Here they are:
January:
- The eternal self and the cycle of saṃsāra: Introduction to Asian mythology and religion
- Rajeshwari Pandharipande
This was actually a "textbook" from a class Kosh had taken in college. A good introduction to Asian Mythology, if you limit it to Indian/Hindu/Buddhism and Chinese/Japanese Confucianism, Taoism and Zen, that is... The first half, which explored Hinduism and Buddhism made the book worthwhile. Pity about the copy shop feel. - Season of the Witch - Natasha Mostert
One would think that a book that deals with witchcraft, remote viewing, two mysterious sisters, an information thief, and a house of a million rooms would be interesting... ... and yet... ... ... I trudged through this book wanting to know the end of the story but not enjoying myself much. - Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud - Julia Navarro
This book gives a very interesting twist to explain the conflicting evidence relating to the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, all woven together into a narrative a la Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code. A rather simple read, not outstanding. - The Good Fairies of New York - Martin Millar
Highly recommended by Neil Gaiman - how could one go wrong?? If this were ever made into a movie (and with all the cgi technology out there today, why hasn't it yet??), I'd probably really really like it. As a book, however, it was rather chaotic and exhausting, despite the humor. - The Overlook - Michael Connelly
I think Connelly might just be running out of ideas, or steam, or both. This book, while certainly readable, just didn't grip or hook the way the older tales did. It was still a good read, just not as good as the earlier works. Harry Bosch seems old and tired, and his new partner dynamics are stilted. Blah. - The Devil's Hearth - Phillip DePoy
Gallows humor abounds in this unique setting: a folklore expert returning to his roots in the Georgian Appalachians only to find a dead body on his doorstep. As he runs around trying to solve the mystery, we get glimpses of a fascinating (and obviously dying) culture/tradition, which helps bolster an otherwise ho-hum whodunnit. - The Blade Itself: Book One Of The First Law - Joe Abercrombie
An exception to the rule that I quickly consume good books and slowly wade through bad books... I waded through this one, because it was dense, chockful of details, and once again, presenting goings-on from various characters' points of view. I'm looking forward to more from this author! - The Witch's Grave - Phillip DePoy
This second installment of the folklorist who moves back into his small town community in the Appalachian mountains just didn't hook me the way the first book did. Another dead body, more conspiracies in a town that doesn't say things as much as they actually say things. This time around, the "punchline" was rather far-fetched. In fact, reading Book 2 "cured" me of intending to read the rest (#3 & 4) that are out now. Oh well. - Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry Medicated a Nation - Charles Barber
My first "serious" book of the year... it didn't tell me much that I didn't already know, if not "officially" then certainly in my gut. It explores the overmedication of the USA, a result of pharmaceuticals hawking wares to the "worried well", where the money is, where the numbers are... - Jar City: A Reykjavik Thriller - Arnaldur Indridason
A nice little whodunnit, with the added bonus of being based in Iceland (my #1 country to visit someday!), thus giving glimpses into a way of life, an attitude, subtly different than the "western" and "asian" views I am more familiar with.
February
March
Click on the images to bring you to the relevant GoodReads.com page, where you can find my "complete" "review" plus more info on the book.
Of the ten above, I think I'd rate 3, maybe 4 of them as really worth reading. *sigh*
... what about y'all? Anything outstanding you've read this year?
10 is still seven more than me... and I think I may be overestimating my reading thus far.
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