1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – This YA novel is a fairly quick, very good read for those who enjoy looking at the possibilities beyond simple life and death. Its characters are a melange of living (main protagonist and antagonists), dead (ghosts), and undead (vampire and werewolf and ghouls), who interact in unpredictable, entertaining and thought-provoking ways. I haven’t read enough by Gaiman to say it’s “typical of Gaiman” in its outlook or style, but I have no difficulty believing he wrote this novel. (finished 1/4)
2. Knitting for Good by Betsy Greer – What?! I’m allowed to read non-fiction occasionally! Yes, even two in a month’s time. Really. I have it in writing. (Get it?) Besides, this is technically a new year, so my having read the Yarn Harlot’s latest a couple of weeks ago totally doesn’t count. Anyway, it was good to read a book about using knitting to make our world better, up close and afar. I already agree with the principle, so it was self-affirming to see my own beliefs in print and in circulation. (finished 1/6)
3. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld – This is the first book in a series of four, written as older YA novels, set a couple of hundred years from now somewhere on the east coast of the (former) USA. It’s post-apocalyptic, but civilization as we know it fell somewhere in our near future. The series examines social definitions of beauty and their effects on a civilization, here taken to extremes. The topic is serious, the tone is intelligent and the characters are believable and sympathetic. I’ve already jumped into book 2 and have 3 and 4 waiting in the wings. So far, it’s in my “highly recommended” category. (finished 1/11)
4. Pretties by Scott Westerfeld – This second book in the Tally Youngblood trilogy continues the story of our main character (Tally, naturally) and her friends in the “utopian” society that has developed a couple of hundred years from now, after our modern civilization has been destroyed utterly. In it, Tally has become a “pretty” at last and must struggle to find her way back to her truest self, while negotiating a world that is not designed to let her do that. And the ending is a cliffhanger that is sure to have me jumping right into book 3 this very night. (finished 1/13)
5. Specials by Scott Westerfeld – This is the last book in the Tally Youngblood trilogy and a fitting end. In it, I discovered that I was wrong about the setting: it’s 300 years post-now and on the NW coast of the now-USA. I was not wrong about the concepts or the writing or the general “really goodness” of this series. I hope it gets read widely and that the author has much financial reward for his efforts. And that he keeps writing. On that, he has written at least one more book set in this world, although it’s on the other side of the world (now-Japan?) and involves different characters. I’ll be starting it next. (finished 1/17)
