Books from my bedroom bookshelves: Part 1
Jan. 30th, 2016 03:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_rckI spent a lot of time yesterday making these lists and making notes about what I remember about these books. I'm posting these mainly so that I don't lose track of them, but I'd welcome comments-- positive or negative-- from anybody who's read any of these.
These are listed alphabetically by author, but the title is first because that's how I typed them in to begin with.
I don't need much feedback on the first category, but it's also not very long, only eight books.
Maybe already read:
Silver Curlew by Eleanor Farjeon: I know I read two of Farjeon’s fairy tale adaptations. One was The Glass Slipper, and I’m nearly certain that this was the other one. I need to dust the book off so that I can open it and check, but I think it’s an adaptation of Rumplestiltskin.
Bell Tree by H.M. Hoover: I think I read this in high school, but I’m not absolutely sure I finished it, just that I checked it out from the library then.
Megatokyo 3: I may actually have read this. I have only the vaguest memories of the series at all, so I’m not sure at all.
Armed & Magical by Lisa Shearin: I’ve definitely read one or two of the four books in this series that are on my shelf, but I couldn’t tell, based on the cover blurbs, which one is which or where I stopped. The series is fun and without substance, but the plot advances by millimeters in each book, and I started losing patience and stopped reading. I think I’d like to go back because this is about my current speed, but I don’t actually want to reread anything, so I need to figure out where I stopped. Let’s see… Amazon says this is book 2. I’ve read it, then. I know I read at least two books in the series.
The Trouble with Demons by Lisa Shearin: Amazon says this is book 3. I’ve maybe read it and maybe not. Probably? I’ll have to open this one and see if it’s familiar.
Once a Princess by Sherwood Smith: I think that, for all three of these Sherwood Smith books, I was sick when I read them, and because of that, I’m not sure if I finished them all. I know I read bits of all three which ought, at the very least, to mean that I finished Once a Princess since that’s the first in a duology (with Twice a Prince). Then again, I have been known to skip around a lot, and having both books in hand at once might have meant that I’d skip around in both books instead of in one at a time.
The Trouble with Kings by Sherwood Smith
Twice a Prince by Sherwood Smith
There are some on the next list that I'm on the fence about keeping, but most of them are things I would like to finish. I just don't know if I will.
Partially read:
Sethra Lavode by Steven Brust: I like Brust’s Paarfi books less well than I like the Vlad ones, so I’ve struggled to read them. I will finish this one some day.
Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold: I’m not sure if I’ll go back to this one. I bailed when Ivan’s in-laws showed up because I could smell disaster in a form that I would not find amusing.
The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Darby: This was a gift. I believe it was fromretsuko. I enjoyed what I read of it (⅓ to ½ of it) and still hope to go back.
The Eternal Rose by Gail Dayton: I really liked the first two books in this series, but I bounced off of this one. I think that it shifted focus in a way I wasn’t really interested in. I haven’t liked anything else of Dayton’s that I’ve tried.
The Early Medieval Balkans by John Fine: I had Fine for two semesters of Byzantine history as an undergraduate and had a blast. It’s one of my regrets about college that I wasn’t able to take his Medieval Balkans classes because of a scheduling conflict with something I absolutely had to take. I’m almost sure I’ve got a copy of The Late Medieval Balkans somewhere in the house.
Portal by Eric Flint and Ryk E. Spoor: I only got about three chapters into this one, but I liked the first two books in the series a lot, so I plan to persevere.
Time Spike by Eric Flint and Ryk E. Spoor: I started this one and pretty much bounced. The premise is interesting, but even looking ahead didn’t hook me. I wasn’t convinced by where things seemed to be going.
Slow River by Nicola Griffith: This was a present. I think it was from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lunargeography. I just barely started it before getting distracted.
To Ride a Rathorn by P. C. Hodgell: I think I need to start this one over from the beginning because, although the bookmark is about ⅔ through, I remember nothing at all. Heck, I probably need to reread the series from the beginning. God Stalk is the only one I remember at all clearly.
Changeover by Diana Wynne Jones: I still intend to finish this. What I read of it gave me the impression that it’s quite different from her other, later work and not just because it's not middle grade fantasy.
The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones: I think that the barrier to finishing this one, apart from it trying to hide underneath our bed, is that, once I finish it, that’s it, no more Diana Wynne Jones. I’ll still have The Skiver’s Guide and Changeover unread, but they’re not at all the same sort of thing.
The Steerswoman’s Road by Rosemary Kirstein: I believe this is a combination edition with the first two books in the series and that I finished the first book and a bit of the second. I know a lot of people who really and truly adore these, but I wasn’t sufficiently hooked to care. I may or may not go back.
Balance of Trade by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: I think I read about half of this, but I wasn’t hooked by any means. With these authors, I love maybe one book in five (possibly even in ten), and I haven’t bought any of the more recent ones because I got ticked off at some things Sharon Lee said. It’s not an ethics/morals thing, just irritation that I can’t currently separate from the author’s work.
Wolf Captured by Jane Lindskold: I’ve read the beginning and the end of this one, but there’s a chunk in the middle that I haven’t yet read. I don’t feel very motivated in spite of having the following book sitting on the shelf, too.
The Gambler’s Fortune by Juliet McKenna: It’s been so long since I read any part of this series that I think I’d have to go back to book one and start over. I can’t remember if this is book three or book four. Scott’s read it and liked it, I think, and we’ve got the next two books somewhere around.
Resenting the Hero by Moira J. Moore: I will probably get rid of this one. I read half of it and then put it down and forgot about it. The world building was interesting, but I’m not sure it was entirely worked out.
Broken Blade by Kelly McCullough: I bought this on the strength of McCullough’s WebMage series which I really, really liked, but I couldn’t get into this one at all. I think it was that I didn’t connect with the point of view character. I’ve kept it because I want to try again.
Troubletwisters by Garth Nix and Sean Williams: I may let this one go. I’m generally more likely to finish books like this than other books right now, and the fact that this one has been ⅓ read for about three years now probably means I’m never going to get to it.
Captive Prince by S. U. Pacat: This one’s just not my thing, so I’m going to get rid of it. Anybody want it?
The Firebringer Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce: I know I’ve read the first book and the very end of the third book, but I’m not sure I read anything in between. I’m also not convinced that I’m going to.
Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce: I will read this one and probably soon. Mark Reads has gotten up to where I left off, and I think I can use that as impetus to get going again. It’s just hard because there have been so many hints, in other books set later, of how bad things are going to get for the characters.
Cast in Fury by Michelle Sagara: I’m pretty sure this is the one I stopped in the middle of. At any rate, out of the three unread volumes in this series, it’s the one with a bookmark in it which seems like a fair indication. I very much want to get back to this series because I remember enjoying it a lot.
Francesca by Joan Smith: I started this one and didn’t care for it, so I think I’ll get rid of it.
Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith: I wasn’t sure how to count this one because I read a draft of it many years ago but haven’t yet opened the copy I bought. I liked the draft enough to buy this one and the two sequels, so I definitely do want to read it. I just keep not picking it up because I’ve already kind of sort of read it.
Senrid by Sherwood Smith: I started this one summer when Cordelia was four or five and going to camp for half day sessions. Those were short enough that I would find a place out of sight (she’d cry inconsolably if she saw me but be fine otherwise) and read. I started this one then but didn’t end up finishing it before the week was over. If I’m recalling correctly, I left it in my backpack and forgot about it for a while. When I found it again, I wasn’t quite sure where I’d left off.
A Stranger to Command by Sherwood Smith: This book is a mismatch with me. I like the main character, but I found myself not very interested in what he was doing. I will certainly keep it, but I’m not sure I’ll go back and finish it.
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells: I think I actually finished about 75% of this. I need to go back and figure out where I was and finish the rest because I liked it quite a bit, enough to buy the next two books in the series before I finished this one.
I do intend to read all of the following. Probably.
Graphic novels and manga:
The Authority 1-2: A friend suggested that this series might fit for a vaguish superhero plot bunny I had a while back. I may or may not ever do anything with that idea. These have only been on the shelf about a month.
Avatar the Last Airbender: The Rift 1-3: I’ll get to this eventually. I bought it mainly so that Cordelia could read it, so I’d better make sure she has before I hide it in our bedroom.
Drug & drop 1-2: I’m iffy about CLAMP at this point, but I was curious about this, so I picked it up. (I waited a while to see if our library would get it, but they don’t seem to be planning to.) I’m sure this completely josses the Legal Drug fic that I wrote way back when.
Fruits basket 11-16 (two copies of 15): I’ve got an additional complete set of this in a box in the basement that I bought largely to get the last few volumes that I’d missed when they first came out. That means I have duplicates of the first two thirds of the series. I can’t remember why I stopped reading this. I’ve been spoiled for a lot of what happens.
Hikaru no Go 10: I’ve read up through about v.5 or v.6, and we own everything up to at least v.10. I’m just not sure where they are (possibly on the shelf on Scott’s side of the bed). Scott bought everything that was out at that point as an anniversary present for both of us and was then very disappointed that I didn’t read what he’d bought.
Read or Die 4: I need to locate my copies of 1-3 so that I can reread them before I read this one. As I recall, I didn’t enjoy the manga nearly as much as I did the OAV.
Read or Dream 1
Rozen Maiden 3-4: I don’t have v.1-2 at present, so I’m not likely to read these any time soon. I picked them up on BookMooch because I really, really liked the anime.
Samurai Deeper Kyo 1-9: I bought these from the Friends of the Library book shop about five years ago. I think I paid $2 per volume. I haven’t ever opened them, however.
Secret Coders: Another very recent addition to the shelves. If I recall correctly, I wanted to give it to Cordelia but realized that, if I did, she wouldn’t read it.
Utena 1-3: This is another one I’ve had forever. I just can’t get myself to start them. I’m a little afraid of what I’ll find, given what I’ve heard about the manga.
Weiss Side B 1, 5: One of these is in German which I can’t read; the other is in Japanese which I also can’t read. I’ve tried the scanlations more than once, and I can’t follow them. I’m hoping that, with a book in hand, I can use the scanlations for the dialog and follow the art in the book (and maybe, just maybe, learn to tell the damned characters apart).
Young magician 3-7, 11: I have to find and reread v.1-2. I put them away somewhere when Cordelia was a toddler. (I think I’ve got a large plastic tub, maybe even two, filled with manga in the basement somewhere. I should find those because I want the Rurouni Kenshin for fic writing purposes.) I own v.11 because I found it cheap somewhere and thought I’d better grab it while I could. As I recall, I started this series because I loved something else by the author.
These are listed alphabetically by author, but the title is first because that's how I typed them in to begin with.
I don't need much feedback on the first category, but it's also not very long, only eight books.
Maybe already read:
Silver Curlew by Eleanor Farjeon: I know I read two of Farjeon’s fairy tale adaptations. One was The Glass Slipper, and I’m nearly certain that this was the other one. I need to dust the book off so that I can open it and check, but I think it’s an adaptation of Rumplestiltskin.
Bell Tree by H.M. Hoover: I think I read this in high school, but I’m not absolutely sure I finished it, just that I checked it out from the library then.
Megatokyo 3: I may actually have read this. I have only the vaguest memories of the series at all, so I’m not sure at all.
Armed & Magical by Lisa Shearin: I’ve definitely read one or two of the four books in this series that are on my shelf, but I couldn’t tell, based on the cover blurbs, which one is which or where I stopped. The series is fun and without substance, but the plot advances by millimeters in each book, and I started losing patience and stopped reading. I think I’d like to go back because this is about my current speed, but I don’t actually want to reread anything, so I need to figure out where I stopped. Let’s see… Amazon says this is book 2. I’ve read it, then. I know I read at least two books in the series.
The Trouble with Demons by Lisa Shearin: Amazon says this is book 3. I’ve maybe read it and maybe not. Probably? I’ll have to open this one and see if it’s familiar.
Once a Princess by Sherwood Smith: I think that, for all three of these Sherwood Smith books, I was sick when I read them, and because of that, I’m not sure if I finished them all. I know I read bits of all three which ought, at the very least, to mean that I finished Once a Princess since that’s the first in a duology (with Twice a Prince). Then again, I have been known to skip around a lot, and having both books in hand at once might have meant that I’d skip around in both books instead of in one at a time.
The Trouble with Kings by Sherwood Smith
Twice a Prince by Sherwood Smith
There are some on the next list that I'm on the fence about keeping, but most of them are things I would like to finish. I just don't know if I will.
Partially read:
Sethra Lavode by Steven Brust: I like Brust’s Paarfi books less well than I like the Vlad ones, so I’ve struggled to read them. I will finish this one some day.
Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold: I’m not sure if I’ll go back to this one. I bailed when Ivan’s in-laws showed up because I could smell disaster in a form that I would not find amusing.
The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Darby: This was a gift. I believe it was from
retsuko. I enjoyed what I read of it (⅓ to ½ of it) and still hope to go back.The Eternal Rose by Gail Dayton: I really liked the first two books in this series, but I bounced off of this one. I think that it shifted focus in a way I wasn’t really interested in. I haven’t liked anything else of Dayton’s that I’ve tried.
The Early Medieval Balkans by John Fine: I had Fine for two semesters of Byzantine history as an undergraduate and had a blast. It’s one of my regrets about college that I wasn’t able to take his Medieval Balkans classes because of a scheduling conflict with something I absolutely had to take. I’m almost sure I’ve got a copy of The Late Medieval Balkans somewhere in the house.
Portal by Eric Flint and Ryk E. Spoor: I only got about three chapters into this one, but I liked the first two books in the series a lot, so I plan to persevere.
Time Spike by Eric Flint and Ryk E. Spoor: I started this one and pretty much bounced. The premise is interesting, but even looking ahead didn’t hook me. I wasn’t convinced by where things seemed to be going.
Slow River by Nicola Griffith: This was a present. I think it was from
lunargeography. I just barely started it before getting distracted.To Ride a Rathorn by P. C. Hodgell: I think I need to start this one over from the beginning because, although the bookmark is about ⅔ through, I remember nothing at all. Heck, I probably need to reread the series from the beginning. God Stalk is the only one I remember at all clearly.
Changeover by Diana Wynne Jones: I still intend to finish this. What I read of it gave me the impression that it’s quite different from her other, later work and not just because it's not middle grade fantasy.
The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones: I think that the barrier to finishing this one, apart from it trying to hide underneath our bed, is that, once I finish it, that’s it, no more Diana Wynne Jones. I’ll still have The Skiver’s Guide and Changeover unread, but they’re not at all the same sort of thing.
The Steerswoman’s Road by Rosemary Kirstein: I believe this is a combination edition with the first two books in the series and that I finished the first book and a bit of the second. I know a lot of people who really and truly adore these, but I wasn’t sufficiently hooked to care. I may or may not go back.
Balance of Trade by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: I think I read about half of this, but I wasn’t hooked by any means. With these authors, I love maybe one book in five (possibly even in ten), and I haven’t bought any of the more recent ones because I got ticked off at some things Sharon Lee said. It’s not an ethics/morals thing, just irritation that I can’t currently separate from the author’s work.
Wolf Captured by Jane Lindskold: I’ve read the beginning and the end of this one, but there’s a chunk in the middle that I haven’t yet read. I don’t feel very motivated in spite of having the following book sitting on the shelf, too.
The Gambler’s Fortune by Juliet McKenna: It’s been so long since I read any part of this series that I think I’d have to go back to book one and start over. I can’t remember if this is book three or book four. Scott’s read it and liked it, I think, and we’ve got the next two books somewhere around.
Resenting the Hero by Moira J. Moore: I will probably get rid of this one. I read half of it and then put it down and forgot about it. The world building was interesting, but I’m not sure it was entirely worked out.
Broken Blade by Kelly McCullough: I bought this on the strength of McCullough’s WebMage series which I really, really liked, but I couldn’t get into this one at all. I think it was that I didn’t connect with the point of view character. I’ve kept it because I want to try again.
Troubletwisters by Garth Nix and Sean Williams: I may let this one go. I’m generally more likely to finish books like this than other books right now, and the fact that this one has been ⅓ read for about three years now probably means I’m never going to get to it.
Captive Prince by S. U. Pacat: This one’s just not my thing, so I’m going to get rid of it. Anybody want it?
The Firebringer Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce: I know I’ve read the first book and the very end of the third book, but I’m not sure I read anything in between. I’m also not convinced that I’m going to.
Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce: I will read this one and probably soon. Mark Reads has gotten up to where I left off, and I think I can use that as impetus to get going again. It’s just hard because there have been so many hints, in other books set later, of how bad things are going to get for the characters.
Cast in Fury by Michelle Sagara: I’m pretty sure this is the one I stopped in the middle of. At any rate, out of the three unread volumes in this series, it’s the one with a bookmark in it which seems like a fair indication. I very much want to get back to this series because I remember enjoying it a lot.
Francesca by Joan Smith: I started this one and didn’t care for it, so I think I’ll get rid of it.
Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith: I wasn’t sure how to count this one because I read a draft of it many years ago but haven’t yet opened the copy I bought. I liked the draft enough to buy this one and the two sequels, so I definitely do want to read it. I just keep not picking it up because I’ve already kind of sort of read it.
Senrid by Sherwood Smith: I started this one summer when Cordelia was four or five and going to camp for half day sessions. Those were short enough that I would find a place out of sight (she’d cry inconsolably if she saw me but be fine otherwise) and read. I started this one then but didn’t end up finishing it before the week was over. If I’m recalling correctly, I left it in my backpack and forgot about it for a while. When I found it again, I wasn’t quite sure where I’d left off.
A Stranger to Command by Sherwood Smith: This book is a mismatch with me. I like the main character, but I found myself not very interested in what he was doing. I will certainly keep it, but I’m not sure I’ll go back and finish it.
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells: I think I actually finished about 75% of this. I need to go back and figure out where I was and finish the rest because I liked it quite a bit, enough to buy the next two books in the series before I finished this one.
I do intend to read all of the following. Probably.
Graphic novels and manga:
The Authority 1-2: A friend suggested that this series might fit for a vaguish superhero plot bunny I had a while back. I may or may not ever do anything with that idea. These have only been on the shelf about a month.
Avatar the Last Airbender: The Rift 1-3: I’ll get to this eventually. I bought it mainly so that Cordelia could read it, so I’d better make sure she has before I hide it in our bedroom.
Drug & drop 1-2: I’m iffy about CLAMP at this point, but I was curious about this, so I picked it up. (I waited a while to see if our library would get it, but they don’t seem to be planning to.) I’m sure this completely josses the Legal Drug fic that I wrote way back when.
Fruits basket 11-16 (two copies of 15): I’ve got an additional complete set of this in a box in the basement that I bought largely to get the last few volumes that I’d missed when they first came out. That means I have duplicates of the first two thirds of the series. I can’t remember why I stopped reading this. I’ve been spoiled for a lot of what happens.
Hikaru no Go 10: I’ve read up through about v.5 or v.6, and we own everything up to at least v.10. I’m just not sure where they are (possibly on the shelf on Scott’s side of the bed). Scott bought everything that was out at that point as an anniversary present for both of us and was then very disappointed that I didn’t read what he’d bought.
Read or Die 4: I need to locate my copies of 1-3 so that I can reread them before I read this one. As I recall, I didn’t enjoy the manga nearly as much as I did the OAV.
Read or Dream 1
Rozen Maiden 3-4: I don’t have v.1-2 at present, so I’m not likely to read these any time soon. I picked them up on BookMooch because I really, really liked the anime.
Samurai Deeper Kyo 1-9: I bought these from the Friends of the Library book shop about five years ago. I think I paid $2 per volume. I haven’t ever opened them, however.
Secret Coders: Another very recent addition to the shelves. If I recall correctly, I wanted to give it to Cordelia but realized that, if I did, she wouldn’t read it.
Utena 1-3: This is another one I’ve had forever. I just can’t get myself to start them. I’m a little afraid of what I’ll find, given what I’ve heard about the manga.
Weiss Side B 1, 5: One of these is in German which I can’t read; the other is in Japanese which I also can’t read. I’ve tried the scanlations more than once, and I can’t follow them. I’m hoping that, with a book in hand, I can use the scanlations for the dialog and follow the art in the book (and maybe, just maybe, learn to tell the damned characters apart).
Young magician 3-7, 11: I have to find and reread v.1-2. I put them away somewhere when Cordelia was a toddler. (I think I’ve got a large plastic tub, maybe even two, filled with manga in the basement somewhere. I should find those because I want the Rurouni Kenshin for fic writing purposes.) I own v.11 because I found it cheap somewhere and thought I’d better grab it while I could. As I recall, I started this series because I loved something else by the author.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-02 11:44 pm (UTC)The Liaden books I liked best were Conflict of Honors (which I read first and loved enough that I kept reading other Liaden books in hopes that they'd be like it) and Plan B. I out and out disliked the Theo books (couldn't finish them). I also really didn't enjoy Local Custom.
no subject
Date: 2016-05-21 06:52 pm (UTC)I do agree, I still enjoy Conflict of Honors and Plan B.