January Reading Recap

Wow, January's well gone - even Groundhog's Day is over.  Time for a recap of what I read for the month...

A summary (date finished):

The Hunger Games (1/8)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (w/daughter, Unfinished from 2011) (1/12)
Dark Forces #1: Soldier for the Empire (Unfinished from 2011) (1/15)
Lost Tribe of the Sith #1: Precipice (1/19)
THG #2: Catching Fire (1/21)
Lost Tribe of the Sith #2: Skyborn (1/23)
Fate of the Jedi #4: Backlash (1/27)
Lost Tribe of the Sith #3: Paragon (1/27)
Lost Tribe of the Sith #4: Savior (1/30)

First, I'll mention that I finished two of those leftover from last year - my daughter and I safely ushered Harry Potter through his first encounter with V-V-V...Voldemort, and off for Summer break with the Dursleys.  I've lost count how many times I've read the HP novels, but this was her first time through and...as expected, just as fun this time for me as well.  Also, I knocked out the last two chapters of the 1st Dark Forces story.  Evidently this is a prelude of sorts, whereas I'm guessing Rebel Agent (DF#2) comprises the story from the actual Dark Forces game.  I will say that while the story is a bit swift in pace (even for Star Wars) and the writing style a bit rough, that it is entertaining enough...the ending chapters certainly capture the video game First Person Shooter feel, even if rigidly so.

Speaking of Star Wars, if you don't know already, I'm a huge fan of the galaxy.  Not just the films, but the novels which contribute a majority of what is commonly referred to as the "Expanded Universe" (EU).  Dating back to late '96 when I borrowed the Classic Trilogy novels for the first time from my friend Keith (Thanks!), and then continuing on into the various timeline eras of the EU, I've now crossed the 120 read mark!  When referring to the timeline found in most of the Star Wars novels, I'm now up to having read 124 of the 164 released novels/short stories on that list. Of particular note for this month, I read a series of short stories exploring an ancient Sith culture and its experiences with isolation (Lost Tribe of the Sith), and most importantly, have made great progress on the Fate of the Jedi series.  I'm now nearing the end of book five, with three released titles to go before the 9th and final novel is released on March 13th.  This to date is the closest I've been to being "caught up" on the FUTURE side of the timeline.  I'll go into more about this series later, but the one thing I do want to say is that I am enjoying the 9 book cycle format vs. the standard trilogy, as it allows things to be a bit less rushed, and more time for the inclusion of political maneuvering, legal/philosophical discussions, and plenty of plot twists and action.

Finally...as mentioned previously when I debated reading plans for this year, it happened.  I did indeed start The Hunger Games (THG) trilogy.  Eagerly anticipating the upcoming movie, my wife pretty much stormed the Arena and killed off all THREE novels in the span of FOUR days - all this while having three kiddos to manage.  I'm a bit behind that, but still managed to read the first two novels in full, as well as about half of Mockingjay.  While I'm a bit disappointed in the pacing of book three (and perhaps the mental state of some of the characters), I'm hopeful for a strong resolution...whatever it may be.  THG and Catching Fire deserve as much, considering how good they were, especially the latter, which really is one of the better sequel novels I've read.  The one thing I will say without spoiling anything is that while CF enhanced the best qualities of THG, right down to including a repeat plot element but in well done/different fashion, I can see how it set up for book three for failure.  It hasn't failed thus far, but where CF ended and where the logical progression of events was left for Mockingjay, the latter was put in a tough spot.

So, that's it for now.  I'm off to plow through the the next 3+ Fate of the Jedi novels in March, 'cos the last one comes out 3/13!

2011 Reading Recap

2011 was a great year for reading, both personally and now that they are getting older, in reading with my kids.  I finished a few books started in 2010, made a dent in some of the Star Wars back catalog, and read at least a couple new authors - including (and finally) - Lewis Carrol, Shel Silverstein, and... Jules Verne!

In general I've always looked at my reading lists from two perspectives, Star Wars and Other.  It's usually always fiction, but now I think I'll need to add a third and fourth categories, and that's for books that I've read with my wife (as we've read together for the past few years), and with my children (and I don't mean little kids stuff - but legit chapter books).  That said, here's a break down of novels and graphic novels read in 2011 per my divisions of Solo Reading (Star Wars and Other), with my wife, and with my kids.

Solo reading - non-Star Wars

• 2010: Odyssey Two (unfinished from 2010)
• Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
• Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

Solo reading - Star Wars

• Allegiance
• Han Solo Trilogy #1: The Paradise Snare
• Han Solo Trilogy #2: The Hutt Gambit
• Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu
• Fate of the Jedi #1: Outcast
• Fate of the Jedi #2: Omen
• Fate of the Jedi #3: Abyss

With my wife:

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2nd read-thru, unfinished from 2010)
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
• Through the Looking-Glass
• Eragon

With both kids:

• Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery
• Howliday Inn
• The Celery Stalks at Midnight
• Where the Sidewalk Ends
• A Light in the Attic
• Falling Up
• Runny Babbit - A Billy Sook
• Pippi Longstocking
• Journey to the Centre of the Earth (originally solo, eventually with son only)

There were also a few novels started that were unfinished that I plan on completing in 2012:

• Dark Forces #1: Soldier for the Empire (Solo Star Wars - thru Chapter 3)
• Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina (Solo Star Wars - thru "Nightlily")
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (with daughter - thru Chapter 15)
• The Hobbit (with wife and son - thru Chapter 2)

To summarize, that's 10 solo, 4 with my wife and 9 with the kids - 23 total!

Though ever changing, the current plan for 2012 is to finish the four books from 2011, as well as continue:

• Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi (Books 4-9)
• Star Wars: Dark Forces (Books 2-3)
• Percy Jackson (Books 3-5)
• The Hitchhiker's Guide Series (perhaps finally get thru Book 4?)
• The Inheritance Cycle (Books 2-4 w/wife)
• more Harry Potter (w/daughter)
• more of the Bunnicula series (w/kids)

Other than that, I'm gonna wing it and see what I come across that looks interesting.  I know I'd like to start the Darth Bane Trilogy for Star Wars, but for other stuff, it might be more Jules Verne. Or, it could be a new author I've never read (Terry Brooks, David Eddings), or I might even see what this Hunger Games thing is about (that my wife is shredding through).  

If I'm really bold, I might look at the Wheel of Time series, but then you might have an excuse to call me crazy...