Needs Moar Discworld

34. I Shall Wear Midnight, Terry Pratchett
I'm done with the Tiffany Aching books now, and that is a sincere tragedy.  I love Tiffany and the witches almost as much as I love Sam Vimes in the Discworld universe, and I would be very sad if Tiffany didn't manage to make her way into future Discworld adventures.  She is clever, resourceful, pragmatic; but in true Pratchett style, she's also proud, a little short-sighted, and short-tempered.  Watching her suck it up and solve the problems her own actions cause is inspiring to anyone who's ever had to fix a mess they caused with good intentions.

35. The Black Angel, John Connolly
Typically, I prefer the Connolly books with a less overt supernatural tone, but this Charlie Parker mystery was everything I want in supernatural crime noir.  I love it when books explore the deeply weird, and Black Angel is not afraid to go there - ossuaries, art crafted from human bone, and the darker side of religious belief play prominent roles.  Louis and Angels, the caustic sidekicks, are back where I think they're strongest: as Parker's squadmates, just left of the spotlight, where they shine best.    

36. Cinder, Marissa Meyer
This was a big pile of meh.  I'd heard good things, but this dystopic, pseud-cyberpunk retelling of Cinderella didn't live up to the hype for me.  It doesn't deviate enough from the original fairytale for the "big reveal" to actually be a surprise, and the villains are too shallow to be interesting.  I think I can take a pass on the future installments of this series.

Some Books, and In Memorium

32.  Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel
I'm cheating JUST A LITTLE here, because I haven't technically finished this.  Not that it isn't good - it very much is!  It's an interesting perspective on Thomas Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII, in a way that manages to make him a bit more sympathetic than usual while also acknowledging that he did some terrible things.  Cromwell was one of those interesting people that managed to balance serving his king, serving his country, serving his lord (Cardinal Wolsey, while he was alive) and serving himself, and make all of those things complementary.  Unfortunately, he put serving his king above serving his country, and history shows that serving Henry VIII wasn't always about doing the right thing - often, it was about doing the thing that made him the least likely to have you imprisoned and/or executed.  The majority of the events of Wolf Hall happen around Anne Bolyen's ascension and Henry's process of separating from the Catholic Church in order to divorce Catherine, so there's a lot of political play happening in these pages.  It's all fascinating stuff.

The reason I haven't finished it yet is because it is DENSE.  And it is LONG (about 600 pages).  I'm about 50 pages from the end, but I realized that I'd basically stopped reading because finishing Wolf Hall was becoming a slog that I needed a break from.  I will finish it, just...after I've read some lighter fare.

33.  The Secret Lives of Dresses, Erin McKean
Aww, this one is super cute and full of enviable vintage fashion, even if I did occasionally want to give the main character a big old smack upside the head.  Dora is a 22-year-old adrift in a sea of possibilities - she's smart enough to do anything, so instead she does...nothing.  Her grandmother owns a vintage clothing store, acts like a sassier version of Jackie O, and is basically awesome and I want to be her when I grow up.  The book opens with the grandmother having a stroke and Dora coming home to run the store while grandma's in the hospital, and it's all very predictable and straightforward but also super fun.  Although, Dora whines about Mimi (her grandmother) putting aside vintage clothing for her when stuff comes into the shop that's her size, and it makes me want to ragequit everything.  EXCUSE ME.  I WOULD PUNCH STRANGERS FOR YOUR CLOSET.  THANKS.

As a final note, I'm sure you've all seen by now that Ray Bradbury died today at the venerable age of 91.  I want to thank you, Mr. Bradbury, for penning Fahrenheit 451 - only one among a vast, incredible collection of works - a touchstone book that taught me two things:

1.  Books can last a lifetime, and the ideas in them can transcend the occasional pettiness of human existence;
2.  Even when teachers get the lesson wrong, it can't take away the impact a book can have on someone's soul.

Rest in peace, Mr. Bradbury.  The next time I hear the sound of thunder, I'll think of dinosaurs - and of you.