Eschewed Obfuscation

As of January 1st, 2010.
- denotes incomplete readings.
* denotes flocked review.

1. Divine Misdemeanors by Laurell K. Hamilton
2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
3. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (reread)
4. Branded Sanctuary by Joey W. Hill
5. Mercenary by Trista Ann Michaels
6. The Truth by Terry Pratchett
7. Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett
8. Darkborn by Alison Sinclair
9. Violet in Private by Alison Sinclair
10. A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer
11. Transformation by Carol Berg
12. Revelation by Carol Berg (reread)
13. The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine (reread)
14. Crossing Over: One Woman's Exodus from Amish Life by Ruth Irene Garrett with Rick Farrant
15. A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
16. The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
17. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
18. Everyday Asian by Marnie Henricksson
19. Ice Queen by Joey W. Hill
20. Kings and Assassins by Lane Robins
21. Demon Princess by Michelle Rowen
22. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
23. Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
24. A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay (reread)
25. The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam by Chris Ewan
26. Rough Canvas by Joey W. Hill
27. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
28. The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat by Tal Ronnen
29. Almost Vegetarian: A Primer for Cooks Who Are Eating Vegetarian Most of the Time, Chicken & Fish Some of the Time & Altogether Well All of the Time by Diana Shaw
30. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
31. Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton
32. Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton
33. Insatiable by Meg Cabot

The Fifth Elephant
by Terry Pratchett
321 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Humor

My friend, who is a fellow ardent Pratchett fan, thrust this library book into my hands with the damning words, "Carrot and Angua." I didn't have the time to read it, but I did anyway, because those two are just that cute.

This is one stop amongst many on the Discworld tour; my fannishness started with Small Gods, which I of course highly recommend. I find it difficult to describe the novel without resorting to Discworld shorthand, but let me try... Carrot is a long-lost heir who has contrived to remain lost, a six-foot-tall dwarf, and a scarily good person. Angua is a female werewolf with--interesting--familial relations. Together they fight petty crime and treason as members of the Watch, and are all-around awesome.

That's not quite right; it makes the book sound like a thriller, which it's not, though there is a fascinating mystery element of the plot. So, um, in Discworld shorthand: Carrot/Angua in Uberwald, with a healthy dose of Vimes and politics, plus a sprinkling of Vetinari on top.

I have realized what I love so much about Terry Pratchett, to the point where he deserves a place in my personal gallery next to Guy Gavriel Kay, Ellen Kushner, and George R.R. Martin: he is consistently great. (Sylvia Kelso and Alison Sinclair have the potential for greatness, with Amberlight/Riversend and Darkborn respectively, but they haven't proven consistency yet.) There are some Pratchett books that I adore, some that I love, some that I merely like... but each has enthralled me as I read them for the first time. A rare and valuable quality, consistency--few authors can I trust as I trust Pratchett to always write a worthwhile book.

Crossing Over: One Woman's Exodus from Amish Life
by Ruth Irene Garrett with Rick Farrant
192 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir

The pedestrian prose of this semi-ghostwritten memoir with an eye-catching premise does capture Irene's voice; it's only that her voice is not particularly compelling. Thankfully, I can't say the same for her story. This was a quick and enlightening read. I've always been fascinated by the Amish--I've seen buggies go by on the road, when I drive to Lancaster--and their "bubble" of traditional life in such a modern world.

I was saving these two until I had finished reading the trilogy, but I seem to have lost interest so...

Transformation
by Carol Berg
439 pages (paperback)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy

Seyonne is an Ezzarian slave, dead to the world after being stripped of his magical powers by a horrific rite. By chance he is sold to the arrogant Crown Prince Aleksander of the Derzhi empire, and further unlucky coincidences keep him in royal interest, though not favor. But when Seyonne sees a shocking reminder of Ezzaria in the eyes of the crown prince, he is inextricably bound to Aleksander's fate while demons and foreigners attempt to undermine the empire.

Finishing this, I immediately went on to read Revelation. It hit a lot of my personal buttons--power differential, detailed political subtleties. I can see why there's so much Aleksander/Seyonne fic! The character depth and epic setting reminds me of GRRM, but I'm glad that Berg is not so cruel to her characters (at least in this volume, one reason why I like it best).

Revelation
by Carol Berg
485 pages (paperback)
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy

Seyonne returns to Ezzaria a free man, but now he must deal with the prejudices and mysteries of his own culture. He meets an unusual demon that will lead him to question everything he has ever been taught, and guide him upon a path to exile more certain--and more painful--than all his prior years of enslavement.

This middle volume was quite well-plotted with a satisfying conclusion. I had read it before from the library, and liked it enough to put the whole trilogy on my to-by list; it was long enough ago, however, and with little enough context, that I read this as if it were new to me.

And yet! And yet, I didn't feel compelled to read the final volume. The emotional blasting that Seyonne takes--especially in repeated betrayals-that-aren't-betrayals of Aleksander--was too much. Though I've skimmed Restoration enough to know that Berg resolves the tale in a politically correct fashion, I'm more satisfied with the ending of Transformation; Seyonne and Aleksander's adventure is over, the world has been saved for now, hooray. Berg's chosen path forces the reader to confront the implications of imperialism, an aim that I fully appreciate. But honestly, it could have been done with less individual torture of the characters.

Maybe, overall, I prefer Song of the Basilisk--an excellent, lesser-known Berg novel that explores similar themes but wraps up in a single volume instead of attempting to save the world forever and ever. Or maybe I can just pretend that Transformation has no sequels.

Violet in Private
by Melissa Walker
210 pages (trade paperback)
Genre: Fiction/YA

This is a weird book. On one hand, it did make me tear up, with earns automatic points; on the other hand, the wish-fulfillment aspect is so explicit that it detracts from the novel. Author Melissa Walker is an ex-fashion editor hailing from Chapel Hill, NC, who earned a BA in English from Vassar College--coincidentally, protagonist Violet lands an editorial internship in New York, calls Chapel Hill home, and attends Vassar. Only, y'know, she's a supermodel. The author bio jokes openly about writing what you know, but at times the book reads like the author is simply reliving her college days--we don't need to know that Lathrop House is just down the quad from Main, or about ACDC as dining hall and band.

Moreover, Violet is simply not that engaging as a protagonist--pitiable, yes, but not very interesting. Her miniscule self-esteem and romantic struggles are a tad too realistic. I especially disliked the "temporary" romantic resolution; as "true" as it may be, it only left me with a lower opinion of Violet because she is waffling and useless yet again.

Acquired from BookMooch, but I won't be keeping this in my permanent collection nor planning to read the previous books in the series.