- things in little kits or sets
- things with writing on them in other languages or scripts
- things with small intricate parts
- things to do with cooking
- things that are satisfying to fidget with
Okay, so I was getting tired of having a blank homenode, but I couldn't be bothered to think of any pithy statements or advice for young noders so I decided to put up my list of books that I've read.
/msg me if you want to know what I thought about any of them.
In fact, if you ask nicely, I'll even node one for you--I just can't seem to motivate myself to do it. Pick any one you want, just don't expect it in a timely fashion!
Here is what the abbreviations mean:
YA=young adult (I was a young adult librarian, so I read a lot of these)
JF=juvenile fiction
GN= graphic novel
RR=reread
DNF=did not finish (usually because I didn't like it enough to)
I'm not a young adult librarian any more because now I am the FICTION SELECTOR for my entire library system! All those years with my nose in a book finally paid off.
And now, to be extra nerdy, I'm going to put all my favorites in BOLD TYPE.
Books Read since Halloween 2003
November 2003
- The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
- The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
- Lord John and the Private Affair by Diana Gabaldon
- My Heartbeat by Garret Freymann-Weyr YA
- Death, the High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman GN
- The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman GN
- Three Junes by Julia Glass
- Fried Butter: A Food Memoir by Abe Opincar
- Bedlam's Bard by Mercedes Lackey and Ellen Guon
- All-American Girl by Meg Cabot YA
- Stand Tall by Joan Bauer YA
December 2003
- Positively Fifth Street by James McManus
- Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
- Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
- Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue
- God Went to Beauty School by Cynthia Rylant YA
- Bloomability by Sharon Creech YA
- The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
- The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
- Benny and Omar by Eoin Colfer JF
- Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey
- Sabriel by Garth Nix YA
- Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce YA
- It Must've Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten
- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
January 2004
- The Expensive Halo by Josephine Tey
- Cobra Trap by Peter O'Donnell
- Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce JF
- Canning Season by Polly Horvath YA
- The Castle of Yew by L. M. Boston JF
- The Meaning of Everything by Simon Winchester
- Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey
- A Stranger at Wildings by Madeleine Brent
- The Calligrapher by Edward Docx
- Princess in Waiting by Meg Cabot YA
- The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
- Stormswift by Madeleine Brent
- Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez YA
- First Part Last by Angela Johnson YA
- The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
- Google Hacks by Tara Calishain & Rael Dornfest (skipped overly techie sections)
- Golden Urchin by Madeleine Brent
- Lirael by Garth Nix YA
- How to Read a French Fry by Russ Parsons
- Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley
- The Capricorn Stone by Madeleine Brent
- The Bargain by Mary Jo Putney
February 2004
- Abhorsen by Garth Nix YA
- Krakatoa by Simon Winchester
- Psmith in the City by P.G. Wodehouse
- The Long Masquerade by Madeleine Brent
- Psmith Journalist by P.G. Wodehouse
- The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin
- Flyboy Action Figure Comes With Gas Mask by Jim Munroe
- Merlin's Keep by Madeleine Brent
- How to Read a French Fry by Russ Parsons
- Impossible Odds by Dave Duncan
- The Man in My Basement by Walter Moseley
- Cathedrals of the Flesh: My Search for the Perfect Bath by Alexia Brue
- Travels With Alice by Calvin Trillin
- Man Hunting by Jennifer Crusie
March 2004
- A Geography of Time by Robert Levine
- Thursday's Children by Rumer Godden
- Of Sound Mind by Jean Ferris YA
- Tithe by Holly Black YA
- Third Helpings by Calvin Trillin
- Keep Your Brain Alive by Lawrence Katz
- Feeding a Yen by Calvin Trillin
- Word Court by Barbara Walraff
- A Slice of Life by various authors
- Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going YA
- One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry
- Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath YA
- Empress of the World by Sara Ryan YA
- Everyone In Silico by Jim Munroe
- The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson
- A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace
- On Basilisk Station by David Weber
- Emotional Design by Donald Norman
- The Watcher by Margaret Buffie YA
- Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Keesha's House by Helen Frost YA skim
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler YA skim
The A-List by Zoey Dean YA DNF
April 2004
- Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gould
- Spindle's End by Robin McKinley YA
- Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton YA
- Deerskin by Robin McKinley
- Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House by M.C. Beaton
- Blacklist by Sara Paretsky
- The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth
- Choice Cuts, ed. by Mark Kurlansky
- Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace
May 2004
- The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud YA
- Strings by Dave Duncan
- My Life as a Fake by Peter Carey
- Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
- The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macaulay
- Newton's Cannon by J. Gregory Keyes
- Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve YA
- The Kings are Already Here by Garret Freymann-Weyr YA
- Samurai Girl Book I: the Book of the Sword by Carrie Asai YA
- Sweetblood by Pete Hautman YA
- Traveling Shoes by Noel Streatfeild JF
- Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher JF
June 2004
- Samurai Girl Book II: the Book of the Shadow by Carrie Asai YA
- A Calculus of Angels by J. Gregory Keyes
- Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
- First Lady by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
- Metamagical Themas by Douglas Hofstadter RR
- Heartbreaker by Susan Howatch
- The Distant Summer by Sarah Patterson RR
- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling JF RR
- Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn YA
- The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
- White Boots by Noel Streatfeild JF RR
- Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan YA
July 2004
- Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw YA
- Mama Makes Up Her Mind by Bailey White RR
- Zeitgeist by Bruce Sterling
- Straight Man by Richard Russo
- Pirates! by Celia Rees YA
- The Family at Caldicott Place by Noel Streatfeild JF
- East by Edith Pattou YA
- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi GN
- Election by Tom Perotta
- The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
- Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
- The America's Test Kitchen Cookbook by Cook's Illustrated
- The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett JF
- Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl
- Jennifer Government by Max Barry
- City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
- Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary by Pamela Dean
- As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann
August 2004
- Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
- Children of God by Mary Doria Russell
- New Improved Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechtel GN
- The Perfect Score by David Levithan YA
- Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes YA
- The Secret Country by Pamela Dean
- The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
September 2004
- The Scar by China Mieville
- Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy
- Changing Planes by Ursula LeGuin
- The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith
- Samurai Girl Book III: the Book of the Pearl by Carrie Asai YA
- Samurai Girl Book IV: the Book of the Wind by Carrie Asai YA
- Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
- Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett
- Why Girls are Weird by Pamela Ribon
- The Coma by Alex Garland
- Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich
- Replay by Ken Grimwood
- The Mount by Carol Emshwiller
- Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
October 2004
- Kings of Infinite Space by James Hynes
- Evolution's Darling by Scott Westerfeld
- The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett
- The Sterkarm Handshake by Susan Price YA
- A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass YA
- Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy
- Sorcery and Cecelia, or, The Enchanted Chocolate-Pot by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer YA
- Isn't It Romantic by Ron Hansen
- The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
- The Inner Circle by T.C. Boyle
- Trickster's Queen by Tamora Pierce YA
- The Monk Downstairs by Tim Farrington
- Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany by Ben Schott
- America (The Book) by Jon Stewart & The Daily Show
- Oblivion by David Foster Wallace
- Uncle Fred in the Springtime by P.G. Wodehouse
- Tempest-Tost by Robertson Davies
November 2004
- Leaven of Malice by Robertson Davies
- A Mixture of Frailties by Robertson Davies
- Set This House in Order by Matt Ruff
- Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
- Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi
- The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs
- Sexual Healing by Jill Nelson
- The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips
Count Geiger's Blues by Michael Bishop DNF
December 2004
- Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
- Devil in the Details by Jennifer Traig
- I, Lucifer by Peter O'Donnell RR
- The Big Year by Mark Obmascik
- A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray YA
- Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde YA
- Night of Morningstar by Peter O'Donnell RR
- The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
- Be Prepared: A Guide for New Dads by Gary Greenberg and Jeannie Hayden
- The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis
- Whiteout by Ken Follett
- I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason by Susan Kandel
January 2005
- Blessed Are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch
- Sabre-Tooth by Peter O'Donnell RR
- The Game by Laurie R. King
- The Paid Companion by Amanda Quick
- Wild Life by Molly Gloss
- Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen YA
- The Hipster Handbook by Robert Lanham
- The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan YA
- Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
February 2005
- Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow
- Feed by M.T. Anderson YA
- Virus of the Mind by Richard Brodie NF
- Madeleine is Sleeping by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum
- Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson YA
- Hieronymous Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hans Belting NF
- The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
March 2005
- Prom by Laurie Halse Andersen YA
- The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida NF
- Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox NF
- Welcome Chaos by Kate Wilhelm
- Ferney by James Long
- Hopeless Savages Vol. 1 by Jen Van Meter GN
- The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist by Michael Chabon GN
- The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
The Singer of All Songs by Kate Constable YA DNF
April 2005
- The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby NF
- Babyji by Abha Dawesar
- The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek
- Jumper by Steven Gould
- Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson NF
- The Safe-Keeper's Secret by Sharon Shinn YA
- The Helm by Steven Gould
- Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
- Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
- Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl NF
- Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
- Candyfreak by Steve Almond NF
- What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool NF
- Portuguese Irregular Verbs by Alexander McCall Smith
May 2005
- A Devil's Chaplain by Richard Dawkins NF
- Reflex by Steven Gould
- The Year of Our War by Steph Swainston
- Wrong about Japan by [Peter Carey NF
- On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins NF
- Shadow of the Giant by Orson Scott Card
- Confessions of a Backup Dancer by Tucker Shaw YA
- The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson YA
- Little, Big by John Crowley
- Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care by John McWhorter NF
- Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin YA
- How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff YA
- Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal NF
June 2005
- The Confusion by Neal Stephenson
- A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell
- Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi GN
- Twins by Marcy Dermansky
- Turning the Tables by Steven Shaw NF
- Job Hopper by Ayun Halliday NF
- Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowel NF
- More Book Lust by Nancy Pearl NF
July 2005
- The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks
- Magic Street by Orson Scott Card
- Snobs by Julian Fellowes
- The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce YA
- The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout NF
- Whores on the Hill by Colleen Curran
- Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling YA
- Ready or Not by Meg Cabot YA
- Naked in Death by JD Robb
- Looking for Jake: Stories by China Miéville
- The People of Sparks by Jeanne Du Prau YA
- Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
August 2005
- Wickett's Remedy by Myla Goldberg
- Damned If You Do by Gordon Houghton
- The Family Trade by Charles Stross
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
- Old Man's War by John Scalzi
- French Women Don't Get Fat by Mirelle Guiliano NF
- In The Little World by John H. Richardson NF
- Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link
- Family Happiness by Laurie Colwin
- The Carpet Makers by Andreas Eschbach
- The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm NF
The Historian by Elisabeth Kostova DNF
The Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers DNF
September 2005
- Eleven On Top by Janet Evanovich
- Air by Geoff Ryman
- Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe YA
- Here, There and Everywhere by Chris Roberson
- Uglies by Scott Westerfeld YA
- Pretties by Scott Westerfeld YA
- Away From You by Melanie Finn
- The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead RR
- Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
October 2005
- Affinity by Sarah Waters
- Are We There Yet? by David Levithan YA
- Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
- Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
- I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan
- Post-Captain by Patrick O"Brian
- Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow
New Rules by Bill Maher DNF
November 2005
- Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
- The Wilder Shores of Love by Lesley Branch NF
- Seraglio by Janet Wallach
- Spook by Mary Roach NF
- A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
- The Hidden Family by Charles Stross
- The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino
- Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear
- Mission to America by Walter Kirn
December 2005
- The 13 ½ lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers
- Avalon High by Meg Cabot YA
- Inside Job by Connie Willis
- Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer YA
- Don't Get Too Comfortable by David Rakoff NF
- A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
- Touched by Venom by Janine Cross
- White Tigress by Jade Lee
- A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett RR
- The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall
January 2006
- PopCo by Scarlett Thomas
- Bachelor Boys by Kate Saunders
- The Trial by Franz Kafka
- The Perfect Paragon by M.C. Beaton
- Company by Max Barry
- Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton
- Princess Academy by Shannon Hale YA
- Rainbow Party by Paul Ruditis YA
- Playing the Moldovans at Tennis by Tony Hawks NF
Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson DNF
February 2006
- Numbers Don't Lie by Terry Bisson
- Looking for Alaska by John Green YA
- The Astonishment of Words by Victor Proetz NF
- Buffalo Gals by Ursula Le Guin
- Underdog: How I Survived the World's Most Outlandish Competitions by Joshua Davis NF
- Temeraire by Naomi Novik LJ
- I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak YA
- The Luzhin Defense by Vladimir Nabokov
- Little Birds by Anais Nin
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall JF DNF
Rabbit, Run by John Updike DNF
A Taxonomy of Barnacles by Galt Niederhoffer DNF
March 2006
- Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
- A Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
April 2006
May 2006
- Iron Council by China Mieville
- Doctors and Nurses by Lucy Ellmann
- The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
- The Best People in the World by Justin Tussing
- Fledgling by Octavia Butler
- Misfortune by Wesley Stace
- Personal History by Katharine Graham NF
- Rumo and his Miraculous Adventures by Walter Moers
- In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker
- ReadyMade: How to Make (almost) Everything NF
- Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent NF
- Lobster by Guillaume Lecasble
June 2006
- The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
- Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik
- Specials by Scott Westerfeld
- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
- Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst
- A Brother's Price by Wen Spencer
- Samurai Girl VI: The Book of the Heart by Carrie Asai
July 2006
- Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
- Forever Summer by Ray Bradbury
- By a Lady by Amanda Elyot
- Starseed by Spider Robinson and Jeanne Robinson
- Summer by Edith Wharton
- Mélusine by Sarah Monette
- Life House by Spider Robinson
- Peeps by Scott Westerfeld YA
- Night Watch by Sarah Waters
August 2006
- Collapse by Jared Diamond NF
- Atonement by Ian McEwan
- Fun Home by Alison Bechdel GN
- Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin NF
- Woman in the Mirror by Richard Avedon NF
- Black Powder War by Naomi Novik
- Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman YA