Friday, July 3, 2009

Starting the 999 x 2 (1-4/81)

I've decided to go for it in my 999 x 2 Challenge. I don't know if I'll really be able to finish it, but it will be fun to try. The new categories are as follows:

1. Everything Shakespeare
2. Author Revisits (Books I haven't read by authors I have)
3. From the library "new books" shelves
4. From my "tbr" shelves
5. Fantasy
6. YA/Children's
7. Nonfiction
8. Lost Book Club
9. Grab Bag

Here's how I'm doing so far -

1. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce
Category: YA/Children's

The third book in the "Song of the Lioness" series is a fun, quick read. It was fast-paced and ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, so I finished it anxious for the next book. 4.5 stars.

2. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Category: Author Revisits

This read suffered by comparison because Shadow of the Wind was one of my absolute favorite reads last year. It has a Gothic feel, but I didn't find it as compelling or satisfying as the first. 3.5 stars.

3. Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce
Category: Fantasy

I may have liked this book more if I had waited a bit longer between books 3 and 4. All the things that slightly annoyed me about the story so far annoyed me a lot more in this one (for example - Alanna has three lovers in as many books). 3.5 stars.

4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Category: From the library "new books" shelves

The first half of the book was funny enough to make up for a somewhat tedious second half. A lot of the original book is retained, nearly word-for-word, and in the end I found I preferred those parts over the changes or additions. 4.5 stars.

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