TBR Challenge 2010!

It's time for me to post my list of books for the TBR Challenge 0f 2010! I selected 12 books for the challenge plus 12 alternates/extra credits.

Here they are (in no particular order):

• Damien Broderick. Matilda at the Speed of Light -- finished 1/6/2010 (substitute for The Knight of the Black Rose)
  
• Thomas Tryon. The Other -- finished 1/23/2010
• Iris Johansen. Final Target -- finished 1/26/2010
• Jincy Willett. Winner of the National Book Award -- finished 3/2/2010
• Ana Castillo. Peel My Love Like an Onion -- finished 4/14/2010
• David Wise. The Children's Game -- finished 4/27/2010
  
• Whitley Streiber. The Forbidden Zone -- finished 5/3/2010
  
• Eoin Colfer. The Wish List -- finished 5/5/2010 (substitute for All Tomorrow's Parties)
  
• Terry Brooks. The Sword of Shannara -- finished 5/22/2010
• Lorenza Caracaterra. Sleepers -- finished 6/5/2010 (substitute for Chosen Prey)
  
• David G. Hartwell. Year's Best Fantasy -- finished 6/30/2010
• Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Reliquary -- finished 7/21/2010 (substitute for The Dimension Riders)
  

Alternates/Extra Credit:

• Iain Banks. Excession -- read 11/7/2010
• Robert Tine. Desperate Measures
• Frederick Forsyth. Icon
• Douglas Clegg. Dark of the Eye
• Carl Hiassen. Native Tongue
• Michael Bishop. Unicorn Mountain
  
• John Ramsey Miller. Upside Down
• Michael Reaves. The Shattered World

Excession by Iain Banks

First sentence:

"A little more than one hundred days into the fortieth year of her confinement, Dajeil Gelian was visited in her lonely tower overlooking the sea by an avatar of the great ship that was her home."

Description:

"Diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen has been selected by the Culture to undertake a delicate and dangerous mission. The Department of Special Circumstances--the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section--has sent him off to investigate a 2,500-year-old mystery: the sudden disappearance of a star fifty times older than the universe itself. But in seeking the secret of the lost son, Byr risks losing himself. There is only one way to break the silence of millennia: steal the soul of the long-dead starship captain who first encountered the star, and convince her to be reborn. And in accepting this mission, Byr will be swept into a vast conspiracy that could lead the universe into an age of peace. . .or to the brink of annihilation." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I liked this book, but I think I would have liked it more if I had read the earlier books in the series first. I found myself wondering what was going on and who the characters were, and it wasn't until I was halfway through when I realized that it was part of a series. I look forward to reading the earlier books starting with Consider Phlebas.

Date read: 11/7/2010
Book #: 49
Series: The Culture, #5
Challenges: Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge, TBR Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: SF

ISBN-10: 0553575376
ISBN-13: 9780553575378
Publisher: Bantam Spectra
Year: 1996
# of pages: 499
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
LibraryThing page

Year's Best Fantasy edited by David G. Hartwell

First sentence:

"I am sunning myself on the west terrace when Gilyan comes."

Description:

"Tales as deep as legend and as new as dawn.

Acclaimed editor David G. Hartwell has gathered a harvest of shimmering beauty and powerful writing in this inaugural volume of the very best fantasy from the last year. Established masters rub elbows with rising stars in this outstanding collection of short stories rich with imagined land and finely etched, unforgettable characters. Travel to distant realms--and around the block--with stories by:

Terry Goodkind
Nicola Griffith
Nalo Hopkinson
George R.R. Martin
Robert Schekley
Michael Swanwick." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this collection of short stories. Some of my favorite stories were George R.R. Martin's "Path of the Dragon" which gave some insight into Daenarys Targaryen and Sherwood Smith's "Mom and Dad on the Home Front," which illustrated what parents go through when the children have otherworldly adventures.

Date read: 6/30/2010
Book #: 40
Challenges: TBR Challenge 2010, Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fantasy

ISBN-10: 038081840X
ISBN-13: 9780380818402
Publisher: EOS
Year: 2001
# of pages: 490
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
LibraryThing page

Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra

First sentence:

"I sat across the table from the man who had battered and tortured and brutalized me nearly thirty years ago."

Description:

"This is the true story of four young boys. Four lifelong friends. Intelligent, fun-loving, wise beyond their years, they are inseparable. Their potential is unlimited, but they are content to live within the closed world of New York City's Hell's Kitchen. And to play as many pranks as they can on the denizens of the street. They never get caught. And they know they never will.

Until one disastrous summer afternoon.

On that day, what begins as a harmless scheme goes horrible wrong. And the four find themselves facing a year's imprisonment in the Wilkinson Home for Boys. The oldest of them is fifteen, the youngest twelve. What happens to them over the course of that year--brutal beatings, unimaginable humiliation--will change their lives forever.

Years later, one has become a lawyer. One a reporter. And two have grown up to be murderers, professional hit men. For all of them, the pain and fear of Wilkinson still rages within. Only one thing can erase it.

Revenge.

To exact it, they will twist the legal system. Commandeer the courtroom for their agenda. Use the wiles they observed on the streets, the violence they learned at Wilkinson.

If they get caught this time, they only have one thing left to lose: their lives.

Sleepers is the extraordinary true story of four men who take the law into their own hands. Brilliantly written, it is a searing portrait of a system gone awry and of the people--some innocent, some not so innocent--who must suffer the consequences. At the heart of Sleepers is a sensational murder trial that ultimately gives devastating, yet exhilarating, proof of street justice and truly defines the meaning of loyalty and love between friends. Told with great humor and compassion, even at its most harrowing, Sleepers is an unforgettable reading experience. It will leave you breathless." -- from Amazon.com

My thoughts:

This was a very intense account of brutality and courage. Not everyone made the right decisions, but all faced hardships straight on.

Date read: 6/5/2010
Book #: 37
Challenges: TBR Challenge 2010, Celebrate the Author Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre; Memoir

ISBN-10: 0345404114
ISBN-13: 98034504114
Publisher: Ballantine
Year: 1995
# of pages: 370
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
LibraryThing page

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks

First sentence:

'The sun was already sinking into the deep green of the hills to the west of the valley, the read and gray-pink of its shadows touching the corners of the land, when Flick Ohmsford began his descent."

Description:

"Long ago, the wars of ancient Evil had ruined the world and forced mankind to compete with many other races--gnomes, trolls, dwarfs, and elves. But in peaceful Shady Vale, half-elfin Shea Olmsford knew little of such troubles.

Then came the giant, forbidding Allanon, possessed of strange Druidic powers, to reveal that the supposedly dead Warlock Lord was plotting to destroy the world. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness was the Sword of Shannara, which could only be used by a true heir of shannara. On Shea, last of the blood line, rested the hope of all races.

Soon a Skull Bearer, dread minion of evil, flew into the Vale, seeking to destroy Shea. To save the Vale, Shea flees, drawing the Skull Bearer after him.

Thus begins the seemingly hopeless quest of a simple man against the greatest power of evil the world has ever known." - from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this epic fantasy. I especially liked the way Shea, Flick, Hendel, Balinor and others face trials in their quest to find the Sword of Shannara.

Date read: 5/22/2010
Book #: 34
Series: Shannara Trilogy, #1
Challenges: Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge, TBR Challenge 2010, 1st in a Series Challenge

ISBN-10: 0345314255
ISBN-13: 9780345314253
Publisher: Del Rey
Year: 1977
# of Pages: 726
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
LibraryThing page

The Wish List by Eoin Colfer

First sentence:

"Meg and Belch were doing a job."

Description:

"Meg Finn is in trouble. Unearthly trouble.

Meg's soul is up for grabs as Heaven and Hell try every sneaky trick imaginable to claim it. Helping a lonely old man complete tasks on his wish list is her only chance. But even if she takes that chance, will she really have enough points to face up to St. Peter?" -- from the back cover


My thoughts:

I enjoyed this fantasy about a young girl who learns about helping people. I especially liked the interactions between Meg and Lowrie and between St. Peter and Beezlebub.

Date read: May 5, 2010
Book #: 31
Challenges: Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge, TBR Challenge 2010, Celebrate the Author Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

ISBN-10: 014131592X
ISBN-13: 9780141315928
Publisher: Puffin
Year: 2000
# of pages: 200
Binding: Trade Paperback
LibraryThing page

The Forbidden Zone by Whitley Strieber

First sentence:

"To the middle of a perfect summer afternoon came a long, trembling scream."

Description:

"The mound, a quiet town gathering spot...until now. Now something undeniably evil is hiding beneath it. A powerful darkness, terror with unfathomable needs and desires, spreading its roots in secret, transforming all that the good townfolk love and cherish: their past, their hopes, their souls.

Courageous physicist Brian Kelley and his beautiful, very pregnant wife, must confront the horror. They will band together with their neighbors to battle a power transcending their worst imaginings. And only an impossible gamble will give them a chance to survive. The Forbidden one -- master storyteller Whitley Streiber's breakneck journey beyond the cutting edge of terrifying suspense." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This was a suspenseful book with horror and surprises from unexpected directions. Just as I thought the characters would be ok, a new horror appeared and made things worse.

Date read: May 3, 2010
Book #: 30
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2010, Celebrate the Author Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Horror

ISBN-10: 0451404874
ISBN-13: 9780451404879
Publisher: Onyx
Year: 1994
# of pages: 415
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
LibraryThing page

The Children's Game by David Wise

First sentence:

"The bears, as expected, had been excellent."

Description:

"William Danner, an ex-spy dragooned back into the CIA, must find the mole whose sabotage of the agency's covert operations threatens to destroy the CIA itself. Haunted by his past, investigating a tangled mix of intrigue, he finds himself simultaneously battling the KGB, a group of mysterious "old boys" fired by the CIA, and his own agency. When he uncovers a spine-chilling plot at the highest levels of government, he risks his life to stop it -- and to save his daughter and the beautiful woman he loves. In the process he discovers new truths about his own life as a man playing The Children's Game." - from the inside flap

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this espionage thriller with its many twists and turns. I especially liked how Danner figured out how to get an important disc from a rather unique hiding place.

Date read: 4/27/2010
Book #: 29
Challenge: TBR Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 0312132425
ISBN-13: 9780312132422
Publisher: St. Martin's
Year: 1983
# of pages: 280
Binding: Hardcover
LibraryThing page

Peel My Love Like an Onion by Ana Castillo

First sentence:

"I remember him dark."

Description:

"Peel My Love Like an Onion is the breakthrough novel from Ana Castillo, author of the wildly praised So Far from God -- a lyrical, steamy, and moving story of a love triangle set in the colorful world of flamenco dancing.

Carmen "La Coja" ("the cripple) Santos is a flamenco dancer of local renown in Chicago, despite the obstacle of a gimpy leg, the legacy of a childhood attack of polio. From the beginning of her professional career, she has carried on an affair with Agustin, the married director of her troupe -- a romance that is going stale from over-familiar lust and an absence of honesty. But when she begins a passionate liaison with the younger Manolo, Agustin's godson and a dancer of natural genius, an angry rivalry is sparked. Add to that the looming reassertion of her crippling disease and Carmen's vexed relations with her mother, one of the most exasperating parents in recent literature, and you have all the ingredients for a love story a la Ana Castillo -- equal parts soap opera, tragicomedy, and rhapsody. Laced with sarcastic asides and dead-on observations, Peel My Love Like an Onion is a universal work inbued with love's power to vex and exalt." -- from the inside flap

My thoughts:

This was a very good love story interlaced with music and dancing. I liked how Carmen learned to find her own voice and dignity.

Date read: 4/14/2010
Book #: 26
Challenges: A-Z Challenge 2010; TBR Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 0385496761
ISBN-13: 9780375496766
Publisher: Doubleday
Year: 1999
# of pages: 213
Binding: Hardcover
LibraryThing page

Winner of the National Book Award by Jincy Willett

First sentence:

"Lightning sought our mother out, when she was a young girl in Brown County, Indiana."

Description:

"Set in Rhode Island, Winner of the National Book Award tells the story of twins who could not be more different. Abigail Mather is a woman of passionate sensual and sexual appetites, while her sister, the book loving local librarian Dorcas, lives a quiet life of the mind. But when the sisters are sought out by the predatory and famous poet, Guy DeVilbiss, who introduces them to Hollywood hack writer and possible psychopath Conrad Lowe, they rapidly become pawns in a game that leads to betrayal, shame and ultimately, murder.

Darkly comic and satirical, Jincy Willett's Winner of the National Book Award is unnervingly funny and disarmingly tender whether she is writing about sex, literary delusion or Yankee pretension."

My thoughts:

I enjoyed this book. I liked Dorca's cynical observations and wit, especially about her neighbors and the library patrons. I also liked how she grew to appreciate her twin sister Abigail.

Date read: 3/2/2010
Book #: 15
Challenges: TBR Challenge 2010; A-Z Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fiction

ISBN-10: 031242423X
ISBN-13: 9780312424237
Publisher: Picador
Year: 2003
# of pages: 323
Binding: Trade Paperback
LibraryThing page

Final Target by Iris Johansen

First sentence:

"Wind Dancer."

Description:

"A YOUNG GIRL IN JEOPARDY…
TWO WOMEN DETERMINED TO SAVE HER…
THE MAN WHO COULD BETRAY THEM ALL...

Melissa Riley arrives at her sister's isolated Virginia country home to find herself plunged into a deadly drama. There the renowned Dr. Jessica Riley is attempting to draw the daughter of the President of the United States out of a severe catatonic trauma. The last thing young Cassie Andreas saw was an organized team ruthlessly murder her nanny and the Secret Service agents sworn to protect her. But to free Cassie, Melissa and Jessica must trust a mysterious, charismatic man.

Michael Travis made his fortune in the international underworld. He risked everything to save Cassie during that terrible night of bloodshed. And he has entered into a secret bargain with the President. But is his show of concern all a treacherous charade? Melissa and Jessica have no choice but to accept Travis as their ally--and to follow a dangerous plan that will lead them into the world of a killer who'll destroy anyone standing between him and the... FINAL TARGET" -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

This book was a good thriller, but could have been better. I liked the character interaction, especially between Cassie and Melissa in the "tunnel" and between Travis and both Melissa and Jessica Riley. I didn't like that it took the author a long time to explain what Travis was involved in and why various people were after him.

Date read: 1/26/2010
Book #: 6
Challenges: TBR Challenge 2010, Winter Words Challenge, A-Z Challenge 2010
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Thriller

ISBN-10: 0553582135
ISBN-13: 9780553582130
Publisher: Bantam Books
Year: 2001
# of pages: 387
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
LibraryThing page