The Rise of Endymion - Dan Simmons

It's my final review of 2009! Fittingly, it is the last book of a series that I just finished reading on New Year's Eve! The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons closes out the Hyperion Cantos has a very satisfying end. I have to admit that this book was much harder to get through than the first three books of the series because it was much more descriptive and verbose than the previous three books. Simmons does write in intricate detail what things looked like and Raul's experiences while 'casting. It got a little bit tedious to read and I ended up putting the book down for about a month because I was tired of reading about Raul's adventures in the sky. Little did I know that if I had just pressed on for about another 20 pages, the book picked up the pace.

For all you fans of the first three books, you will understand the Void Which Binds, Aenea's purpose, farcasting/freecasting, the Technocore, and any other questions that may be lingering. I really felt that if you only wanted to read Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion that it was sufficient to just read those two. After reading The Rise of Endymion I feel like I have a better understanding of the inner workings of the Core and The Void Which Binds. It was a beautifully written book with characters that I cared a great deal about. In the limited time I have read science fiction, it is my favorite series. It was masterfully written despite the sometimes overly descriptive writing. I do feel like Simmons could have shortened the book by 100-200 pages and it would have been fantastic, but I am still quite satisfied with the book overall. I also liked that the end of the book was a true ending without any questions left over. I highly recommend it for any fans of science fiction or even those that like space opera films like Star Wars or Star Trek.

I am so excited to continue reviewing books and start my 2010 challenges! It has been so much fun to become a member of the book blogging community. I hope everyone has a great last night of 2009 and Happy New Year to you all!

City of Shadows - Ariana Franklin

Time has really gotten away from this last week. With Christmas and the New Year coming up, I got busy and didn't have time to write my last reviews of the year! So, here I am on New Year's Eve writing the last two reviews of 2009. How exciting!

I picked up City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin on a whim at the library a few weeks ago. I was sucked in by the look of the spine on the shelves and when I saw what it was about, I decided to check it out. The story is set in post-WWI Germany where Hitler has begun to gain popularity. Many Russians have fled the Bolsheviks in their country and have taken up residence in Berlin. The main character, Esther, is a Russian Jew and has fled the country after a pogrom. She is beautiful except for a large scar that she has on her face. She also is multilingual and uses her skills to work as a translator for a shady businessman. While she is at work one night, an intruder comes in and tries to attack her and a young woman that Esther's boss thinks is the missing Princess Anastasia. The man gets away, but a string of murders continues in Berlin and threatens Esther, the troubled young woman that might be the princess, and others that Esther knows and cares for.

The first few pages of the book were really interesting and sucked me into the story. However, there was a lull for a good 50-70 pages that made it a little difficult to sit and read for an extended period of time. Once the story got going though, I didn't want to stop reading. It had everything I like...mystery, thrills, and a little historical information on the Romanovs. I did enjoy the book and found it fairly engrossing. If you do read this, keep in mind that she wrote the book when Anastasia was still technically missing. I did a bit of reading on Wikipedia and it said that the missing bodies of the Romanov children were found and identities confirmed in 2007. Ariana Franklin wrote this book in 2006 so some of the information may be somewhat amiss because of it. It was still a fun read and the Romanovs are still as interesting as they ever were.

New Poll Posted

70% of the people (seven of you--hehe) answered that you preferred Fiction over Non-Fiction so I decided to post a new poll to break that down into genres. I won't leave the poll up as long this time so be sure to vote!

If you answer "Other," please post a comment here telling me what your favorite genre is! Please also post any books you recommend and ways I can improve my blog!

*Update*
It looks like some of you are choosing "Other" for your favorite genre of fiction. Be sure to post a comment and tell me what is your favorite genre of fiction!

My Best Books of 2009

For the first time ever, I was able to read at least 50 books in a year. It was a huge accomplishment for me! A few things I learned about myself in 2009:

• I read a lot of books I consider "grocery store reads" and really enjoyed some of them.
• I liked some of the books people recommended to me that I would not have otherwise read (namely The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan and Bitten by Kelley Armstrong).
• I realized that I was a book snob before and opening myself up to new things helped me have great conversations in groups on Shelfari and also helped me find forums that I felt comfortable posting in. I did not have any fun in a forum that discussed a different classic book every month--they were too book snobby for me!
• Joining Shelfari was great! I met a lot of people in the Anne McCaffrey and All of Her Worlds group that I share a lot in common with bookwise!

My Favorite Books of 2009

1. Atonement - Ian McEwan
2. Hyperion - Dan Simmons
3. The Fall of Hyperion - Dan Simmons
4. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
6. A Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula K. LeGuin
7. Heaven's Net is Wide - Lian Hearn
8. The Zookeeper's Wife - Diane Ackerman
9. The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton
10. Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion and the Road to Recovery - Janet F. Kitz
11. In the Woods - Tana French

I am definitely looking forward to reading in 2010. I plan on continuing to read more things that people recommend, and I'm really excited about the reading challenges I've added. I am definitely a goal oriented person so I hope having the little meter under the challenges will really motivate me.

What are your goals (reading or otherwise) for 2010? What were your favorite books of 2009?

Where to Find Reading Challenges

A few people have asked me where to find the reading challenges I've posted about. Here are a few places that I've found with good challenges:

• Miz B's Reading Challenges
• A Novel Challenge
• Royal Reviews - A Realm of Recommended Reads
• Ready When You Are, C.B. - Read the Book, See the Movie Challenge
• Passion for the Page
• Book Chick City - Challenges
• The Scrabblequeen Knits, Too - Flashback Challenge

I am contemplating the Filling in the Gaps Challenge that was posted by Kristi from Passion for the Page and I am definitely looking for a Fantasy/Science Fiction Challenge that fits my needs. I may try the one from Royal Reviews, but I'm not sure. I read a lot of Fantasy and some Science Fiction so it'd be nice to add one.

If you have a challenge on your blog that you'd like to add to my list, please post a comment and I'll put it on my list!

In the Woods - Tana French

In small town Knocknaree, Ireland, a young girl has been found dead in the woods. She has carefully been placed on an old, stone altar. Detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox get assigned to investigate the case. Some years before, two young children disappeared from these same woods. Are the cases related? 

Tana French's debut novel is brilliant. The book took me in so many different directions that I was never sure who was the murderer. Detective Rob Ryan has a link to the older disappearances--he was the third child that was in the woods that day and was found standing in blood soaked shoes. The mystery deepens because he cannot remember what happened in the woods that day. His past haunts him as he struggles to remember. 


I have read a few thrillers this year and this was definitely one of the better ones. There were so many suspects and the crime scene was only half found so I never knew what was going to happen next in the book. I found myself reading at night with my Mighty Bright light in bed and I'd look up and see the clock beaming 4:00 am. While I don't like the insomnia that it's caused, I love books that engage me so much I am unaware of time passing. 


I never like to give away too much when I read thrillers or mysteries because I don't want to ruin the story. I will say that this book kept me guessing and was really well written. If you are looking for a book with a complicated plot that isn't scary, you should give this book a try. I will definitely be picking up the followup, The Likeness for my Thriller and Suspense Challenge in 2010. 

Challenges 2010 - Thriller and Suspense Reading Challenge 2010

I am adding one more reading challenge for this upcoming year. It is hosted by Book Chick City. I haven't chosen my books yet, but I really enjoyed reading in the Thriller genre this last year so I am looking forward to this challenge! I will post a link to my ongoing list when I start my first book!

Timeline: 01 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2010

Rules: To read TWELVE (12) thrillers in 2010

Details: 

• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront then you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• If you decide to participate in this challenge please use the links I have set up below with the buttons to post on your sidebar, this way others can find their way back to this post and join in the fun.

• If you decide to join this challenge be sure to create a post telling others, please make sure you add a link back to this post so others can join in.
• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.
• There will be a place for you to link your reviews, but this is optional.