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25 in 2012 January/February

You may or may not have noticed, but I’ve halted Sunday Sounds for the past few weeks in an attempt to get a stronger focus on my own words and ideas (and images!).

But I’m also trying to get my 25 in 2012 reading resolution rolling, so a little bit a review and commentary is gonna trickle in. We’re still cool right? ;)

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium, #3)The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a bittersweet end; not so much in content but because of the history of the series itself. When considering as a “trilogy,” this tied everything up well, but The Girl Who Played With Fire and this felt very much like a two-parter in a longer series, so it’s saddening to know that there can never be another book when that was the intent.

The ending itself felt a little hokey, but after everything the characters went through, I’m happy for them!


Silent in the GraveSilent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to the ladies of the Vaginal Fantasy Hangout group, I read my first ever Victorian Mystery Romance novel!

I enjoyed the storyline, but it’s the characters that kept me going. I love the crazy March family. And Fleur!

There were at times when I felt that there was too much world-building/explaining, but it goes by quick enough and returns to amusing character interactions that it’s not too much of a problem.

I’m excited to see Julia learn more about herself and grow, and that Brisbane tones down the arrogance (I know, I know, he’s ~tortured~!). Mostly I hope to see more Portia and Valerius. haha

What have been your recent reads?

March 5, 2012
books, challenge

Everything is Illuminated

This book is beautiful. There are sentiments that absolutely make me ache because of how truthful they feel. Yes, it can be jumbled, messy, and sometimes so blunt that those particular scenes could border on perversion- but all of that just creates such a brilliant honesty. While the number of characters that appear can become overwhelming, they are never dull; no pun intended, but they become blindingly bright and so alive.

I admit that I started this last year but despite having read it in such a drawn out span of time, every time I picked it up I fell right back into the fantastic quality of the language. Due to the time frame it took me to read this and the ~patchwork~ design of the overall narrative, this begs a reread soon! However, it’s less for the sake of comprehension and more for appreciation of all the interconnected details that I need to revisit this heartbreaking book.


I’m almost apologetic for all the italicizing but hey, it’s how I feel.


Anyhow, please note that on goodreads I rate a book according to how much I loved it, not necessarily for its “quality”- because those are two very different things. However, that is not to say that this book doesn’t merit the five stars I gave it. It’s more like I don’t feel… qualified to give “real” ratings. Although it is my opinion anyway so… you get what I mean, right?

(Cover image from the publisher’s website. I happen to have the pink version and will probably update this post at a later date with the appropriate version.)

January 7, 2012
books, challenge

Reading Resolutions


I wish I could call myself a voracious reader, but I know that some of you can just burn through book after book, week after week! Alas, my interests and attentions are all over the place (music! tv! knitting! hooping!) and while I wouldn’t have it any other way, I would like to incorporate more book reading to the mix.

Although twenty-five books in one year isn’t that many, this is one of those times where I’m setting the bar low enough so that I can definitely get it done! ;) In addition to updating here, I’ll be using goodreads to mark my progress– if you’re on there, I’m musekitsch!

Obviously this is quite a bit more than twenty-five (and it doesn’t include all the graphic novels I want to read!); I’m less stringent on what I’m reading during the year (not that I don’t care! I do!), more so how much I’m reading, so if I read a book that’s not on the list, I’m still going to count it. Whether it’s appalling or not, these are just some of the books I’ve amassed through the years and have yet to read.

Anyone else with a reading resolution? Although my little wallet might protest, I’d love some book recommendations! As you can probably tell from the collection above I’m pretty partial to fiction and sci-fi/fantasy, but there are also some non-fiction books on there. I’ve also got a soft spot for philosophy, theory, and productivity/self-help books, but am open to anything… well, as long as you can promise it’s interesting. ;)

January 4, 2012