Book log archives - January 2001

Archives - January 2001

1 January 2001

Bill Bryson, The Lost Continent: very funny book about Australia.
John Canemaker, Paper Dreams: The Art and Artists of Disney Storyboards: well written, with great artwork.
Henry James, The Wings of the Dove: couldn't finish it - just too long-winded. Will likely try again someday.
Michael A. Stackpole, the Star Wars X-Wing books (Rogue Squadron, Wedge's Gamble, The Krytos Trap, The Bacta War, Isard's Revenge): reasonably good, as Star Wars books go.
Elswyth Thane, The Tudor Wench: good, though more like a historical novel than a biography (of Elizabeth I of England).
Eleanor Estes, The Witch Family: children's book that didn't really grab me.
Sharon Creech, The Wanderer: excellent young adult novel.
Miriam Grace Monfredo, Sisters of Cain: another good installment in her 19th-century mystery series

Books read: 11 (The Wings of the Dove doesn't count, I think)

2 January 2001

James Thurber, Lanterns and Lances: reread.
R.A. Salvatore, Servant of the Shard: read about 50 pages and decided that I wasn't enjoying it enough to waste my time on it.
A.S. Byatt, Imagining Characters: Six Conversations about Women Writers: I only read the first two (on Mansfield Park and Villette), as I haven't read the other books discussed. [10/31/03: guess I'll have to get it from the library again one of these days, now that I've read Daniel Deronda.] Interesting - made me want to reread Villette soon.
Nancy Bond, Country of Broken Stones: excellent YA, maybe even better than A String in the Harp. I'll have to find a copy if I can (think it's out of print).

Books read: 3 (I guess, counting part of the Salvatore and part of the Byatt)

4 January 2001

Gillian Bradshaw, Imperial Purple: another excellent historical novel.
Arthur Quiller-Couch and Daphne du Maurier, Castle Dor: fascinating modern retelling of the Tristan and Iseult legend, begun by Q and finished by du Maurier.
Rudyard Kipling, Puck of Pook's Hill: should have read this long ago.

Books read: 3

6 January 2001

C.S. Forester, The African Queen: very good, and now I feel like seeing the movie (which I haven't in a long time)
Patrick Dennis, Paradise, The Joyous Season, Auntie Mame, Around the World with Auntie Mame: rereads, of course - hilarious. The Joyous Season and Auntie Mame will end up on my favorites page eventually.

Books read: 5

7 January 2001

Gillian Bradshaw, The Land of Gold, The Dragon and the Thief: two good juveniles by one of my favorite historical fiction authors, with an interesting ancient Egyptian setting.
Peter S. Beagle, A Dance for Emilia: a poignant novella.
Nancy Bond, A Place to Come Home to, The Love of Friends, Truth to Tell: all good young adult novels. Love was a sequel to Place - enjoyed the first one more.

Books read: 6

9 January 2001

Gillian Bradshaw, The Bearkeeper's Daughter, The Sand-Reckoner: excellent as always. The former is about the Empress Theodora, and the latter is about Archimedes.
Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods: as hilarious as his other books, but with serious environmentalist overtones.
Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie: I enjoyed this more than I was expecting - odd style, but absorbing. I should try his other books.
Roger Kahn, The Boys of Summer: bittersweet, classic book about the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Books read: 5

14 January 2001

C.S. Friedman, the Coldfire trilogy (Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls, Crown of Shadows): excellent dark fantasy.
Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow, eds., Black Heart, Ivory Bones: apparently the last in their series of fairy tale anthologies. Quite good, particularly Tanith Lee's variation on "Rapunzel".
Gillian Bradshaw, The Wrong Reflection: excellent sci-fi thriller. Is there anything this woman can't write well?

Books read: 5

16 January 2001

Gillian Bradshaw, Hawk of May, Kingdom of Summer, In Winter's Shadow: reread - outstanding Arthurian novels, the first two from the point of view of Gwalchmai (Gawain), the last from Guinevere's POV.
Peter Hanratty, The Book of Mordred, The Last Knight of Albion: unusual but not very interesting Arthurian retellings.
Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy, The Forever King: reread - entertaining Arthurian novel, set largely in the 20th century (with flashbacks to Arthurian times). Worth reading, but avoid the sequels.
Homer, the Odyssey, translated by Robert Fagles: reread - oddly, I still like the Iliad more, as I find it more emotionally stirring. The translation is brilliant: just the right compromise between a poetic and a literal translation.

Books read: 7

19 January 2001

Books read: 5

22 January 2001

Robin McKinley, Spindle's End: a very good retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tales, with McKinley's typically lyrical writing and strong characters.
Robin McKinley, The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown: rereads - will eventually add to my favorite books page.
Robin McKinley, A Knot in the Grain: reread - a collection of stories, some set in the Damar of The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown.
Robin McKinley, The Door in the Hedge: reread - a collection of original and retold fairy tales, of which I think my favorite is the title story, a tale of love between a human princess and a faerie prince.
Robin McKinley, Beauty: reread - will eventually add to my favorite books page.
Robin McKinley, Rose Daughter: reread. This is also a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, as is Beauty, but the two books are very different. I still like Beauty, but Rose Daughter grows on me more and more every time I read it.
Robin McKinley, Deerskin: reread - will eventually add to my favorite books page.

Books read: 8

25 January 2001

Mary Renault, The King Must Die, The Bull from the Sea: quite good versions of the Theseus myths, though it took me a while to get into them.
Piers Anthony, Centaur Aisle, Ogre, Ogre: rereads. You've just got to read fluff sometimes, you know?

Books read: 4

30 January 2001

Piers Anthony, Night Mare, Dragon on a Pedestal, Crewel Lye: rereads. Yep, more fluff - hey, at least I didn't read the whole series.
Noel Streatfeild, Beyond the Vicarage: the third of her lovely autobiographical series, this one telling her experiences in World War II and how she became a writer.
Kathy Tyers, Star Wars New Jedi Order: Balance Point: okay, although I'm starting to get tired of the New Jedi Order books.
Laurie Lee, Cider with Rosie: poetic and evocative autobiography of a boy growing up in the Cotswolds.
Hans Christian Andersen, Tales and Stories: reread.
Sheri S. Tepper, Beauty: reread of one of my favorite books.
Iona and Peter Opie, The Classic Fairy Tales

Books read: 9

Total books read this month: 71
Total books read this year: 71


Last updated 29 November 2005. All text and photographs © George Mitchell and Margaret Johnston, unless otherwise noted Comments, questions, suggestions to margaret@lonelymountain.net.