2011

December

• Broken by Susan Jane Bigelow
  

  There seems to be a surge of superhero literature that doesn’t involve graphic novels (see Ex Heroes by Peter Cline below.) The title character here has called herself Broken for the last decade as she lived on the streets of New York in a politically dystopian future. When she owned the skies, she was known as Silverwyng. A prescient named Michael carries a baby into her life, a child destined for great horrors or great compassion, and asks for her help. It’s an excellent tale, and I can’t wait for the sequel.

• We Are Not Alone: The Writer’s Guide to Social Media by Kristen Lamb
  

  This is a pretty handy little book. I’m glad to see I’m doing something right as far as ‘branding’ myself by the use of my name over social media outlets. I’m not too keen on the MySpace-centric view of the author. I gamely gave it another go, but that site is far too gaudy for my artistic tastes. Ugh! (shiver) I suppose I’ll just have to limp along with Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

• Marching To A Different Accordian by Saxon Bennett
  

  What a quirky main character (and if the ‘About the Author’ is any indication, a quirky writer, too)! I’m going to have to find the prior book, Family Affair now. An excellent slice of life novel from an unconventional life.

November

• Above Temptation by Karin Kallmaker
  

  A good book, it made me pay close attention to catch the ins and outs of banking computer systems – the creation of accounts, transferring funds digitally, security and investigations involved in same. Plus a little hot chemistry between the two female leads doesn’t hurt…

• How to Be Invisible by J.J. Luna
  

  I swear this could be the companion piece to How To Disappear! If you ever want to write about a paranoid or a conspiracy hound, this is the book to read. The writer discusses all sorts of things that people can do to keep their private lives private.
  Heck, even if it isn’t for research it’s an intriguing read.

• Wild by Meghan O’Brien
  

  O’Brien is a wiz at setting up believability in a paranormal lesbian romance. A shape shifter in a lesbian romance usually becomes hokey, but O’Brien makes it work. It’s not easy writing spec fic, and it a shortened format (as most lesbian romances tend to be) it’s really tough. I can only hope that my speculative fiction does the same for others.

• How To Disappear by Frank M. Ahearn
  

  What a fascinating book! The techniques this guy used as a skip tracer are now being used to help people hide from abusive situations and the like. I’m going to have to buy this one for future reference (paying cash, of course; I don’t want it traceable to me!) Of course, I got this from the library, so my interest is already on record—guess I’d better not disappear, huh? The authorities are gonna KNOW I researched the subject before becoming invisible!

• A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
  

  The memoir of an eleven-year-old girl and her eighteen year imprisonment by her abductor, Phillip Garrido. Sad story. Can’t fault the writing – I don’t think I could have done half so well on a fifth grade education and severe sexual, emotional and verbal abuse over the course of two decades. More power to Jaycee for continuing her path to mental health.

• Ex Heroes by Peter Clines
  

  What an intriguing concept… Super heroes and the Zombiepocalypse. Very well done with flashes of insight into the major superheroes and how they came to be – whether alive or undead. Clines wrote for DS9 and STVoyager, too, and there are many mentions of various TV personas and movie quotes. (“Nuke ‘em, it’s the only way to be sure.”) I read it in two days, and wanted more.

October

• Elena Undone by Nicole Conn
  

  Good book. Enjoyable read.

• Rule 34 by Charles Stross
  

  Another for the unique perspective file. There are a number of primary characters that we follow during this cyberpunk-like future murder mystery, and we follow them by being inside their heads. Each chapter is a different character with the stream of consciousness ramble that builds their world around us and serves to give us the clues needed to solve the mystery. But do we really solve the mystery? This book is very immersive, not an easy read but well worth the time and effort.

• I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
  

  Aliens from a destroyed planet live among us (ala Superman). What makes this book different is that the writer is in character as an elder from said destroyed planet. And he stays that way on the back cover, in the blurbs, on the website, everywhere. A unique perspective.

• Transition by Chas Bono
  

  Another trans-man book. Nick Krieger suggested that it was less a book on Chas’ transition than it was on the celebrity aspect of his life during said transition. Nick’s got a good point. Still, it was interesting to see the process from another point of view.

September

• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
  

  A young adult book that deals with teenaged suicide, Clay Jensen receives a mysterious package of seven cassette tapes at his home. He’s horrified to realize as he listens to the opening of the first one that it’s narrated by a girl who died two weeks ago.

While the specifics aren’t the same (of course they never will be for everyone,) this one really hit me hard. As Clay roams the town he lives in, listening to Hannah Baker’s story, I feel both his pain and hers.

• The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks
  

  A very good book, Weeks takes lessons from George R.R. Martin in character annihilation. While that should be a warning to those who enjoy happy endings, it’s a flashing neon light for people who prefer the terror of not knowing whether a main character will survive or not.

I’m surprised I’ve missed this writer! He’s published several books already!

• Twice a Prince by Sherwood Smith

• Once a Princess by Sherwood Smith
  

  Picked it up free through Pixel of Ink. I’ve seen Sherwood Smith at the bookstore, but haven’t taken a close look. I’ve realized I’m missing out! Standard fantasy-style romance with one major twist—the heroine is TUFF! She doesn’t whine and snivel about her lot, prefers jeans and T-shirts to frilly dresses, and can kick some major butt. My kinda gal!

August

• Write Good or Die, edited by Scott Nicholson

• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

• The Princess Bride by William Goldman

• A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

July

• Room by Emma Donoghue
  

  Read it in one day. WOW! As soon as I can afford to, I’m buying this one!

It’s told entirely from the point of view of a five-year-old, Jack. He and Ma live in Room, and have his entire life. As the story unfolds, the reader understands that Ma was kidnapped from college seven years ago by Old Nick, and imprisoned.

It’s a very powerful story, told from a refreshing POV.

• The Testosterone Files by Max Wolf Valerio
  

  After Nina Here Nor There, I hit my library and wandered the Dewey Decimal System 306.700 area just to see if Nick Krieger had anything else out. Alas, he did not, but there was this one.

I know the female point of view. Reading about the transition of a woman to a man helped me better understand the male mind. Max is truly two-spirit in that he’s able to express the change so well. A great read.

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Colins
  

  Wow! I’d heard this was good, but every time I read the blurb it sounded like it was a spin off of Battle Royale, a book I wasn’t the least bit interested in. It took the umpteenth person telling me about it and my first actual sighting of it at my library. I picked it up, read the first three pages, and couldn’t put it down!

• Too Close to Touch by Georgia Beers
• Facades by Alex Marcoux
  

  First book I’ve read by this author, and I couldn’t put it down. She writes some seriously complicated characters and runs them through the gristmill. That’s something to be done in most books, though the lesbian romance market is rather…angst-lite a lot of times. Unlike good, rip-roaring, bodice-ripping hetero romance novels, the lesbian market is about fifty percent bland to me.

But then, I cut my teeth on Jaws and The Exorcist as my first adult books…

• Monster Hunter Vendetta by Larry Corriea
• Nina Here Nor There by Nick Krieger
  

  Excellent non-fiction book on a Female to Male transgender journey. It follows Nina’s path of discovery over three years until he becomes Nick.

• Midnight Rain by Peggy J. Herring
  

  A bit of a different take on the lesbian romance… the dangerous, gorgeous woman that saves another’s life is NOT the love interest.

I enjoyed the word play and different character interactions as four women – former victims of violent attacks – get together to search for their benefactor. It was a good, solid book.

• Eli by Bill Myers
  

  What if Jesus had never been born? What if a baby’s birth was heralded in 1970, and hippies visited his birthplace – the laundry of a small motel in Santa Monica? What path would his life take in modern times?

Interesting book. The various religious leaders tended toward the evangelical or Bible churches, though, so I don’t think it was truly representative of what spirituality would be like without Christ’s presence in our history. All the same, I liked it.

June

• Daemons Are Forever by Simon R. Green
• A Place Beyond Man by Cary Neeper
  

  I was soooooo happy to find this book via the interlibrary loan system! Not that the writing is stupendous, or that the proposed sequels ever saw the light of day…but this book is very special to me.

I found this book when I was 17 years old. It brings up some serious sociological, psychological and physiological questions about the difference between Humans and two alien races when a Human scientist is recruited to join the Ellls and the Varoks on their secret moon base. The author did a fantastic job of creating the differences between the three races, as well as the main character’s Human reactions to both the others.

To top it off, there’s a romance! And this was back in the late 70s, when SF didn’t HAVE much romance in their books.

In any case, I still clearly remember thinking to myself, ‘*I* can write a book like this.’ And that was the moment I decided to become a writer.

Even if the book isn’t that great (though the philosophical and psycho-sociological aspects still play well,) the only reason I have any published material is because of Cary Neeper and her first novel.

• Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia
  

  Another new one for me, saw it at the bookstore and looked it up at the library.

Owen certainly has a tough first week on the job. Saving the world can be tough, and he was able to succeed while STILL getting the girl he was stoopid over. I like Correia’s writing—the dialogue and internal voice of the main character is funny and fresh.

• Earthship Volume II by Mike Reynolds

• Earthship Volume III by Mike Reynolds

• The Man With the Golden Torc by Simon R. Green
  

  Passed this book in the bookstore, and it looked interesting. Picked it up through the library.

I like his writing. Good voice, interesting premise. Though the main character has the bestest, badest, most spectacular armor that NO ONE can get through, he still discovers weaknesses. So, though it starts somewhat superhero-ish, it doesn’t remain that way long.

I’ve already reserved the sequel at the library!

May

• Earthship, Volume I by Michael Reynolds

• Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

• The Human Powered Home by Tamara Dean

• Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein
• Anywhere But Here by Jerry Oltion
  

  Got a library card and was perusing the stacks when I found this. I’ve never read anything of his, but I know him from Eugene, Oregon.

Totally readable book! Someone develops a cheap hyperdrive, and puts it out on the internet for free. Anyone can go anywhere in the universe with the right opensource astral navigation program and a properly sealed vehicle. The MCs are using their pick up truck!

I’m going to have to read his other books now.

• One Second After by William R. Forstchen
  

  Oh, wow…

I’ve read my fair share of post-apocalyptic novels before, but most had a sense of science fiction to them that allowed me to pull back from the content—S.M. Stirling’s Dies The Fire series where everything just stops working, world wide; Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank that is set in my childhood rather than the current day; Lucifer’s Hammer by Niven about a comet striking Earth…

Not this one.

Because it takes place in the here and now, the 21st Century, it’s very believable. The turmoil in the world is what we’re experiencing now, and this book is forcing me to look at my own mortality.

shiver

• The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
  

  This is one of my all time favorite novels (also known as Rebirth to folks in the United States.)

Hundreds, maybe thousands of years after a nuclear holocaust, Mankind rises up out of the ashes. But are the ‘Blasphemies’ born among them truly the indication that the Devil rules supreme, or is it evolution?

• River Marked by Patricia Briggs

• Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

April

• Echo by Jack McDevitt
  

  I stumbled across McDevitt’s work by accident while perusing a book store, and was instantly hooked. I know of no other writer out there publishing archeological SF murder mysteries.

• The Deeds of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon
  

  This is BY FAR my most favorite series in the universe! What can I say? I’ve read it a dozen times, and will no doubt read it a dozen more before my end of days.

Paks runs from home to become a soldier in Duke Phelan’s army. She goes through multiple scrapes until she arrives at her ultimate life goal. I’m not going to say what it is, so as not to ruin it for anyone.

Moon creates a rich fantasy world with lots of tiny details that make it read quite realistically. Well worth the read!

• Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

• Brother Odd by Dean Koontz

March

• Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

• Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card
  

  Finally!! A chance to see what happened to Ender after he left Earth as a colonist. I mean, we know from Speaker of the Dead where he ultimately ends up, but it’s nice to see what his teenage years held for him.

• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

• The Career Novelist by Donald Maass

• Once by LT Smith
  

  First person novel of a woman coming out of a very bad relationship and falling in love again. Hilarious internal dialogue! I absolutely adored this story!

February

• Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
  

  Quite good, probably excellent if you like the Steampunk genre. I’m not much of a a fan, but still found the plot and character development intriguing. I mean, what kind of person WOULD you be if your husband was the most reviled man around, and your father the most sainted?

• Dolphins of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
  

  Wow.
  I can’t say I won’t procrastinate ever again. After reading this book, however, I can say it won’t happen near as often as it has the last five years!

The book is split into three parts. The first is about the primary reason we don’t work on our art, be it writing, entrepreneurship, painting, and what have you. It’s called ‘Resistance.’

The second part deals with the idea of professionalism, learning how to deal with that horrid ‘Resistance’ that keeps getting in the way of our goals.

The third discusses inspiration’s involvement. I’m of the opinion that inspiration is from within, while Pressfield follows the belief that it comes from an external force. Wherever it comes from, his discussion of inspiration is as fantastic as the first two sections!

READ IT! It’ll light a fire under your butt. The internet article I read introducing this book to me stated the author read it two times a year. I think I’ll do the same!

• The Chronicles of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

January

• All the Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

• Dragon’s Dawn by Anne McCaffrey

• American Gods by Neil Gaiman
  

  Good take on the All-Father and Low-Key. I loved how he weaved the various gods and goddesses into the fabric of American culture.

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

• Behind the Pine Curtain by Gerri Hill
  

  Liked the first one so much, I promptly went out and bought a second one of hers. Loved it!

• No Strings by Gerri Hill