NOTE: To find out what I'm reading in 2012 and beyond, join me on my new blog: What Karen Reads
Archive of Finished Books for 2011
(23 books)
| Downpour by Kat Richardson (audiobook) The previous book in this series ended with a bang. I wasn't really sure how the story would really continue on after what Harper did in the previous book. I think that had this been an earlier book in the series it wouldn't feel as strange as it did. How can Harper go back to "normal" investigations? I found my attention wandering several times (easy to do with an audiobook) and I just wasn't as interested in the book as I was the previous ones. I'm not sure how much that has to do with my own attention these days (with a new baby) or with the book itself. [11/14/11] |
| Spellbound by Kelley Armstrong (eBook) The one thing about eBooks is that it's easy to forget about page numbers and how much longer the book is, so when I came to the end of this book, I was rather surprised as I wasn't expecting it. Definitely a book setting up future stories. I really enjoyed this one and I'm really sad that it's already over! [10/17/11] |
| Ghost Story by Jim Butcher (eBook) Butcher's foreward says that the previous book did not technically end on a cliffhanger. I do beg to differ--alongside Murphy, I refused to believe that Harry was dead until I had seen his body. So I've been eagerly awaiting this book. And the title is quite apt as Harry continues, beyond the grave, to do what he always does: help people in trouble. Good story, great action, sad revelations. I was a little confused on the ending (I may need to reread parts while I have full concentration), but it seems to mostly make sense and fit in everything, so all in all I was really happy with this addition to the series. [7/31/11] |
| A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin (eBook) Okay, so we've waited quite a few years for this book, and the moment finally arrived. And overall, I found the book to be a bit disappointing. I'm not sure how much of that was the built up anticipation and how much was truly the book itself. Yes, this series has always had a large scope and wide range of characters, but I think this book goes too wide. Characters, old and new, are spread out too far and some (won't name names to keep this spoiler free) seem so far removed from what is happening in Westeros that I'm not even sure how they fit into the series anymore. And I know that Martin "plays for keeps" and so I don't expect everything to turn out great, but is there any character that potentially has anything partially positive happening to him/her? And I think in the end Martin may have done one of the two unforgiveable (in my mind) things that I've worried about since book one. So although I want to find out what happens in the next book (you know, in about 5-7 years), I'm not going to hold my breath. Perhaps then the next book won't be quite as disappointing. [7/25/11] |
| A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin (eBook) This one went faster than the previous one (it is shorter, for one thing). I did miss some of my favorite characters (such as Tyrion) and I really didn't care what was happening on the Iron Islands or in Dorne although I'm sure it's all important to the overall story. And I'm happy to report that this time through, I had no sympathy for Cersei. It had bothered me the first time I read it that I was starting to, well, not exactly like her, but something close to that. This time I just saw her as rather dumb in the moves that she made; I definitely agree with Petyr that she thinks that she is a player but really she is just a piece. [7/15/11] |
| A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin (eBook) Although it took forever (or seemed like it), I'm glad that I reread this one as there were a few important events that occurred that I had completely forgotten about. [7/10/11] |
| Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares (audiobook) So I hadn't realized that there was a new book in this series until I was looking at what to download for the month from Audible. "Oh look," I thought, "a book that tells what happens to these four girls 10 years after the last one. Cool!" I didn't read the description beyond that and had no idea what to expect. So I was quite shocked by what happened in the book (trying to remain spoiler free) and I honestly didn't want to keep reading. Good thing, perhaps, that I had it in audiobook form as it was easier to keep moving forward with it that way. But the choppy back and forth between characters, the unrealistic "coincidences" that kept happening, and the really out-of-character behavior of the girls really was hard to take. It does lead to some realizations for each character by the end (thank gods, as I especially didn't like where Carmen's character had gone), but I don't think it justified everything that happened beforehand. I'm still not sure that it was fully worth reading though as I think I'd rather have left them where they were at the end of the previous book in my mind. [7/3/11] |
| A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (eBook) I think this is about the fourth time I've read this book but I can't remember for sure. There were parts of the book that I had completely forgotten about, though, so I'm really glad that I reread it (in preparation for the release--finally--of the newest book in the series). He may take a long time between books, but Martin really does know how to write them! [6/19/11] |
| Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn I enjoyed this book by Vaughn a lot more than the previous one. I think a lot of that had to do with the characters as I liked them a lot more and really wanted to know what was going to happen to them. I do wish that more time had been spent with the developing relationship between Kay and the dragon because I didn't think we actually saw enough of their interaction as far as conversation went (it was more summarized than actually shown). The book also ends, not with a cliffhanger exactly, but definitely an open ending. I wonder if Vaughn will be writing more books about these characters (so far I don't see any information about that). I would definitely be interested in reading more. [6/7/11] |
| Labyrinth by Kat Richardson Although it's been a while since I read the previous book and I had a hard time remembering exactly what happened, Richardson did a pretty good job with "reviewing" the previous book so that enough details were given so the main shape of the book was able to click in my memory. Overall I enjoyed this book but I also imagine that it must have been hard to write. The "fight" scene at the end, which mostly takes places in the shifting world of the Grey, could have been really confusing, but I think that it was actually well-written and I had a pretty clear idea of what was happening. [5/30/11] |
| Twilight's Dawn by Anne Bishop (audiobook) I hadn't realized before I started listening to this book that it was a collection of novellas. I think that was actually a really great idea because it allowed for several stories to get told, none of which really needed a full-length novel to tell (except perhaps the last one). The first story ("Winsol Gifts") was overall a fairly light story where the characters were happy (or as happy as these characters can be). I really enjoyed the second story ("Shades of Honor") and getting to see more of Lucivar's life and his struggles with ruling. The third story ("Family"), although resulting in a death, brought the Sylvia/Saetan story to a nice conclusion. And finally, the fourth story ("The High Lord's Daughter") was very bittersweet. What happens to Daemon after Janelle dies (since she is not one of the long-lived races)? How does life go on for him? I think this story could be one that goes on to be developed in future books with the lives of Lucivar's and Daemon's children. [5/24/11] |
| Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn I think that I liked the concept of this book a lot better than the book itself. Not that the book was bad; I just didn't really care for the Evie character so I never really felt completely attached to the story. But I do like the creativity that was involved with it (and especially the inclusion of King Arthur!) [5/18/11] |
| Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris So like the Kim Harrison series, I had been disappointed in some of the latest Sookie books as there seemed to be too many threads running through them that were disjointed. This book, thankfully, did not feel that way. Although there were several threads, and although they weren't completely connected, the book felt much more cohesive. It was definitely hard to put down! [5/16/11] |
| Pale Demon by Kim Harrison (eBook) I've been a little disappointed in the later books in this series but this one really gets the series back on target and I can see how the threads that have been developed are coming together. I really enjoyed getting to see another side of Trent and hope he and Rachel just really open up and be honest with each other at some point in the future, although I'm not holding my breath for that to happen. [5/15/11] |
| Percy Jackson #1: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (eBook) Pretty good (and very different from the movie). I had some small quibbles with some details (like constantly talking about learning Green mythology in the Latin class--yes, I know Greek and Roman mythology are similar if not the same, but still), but overall I really liked the story. [5/4/11] |
| Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs (eBook) Lots of changes in the lives of the characters, even more so than in the previous book. I think I like where most of them ended up. [4/17/11] |
| Knit Two by Kate Jacobs (eBook) Even though the previous book ended in a way that I didn't really care for, I still wanted to read the next book to find out what happens to the characters. Although I do still wish that the previous book hadn't ended the way it did, I can see how the author used that circumstance to really make some changes in these characters' lives. |
| The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs (eBook) I have to admit that this book wasn't quite what I expected. It started out that way but then something happened toward the end (being vague to keep from spoilers) that kind of ruined the book for me. Basically, I was looking for something quite lighthearted and instead got a tear-jerker. |
| Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer (eBook) Okay, I've enjoyed all the previous Artemis Fowl books but I have to admit that this one felt a bit lacking to me. Even though it is part of the title of the book, I felt that the whole Atlantic Complex storyline was really just a setup to help solve the problem in this book rather than a truly needed part of the story. But it looks like the complex idea will continue into another book, so perhaps it will seem more like a coherent part of the story in the future. |
| The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig (audiobook) Somewhat strange because the main character was so far removed from the other characters that have previously been written about, but I still enjoyed the story. |
| All Clear by Connie Willis (eBook) Although some of the book was predictable, I greatly enjoyed reading it. [1/18/11] |
| Blackout by Connie Willis (audiobook, then eBook) This book had me sitting on the edge of my seat quite frequently; I really got to care about these characters and what happened to them. [1/11/11] |
| Alpha by Rachel Vincent (audiobook) Although I have grown fond of these characters throughout this series, I'm just not feeling as connected to them as I have with characters from other books. So I'm happy at the way this book ended (even though I'm not so happy with some parts in the middle), but it didn't really affect me emotionally. And it looks like, based on the author's website, this is the final book in the series. I can't say that I'm sad about that. It leaves Faythe in a good place (though with more work to do) and wrapped up most of the loose ends. So it was a good series, but not a great one, for me. [1/2/11] |
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