A Review of My Summer Reading

According to my records on Goodreads, I read about 40 books between when I came home and the day I came back to Utah (although a couple of those were novellas, but that doesn't count all the fanfic, so it probably evens out).  I thought it'd be interesting to look at what I read and how my tastes have changed or remained the same.

Middle Grade

• The Alchemist by Michael Scott
• Comments: Good, but a bit young for me.  Not sure if I'll continue with series.
• My favorite bit: The age-old villain likes using modern technology instead of eschewing it because it has advantages over plain-old magic.
• The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
• Comments: Very good, look forward to reading more
• My favorite bit: Bartimaeus had an extremely entertaining voice to listen to.
• The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
• Comments: Good, likely to read next one
• My favorite bit: The moment when you realize how the author has been misleading you the entire time.
• Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
• Comments: I plan to recommend this to the next person who wants to read a book like To Kill a Mockingbird.
• My favorite bit: The "lunatic"
• Vodnik by Bryce Moore
• Comments: Very funny, will recommend
•  My favorite bit: The blurbs are written in extreme memo-istic fashion whilst talking about Death
• The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer
• Comments: A good end to the series, though not all fangirls will be satisfied.
• My favorite bit: Artemis taunting a ghost out of possessing [spoiler]
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
• Comments: Very eye-opening to how good people believe in the goodness of others, despite the evidence otherwise, and how those assumptions can allow darkness to continue
• My favorite bit: The persistence of Bruno's naive innocence.
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• Comments: Mrs. MacInnis loved this book, and I can finally see why
• My favorite bit: The trial

Young Adult

• The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure by James Dashner
• Comments: Gives a better idea of what's going on, but I still had many questions
• My favorite bit: The idea of Aris having been in a group of girls
• Comments: A fair try at an ending, though parts missed the mark
• My favorite bit: The fact that [spoiler] had the Flare and it was making werf crazy.
• Fragments and Isolation by Dan Wells
• Comments: I got to the end and was like, "What?  It ends here? Why, Dan, why?"
• My favorite bit: All the talk about "the cloud" going over Kira's head
•  Comments: Why aren't I this good at coming up with spy scenarios?
• My favorite bit: How tricksy Heron is
• Fire by Kristin Cashore
• Comments: I probably listened to this too fast, but I probably won't pick it up again to see what I missed.  I think I will at least read the next one, though.
• My favorite bit: The origins of Leck
• Reached by Ally Condie
• Comments: Pretty satisfying, but the series as a whole has something missing that I can't quite put my finger on...
• My favorite bit: How all three main characters are all important
• Endlessly by Kiersten White
• Comments: Alright, but some plot points were forced
• My favorite bit: The witty banter
• Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
• Comments: Liked Lena's romance here more than in Delirium, but I wish that this wasn't a trilogy so that a certain ending could have been avoided
• My favorite bit: The reversal of roles
• Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
• Comments: Someone must have told Rossi to include all the senses a lot, but there are still aspects of her world that I don't really understand
• My favorite bit: The superpowered senses
• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• Comments: My biggest beef with the book is that the climax happens far too early, but it was interesting overall.
• My favorite bit: Juliette's insanity
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
• Comments: I hope that certain aspects don't get too squicky for me in the sequels, which I probably will read
• My favorite bit: Where the cup is hidden
• Prodigy by Marie Lu
• Comments: Liked it, curious as to what will happen next
• My favorite bit: The depths of the conspiracy
• Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
• Comments: Good writing, can't wait for the last book
• My favorite bit: That the author kept the story from being nothing but angst and had much of the same humor as the first book.

Adult

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• Comments: A bit of language, but oh so good
• My favorite bit: That this book can be full of cool stuff while having an interesting plot at the same time
• The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• Comments: Made me want to look more at my life and see what I can change
• My favorite bit: How the counterexample highlights what we should strive for
• Comments: Not everything was compatible with LDS doctrine, but there were so many good insights that it's no wonder he's quoted in Conference all the time
• My favorite bit: His explanation of "love the sinner while despising the sin" made the idea actually make sense for me
• Dreamless by Bobby Crosby
• Comments: Very good concept and execution
• My favorite bit: The artwork
• A Night of Blacker Darkness by Dan Wells
• Comments: Hilarious, recommend to anyone who hates vampires or loves Gothic literature
• My favorite bit: How absolutely screwy everything sounds when you try to explain it.
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
• Comments: Very long, and you could probably get by with an abridged version, but quite good.
• My favorite bit: Maximillian and Valentine
• Audition for Murder by Susan Sussman
• Comments: I don't normally read cozy mysteries, so I don't know how they compare, but this one was likable enough.
• My favorite bit: The emphasis on the acting world
• Kiss Me Twice and Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal
• Comments: Good, but I wish the text she posted online didn't get all garbled on the page
• My favorite bit: The concept of an AI as a police partner
• Comments: I had actually read this after The Scarlet Pimpernel and I couldn't help but notice the parallels and I appreciated what Mary did here.
• My favorite bit: Jane's discovery about glamour
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
• Comments: Probably listened to this one too fast too, but I didn't like much of what I heard
• My favorite bit: That Bernard still has some moral sense
• The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde
• Comments: Possibly has unseated First Among Sequels as my favorite in the Thursday Next series.  Will have to reread both to be sure, and I anxiously await Dark Reading Matter.
• My favorite bit: The resolution of plot threads that have existed for multiple books now
• Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robinson
• Comments: Somehow this took me a while, despite it being so short.  Probably because the spiritual feast was too filling or something.
• My favorite bit: The bicycle parable
• House of Learning by M. Richard and Kathleen Walker
• Comments: Likely to reread when getting closer to going to the temple.  Will say that I didn't ponder the "insightful questions" as much as I should have.
•  My favorite bit: Kathleen's bit about how God didn't make the world all at once and how it applies to us
• The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
• Comments: Would probably be offensive if written nowadays, but without it we wouldn't have had Zorro or Batman, so it's good that it exists.  I actually watched a couple of movies online (preferred the black and white movie to the miniseries episode) but because those focused on the Pimpernel instead of Marguerite's arc, I liked the book better.  And I wish there were more disguises, like in the book, but that's neither here nor there.
• My favorite bit: Marguerite doing whatever she could on her own to fix things (even if it was the Pimpernel who ended up the real hero, the book was a step in the right direction, Feministically speaking)
• Candide by Voltaire
• Comments: Very improbable story highlights how few people actually have a happy life.  Not interested in rereading, but I don't mind that I did.
• My favorite bit: The over-the-top ups and downs of everyone's lives
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
• Comments: Apparently parts of the book were made up, but it's very inspirational nonetheless.
• My favorite bit: The theme of education as liberation
• The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
• Comments: I kept on flashing back to the Wishbone episode of this one while reading it. 
• My favorite bit: The technobabble of the fourth dimension that doesn't quite make sense
• Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
• Comments: Gaiman is a good writer, I know that, but I still couldn't tell you why.
• My favorite bit: The spiderweb as a symbol for stories

Fanfic

• Make a Wish by Rorschach's Blot (Harry Potter)
• Comments: Hilarious, will read again.
• My favorite bit: How coincidental Harry's whole life is
• Timely Errors by Worfe (Harry Potter)
• Comments: Not bad, but still a bit predictable sometimes
• My favorite bit: Everyone was time-travelling
• "This Is Just The Beginning" by MildeAmasoj (Merlin)
• Comments: I think I read it because it was an AU to one of my favorite Merlin episodes ("A Servant of Two Masters") and it was a lovely story, but I've seen most of it before.
• My favorite bit: Merlin and Arthur being nice to each other
• "Kay" by Tonzura123 (Merlin)
• Comments: Has become head-canon for me on how Arthur was before he met Merlin
• My favorite bit: The author used mythology that never got featured in the show
• "Identity Crisis" by jjonahjameson (Spider-Man)
• Comments: This should be what everyone who sees Spider-Man unmasked does.
• My favorite bit: The honor of the New York people
• Just a Face on a Train by katheryne (Spider-Man)
• Comments: It's good to see people sacrifice for Peter Parker instead of the other way around
• My favorite bit: Same as the last "favorite bit," but in a different way
• Harry Potter and the Mystery of the Blue Box by JSmith25 (Harry Potter/Doctor Who)
• Comments: I should probably go watch some Classic Who to see who the bad guys were in this story.
• My favorite bit: Science meets magic and Hermione thinks the Doctor is nuts
• The Dementors' Doctor by Lucenthia (Harry Potter/Doctor Who)
•  Comments: I kind of wish that the Doctor acknowledge the fictionality of Harry Potter, like he did in the show, but the story wasn't too bad.
• My favorite bit: The Doctor's interactions with the dementors
• Harry Potter and Doing it Right by imgeorgenotfred (Harry Potter)
• Comments:  The ending dragged on a bit, but it was pretty good overall
• My favorite bit: What happens to Voldemort
• Circular Reasoning by knowregrets (Harry Potter)
• Comments: Not as annoying as some Marauder Time Travel fics I've read.
• My favorite bit: The fact that Ginny's time travel meant something despite not changing canon
• Not Your Average Hostage Drama by The Illustrious Crackpot (Animaniacs)
• Comments:  I could see this happening.
• My favorite bit:  The Warner siblings were crazy and annoying but not unsympathetic
• "Honesty is the Best Policy" by SecondStar2theRight (Merlin)
• Comments: I really like the Sarcastic Confession trope.  It's funny.
• My favorite bit: The lack of consequences.  Seems counter-intuitive, but it's true.
• "Painting Over Cracks" by be-nice-to-nerds (Doctor Who)
• Comments: Poetic writing, should reread it.
• My favorite bit: The timey-wimey nature of what happened
• "Masters of Mischief" by Danny Phantom-SG1 (Animaniacs/Danny Phantom)
• Comments: If Animaniacs and Danny Phantom ever had a canon crossover, I would want it to look like this.
• My favorite bit: The Warners making Vlad their "Special Friend"
• Unforeseen by Neurotica (Harry Potter)
• Comments: Good story.  Will read again.
•  My favorite bit: James learning to go on with life
• The Serpent and the Mirror by Paimpoint (Harry Potter)
• Comments: I'm pretty sure that any psychologist who acted like Dumbledore did would never get certified, but the parallels between fiction and "reality" were interesting
• My favorite bit: Canon applied to a delusional kid through symbols
• "The Spark" by wallflower1 (Hunger Games/Dollhouse)
• Comments: Nothing really new here, but the two universes do mesh well, so I would be willing to read an expansion of the concept someday.
• My favorite bit: How similar the Dollhouse and the Game makers really are
• "Dumbledore's Final Trick" by Lord Jeram (Harry Potter)
• Comments: I hope that anyone who plans to write a fic bashing Dumbledore should read this first.
• My favorite bit: That Dumbledore wasn't a manipulative git the whole time
• "Through Your Nemesis' Window" by Expecto-Prongs (Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog)
• Comments: I doubt that Captain Hammer would ever become a functional member of society, but I hope that this sort of thing would have happened to him.
• My favorite bit: The reconciliation
• Just a Random Tuesday by Twisted Biscuit (Harry Potter)
• Comments: Very funny and I will read it again, but the misspelling of "Dolores" was a tad off-putting.
• My favorite bit: McGonagall subverting Umbridge's whims through compliance on her terms
• "Four Times the Weasley Twins should have realized" by Gryffens (Harry Potter)
• Comments: I guess the fact that I wrote a Weasley Twin fic only made me love to read about them even more.  And the ending was just perfect.
• My favorite bit: How the twins found out
• "The Man Who Freed Me" by Cantare (Aladdin)
• Comments: I found this almost by accident, but I am very glad I did.
• My favorite bit: The hidden depths of Genie and Aladdin that you don't realize are there when you're watching the movie
• "Now We Are A Family Again" by Tnelson711 (Portal 2)
• Comments: A very sad look at a very funny character.
• My favorite bit:  The descent into the Space Core

Summation
It looks like humor is a good way to make me fall in love with a book, but so is meaningfulness.  Without either of those, my highest praise is usually in the vein of "alright."  I am impressed when an author can construct a story that I would struggle to even think of.  I've always been drawn to newer fiction, but sometimes it falls short of my expectations and I hope that latter installments will be better (usually not).  That said, I find many of the "classics" on the dull side, which may be why I've subconsciously assumed "newer is better" but there are many fascinating tales to find when I've actually sought them out.