I am determined to do read more books this year than I did last year, even if that includes books for class. So, this is a running update on books in my life. Currently a very short list.


January 7, 1998
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. This is my first book of the year, my second time reading it, and I am not done yet. I'm reading this so I can watch the movie adaptation of it, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke.

January 14, 1998
I am a dork. Still haven't finished Great Expectations yet, but went ahead and read another good book. My friend Shoko recommended Archangel by Sharon Shinn. This novel is very smoothly written, with good characterization and growth. I highly recommend it. I also went and managed to reread The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley, and I still like it as much as I did the first time around. I am now in the process of reading The Blue Sword, the sequel, and will probably finish it sometime today or tomorrow. Then... back to Great Expectations, I think.

January 22, 1998
I finally finished The Blue Sword last week on Friday. I haven't progressed much further in Great Expectations but I am still determined to finish it sometime soon. I have on my "To be read before the movies come out" list:
1. The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans. The movie will star Robert Redford.
2. Sphere by Michael Crichton.
3. The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas, who also wrote The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. The movie will star Leonardo DiCaprio.

February 5, 1998
Well, last week, I skimmed the last half of Great Expectations and saw the movie starring Gwynneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke. (The movie was not very thrilling.) I also read Rose-daughter by Robin McKinley, which is similar to Beauty but has its own twist. And two days ago I read Jovah's Angel by Sharon Shinn, the sequel to Archangel. I liked Archangel better. Jovah's Angel was predictable, but well-written. I am looking forward to reading another one of Shinn's novels, The Shape-changer's Wife, which my best friend describes as "interesting."

February 26, 1998
Finally, I'm getting around to updating my reading list. Let's see... I've read a bunch in the past 3 weeks. There was Secret Valentine, a collection of Valentine romance stories. That was a pretty good put-together of stories. Sharon Shinn's The Shape-Changer's Wife, which was good. Unforgiven by Mary Balogh, and I don't remember that one, so I'm sure it was well-written as usual, but not very memorable. I discovered a bunch of Linda Lael Miller novels that I haven't read yet, so I started on that pile. Glory, Glory is the first in that stack. Not too bad. Her writing is very vivacious, and that came through. I also read Emily's Secret by Jill Jones, Dangerous to Love by Rexanne Becnal. And the last two books of last week are Dragon Moon by Chris Claremont, and Sphere by Michael Crichton. I've come to the conclusion that I don't really want to see Sphere in the movie theatre, because it seems like it might be a bit lame. I wasn't horribly impressed with the book. The characters were well-drawn, but the plot left something to be desired.
Now, I'm reading The Horse Whisperer. I like it so far. Simplistic, but realistic. Next to be read is Jennifer Crusie's Tell Me Lies. Jennifer Crusie is one of my favorite romance writers because the interaction between characters is humorous, her female protagonists are independent, and in the end, the novels are simply feel-good. So I am really looking forward to reading Tell Me Lies.

March 5, 1998
Amazing how fast a week passes... Anyway, I've only managed to accomplish reading two books. Blood Debt by Tanya Huff, who is one of my favorite authors. Blood Debt is the fifth book of the Victory Nelson mysteries. I think she should've ended at book four, Blood Pact, but the way she continued was allright, unlike some authors who keep on going with a series but should've stopped way back when... oh well. Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast is the other book I read this week. It's a collection of stories by Jane Yolen, mostly spins on fairy tales. I think the one I like the best is "Lost Girls," a reference to J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan of course. And the other story I like is... darn it, don't remember the name. I'll look it up and add it next week.
I'm still in the process of reading The Horse Whisperer. I am going to finish it, hopefully by the time spring break rolls around (March 21-29). With my life being as hectic as it is though, that is debatable.

March 26, 1998
Whew, spring break at last. I've done a little bit more reading, but not much more. Eventually... anyway. I finally finished The Horse Whisperer. Yay. Good book. I like the simplicity, the people, the breath of fresh air it turned out to be. I am afraid that the movie will mutilate the story, though. Robert Redford has taken the same kinds of roles over and over again, so I am a little aprehensive that Tom Booker, the character who he is going to portray, is going to end up being awfully similar to his characters in "The Great Gatsby" and "Up Close and Personal." I am actually going to go see the movie though.
I also read Tell Me Lies. Very funny. Jennifer Crusie has a story that keeps on developing, even in the last half of the book. Her heroine is straightlaced but adventurous, and her hero is cute.
Erich Segal is the award-winning author of Love Story and Oliver's Story from back in the 1970s. He was recommended to me by a librarian from my hometown library, Carbondale Public Library, whose roommate was the basis for Love Story. So to my surprize I saw Only Love on the best-sellers list, because it's been years since I've encountered Segal. Clean writing, but I don't really understand the protagonist's emotional direction. Matt, I think his name was, was in love with Silvie, and then in love with... oh, her name, Ellen?, in the end, without much explanation of how he discovered this amazing fact. The book was good up until this revelation.
Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? by Mel Glenn was my next book. It is a murder mystery in poems, which is really neat. I am envious of how Glenn was able to put together a coherent story line and dialogue in a meter, rhythm--my poetry vocabulary is tiny--something! so well. Cleverly done.
Ah, back to classic childhood days. Laura Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is an adorable tale, and very cutely illustrated. I read this again because the Urbana Free Library has it in a big book form (which is taller than some of the toddlers who check it out!). Also from childhood days was Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I felt the urge to read it again after Yolen's story "Wilding" in Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast.
Love Song by Keiko Nishi is a compilation of 4 tales. This is a graphic novel translated from Japanese into English and published by Viz. It was interesting, if not necessarily understandable.
Passion by Marilyn Pappano was a foray back into romance. I don't remember much about it. Then there was How Like a God by Brenda Clough. The cover is really cool, with a comic-book feel to it, which is not surprizing since she is a big comic-book fan and artisit/writer, I think. Anyhow, if you've ever read The Hollow Man by Dan Simmons, How Like a God is vaguely reminiscent of it. Read it, because it is well-written, and perhaps slightly unexpected.
Ah, Sharon Shinn is quite a favorite author of mine now. The third book in her angels series was discovered by my friend Tony. It is called The Alleluia Files and it is good. It takes place a hundred years after Jovah's Angel, and technology has advanced to such a point that I think she is making a statement about our current society's use of technology, as well as religion. I don't have much of an opinion about either technology or religion, but I do like the book.
And finally, to the latest thing that I have read. Midnight Blue: The Sonja Blue Collection binds together three novels by Nancy A. Collins. They are Sunglasses After Dark, In the Blood, and Paint It Black. Vampires, sex, violence, all intertwined, plus out of this world-as-we-know-it experiences. I am fascinated by Collins' turn of the pen from one viewpoint to another, slipping on and off the different styles that each of her characters has. It is very Real World, yet not. If you like vampires, and don't mind real-life writing, read these books.

August 6, 1998

Don't yell at me for not having time to read, much less update what I've read for the past 5 months. I've been stealing time from studying and sleeping, as usual, to even get these few in. Here goes.
March: Wild Blood and A Dozen Black Roses by Nancy Collins. Yep, same style of sex, violence, and werewolves/vampires intertwined. I think I liked Wild Blood best. At the other end of the fantasy spectrum was Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. I checked it in one day, thought it looked interesting, so I checked it out. Very nifty book about a princess who is bestowed the gift of obedience by her fairy godmother, and how much trouble it caused her, especially when it came to the cute prince and her stepsister... A fun take on the classic fairy tales, which I adore.
April: Yep, I'm on a fairy tales kick at this point. I hunted down the classic by M.M.Kaye The Ordinary Princess. That was fun to read again. Then a suggestion by the children's librarians at the Urbana Free Library, Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald. It's about a guy who accidentally shoots the father of a classmate, and how he deals with the guilt of the situation. Extremely thought provoking, and I have to admire that a teenager, however fictional, had more guts to own up his mistakes than some adults I know. Lots of teenage angst invovlved. Great book. Onward to more teenage angst, but with style is the adventures of Blossom Culp. This four book series by Richard Peck inculdes The Ghost Belonged to Me, Ghost I Have Been, Blossom Culp and the Sleep of Death, and The Dreadful Future of Blossom Culp. Blossom Culp is funny, straightforward, and provides a burst of laughter every few pages. Quick read. Haha, I'm so funny... my next book is With this Ring by Amanda Quick, psuedonym for Jayne Ann Krentz. She's had some better books, but this was still well-written. And then Sword and Sorceress edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I always wonder if she ever gets around to picking more than 4 or 5 new authors to put in her anthologies, because I think some of the returning ones have had better pieces. Oh well. Next, Jane Feather's The Emerald Swan; no comment. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, however, is a must read for anyone who wants serious fantasy. It's a bit dark, especially the second book, The Subtle Knife. I am waiting for the third to make its appearance eventually. To finish off the month, a few romance novels. Scandalous Love by Brenda Joyce, Sisters and Secrets was a horrid collaboration, Stolen Hearts and Stolen Moments by Michele Martin was fun to read, and finally, Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens. Looking forward to more from Laurens.
May: a translated novel by Alessandro Baricco called Silk. If I understood Italian, I think I would've liked the book better. Then The Subtle Knife. Desire Lines is another thought-provoking book. Written by Jack Gantos, this book makes a serious statement about how some people's negative attitudes towards homosexuals destroys more lives than is worth the tribulation. The protagonist was not very likable, but that's because I found myself reflected in him, and I do not like that feeling nor the attitude that he adopts. Yet I realize that I must change my attitude in order not to cause someone else pain one day. Read it; it is short, but good for reflection. Back to tales; Nancy Springer did a take on the King Arthur legend from the viewpoint of his unwanted son, Mordred in I am Mordred. Fast read again. Then Dark Silence by Maureen Wartski (I do not remember what this was bout) and Her Secret Affair by Barbara D. Smith is the same situation. Serious reading for the month consisted of The Body Project by Joan J. Bumberg. An interesting look at how perceptions of the female body evolved in the U.S.
June: ooh, Blood and Chocolate by Annette Klause. She is the author of The Silver Kiss but I think I like Blood and Chocolate better. It's geared more towards the age of life I'm in, where exploration of the world and body is necessary to feel comfortable with the path that one will choose.
July and August (so far): whew, almost done typing. Didn't read too much this month either. Danielle Steele's annoying new book, The Klone and I. Fluff. Then the acclaimed British novel, Bridget Jones' Diary about a weak-willed woman. So much was exclaimed over Helen Fielding that I expected something I could vote as one of Urbana's top 100 books, but no such luck. Oh well. And that's all for now. Later.

November 9, 1998

Okay, as usual, it has been ages since I updated this page...
August: after my last update, I read Heartfire by Orson Scott Card. It is the fifth book in his Alvin series, which is an excellent "what if" America had started out with magic series. The first four books are Seventh Son, Red Prophet, something I don't remember, and Alving Journeyman. My reading-at-the-library was Nancy Springer's Secret Star, which was a nice writing of teenage angst (is there a pattern here?). Vivian Velde's The Changeling Prince, Peter Mayle's Chasing Cezanne, and Shelley Syke's For Mike finished off the month. The Changeling Prince was okay. I read it while I was doing laundry, a very quick read. Chasing Cezanne was not as humorous as I thought it was going to be; but then again, I don't like Cezanne very much. For Mike was another teenage setting, but dealt with the death of friends. Thoughtful. I would place it with Swallowing Stones.
September: school has started at this point, so definitely even less time to read than usual. A retelling of the legend of Medea was Christa Wolf's Medea. I liked the change in perspective as a method to further the story. Another quick read. Then Sidney Sheldon's newest bestseller, Tell Me Your Dreams. Yawn. Good writing, but nothing gripping. A good story, interesting twist, just not fun to read. Then I decided to Patricia Cornwell's newest bestseller, Point of Origin but I was told not to read that until I'd read The Body Farm, which I did. Now, I like Cornwell better than Sheldon. And Point of Origin made me cry. Gripping story, with continuity and real time.
October: actually, I read Point of Origin in October, but that's a minor detail. Peter David came out with a sequel to his Star Trek: The Next Generation novel Imzadi, which is one of my favorite books because it's about Deana Troi. Triangle: Imzadi II was not as good as Imzadi but it was okay. I like it that he explored the Deana-Worf relationship. The Blessing by Jude Deveraux definitely wasn't one. Jude Deveraux has gotten very lazy in her writing; she doesn't write. The Blessing was like An Angel for Emily with the setting and the names changed. Why do I consider her one of my favorite authors? I'm not sure anymore.
November: so my latest reading was The Conjurer Princess by Vivan Velde. She wrote The Changeling Prince which I read a couple of months ago. And they are related, but I don't remember much out of The Changeling Prince so I'm gonna read it again.
So far, so little.

If you can think of anything that I might like to read, please let me know. Cheers!

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