the ones I've recommended might be relevant to you guys, since a lot of it is gay fiction (and some has smut!).Here's the list of what I've read so far this year, with some extra info/summary/rating bits for the ones I enjoyed and would recommend the most.
( #1-5 )
6. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Summary: Seconds before the Earth is demolished for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is saved by Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised Guide. Together they stick out their thumbs to the stars and begin a wild journey through time and space.
Thoughts: I heart this series so hard. I first heard about it years and years ago, but was always a bit reluctant to try it (it was too 'geeky'). This year I decided to exercise my geek, and I did not regret it! The story is confusing at times, lmfao-funny, full of wonderful irony and sarcasm, and just so completely brilliant that it boggles the mind. I would say that Adams isn't necessarily for everyone, as his writing tends to lean towards the completely insane a good portion of the time, but if you can get behind that kind of writing, it is a MUST READ.
Rating: 10/10
( #7-14 )
15. The Bone Key – Sarah Monette
Summary: The dead and the monstrous will not leave Kyle Murchison Booth alone, for an unwilling foray into necromancy has made him sensitive to-and attractive to-the creatures who roam the darkness of his once-safe world. Ghosts, ghouls, incubi: all have one thing in common. They know Booth for one of their own . . .
Thoughts: I really enjoyed the cohesiveness of this series. Even thought the stories were separate and could be read as stand-alones, I thought they flowed very well into each other. Each was unique and interesting, and I finished the book feeling a deep-seeded connection with Kyle. Perhaps it's the librarian in me.
Warning: There is homosexuality in one of the stories (I won't say which so as not to spoil anything), so if that's not your thing, I would not recommend choosing this book to read.
Rating: 10/10
( #16-17 )
18. Scarlet and the White Wolf – Kirby Crow
Summary: Scarlet of Lysia is an honest peddler, a young merchant traveling the wild, undefended roads to support his aging parents. Liall, called the Wolf of Omara, is the handsome, world-weary chieftain of a tribe of bandits blocking a mountain road that Scarlet needs to cross. When Liall jokingly demands a carnal toll for the privilege, Scarlet refuses and an inventive battle of wills ensues, with disastrous results.
Scarlet is convinced that Liall is a worthless, immoral rogue, but when the hostile countryside explodes into violence and Liall unexpectedly fights to save the lives of Scarlet's family, Scarlet is forced to admit that the Wolf is not the worst ally he could have, but what price will proud Scarlet ultimately have to pay for Liall's friendship?
Thoughts: This was my first foray into both e-books and gay fiction. At first, I was uncertain as to whether I would enjoy either. I was hooked within the first twenty pages. The writing isn't perhaps on par with Tolkien or Jacques, but the story is absolutely compelling and I loved every minute of it. I loved the contentious relationship between Liall and Scarlet in the beginning of the series. The intrigue and political strife, both of which normally bore me to death, were both very interesting to read. I loved everything about this book, and it's two sequels.
Notes on format: I read this novel and the two sequels as e-books and found that I read faster in the e-book format than I do in the paper format. However, the books are available in print, if you prefer the paper format.
Rating: 9/10
( #19-35 )
36. Hero – Perry Moore
Summary: Thom Creed is used to being on his own. Even as a highschool basketball star, he has to keep his distance because of his father. Hal Creed had once been one of the greatest and most beloved superheroes of The League—until the Wilson Towers incident. After that Thom's mother disappeared and his proud father became an outcast.
The last thing in the world Thom would ever want is to disappoint his father. So Thom keeps two secrets from him: First is that he's gay. The second is that he has the power to heal people. Initially, Thom had trouble controlling his powers. But with trail and error he improves, until he gets so good that he catches the attention of the League and is asked to join. Even though he knows it would kill his dad, Thom can't resist. When he joins the League, he meets a motely crew of other heroes, including tough-talking Scarlett, who has the power of fire from growing up near a nuclear power plant; Typhoid Larry, who makes everyone sick by touching them, but is actually a really sweet guy; and wise Ruth, who has the power to see the future. Together these unlikely heroes become friends and begin to uncover a plot to kill the superheroes.
Along the way, Thom falls in love, and discovers the difficult truth about his parents' past. This is a moving, funny, and wonderfully original novel that shows that things are not always what they seem, and love can be found in the unlikeliest of places.
Thoughts: If I attempted to describe how much I enjoyed this book, I know I would fail. It was just... absolutely brilliant. The struggles and heartache Thom goes through are so heart-wrenching they're painful to read. His parents were both complete train wrecks. Spoiler *His mother was completely disgusting character, whom I felt absolutely no sympathy for.* His father I felt equal parts pity and hatred for. But even with all the pain, the book also has a lot of humor. Thom's fantasies about Uberman were pure snort-inducing brilliance and the clusterf*ck of mishaps he gets into made want to palm-face. All-in-all, I highly recommend this as a fantastic read.
Rating: 10/10
( #37-40 )
41. The Elf and the Shoemaker – M. L. Rhodes
Summary: Logan Shoemaker's honest, hardworking, and loves what he does. Though he never expects to get rich, he's fared well enough to stay comfortable with his quirky metaphysical store, Shoemaker's Magick Shoppe. But when the economy falls on hard times, his store pays the price. As each month passes, slow sales turn into no sales, and soon Logan's living off ramen noodles and sleeping in a freezing house during the cold winter nights as he struggles to make ends meet. His personal life isn't much better--the worse business at the store grows, the more isolated and lonely he becomes. After a string of mishaps that wipe out the last of his small savings, he finally hits rock bottom the day he discovers the disconnection notice from the electric company hanging on his door. That night, desperate and in despair, he makes a plea to the universe, asking for help. Needless to say, he never anticipates receiving a response so quickly. Not only does he awaken the next morning to find on his kitchen table four little bottles of a special potion labeled "PASSION," but he keeps remembering the erotically charged dream he'd had during the night. A dream where a tall, gorgeous man with pointed ears comes to his bed and shows him just what kind of magick they can make together. But was it a dream? All Logan knows is that his customers can't get enough of the special potion--an aphrodisiac--and he can't stop thinking about the sweet seduction of the nighttime visitor who made it. As he tries to sort out what's real and what's not, he discovers there's a much bigger world out there than he'd ever believed, and his true heart's desire might come in a most unexpected form.
Thoughts: My only problem with this story was that it was too short. I would have enjoyed an epilogue of some sort. Otherwise, this was an excellently written retelling of an old fairy tale with a gay twist. I loved it.
Rating: 9/10
( #42-44 )
Disclaimer: Summaries stolen from BN.com because I am rubbish at them.
