Ramble: The Obligatory End of Year Survey and Assessment

My Goals for 2015 were, as Follows:

Total Read Goal: 130

Mini-Challenges:

Evolution: 5+ books, including Origin of the Species by Darwin

Economics and Finance: 2+ books

Memoir and Essay: 2+ books

Mystery and Horror: 3+ books

Science Fiction: 10+ books including at least 2 trilogies or series.

How Did I Do?

Total Read: 153

Mini-Challenges:

Evolution:  1/5

On the Origin of the Species byMeans of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin

Economics and Finance:  2/2

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What The RichTeach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki 

Get a Financial Life: PersonalFinance in Your Twenties and Thirties by Beth Kobliner

Memoir and Essay:  2/2

West with the Night by Beryl Markham

Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle

Mystery and Horror:  2/2

Sanibel Flats by Randy Wayne White (Doc Ford Series, Book 1)

Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter

The Sweetness at the Bottom ofthe Pie by Alan Bradley (Flavia de Luce, Book 1)
The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley (Flavia de Luce Mystery, Book 2)

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan C. Bradley (A Flavia de Luce Novel, Book 3)

Science Fiction: 10/10

Gamer Fantastic ed. by Martin Greenberg & Kerrie Hughes

Imperial Stars by E.E. Smith with Stephen Goldin (The Family d'Alembert Series, Book 1)

Masks of the Martyrs by Jack L. Chalker (The Rings of the Master, Book 4) 

Warriors of the Storm by Jack L. Chalker (The Rings of the Master, Book 3) 

Pirates of the Thunder by Jack L. Chalker (The Rings of the Master, Book 2) 

Lords of the Middle Dark by Jack L. Chalker (The Rings of the Master, Book 1) 

The Empress of Earth by Melissa Scott (The Roads of Heaven Trilogy, Book 3)

Silence in Solitude by Melissa Scott (The Roads of Heaven Trilogy, Book 2)

Five-Twelfths of Heaven by Melissa Scott (The Roads of Heaven Trilogy, Book 1)

Jade Darcy and the Zen Pirates by Stephin Goldin and Mary Mason (The Rehumanization of Jade Dacry, Book Two)

Jade Darcy and the Affair ofHonor by Stephen Goldin and Mary Mason (The Rehumanization of Jade Darcy, Book One)

Cybernetic Samurai by Victor Milan

The Martian by Andy Weir

Fatal Alliance by Sean Williams (Star Wars: The Old Republic) 

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

Despite missing the Evolution Mini-Challenge, I am enormously pleased with my overall reading. I read 23 more books that I planned, and reached a life time High Score for number of books read in one year. I also over read in several categories, and explored books I’ve been meaning to pick up for years.

Eventually, I'll need to breakdown the books read into different stats: Purchased vs. From my Shelves, or male authors to female authors, or international to domestic, or fiction to non-fiction, but that requires more time that I have.

Now, on to 2016 and the bookish adventures that await!

Review: Vampire Knight (Volume 1 and Volume 2) by Matsuri Hino

 Synopsis: Yuki's earliest memory is of a stormy night in winter, where she was attacked by a rogue vampire and rescued by Kaname Kuran, a Pureblood vampire. Now ten years later, Yuki Cross, the adopted daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, Kaien Cross, has grown up and become a guardian of the vampire race, protecting her childhood crush, Kaname, from discovery as he leads a group of vampires at the elite boarding school. At her side is Zero Kiryu, a childhood friend who's hatred for the creatures that destroyed everything he held dear leaves him determined never to trust them. This coexisting arrangement seems all well and good, but have the vampires truly renounced their murderous ways, or is there a darker truth behind their actions? Because in this world of secrets, nothing is as it seems. And the price of misplaced trust may even be worse than death. Should Yuki truly find out what was in her past, is the truth going to hurt her worse than not knowing? (from the Wikipdia article)

Review: I picked these up because the local used bookshop has stacks of them and I could get them free because of my credit. I'm glad I did. While I find the drawing sometime a bit confusing, I don't know if that is because of my limited experience with manga or just how Hino draws. The story is Gothic (as most things with vampires are) and has a dark, sexy, tone. I'm enjoying the characters, although they are a bit maudlin for my taste.
I'll keep reading as I can get the next few easily, although I'm not sure I would actively seek out stories like this. It's not because the story or art is bad it’s good, actually - but I don't tend to go for the super dramatic Goth stuff. If you do, then you will very much enjoy this story.

Bookmarks: 7 of 10

Awards: None

ISBN: 978-1-4215-0822-1 / 978-1-215-1130-6
Date Finished: 12-31-2015
Pages: 208 / 208

Review: Physics I for Dummies by Steven Holzner, Ph.D.

Synopsis: For high school and undergraduate students alike, physics classes are recommended or required courses for a wide variety of majors, and continue to be a challenging and often confusing course. Physics I For Dummies tracks specifically to an introductory course and, keeping with the traditionally easy-to-follow Dummies style, teaches you the basic principles and formulas in a clear and concise manner, proving that you don't have to be Einstein to understand physics!

-Explains the basic principles in a simple, clear, and entertaining fashion

-New edition includes updated examples and explanations, as well as the newest discoveries in the field

-Contains the newest teaching techniques

If just thinking about the laws of physics makes your head spin, this hands-on, friendly guide gets you out of the black hole and sheds light on this often-intimidating subject. (from the online description)

Review: This book has a few good features, but one bad one that overshadows all the good and makes it worthless. The Good: The concepts are laid out in concise, easy to read prose with pictures. It has many practice problems (and practice is the key to understanding Physics), with the problems having the answers. The Bad: The math has SO many errors it's worthless. His calculations has small and large errors in addition, multiplication, mix-ed up numbers - it's like no one proofed the numbers! In the end, this book was useless because of the errors. 

Bookmarks: 5 of 10

Awards: None

ISBN: 978-0-470-9034-7

Date Finished: 12-31-2015

Pages: 384

Review: 6 Title from the Mr. Men and Little Miss Series by Robert Hargreaves

Synopsis: These are colorful children's works, with simply prose and bright pictures. Part of the Mr. Men and Little Miss series. The six I read are as follows: Mr. Happy / Mr. Mischief / Mr. Grumpy / Mr. Noisy / Mr. Messey / Little Miss Star

Review: I picked these 6 titles up at a thrift store because they were 58 cents a piece, and buy one get one free. I didn't read them as a kid but I recognized them as being popular. While brightly colored with fun prose, they just didn't do it for me - probably why I didn't read them as a kid. Unless the parents have a nostalgic connection to them, think twice before buying them for a kid in your life. It would be cruel to inflict these upon so hapless Mom or Dad.

Bookmarks: 6 of 10

Awards: None

ISBN: 978-0-8431-2563-4 / 978-1-4351-1325-1 / 978-1-4351-1327-5 / 978-1-4351-1323-7 / 978-1-4351-1326-8 / 978-1-4351-1324-4

Date Finished: 12-31-2015

Pages: 16-20 per Book (180 total)

Review: Pirates and Patriots of the Revolution: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Colonial Seamanship by C. Keith Wilbur, M.D.

Synopsis: America’s legalized pirates plundered on high seas to win freedom for their country and a fortune for themselves. Discover the little-known story of how 2,000 privately armed Yankee vessels captured sixteen British warships and almost 3,000 merchantmen during the Revolution. This makeshift “civilian navy” crippled British commerce, seized crucial supplies for Washington’s Army, and earn $50 million for its owners and crew. (from the back of the book)

Review: Written like actual handwriting, with plentiful illustrations, this is a excellent and lively exploration of American Privateers during the Revolution. Wilbur's prose and illustrations are incredibly detailed. This is an excellent book for students and amateur academics wishing to explore this particular segment of Revolutionary War history. I plan to buy more in this series.

Bookmarks: 7 of 10

Awards: None

ISBN: 0-87106-866-4
Date Finished: 12-31-2015
Pages: 96

Review: Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse

Synopsis: Rifka knows nothing about America when she flees from Russia with her family in 1919. But she dreams she will at last be safe from the Russian soldiers and their harsh treatment of the Jews in the new country. Throughout her journey, Rifka carries with her a cherished volume of poetry by Alexander Pushkin. In it, she records her observations and experiences in the form of letters to her beloved cousin she has left behind. Strong-hearted and determined, Rifka must endure a great deal: humiliating examinations by doctors and soldiers, deadly typhus, separation from all she has ever known and loved, murderous storms at sea―and as if this is not enough, the loss of her glorious golden hair. And even if she does make it to America, she's not sure America will have her. (from the online description)

Review: Told in a series of letters from Rifka to her cousin, this is an endearing, realistic, and ultimately, hopeful book. Hesse takes the reader with Rifka from Russia to America, through hardship and hope. Rifka's voice draws in the reader, placing you with her as she walks through the trials. I highly recommend this for kids, as a way to learn about history from an engaging viewpoint. This would be excellent in conjunction with the history of Russian during the revolution after WWI, and for learning about immigration to the US during that turbulent time.

Bookmarks: 8 of 10

Awards: 1992 International Reading Association Award; 1992 National Jewish Book Award;

2012 Phoenix Award from the Children's Literature Association

ISBN: 0-440-83050-8

Date Finished: 12-30-2015

Pages: 148

Review: The Adventures of Miss Petitfour by Anne Michaels, ill. by Emma Block

Synopsis: Miss Petitfour is an expert at baking and eating little cakes. She also has the most marvelous, everyday adventures. Her favorite mode of travel is by tablecloth, and on windy days she always takes her sixteen cats out for an airing. Join Miss Petitfour and her feline companions as they embark on five magical outings, including a quest for "birthday cheddar" and a visit to eh village's annual Festooning Festival. And if you prefer books in which nothing ever happens, books in which people (and cats) sit by the fire with buttery shortbread biscuits and steaming mugs of cocoa, books full of interesting facts that will never come in useful, and books with digressions and meanwhiles and long words and lists, then you will find plenty of that here too. So fetch a tablecloth and turn to the first page of this book. (from the inside cover of the book)

 

Review: Charming. That is the perfect word for this story. With whimsical pastel illustrations, a soft pink ribbon page marker , and silky pages, this is the perfect book for a magical bedtime story. Miss Petitfour travels by tablecloth, bakes leaf-shaped cookies for her sixteen cats, and firmly believes in having adventures. And many adventures she has – from a jumbled-up jumble sale to a confetti explosion, her life is never dull – and it is a delight to travel along with her.
Michaels has a lovely command of language. In a clever and humorous way, she teaches the reader about the meaning of words in stories (and life), using highlighted words, side notes, and digressions (inside joke throughout the story).  This a perfect book for anyone who enjoys tea, cakes, cats, adventures, and words. I highly recommend.

Note: I received this book free as part of LibraryThings' Early Reviewers Program in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

 
Bookmarks: 8 of 10

Awards: None

ISBN: 978-1-77049-500-5
Date Finished: 12-29-2015
Pages: 124