Wednesday, April 01, 2009

March Wrap-Up

March was a good reading month! A strange one, though. I am reading a lot of young adult books, manga, and graphic novels. In previous years I hardly read any!

The first seven books I read this month were the seven volumes of the manga series Emma:
I read the first two books in J.H. Sweet's Fairy Chronicles series. While I thought they were cute, I probably won't read the rest of the series because the library doesn't have them.
The Fairy Chronicles - Book One - Marigold and the Feather of Hope, the Journey Begins by J.H. Sweet
The Fairy Chronicles - Book Two - Dragonfly and the Web of Dreams by J.H. Sweet

Other manga:
Chobits Vol. 1 by Clamp
Chobits Vol. 2 by Clamp
Chobits Vol. 3 by Clamp
Chobits Vol. 4 by Clamp
- A cute series! There are eight volumes in total. If I review the series, I think I will probably wait until I have finished it. I find it hard to review otherwise!

Fruits Basket Volume 1 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket Volume 2 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket Volume 3 by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket Volume 4 by Natsuki Takaya
- Like above, I find manga hard to review. Also, while I like this series, I also find it a bit confusing at times... I like the idea behind it and the characters, so I will probably carry on with it, but it is not my favourite manga I have read this year!

X/1999: Prelude by Clamp (Volume 1)
X/1999: Overture by Clamp (Volume 2)
- Chobits and Fruits Basket drew me in just with two volumes. This series... I haven't really decided what I think of it yet! I will probably carry on with it, but it might not be my thing. Only time with tell!

I am going to start one more manga series this year. Renay recommends the One Piece series by Eiichiro Oda. I am going to read it for her challenge. Otherwise, no more new mangas until I finish one I have on the go. Probably Chobits because it is the shortest one.

Graphic Novels Read:
Alice in Sunderland: An Entertainment by Bryan Talbot
Rose by Jeff Smith
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Epileptic by David B.
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon & Dean Hale
A Distant Soil - Volume 1 - The Gathering by Colleen Doran
A Distant Soil - Volume 2 - The Ascendant by Colleen Doran
Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi
The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot
Black Hole by Charles Burns

Favourite: Black Hole by Charles Burns. It surprises me to say that because it was so weird, but... I think that is why I liked it. I will never forget it! I also liked both books by Bryan Talbot a lot and Shannon Hale's books are always good!

Disappointments: I could not get into Epileptic by David B. I don't know why... I also did not like Colleen Doran's books. I probably won't bother to read the third one.

Novels:
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (1/2 series)
The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme - Book Two - The Thief Queen's Daughter by Elizabeth Haydon (2/3 series)
Messenger by Lois Lowry (The Giver Trilogy, Book 3) (3/3 series)
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
JPod by Douglas Coupland
Bogus to Bubbly: An Insider's Guide to the World of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (Well, it could also be seen as non-fiction)
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (Skulduggery Series, Book 1) (1/2 series)
The Winter Prince by Elizabeth E. Wein (1/2 series)
Savvy by Ingrid Law
The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine by April Lurie
Old Man's War by Johm Scalzi (1/3 series)
Marked: A House of Night Novel by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (Book 1) (1/5 series)
Pay the Piper: A Rock 'N' Roll Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple (Book 1) (1/2 series)

I didn't read very many adult books... hm... This is a strange reading year for me!

Top Five (in no particular order)
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
JPod by Douglas Coupland
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (Skulduggery Series, Book 1) (1/2 series)
Old Man's War by Johm Scalzi (1/3 series)
The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine by April Lurie

Disappointment: The only book I was not a HUGE fan of was The Winter Prince by Elizabeth E. Wein (1/2 series). It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't fantastic either. Otherwise... I am not sure if I liked the end of The Messenger. Frankly, I could have just read The Giver and been happy. I don't think the last two books match up at all!

12 comments:

  1. I also couldn't finish Epileptic, I don't know what it was, I just couldn't get into it. It was really repetitive.

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  2. Or rather, I should say that I couldn't finish it.

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  3. Good Lord that's a lot of books Kelly! Sheesh! Sorry to hear that X isn't working for you so far...maybe it's a guy series...who knows? Glad to hear you're enjoying Chobits! It is cute and funny but becomes very touching soon.

    Oh, and you won my contest! Let me know which one of my top 5 books you want!

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  4. Congrats on an excellent reading month :D I need Jpod. And Jenna Fox. And Dylan Fontaine.

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  5. I go through months where I seem to read only one genre. I guess it's just the way our reading whims take us sometimes.

    You've read a lot - very impressed! :)

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  6. Yeah, well, I'm thinking you read more in March than I will get read all year. You are amazing, dear girl, simply amazing! And I'm happy to hear you enjoyed so many of them!!!

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  7. Laza: I am so glad that I wasn't the only one that didn't really like Epileptic! It had good press, so it was one of those books I felt bad about not liking!

    Chris: Well, it takes a bit for a manga to get going. I might find I really liked X/1999 when I read a couple more. Chobits is good, though, but it is a smaller series and things have to be wrapped up quicker than X/1999

    Nymeth: You do need JPod, Jenna Fox, and Dylan Fontaine. I agree!

    Iliana: For me it is a lot about where the library takes me...

    Debi: Well, I also don't have three kids, a husband, and all the extra work that comes with it, remember!

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  8. You had a great reading month! Let's just read what makes us happy and don't care about the rest?

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  9. Vasilly: yeah, it's funner that way, huh?

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  10. It sounds like you had a great reading month, Kelly!

    My husband just picked up the Pride and Prejudice graphic novel for me. I hadn't asked for it, but he thought I might like it. Isn't he sweet?

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  11. Thanks, Wendy! I have been eyeing the Shakespeare graphic novels, so I look forward to your thoughts! That was very sweet of him! I got transmission fluid for my car... Since my car needs it, I guess that's a sweet gesture! lol

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  12. Wow! You had a fabulous month!

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