TBR Challenge - 2007

I just joined MizB's TBR Challenge for 2007. The rules are to pick 12 books which have been collecting dust on the shelf for at least six months and read them during the year.



Here are my 12 books (in no particular order):

1. Jim Crace. Arcadia -- finished 1/10/2007
   
2. Ed McBain. The Mugger -- finished 2/7/2007
3. Jane Smiley. A Thousand Acres -- finished 3/21/2007
   
4. Ken Follett. Jackdaws -- finished 4/14/2007
5. Jack Dann, ed. Future War -- finished 5/21/2007 [substitute for The Other]
   
6. Robert Silverberg. Sorcerers of Majipoor -- finished 6/21/2007
   
7. Derek Lundy. Godforsaken Sea: Racing the World's Most Dangerous Waters -- finished 7/4/2007
8. Dean Koontz. Sole Survivor -- finished 8/12/2007
   
9. Lisa Gardner. The Next Accident -- finished 8/29/2007
   
10. Louis L'Amour. The Haunted Mesa -- finished 11/13/2007
    
11. Roger Zelazny. The Courts of Chaos -- finished 12/26/2007 [substitute for Knight of the Black Rose]
12. Ken Follett. The Man from St. Petersburg -- finished 12/29/2007
    

The Man from St. Petersburg by Ken Follett

First sentence:

"It was a slow Sunday afternoon, the kind Walden loved."

Description:

"His name was Feliks. He came to London to commit a murder that would change history. A master manipulator, he had many weapons at his command, but against him were ranged the whole of the English police, a brilliant and powerful lord, and the young Winston Churchill himself. These odds would have stopped any man in the world-except the man from St. Petersburg..."

My thoughts:

This book was a good mix of historical fiction and thriller set in the months leading up to World War I. Though the characters at times seemed two-dimensional, the relationships and events made them come alive now and again.

Date read: 12/29/2007
Book #: 114
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2007
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 0451163516
ISBN-13: 9780451163516
Publisher: Signet
Year: 1983
# of Pages: 342
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
LibraryThing Page

The Courts of Chaos by Roger Zelazny

First sentence:

"Amber: high and bright atop Kolvir in the middle of the day."

Description:

"A universe of many universes united by magical threads, Amber faces final destruction from the world beyond the Shadow world.

The cosmic Pattern that sustains the world of Amber lies in shreds' reality itself is on the verge of disintegration; and Corwin, heroic madman, uncrowned prince of the perfect realm, must face shapeshifting assassins, an alluring woman, and the multi-dimensional terrors of Shadow in his pulse-racing quest to save the kingdom.

Here at last is the crowning finale to the incredible Amber saga, an action-charged adventure that plunges from realm to realm to unlock the mysteries of a breathtakingly imagined world."

My thoughts:

Although it's been a while since I read the Chronicles of Amber, I enjoyed Corwin's adventure as he discovered courage within himself to create a new pattern and to help his family fend off the forces of Chaos.

Date read: 12/26/2007
Book #: 113
Series: Chronicles of Amber, #5
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2007
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Fantasy

ISBN-10: 0380471752
ISBN-13: 9780380471751
Publisher: Avon
Year: 1979
# of Pages: 142
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
LibraryThing Page

The Haunted Mesa by Louis L'Amour

First sentence:

"It was night, and he was alone upon the desert."

Description:

"The Navajo called them the Anasazi: an enigmatic race of southwestern cliff dwellers. For centuries, the sudden disappearance of this proud and noble people has baffled historians. Summoned to a dark desert plateau by a desperate letter form an old friend, renowned investigator Mike Raglan is drawn into a world of mystery, violence, and explosive revaltion. Crossing the border beyond the laws of man and nature, he will learn the astonishing legacy of the Anasazi -- but not without a price. Set in the contemporary Southwest, The Haunted Mesa draws on Louis L'Amour's extensive knowledge of Indian lore and mysticism. In this extraordinary book L'Amour tells a tale of epic adventure that takes his readers across the most extraordinary frontier they have ever encountered."

My thoughts:

This book was a good mix of western and science fiction as it looked at southwest Native American culture and offered a parallel world explanation on the disappearance of the Anasazi people. I liked the characters and the story, but I sometimes found the plot repetitive, especially Mike's indecision about what he should do. I also would have liked more storyline set in the other world.

Date read: 11/13/2007
Book #: 98
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Western/SF

ISBN-10: 0553051822
ISBN-13: 978-0553051827
Publisher: Bantam
Year: 1987
# of Pages: 357
Binding: Hardcover
LibraryThing Page

The Next Accident by Lisa Gardner

First sentence:

"Monday afternoon, private investigator Lorraine Conner sat hunched over her paper-swamped desk, punched a few more numbers into her old, cagey laptop, then scowled at the results shown on the screen."

Description:

"New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner, whose first three novels rocketed onto national bestseller lists, is one of today’s hottest suspense stars. Now, in her powerful hardcover debut, she takes us on a desperate manhunt for a sadistic killer who preys upon his victims’ innermost fears — just before he claims their lives.

What do you do when a killer targets the people you love most? How do you protect them when he knows their most secret fears and hidden desires? When he knows just when to strike? And, most of all, when he knows the same about you?

These are the questions that haunt FBI Special Agent Pierce Quincy. The official police report concluded that his daughter’s death was an accident. Amanda Quincy was driving drunk when her car careened out of control.

Pierce knew about his daughter’s problem with alcohol. He knew about her loneliness and insecurity. And so, he is certain, did the man who killed her. Quincy is prepared to risk everything to learn the dangerous truth about Amanda’s death — and there’s only one person willing to help.

Rainie Conner knows all too well the dark side of the human heart. An ex-cop haunted by her own violent past, she had once been paired professionally — and personally — with the brilliant, supremely logical FBI profiler.

Quincy had helped Rainie through the harrowing case that shattered her career and left her charged with first-degree murder. Now it’s time for Rainie to return the favor.

But this killer is like none these two hard-boiled pros have ever encountered. This twisted psychopath has an insatiable hunger for revenge ... and for fear. He isn’t satisfied with taking his victims’ lives. He wants to get inside their minds, strip them of every defense, render them powerless to resist.

He’s already killed twice; now he’s taunting Quincy and Rainie by making it no secret who his next victim will be: Quincy’s only surviving daughter.

The killer’s plan is chilling, brilliant, and unstoppable. The cops won’t help; the FBI can’t be trusted. As the clock ticks down to the final minutes of one unspeakably intimate act of vengeance, the only way Rainie can unmask this faceless killer is to step directly in his murderous path. She will become a murder waiting to happen. She will be ... the next accident."

My thoughts:

This was an gripping mystery which kept me guessing throughout. I realized after I started it that it was the third book in the Pierce Quincy series, but I enjoyed it anyway. I liked the characters Quincy, Rainie and Kim and was rooting for them to outwit the killer. Good twists and turns as both the heroes and the villain set up obstacles against the other. Now to find the first two books, The Perfect Husband and The Third Victim!

Date read: 8/29/2007
Book #: 80
Rating: 3* = good
Series: Pierce Quincy, #3
Genre: Mystery

ISBN-10: 0553802380
ISBN-13: 9780553802382
Publisher: Bantam
Year: 2001
# of Pages: 352
Binding: Paperback
LibraryThing Page

Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz

First sentence:

"At two-thirty Saturday morning, in Los Angeles, Joe Carpenter woke, clutching a pillow to his chest, calling his lost wife's name in the darkness."

Description:

"A catastrophic, unexplainable plane crash leaves three hundred and thirty dead -- no survivors. Among the victims are the wife and two daughters of Joe Carpenter, a Los Angeles Post crime reporter.

A year after the crash, still gripped by an almost paralyzing grief, Joe encounters a woman named Rose, who claims to have survived the crash. She holds out the possibility of a secret that will bring Joe peace of mind. But before he can ask any questions, she slips away.

Driven now by rage (have the authorities withheld information?) and a hope almost as unbearable as his grief (if there is one survivor, are there others?), Joe sets out to find the mysterious woman. His search immediately leads him into the path of a powerful and shadowy organization hell-bent on stopping Rose before she can reveal what she knows about the crash.

Sole Survivor unfolds at a heart-stopping pace, as a desperate chase and a shattering emotional odyssey lead Joe to a truth that will force him to reassess everything he thought he knew about life and death -- a truth that, given the chance, will rock the world and redefine the destiny of humanity."

My thoughts:

Like other Koontz books, I found the characters likable and well-developed and liked the suspense. The one drawback was an ending that felt a bit rushed, jumping from an edge-of-your-seat chase to a peaceful epilogue.

Date read: 8/12/2007
Book #: 73
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 0345384377
ISBN-13: 9780345384379
Publisher: Bantam
Year: 2000
# of Pages: 416
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
LibraryThing Page

Godforsaken Sea: Racing the World's Most Dangerous Waters by Derek Lundy

First sentence:

"Until Christmas Day 1996, the race had been a typically robust version of previous Vendee Globe and BOC races."

Description:

"Godforsaken Sea is the hair-raising account of the world's most demanding and dangerous sailing race: around the world, one sailor, one boat, no stops, no assistance.

This is the story of the 1996-1997 Vendee Globe, a grueling four-month circumnavigation of the globe in the most dangerous of all waters, the Southern Ocean. Through the eyes and experiences of the fourteen men and two women who began the race, author Derek Lundy harnesses the hurricane-force winds, the six-story waves, the icebergs, Dan the deafening noise in an effort to expose the spirit of the men and women who push themselves to the outer limits of human endeavor - even if it means never returning home.

You'll meet the gallant Brit who spends days beating back against the worst seas to save a fellow racer; the Frenchman who bothers to salvage only a bottle of champagne from his broken and sinking boat; the sailor who comes to love the albatross that trails her for months, naming it Bernard; the veteran who calmly keeps smoking his cigarette as his boat capsizes; and the Canadian who, hours before he disappears forever, dispatches this message:

If you drag things out too long here, you're sure to come to grief.

With the literary touch of Conrad and Saint-Exupery, Derek Lundy elevates a compelling story into an eloquent meditation on danger and an appreciation of danger seeks who embody the best and most eccentric aspects of our human condition"

My thoughts:

Great book! It's amazing how even in this age of communication, sailors can still find a remote part of the world to sail in. I've done some amateur sailing when I was younger, so I understood many of the references, but I would not be able to face the 50-60 foot waves, the constant wind, and the threat of icebergs!

Date read: 7/4/2007
Book #: 57
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Nonfiction

ISBN-10: 1565122291
ISBN-13: 9781565122291
Publisher: Algonquin Books Of Chapel Hill
Year: 1998
# of Pages: 312
LibraryThing Page

Sorcerers of Majipoor by Robert Silverberg

First sentence:

There had been omens all year, a rain of blood over Nimoya and sleek hailstones shaped like tears falling on three of the cities of Castle Mount and then a true nightmare vision, a giant four-legged black beast with fiery ruby eyes and a single spiraling horn in its forehead, swimming through the air above the port city of Alaisor at twilight.

Description:

The Long-Awaited Prequel!

A thousand years before Lord Valentine, the destiny of kings is hostage to sorcery and deceit.

On the planet Majipoor, it is a time of great change. The aged Pontifex Prankipin, who brought sorcery (and prosperity) to the Fifty Cities of Castle Mount, is dying. The Coronal Lord Confalume, who will become replacement is chosen. It is no secret that the next Coronal will be prince Prestimion. By law and custom, the blood son of the present Coronal--has a secret quarry--the Starburst Crown. Visited by an oracle, Korsibar has heard a prophecy that will plunge the planet into a fearsome conflagration and alter destiny itself: "You will shake the world!"

My thoughts:

A good epic political battle set on a distant planet. Silverberg describes the settings and characters well. Some of the themes I got was how it's dangerous to assume the future and how prophecies can be ambiguous. I look forward to reading the sequel, Lord Prestimion.

Date read: 6/21/2007
Book #: 49
Series: Lord Prestimion #1
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: SF

ISBN-10: 0061057800
ISBN-13: 978-0061057809
Publisher: Eos
Year: 1998
# of pages: 624
Binding: Paperback
LibraryThing page

Future War edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois

Description:

"From ultra high-tech weaponry to off-planet combat, this collection examines the conflicts of the future from some of the greatest minds in science fiction. Stories by Tony Daniel, Philip Dick, Joe Haldeman, Geoffrey Landis, Paul McAuley, Ian McDonald, Alastair Reynolds, Lucius Shepard, Allen Steele and Gardner Dozois. "

Contents:

• Second Variety by Philip K. Dick (1954)
• Salvador by Lucius Shepard (1984)
• Floating Dogs by Ian McDonald (1991)
• The Private War of Private Jacob by Joe Haldeman (1974)
• Spirey and the Queen by Alastair Reynolds (1996)
• A Dry, Quiet War by Tony Daniel (1995)
• Rorvik's War by Geoffrey A. Landis (1997)
• Second Skin by Paul J. McAuley (1995)
• The War Memorial by Allen Steele (1971)
• A Special Kind of Morning by Gardner Dozois (1971)

My thoughts:

I was reluctant to read this book because while I'm a sf fan, I'm not much into military sf. However, these stories were great. Yes, there's fighting, but there's also questions about what it means to be human or machine, how does one come home after a war, what happens when one's not sure what's real and what's not, etc.

Date read: 5/21/2007
Book #: 41
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: SF

ISBN-10: 0441006396
ISBN-13: 978-0441006397
Publisher: Ace Books
Year: 1999
# of Pages 272
Binding: Paperback
LibraryThing page

Jackdaws by Ken Follett

Description:

"D-Day is approaching. They don't know where or when, but the Germans know it'll be soon, and for Felicity "Flick" Clariet, the stakes have never been higher.

A senior agent in the ranks of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) responsible for sabotage, Flick has survived to become of Britain's most effective operatives in Northern France. She knows that the Germans' ability to thwart the Allied attack depends upon their lines of communications, and in the days before the invasion no target is of greater strategic importance than the largest telephone exchange in Europe.

But when Flick and her Resistance-leader husband try a direct, head-on assault that goes horribly wrong, her world turns upside down. Her group destroyed, her husband missing, her superiors unsure of her, her own confidence badly shaken, she has one last chance at the target, but the challenge, once daunting, is now near-impossible. The new plan requires an all-woman team, none of them professionals, to be assembled and trained within days. Code-named the Jackdaws, they will attempt to infiltrate the exchange under the noses of the Germans-but the Germans are waiting for them now and have plans of their own. There are secrets Flick does not know-secrets within the German ranks, secrets among her hastily recruited team, secrets among those she trusts the most. And as the hours tick down to the point of no return, most daunting of all, there are secrets within herself....

Filled with the powerful storytelling, unforgettable characters, and authentic detail that have become his hallmarks, Jackdaws is Ken Follett writing at the height of his powers."

My thoughts:

A gripping espionage thriller set in the days before the D-Day invasion. Both the Nazi and French Resistance characters are well-voiced and the espionage tricks used on both sides make an exciting story.

Date read: 4/13/2007
Book #: 31
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 0525946284
ISBN-13: 978-0525946281
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Year: 2001
# of Pages: 451
Binding: Hardover

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

Description:

"When Larry Cook, the aging patriarch of a rich, thriving farm in Iowa, decides to retire, he offers his land to his three daughters. For Ginny and Rose, who live on the farm with their husbands, the gift makes sense--a reward for years of hard work, a challenge to make the farm even more successful. But the youngest, Caroline, a Des Moines lawyer, flatly rejects the idea, and in anger her father cuts her out--setting off an explosive series of events that will leave none of them unchanged. A classic story of contemporary American life, A THOUSAND ACRES strikes at the very heart of what it means to be a father, a daughter, a family."

My thoughts:

Most of the book was a very moving tragedy about a family which starts to fall apart after the patriarch divides his land among two of his daughters. It's loosely based on Shakespeare's "King Lear". I liked the writing, especially as told from the oldest daughter's point of view. It would have been interesting to have a chapter told from the father's viewpoint, and/or the youngest daughter's viewpoint.

Date read: 3/21/2007
Book #: 25
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2007
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 0804115761
ISBN-13: 978-0804115766
Publisher: Ivy Books
Year: 1996
# of Pages: 399
Binding: Paperback

The Mugger by Ed McBain

Description:

"A mugger who specializes in female victims is providing a lot of work for Detective Hal Willis of the 87th Precinct. After each of his crimes, the mugger bows low and announces, "Clifford thanks you, madam," before running off. At the same time, Patrolman Bert Kling is asked to speak to a troubled teenaged girl. Soon the girl is dead, apparently the latest victim of the mugger."

My thoughts:

This was a good police procedural - the second in the 87th Precinct Series. I liked the characters and the plot.

Date finished: 2/7/2007
Book No.: 13
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2007
Rating: 3* = good
Genre: Mystery

ISBN-10: 0446601438
ISBN-13: 978-0446601436
Publisher: Warner Books
Year: 1996 (reprint)
No. of pages: 178
Binding: Paperback

Arcadia by Jim Crace

Description:

"In just a few years - first with Continent (hailed by John Hawkes as "Stunning, powerful and original") and then The Gift of Stones (Frank Kermode called it "a tour de force" and its author "a virtuoso") - Jim Crace has shown himself to be one of the most resourceful and distinctive novelists in the English language today. Now, with Arcadia, he has written a novel of extraordinary scope and texture, creating a wholly original and compelling vision of modern life - a world both foreign and very similar to that which we have inherited and made our own. At the center of Arcadia stands Victor, a solitary man who has risen by his own hard efforts from the direst circumstances to a position of immense wealth and undeniable influence. ("No wonder Victor never fell in love," we are told. "A childhood like the one he had would make ice cubes of us all. He lived on mother's milk till he was six, and then thrived on charity and trade!") It is now the occasion of Victor's eightieth birthday, and in celebration, his right-hand man has prepared something special: a country feast in the heart of the metropolis, twenty-seven stories above the marketplace where Victor began to reap his fortune. But Victor himself is making plans of his own to leave his mark upon the city, an imprint as indelible and disruptive as the one left on him... But if Arcadia is the story of Victor it is also that of Rook, his aptly named assistant, a man not above cutting a few inside deals for himself... Anna, Victor's efficient, protective secretary who will become Rook's eager lover... Joseph, a young man from the country with rough ambitions of his own... a dapper, celebrated architect who figures in Victor's plans... people from Victor's almost Dickensian childhood... and, most important for all of them, the marketplace called the Soap Market, which binds them all to one another... And so the stage is set for Arcadia, a dream of those who live in great cities."

My thoughts: At first, I wasn't sure if I would like this book. Victor wasn't a likable character, and following Rook into the city wasn't that interesting. By the third chapter, however, I was hooked on Victor's story and how his childhood in the Soap Market influenced him throughout his life. I also liked the themes of city vs. country, the market, fire, and food that played throughout the book.

Date finished: 1/9/2006
Book No.: 2
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2007
Rating: 4*/5 = great
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 068912158X
ISBN-13: 978-0689121586
Publisher: Scribner
No. of pages: 320
Binding: Hardcover