Persy -- 2015's Books

Hey guys. I'm alive. So is Arty (had a surprise encounter with her the other day actually), so that's good. But there's no denying that we both lead busy lives, so really this blog only gets updated when we have time and an itch to review a book.

But my review of the year's reading is one of my favorite things to do, so here it is!

My reading goal was only 110 books for 2015. I set it low since I'd had so much trouble the past years balancing leisure reading with college life, but for the most part I was pretty ahead of schedule. Until the fall semester anyway, when life fell apart. But you know, that's okay, it happens. I still managed to rope my total up to 110 books even, with 24,639 pages (plus quite a few unpaged graphic novels and childrens' books).

The first book I finished in 2015 was Sock Monkey Dreams by Whitney Shroyer and Letitia Walker, with pictures by Michael Traister. The final book of 2015 was the classic Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton.

I managed to narrow it down to 15 Fabulous Books of 2015! Please check them out, because they are truly fabulous.

Sock Monkey Dreams by Whitney Shroyer and Letitia Walker, photography by Michael Traister
This is an awesome little book about a huge collection of sock monkeys and their day to day lives. So many pictures of them doing their stuff and little side stories and information. Each sock monkey is unique, and it's just wonderful. Even if you're not a huge sock monkey fan like myself. Fantasy/Art.

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
The second book in the urban fantasy series Mercedes Thompson. I genuinely love these books because they're not only just well-written, they also don't revolve around sex. Mercy isn't constantly swamped by lovesick suitors of various supernatural races. She actually solves mysteries, fights monsters, and fixes cars. Urban fantasy.

Living Hell by Catherine Jinks
This is one intense, terrifying scifi ride. I don't really know what else to say about it, except that it's intense. And terrifying. And that you should read it. Science fiction.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
The great classics by the great author. Full of humor, truths, and adventure. And weirdness. Science fiction.

Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori
I read volumes 13-17 this year and only have ONE VOLUME left of the entire manga. It has gotten SO INTENSE and SO HEARTBREAKING. And still so much fun to read. Shoujo manga.

The End and others by Lemony Snicket
I've had the great pleasure of rereading the entire Series of Unfortunate Events this year. Not only is Lemony Snicket full of wit and honesty, the story itself is interesting all the way until the 13th book. It was really awesome to be able to read all the books all the way through. Mystery/adventure/tragedy.

Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart, illustrated by Briony Morrow-Cribbs
Anyone can tell you that I love bugs. I have a modest collection of entomology books. But this one was nice and specialized, with very cool and detailed artwork. A small volume of some of the deadliest bugs on earth, and not just the romanticized ones either. No, you get the honest truth here. Nonfiction.

Night Gate by Isobelle Carmody
Of course this is here. I reread this book every single July. Of course this book is here, guys. Fantasy.

Click by a whole bunch of people
I'm a big fan of this book because it has very little continuity. It's like reading ten short stories, and yet together they tell such a huge story that it's pretty impacting. With such diversity in authors, you can get a whole lot out of this novel. Fantasy/science fiction

There And Back Again by Pat Murphy
The Hobbit in space. Need I say more? Science fiction.

Beauty is the Beast series by Tomo Matsumoto
A short manga series that I had the pleasure of completing this year. I'm a sucker for shoujo, everyone knows this. But Eimi is the absolute weirdest main character ever. The series isn't the best (it's often real hard to tell who's talking), but the story and characters are really hard to not love. Shoujo manga.

Superman: Man of Tomorrow Archives Vol. 1 by Jerry Siegel and others
Superman is the best. Sorry, but he is. And fifties Superman? Even better. Graphic novel.

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
No, it doesn't star Will Smith. It is, however, very awesome. It's an anthology of short stories involving Susan Calvin, a robopsychologist, and each story offers something different. Many, if not all, stories tell something important about humanity, while some also involve a technical mystery about robots. Either way, it's all very interesting. Science fiction.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
It's told out of order, which is one of the best parts. The story doesn't make a lot of sense at first. But then it starts to make a whole lot of sense. Plus, Vonnegut is a fantastic writer. Pretty much every single line I wanted to copy down and quote at opportune times. Science fiction.

Betsy B. Little by Anne McEvoy, illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers
An absolutely adorable kids' book about following your dreams. Perfect for everyone, especially dancers of any age who tend to get discouraged. Childrens'.

**Honorable Mentions**

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson); Cut (Patricia McCormick); Twelfth Night (William Shakespeare); Graceling and Fire (Kristin Cashore); Poison Study (Maria V. Snyder); The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (E. Lockhart); The Sorcerer's Stone (J.K. Rowling); Being Dead (Vivian Vande Velde); I Am Here series (Ema Toyama); Fruits Basket series (Natsuki Takaya).

The Few Foul Books of 2015

Warrior by Bryan Davis
His Starlighter series is just...bad. Badly-written, with unappealing characters and overcomplicated plots. Fantasy.

Corpse Party series by Kudouin Makoto
This manga series isn't necessarily bad, but let's just say it's mostly gore and panty shots. Horror manga.

Serpentine by Cindy Pon
Again, this isn't a terribly bad novel. It's interesting, with a half-demon protagonist and monks and demon invasions and plot twists and lesbians and all kind of stuff. But that's kind of the problem, there was a lot of stuff that disappeared halfway through. Also, the writing isn't much to get excited for. Fantasy.

The Immortal Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
AGAIN, not a terrible book. But it did cause me to go on a feminist tirade (which believe me, I NEVER go on) because I was sick of how every female and male romance protagonists are the same in every stupid romance novel. Romance/fantasy.

For 2016, my goal is to read 111, just one more than this year. Also, my only New Year's Resolution is to read Victor Hugo's Les Misérables before the end of the year (it's 1500 pages). So far I'm on page 7.

How was your 2015 reading?

--Persy

Persy -- 2014: We're Back

So did you like how neither of us were here at all in December? And most of November too? We planned that. Really. Okay, so we suck, get over it. We're busy college students. BUT we've been talking and we're both hopeful to get more reading done this year and write more about what we're reading. Hey, I'm even sucking up my pride and showing you exactly how badly I did in 2013...

My reading goal for 2013 was to read more books than I did in 2012, so 187 books. How many did I read? 56. 15,764 pages. Almost a 4th of what I read last year. I am ashamed. But I'll do better this year!

The first book I read in 2013 was Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome, and the last book I finished was the 9th volume of Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya.

Because I read so little this year, it was painfully easy to narrow down the Best Of list to 14 books. And most of them were during RAMFAP month, and have thus been mentioned numerous times already... but I'm sure y'all can get over it.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKS

The Grace Effect by Larry Taunton

Maybe I'm biased (I know the Tauntons), but this is such a good book. Mr. Taunton skillfully weaves the story of Sasha into the effects of Christianity and grace, and I was never bored by the story or the lessons. Definitely a book to study in detail a second time through. Nonfiction/Religion

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Easily the best war novel I've ever read. Not only is it interesting, but I also found it enjoyable. The writing is amazing, and the story gripping. What really makes it brilliant is the fact that it's told by German soldier. Historical

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

It's both serious/thought-provoking and funny/light-hearted. The light tone is maintained all throughout the story, whether the main character is discussing philosophy or bugs. Definitely a book I'll read again and again, always finding something new. Science fiction

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Oh my gosh this book. OH MY GOSH THIS BOOK. Classic

A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken and C.S. Lewis

Normally I don't get super excited about biographies and memoirs, but this is simply beautiful. Vanauken's writing is gorgeous and I'm pretty sure he's kind of brilliant. Anyone who has been or is in or thinks he/she's in love should read this. Nonfiction/Autobiography

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

I think I've mentioned this book before. Zombie/Romance

Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

I just don't get tired of Shenfu and Mara and Egyptian revolutions. Historical

Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George

While it doesn't quite live up to the brilliance of Dragon Slippers, the sequel is still pretty dang good. Getting to meet a bunch of cool new dragons basically saved the somewhat ridiculous plot, and let's not forget Jessica Day George's magical ability to write perfect endings. Fantasy

Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce

I love almost everything about this book, especially the world and the characters. How can you not like a pudgy, lazy, pacifistic 12-year-old main character? And I'm still shouting for a movie with Gary Oldman as Hotspur. Fantasy

Night Gate by Isobelle Carmody

Everyone knows this is one of my all-time favorite books. Fantasy

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Another old favorite. Road trips, Norse gods, punk angels, mad cow disease . . . this book is basically irresistible. Fantasy/Surreal

How To Make Friends and Monsters by Howard Boward and Ron Bates

Yet another book that everyone has heard me talk about. Franklin' adorable, that's all I have to say. Fantasy

The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes

A very very old book on depression and grief in the Christian life. It's amazing and beautiful, and I wish it was more well-known because I think everyone should have access to this. Nonfiction/Religion

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

I wasn't sure what to expect from the third book in the Seven Kingdoms series, but I was not disappointed. In fact, I was seriously scared, and could not put it down. Kristin Cashore amazes me yet again. Fantasy

**HONORABLE Mentions**

Ouran High School Host Club series (Bisco Hatori); The Passage (Justin Cronin); The Hiding Place (Corrie Ten Boom); Maid-Sama series (Hiro Fujiwara); I, Claudius (Robert Graves); Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters (Lesley M.M. Blume); Fruits Basket series (Natsuki Takaya).

BOOKS TO VIOLENTLY AVOID READING

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

Eh, y'all remember this absolute gem, I'm sure. Fantasy

Escape from Warsaw by Ian Serraillier

Boring. Not painful to read, but only because it's an easy read. Basically, it's just boring as heck. Historical

Ancient Rhetorics by Sharon Crowley and Debra Hawhee

Well, it's a textbook. And it's not written overly well. And it was for a writing class. Nonfiction

I seriously hope your 2013 was better than mine.

--Persy

Wednesday Scrolls -- RAMFAP Requiem AKA July Review

Last year, RAMFAP was quite a momentous occassion. I read so many books. Had so much fun. Not that I didn't have any fun this year either... 

 

For RAMFAP 2013, I read a total of 7 favorite books, with 1,612 pages read not counting an unpaged manga and an unpaged children's book. I actually read a total of 11 books in July, with 3,328 pages read, but not all of those were for RAMFAP. Honestly, I don't think I did too shabby considering all the stuff I've been busy with.

 

Here's my favorites book list from RAMFAP 2013:

 

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr, John Archambault, and Lois Ehlert
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George

Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce

Maid-Sama! Vol. 6 by Hiro Fujiwara

Night Gate by Isobelle Carmody

 

It's interesting to note that Night Gate is the only book that has been in both RAMFAP lists so far -- I tried to keep this year's priority list limited to the books I didn't get to last year, but Night Gate snuck to the top anyway.

 

How did y'all do, if y'all participated? I'm hoping for a good August!

 

--Persy


Arty here.  Yes.  The Arty who hasn't written a review in ages.  COLLEGE, GUYS. *lame excuses*

For RAMFAP... I reread one book.  And it turns out I probably shouldn't have, because The Angel Experiment, the first book in the Maximum Ride series, was a lot better when I was thirteen than it is now.  I still really like the story, but... sorry, Max, you're just not one of my favorites anymore.  Except for maybe nostalgia.

I did get to read around thirteen other books - what can I say, July caught me when my to-read stacks were high and I had succumbed to multiple library temptation.  Some of them were pretty lame - the Supernatural tie-in novel, One Year Gone, was disappointing, as was Mortlock by Jon Mayhew (it had black page edges - black page edges!) - but some of them were pretty dang fantastic and destined to end up on the next RAMFAP list.  Such Wicked Intent, the second book in the Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein series by Kenneth Oppel, and Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection by Matt Dembicki are destined for my favorites shelf.

August is already looking pretty good - hope you all have similar prospects!

-Arty 

Arty -- Books of 2012

Hi.  Arty here.

I am the reason why this is painfully late.  Yes.  Tomatoes are provided at the door; I'll be waiting over by those stocks.  Plaster me with as many veggie-fruit-delectable-spheres-of-red-deliciousness as you want.  I DESERVE IT. #dramallama

Seriously, I had an insane January (I WENT TO KANSAS) and then it seems I've been halfway ill all through February.  None of which are very good excuses.  But I take them where I can get 'em, right?  Just... know that Persy did hers on time and I failed as miserably as a piece of charcoal trying to learn astrophysics. (Or as miserably as that simile did.)

Okay.  If my Goodreads stat thing is to be trusted (I failed miserably at cataloging my books near the tail end of December; I chalk it up to running a business) I read 240 books in 2012!  Not bad!  I mean, my goal was 250, but ten behind is not bad at all, especially considering the almost complete lack of reading I did in the autumn months.  So yeah.  A pat on the back for me.

The first book I read in 2012 was Fruits Basket #16 (go manga!) and the last book I read was... wait.  Well.  The last book I have recorded for December was The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle. (We're just going to pretend that I surely read something between December 14th and the next book I read on January 6th this year.)

Now.  Onto my BEST BOOKS OF 2012.  I'm going to try to keep it down to fourteen.  We'll see about that!

The Fruits Basket manga by Natsumi Takaya.  Yeah, guys, I know it's so cheesy and so cutesty but - but - but it's just amazing anyhow.  The characters.  The art.  AAHHH.  It makes me happy inside and that's what counts, right?  Manga.

The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan.  I've read the first half or so of this series multiple times, but I'm adding it here because I finished the series in 2012.  And it just deserves to have its name in bold.  The plots continually get a little less fantastic but it's the characters that give this series a place on Jon (my Extra Super Tiggerific Favoritesness Bookshelf Whose Title Keeps Changing Because I Can't Remember It).  Fantasy.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.  SYDNEY. FREAKING. CARTON.  S'all I have to say except that it made me cry in front of my family.  Not many books can do that.  A classic well-deserving of its title.  Classic.

A Tale Dark And Grimm by Adam Gidwitz.  A super-easy read combining a lot of fairytales so that Hansel and Gretel are the main characters, this was a clever, totally entertaining fairytale mashup that I need to reread at least once a year.  Fantasy.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  If you read my review on it, you'll probably remember my mixed emotions for this book.  But when just the thought of reading a book like The Night Circus gives you twirly butterfly flutters in your stomach, I think it deserves a place on the AAHHH TWO-THOUSAND-TWELVE BOOKS OF AWESOME list.  Urban fantasy. (?)

The Genius series by Catherine Jinks.  Continually amazing, continually heartbreaking, continually (in a small way) thought-provoking, and finally throw-the-book-at-the-wall worthy, these books also have a proud place on Jon.  (No idea how to categorize these.  Urban sci-fi?)

Swear To Howdy by Wendelin Van Draanen.  Van Draanen of Sammy Keyes fame can write no wrong.  Tiny book, huge impact.  Read it.  Genreless.

Runemarks by Joanne Harris.  A huge book with a huge fantastical story with the huge Norse gods.  I read this when I was in the throes of my Norse obsession, which has by now faded somewhat, but thinking about it still makes me go SQUEEEEEEEEEE.  In a totally rational way, of course.  Fantasy.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding.  Shiver.  That's the best way I can put it.  Disturbing, fascinating, thought-tugging... another classic that deserves to be called such.  Classic.

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer.  Another quick genreless read, it's possibly even better than Swear To Howdy.  Hope (I reiterate) is one of the best heroines I've ever read.  Genreless.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson.  It's a bit of a slow start but once you get reading... WOW.  Things just keep unfolding and unfolding until it ends in this suck-your-breath-out-of-your-tubes finale.  (Not sure how to categorize this one either.  Urban... science... fantasy...?)

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson.  Dark, depressing, heartbreaking... not how you think you'd classify a book narrated by Tinker Bell.  But this Peter Pan reimagining is just fantastic anyhow.  Fantasy.

Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst.  Desert gods instead of Norse or Celtic make this book a lot more entertaining than most.  I liked the heroine, and the love subplot was superbly handled.  Durst makes me a happy reader.  Fantasy.

The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle.  A thoroughly original and completely enthralling look at trolls, elves, and the fey world in general.  Marrak is a fantastic love interest-slash-villain, Kate is a great heroine, and the relationship building between all of the characters just... makes me happy.  Historical fantasy.

I also need to have a list of series that I finished in 2012, even if they were started in 2011 or prior.

-Incarceron and Sapphique by Catherine Fisher.  Holy molehills of amazing prose and characters.  READ THEM.

-The Paranormalcy series by Kiersten White.  Fluffy YA paranormal romance, but I daresay they're worth reading anyhow.

-The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley.  I've been reading these for at least three years and I still love them, cheesy or no.  The last book was a bit of a letdown but the last couple chapters made up for it completely and totally.

-The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.  IT'S OVER.  MY GOSH IT'S OVER.  It went out with a bang.  I love you, Artemis.  Colfer: you'd better have a series spinoff planned.  TAKE MY MONEY.

-The Theatre Illuminata series by Lisa Mantchev.  So Silver Bright was a lovely end to a rather shapeless, oft confusing, but still beautiful trilogy populated by amazing characters.

-And, of course, the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini.  I wrote a whole blogpost on why I love the series while ever mindful of its various and sundry weaknesses.  Paolini, though well-versed in the art of disappointment, didn't fail to leave me satisfied on the shores of Alagaesia.

(I'm sneaking in another plug for my favorite trilogy of all time, which I reread in 2012 - The Books of Umber by P.W. Catanese.  Seriously.  I can't come up with enough synonyms for BLINKING FANTASTIC to suit these books.  They're God's gift to bookworms.  Read them.)

And here are some Honorable Mentions.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer; The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith; Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan; The Cocktail Party by T.S. Eliot; Myths of the Norsemen by Roger Lancelyn Green; Wonder by R.J. Palacio; The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman; The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner; The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks; The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner; A Well-Timed Enchantment by Vivian Vande Velde; To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee; The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby; The Time of the Ghost by Diana Wynne Jones; and Quicksilver by Stephanie Spinner.

And now my other favorite part.  THE BAD EGGS.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.  Classic.  History book.  Two terms that never go well together.  This book was written as propaganda and it shows, gods, it shows.  (Sorry, Persy.)  I call emotional blackmail.  Classic.

Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling.  Again, apologies for any stepped-on toes, but this book was just one boring blah.  I'm not really a fan of Kipling, anyhow.  Classic.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.  Cool concept, bro; needs actual character development and writing skills behind it.  Though the photos were spiffy.  Fantasy.

No Promises in the Wind by Irene Hunt.  DEPRESSION.  I don't even remember what happened in this book, just that none of it was good.  Everyone is miserable.  The end.  Historical/youth.

A Kiss In Time by Alex Flinn.  Flinn was pushing the boundaries of unlikable with Beastly but this one just skipped over the line and went sailing into the sea of stupidity.  A more applicable simile might be that it was on a south-bound roller coaster - it just kept getting worse.  Fantasy/fairytale.

The first two Infernal Devices books by Cassandra Clare.  Clare.  You are recycling the already annoying characters of Mortal Instruments and making them EVEN MORE ANNOYING.  Historical fantasy.

And the poor sad Dishonorable Mentions, not even bad enough to get a rant or caps or anything.

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke; Inside Out And Back Again by Thanhha Lai; Worldshaker by Richard Harland; The Alchemist and the Angel by Joanne Owen; The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong; the first two Everworld books by Katherine Applegate; The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig; Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin; and Behind the Gates by Eva Gray.


And that was 2012!  Here's to a new year of plundering libraries, finding new favorites, and reading those hilarious one-star reviews of books that always have funny gifs to illustrate the review-writer's hatred!

-Arty

Persy -- A New Year (OF BOOKS)!

Welcome to a new year! Congratulations on surviving 2012! Hurrah yippee boom etcetera! I hope your first day of this exciting new year has gone well (mine's been rather exciting).
 

My reading goal for 2012 was to read more books than I did in 2011, so 181 books. I am happy to say that I SUCCEEDED EASILY way back at the beginning of December (maybe that'll excuse my terrible reading job that month)! In fact, I read 186 books and 43,977 pages in 2012! Curiously, that's less pages than in 2011, but I chalk that down to the fact that I read more manga and graphic novels these days. In fact, 51 of my 186 books were manga or graphic novels.
 

The first book I finished in 2012 was The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. The last book I finished in 2012 was Big Annie of Calumet by Jerry Stanley (darn those history books).
 

I tried as hard as I could to narrow down the Best Of list to a respectable number, but I could not get past 14. Sorry. There are just too many good books.
 

BEST BOOKS OF 2012!! OMGSOMUCHGOODNESS!!
 

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. An exhausting book, but totally worth it. It took me a while to read, BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT. It all seems so realistic and terrible and yet...there always seems to be some tiny glimmer of hope, even if you can't identify the source. Scifi.
 

I Want My Hat Back written and illustrated by Jon Klassen. Who says children's books can't be incredibly awesome? NOT ME. This book is fabulous (as is the sequel). It'll take about five minutes, so read it. Children's.
 

House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. Another exhausting read, but also totally worth it. It has an amazing main character and a plot that begs to be read again and again. Dystopia.
 

World War Z by Max Brooks. Zombies. War. Phenomenal writing. Boom. Apocalyptic.
 

The One And Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Possibly the most charming book ever written. An adorable, touching, and awesome story about a gorilla. Inspired by a true story.
 

Replication by Jill Williamson. Scifi and Christianity collide in this awesome book set in Alaska about a genuinely intelligent teenage girl and a curious clone. Scifi/Religion.
 

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The whole thing is a classic in my book, and the whole thing is meant to be read again and again. It's pure magic. Fantasy.
 

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland/Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. One of my favorite classics. I can't get enough of Wonderland. Classic/Fantasy.

 

Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe. Even the second time through, this book practically had me in tears because I was laughing so hard. Jaz and her merry band of friends are certain to win you over. Humor/Mystery.
 

Unwind by Neal Shusterman. The master of storytelling brings you one of the most disturbing and though-provoking novels I've ever read. You know it's serious when I call a book "thought-provoking." Dystopia.
 

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. This is one of those children's books that's not quite as simple as it seems. Some of the lines in this book burn with truth and wisdom. Classic/Fantasy.
 

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. Another "children's" book that is full of depth and wonder. A surprisingly disturbing story of an eternally young boy who basically kidnaps children. Classic/Fantasy.
 

The Death Note series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. I finished the whole series in 2012, and boy is it a ride. There are few wimpy volumes in between, but don't let that stop you from reaching the final volume. Manga--Shonen/Supernatural.
 

Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. Another book that makes me actually laugh out loud. A book seemingly about nothing (even less than The Great Gatsby), but still one of the best books I've ever read. Classic/Humor.
 

**Repeats** These are books that were on the Best Of list last year. I didn't want them taking the place of a new book, but I still wanted to mention their awesomeness.
 

Graceling (Kristin Cashore); Fire (Kristin Cashore); Dragon Slippers (Jessica Day George); Ouran High School Host Club series (Bisco Hatori); Nightlight (The Harvard Lampoon); the League series (Sherrilyn Kenyon) Jabberwocky & Other Poems (Lewis Carroll).

**Honorable Mentions** And, of course, there are plenty that just wouldn't fit. Poor souls!
 

Hamlet (Manga Shakespeare); Wonders Never Cease (Tim Downs); A Benjamin Franklin Reader (Benjamin Franklin); Beauty Sleep (Cameron Dokey); The Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde); This Is Not My Hat (Jon Klassen); Circle of Blood (David Mack); Marco's Millions (William Sleator); I Am Here! series (Ema Toyama); The Prophecy of the Stones (Flavia Bujor); Life As We Knew It (Susan Beth Pfeffer); In The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Carrie Ryan); Night Gate (Isobelle Carmody); Hana-Kimi series (Hisaya Nakajo).
 

BOOKS TO FLEE FROM IN TERROR. REALLY.
 

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong. I find it humorous that so many people hate this book. But it is well-deserved. Terrible heroine. Urban Fantasy.
 

What Happens In Vegas, Dies In Vegas by Mark Everett Stone. Oh my gosh, just through random supernatural investigators through a time vortex and have them meet JRR Tolkien and fight the Nazis and that'll about sum up this novel. A train wreck. Supernatural.
 

Battle Royale series by Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi. Mindless gore. Few panty shots. Yuuuuuuuuup. Manga--Shonen/Dystopia.
 

Heaven's Wager by Ted Dekker. Didn't finish this one, because it's awful. Writing is just awful. People assured me that normally Dekker is better than this, and I certainly hope so. Religion.
 

Hummingbird Heart by Robin Stevenson. Geez, this is just awful. It's freaking miserable. And the main character doesn't exactly do anything about it. She just moans about being miserable and how much she hates everyone. Whiner. Contemporary/Misery/Whatever.
 

**Dishonorable Mentions** because there were even more bad books this year.
 

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Seth Grahame-Smith); Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice) Across Five Aprils (Irene Hunt); Uncle Tom's Cabin (Harriet Beecher Stowe); Snitch (Allison van Diepen); Rifles for Watie (Harold Keith).
 

So how was YOUR year? What was your favorite book? What was your least favorite? How much did you read? Did you reach your goal? What are your goals for this year? LET ME KNOW and GOOD LUCK!
 

--Persy

Persy -- Wednesday Scrolls -- Best Endings of Literarydom

"So, good night unto you all,

Give me your hands, if we be friends,

and Robin shall restore amends."

Rule number one: do not mess up the ending. The ending is everything. The ending is what will stay with the reader, what the reader will think of whenever that book is mentioned. The ending is the grand finale, the coup de grace, the moment when the curtain descends and the actors stand in tense silence as they await the audience's reaction. Will there be wild applause? Heartfelt silence? Discontent mutterings? Disgusted shouts?

I'm always talking about endings; I bet you're sick to death of it. But it's true. if the ending's off by even a fraction, no matter how amazing the rest of the book is, it will not sit right in my mind. A good ending is vital.

So I thought I'd show you how a professional does it...and give you a list (I love me some lists!) of books with some of the best endings in all of Literarydom, plus mention a few of the worst. I certainly won't tell you what the endings are (spoilers!). That's something you'll have to discover for yourself (or you could, you know, cheat and use the internet).

Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer. So epic.

The Demon's Lexicon - Sarah Rees Brennan. The book itself is practically intolerable, but the ending is so good and makes so much sense. It's hard not to admire it.

Dragon Slippers - Jessica Day George. Wonderful. Brought a big smile to my face.

Dread Locks - Neal Shusterman. Gave me chills.

Generation Dead - Daniel Waters. Made me scream.

House of Stairs - William Sleator. ...Rather hard to explain, really.

In The Spotlight - Ann Mauren. Though there were many parts of the book I didn't love, the ending is spectacular.

Last Stop - Peter Lerangis. Definition of a twist ending.

Marco's Millions - William Sleator. A brilliant climax.

Me, The Missing, And The Dead - Jenny Valentine. Rest of the book isn't impressive, but the ending is pretty good.

Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare. See above quote.

Sorcery & Cecelia - Caroline Stevermer and Patricia C. Wrede. A true happy ending.

Speeding Bullet - Neal Shusterman. Realistic and satisfactory.

The God Engines - John Scalzi. Slightly horrifying.

Unwind - Neal Shusterman. Appropriately epic.

And this is how you don't write an ending:

Angel - Cliff McNish. Well, despite the fact that THIS WHOLE BOOK IS CRAP.

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury. Doesn't seem to fit the rest of the book.

Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips. They never really solved the problem of the disappearing sun...?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling. I know, I'll probably get hate mail for this, but...it was a bit heavy on the happily ever after, don't you think?

Mansfield Park - Jane Austen. YOU READ 400 STINKING PAGES FOR THAT?

So Yesterday - Scott Westerfeld. Just...disappointing, to say the least.

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins. It's very abrupt and tacked on, like she had no idea how to write an ending.

Twilight - Stephanie Meyer. Bella doesn't get turned into a vampire (oops, spoiler).

So what's your list of epic conclusions and awful endings?

--Persy

Persy -- 2011 Book Party!

Welcome to 2012! Do I really need to say that I felt like a time traveler last night, when all my friends in Ireland were celebrating the new year, and yet I was still back in 2011? How epic is that?

My reading goal for 2011 was 180 books. I was about twenty books short halfway through December, so I went on a major reading marathon reading tons of novellas and manga, and I REACHED MY GOAL! Of course, now I've practically read myself sick, so I'm not sure when I'll next finish a book, but oh well.

So in 2011, I read 180 books. 17 were comic books of some sort, and 29 were manga. The first book I finished in 2011 was Tales of H.P. Lovecraft, by...well, H.P. Lovecraft. And the last book I finished in 2011 was Fractured Fables, an anthology collected by Jim Valentino and Kristen K. Simon. Funny how I started and ended the year with anthologies (and I'm not even big on anthologies). Now let's talk about some of the highlights!

I thought it'd be cool to have 11 best books of 2011, buuut... I couldn't narrow it down that far. I had to get rid of several awesome books just to get to 13, so you'll just have to deal with it.

BEST BOOKS OF 2011! READ AND ADORE!

Dracula by Bram Stoker. Some people say Dracula is dull and tedious, but I love it. Sure, it takes a while, but it is so worth it. Especially if you read the Jae Lee illustrated version. Gorgeous. This is probably the best vampire novel of all time.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray. Mad cow disease. Punk angel. Dwarf. Road trip. Need I say more? If I do, then go read the review I wrote back in march.

The Ratastrophe Catastrophe by David Lee Stone. I reviewed this one in July, so feel free to read the longer version. Let's just say it's a hilarious, adventuresome retelling of the Pied Piper fairy tale.

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George. There's nothing quite like a good fantasy novel with dragons, and Dragon Slippers is one of the best. An awesome main character (who sews) and some trully awesome dragons, and a SUPER awesome ending!

The Courtney Crumrin books by Ted Naifeh. These graphic novels get better and better. Courtney is an awesome character, and it's amazing watching how she grows through the stories. The art's very cool too.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Katsa is one of the few female main characters who can go all kick-ass on the reader and still be cool. And a main character makes the book.

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Of course I love all of Shakespeare's work, but Twelfth Night is one of my favorites, and it's the one I picked to go on the list. I have a thing for jesters, and the jester in Twelfth Night is awesome.

Ouran High School Host Club manga series by Bisco Hatori. Everyone knows that I'm obsessed with Ouran High School Host Club, anime and manga both. It's my dream to have a rose backdrop in my room so I can pose and quote the series more dramatically. So far my favorite volume is Vol. 4, in which the members of the host club do Alice In Wonderland. It's a retelling to rival even Into The Looking Glass.

Companions Of The Night by Vivian Vande Velde. It's possible I've mentioned this one every year, but that's because it stays awesom every time I read it. It doesn't get old. Ever. It's awesome. I love it. Best YA vampire book. Go read it. NOW NOW NOW.

The League series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Everyone knows I'm infatuated with Sherrilyn Kenyon's league series. In 2011 I reread the first three and read the newest one, Born of Shadows, for the first time. Epicness! I've reviewed the first two, so I'll try and get the last two in sometime.

Vurt by Jeff Noon. This is a very strange, surreal novel. It's a bit disgusting. It's rather intense. And it's very, very good.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Everyone knows I love time travel (when done well, of course). And behold, the mother of time travel stories! It's intense, it's horrifying, and it's wonderful!

The Zombie Powder manga series by Tite Kubo. My new favorite manga series. The art is very nice and very clear, and I really, really love the main character, Gamma Akutabi. I hope the rest of the volumes are just as good as the first.

**Honorable Mentions** These are all the pour souls that wouldn't fit into my Best Of. Feel free to ask about any of them!

Thirteen Days To Midnight (Patrick Carman); Dragon's Bait (Vivian Vande Velde); The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald); Nightlight (Harvard Lampoon); Weird Henry Berg (Sarah Sargent); Fire (Kristin Cashore); Tegami Bachi series (Hiroyuki Asada); Interstellar Pig (William Sleator); You Smell Dead (Chris P. Flesh); The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas); Flatland (Edwin A. Abbott); Eureka Seven series (Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou); Jabberwocky & Other Poems (Lewis Carroll); Astérix comics (Rene Goscinny); Poison Study (Maria V. Snyder); Holes (Louis Sachar); Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (Jean Lee Latham); Being Dead (Vivian Vande Velde. Actually, just go read all of her stuff).

BOOKS TO AVOID. SERIOUSLY.

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin. A female forensic scientist in the middle ages? Er...no.

Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder. Poison Study is sooo good...and the third book is so awful. Ugh. Don't go anywhere near it.

The Stargazer by Michele Jaffe. I love Bad Kitty, but Michele Jaffe's earlier adult novels are just...not so great. Stubborn, idiotic characters and a rather weak plot that doesn't really have anything to do with anything.

Cowboys & Aliens by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and Dennis Calero. I read it 'cause the movie was awesome, but the comic book has nothing to do with the movie and is actually really awful.

Death Island by Joan Conning Afman. Oh my gosh I could not finish it. It's awful. So, so awful. This guy gets banished to this island, and his first escape plan is to build an airplane.

So how did YOU do in 2011, and how do you hope to do in 2012? My goal is to read either 181 books or 45,000 pages. Good luck to you all!

--Persy

Wednesday (Almost) Scrolls - Best And Worst of November, 2011

Arty here. Well, how was your Thanksgiving? Awesome, I hope. Personally, I ate way too much. But then that goes without saying.

Anyway, it's time to evaluate our reading months.

In the month of November, I read 19 books and one manga.

Best November Book: Oh, so The Book Thief. I read it in about five days (I'm a busy girl) and completely abandoned everything else to finish this awesome work. I almost cried at the end. Read it - I can't summarize it. Just read it.

Honorable Mention: I read a lot of good books this month. I think the second best one, on purely entertainment purposes, was How To Break A Dragon's Heart by Cressida Cowell. Notice that this series has made it onto both of my Honorable Mentions? Because this series is like ICE CREAM, PEOPLE. It's just insanely fun. And Alvin is the BEST VILLAIN EVAR.

Worst November Book: Particularly Cats by Doris Lessing. Nonfiction about, of course, cats. Didn't realize it was quite so... realistic. Not my cup of tea.

Dishonorable Mention: Jade Green by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Historical mystery/ghost story... thing. Just strange, though it does have the unique privilege of grossing me out. Not much grosses me out.

Arty

'Ello, Chaps! Persy's here! That was my British accent, in case you hadn't noticed. Yeah, I had weird dreams about John Simm and underground airports last night, don't ask.

November was a bad month for me. I read only 9 books, and that's counting 2 manga. My page count totalled up to a measly 1817. Sad. I'll do better this month (did I say that about November? Hm..)

Best November Book: I'll have to go with How To Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell. I didn't really read any super amazing books this month, so this one wins easily.

Honorable Mention: Born of Ice by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Ouran High School Host Club Vol. 3 by Bisco Hatori. Yeah, so there's two honorable mentions, what are you going to do, sue me?

Worst November Book: Alexander The Great by John Gunther. A poorly written nonfiction book about, well, Alexander the Great.

Dishonorable Mention: There really isn't one. "Alexander" was the only book of November that I really didn't like. Whoohoo.

So there you have it, our best and worst of November. This weekend there'll be a new review and we'll return to our regularly scheduled Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck next week (maybe)!

--Persy

Wednesday Scrolls - Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck, Fantasy Arena

So we've completed the four lists of Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck, but the show's not over. I know, you're probably sick of these lists already, and you've got to be wondering if I have anything better to do, and I really do...but this is much more fun.

Here's how the Character Arena (as I'm dubbing it for future battles) will work: to make things as fair as possible, we'll first have the chars in one genre/list battle each other. For instance, the top six Fantasy heroines will be set one-on-one until there are only three left. There will then be another battle for Urban Fantasy, then Classic/Historical, etc. etc., until there are only three heroines remaining in each category. They will then battle each other. All opponents will be chosen at random. The champion will earn her novel a reread, and the second and third place winners may as well. Fourth place will recieve a brief moment of honor. Don't worry if you don't understand, it should make sense as we continue (hopefully).

Contestants will recieve points in 5 categories: Personality (because that's obviously imporant); Fighting Talent (because it IS a battle); Romance (because they ARE girls and there are girls in literature, there's romance); Friends (you are judged by the company you keep); and one last category specific to the genre.

This week is the Fantasy Heroine Arena. To refresh yourself on the heroines, check out their post. Only the top six will be battling in the Arena.

And the first couple is... Sophie Hatter (Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones) vs. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling)!

Category One. Personality.

Sophie's got personality down. She's wise beyond her years (ha) but still loves to have fun, and she has a good heart.

Hermione's got a strong personality, a bit bossy and a show off, but she grows out of it. She develops firm beliefs and is someone you don't want to piss off, and manages to keep her femininity throughout it all.

Winner: Hermione Granger. Mon Dieu, the first round and it's already intense. But Hermione's still arguing long after Sophie's scowled and dozed off.

Category Two. Fight!

Sophie may be trapped in the body of an old woman, but she's still got fight. Especially when it comes to dust and tantrum-throwing men.

Not only does Hermione have a mean right hand, she can just as easily curse you with her wand, though she's not the best at dueling.

Winner: Hermione Granger. After a long, drawn out duel, Hermione finally hits Sophie with a stunning spell, but not without recieving quite a few cuts and bruises.

Category Three. "Kiss me, you fool!"

Sophie and the wizard Howl...she turned into an old woman, he with no soul...*SQUEE*

Hermione and Ron, friends forever.

Winner: SOPHIE!! Her love story definitely fascinates more listener's than Hermione's.

Category Four. Friends.

Sophie has the aforementioned crazy wizard, the fire demon, the tiny apprentice wizard, an adorable dog, and the hopping/animated scarecrow.

Hermione is best friends with the notorious Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, which is hard to beat.

Winner: Sophie. Howl, Michael, Calcifer, and The Scarecrow beat Harry and Ron, even if they hadn't had numbers on their side.

Category Five. Fantasy Elements.

Sophie is enchanted into the form of an old woman.

Hermione is the best witch of her year.

Winner: Hermione. She actually has magical powers, whereas Sophie is just a victim. But their knowledge of magic is probably equal.

End Score! Sophie: 2 Hermione: 3 Congratulations, Hermione! You move on to the next round! And don't worry, Sophie, you are still loved.

And the second couple is... Flora Segunda (Flora Segunda, Ysabeau S. Wilce) vs. Courtney Crumrin (Courtney Crumrin series, Ted Naifeh)!

Category One. Personality.

Courtney is antisocial, sarcastic, and very clever. And she's about twelve. "Creepy Crumrin".

Flora is a bit absent minded, a procrastinator, but very adventurous and resourceful.

Winner: Courtney. She intimidates Flora into silence with ease.

Category Two. Fight!

Courtney, though young, already has impressive magical power as a witch, but in a physical fight she's a bit wimpy.

Flora's hardly a walking tank either (though she is a bit big from eating too much), but she's got so much spirit she could probably beat the crap out of you.

Winner: Flora. Get real, she's at least twice as big as Courtney.

Category Three. "Kiss Me, You Fool!"

Courtney almost falls in love with a cursed vampire, but tragedy strikes. It's a tragic tale Courtney glosses over.

Flora has a bit of an affair with the butler, but then there's her budding relationship with her best friend. Neither ever really go anywhere.

Winner: Courtney by default. Sorry, Flora.

Category Four. Friends.

Courtney has no friends, unless you count her uncle and the recurring goblin fellow.

Flora, on the other hand, has her dogs and Udo, plus the lost family butler Valefore who, while maybe not the best of friends, is still interesting.

Winner: Flora. Courtney needs to learn the value of friendship.

Category Five. Fantasy Elements.

As said before, Courtney is a very powerful witch, despite being young and untrained.

Flora may have some magickal talent, but it's more useful for getting into trouble.

Winner: Courtney wins the last round in less than five seconds.

End Score! Courtney: 3 Flora: 2 Congratulations, Courtney! You move on to the next round! Don't cry, Flora, you're still in one of my absolute favorite books.

And the last couple of the Fantasy round is... Fire (Fire, Kristin Cashore) vs. "Ben" Benevolence (Princess Ben, Catherine Gilbert Murdock)!

Category One. Personality.

Fire is meek and a little whiny, but matures with age. Bad experiences have made her guilty and a bit shy.

In the beginning, Ben is a complete brat and pig. But by the end of her adventures, she's learned so much that she's now a formidable young woman.
Winner: Ben. Her personality is much stronger than Fire's.

Category Two. Fight!

Fire is a superb shot. She's not too bad with her fists either.

Ben, though tough, isn't exactly a fighter when it comes to the physical aspect, but she does her best.

Winner: Fire. Neither of them do well, but they're almost equally matched and Fire ends up gaining the upper hand fairly quickly.

Category Three. "Kiss Me, You Fool!"

Fire and Brigan start out in the love-hate stage. He hates her, she fears him. Love at first sight! But their feelings cultivate in a touching way, and it's hard not to fall in love with them.

Oddly enough, Ben and Florian start out love-hate too. In fact, they both hate each other. But along the way (when Ben's pulling the ole 'dress-as-a-boy' trick), they start to get along.

Winner: Fire. Her's and Brigan's relationship is easier to understand and love as a whole.

Category Four. Friends.

Fire's best friend and inital lover, Archer, is very, very, very annoying. But he's loyal.

Ben doesn't really have any friends, unless you count her spell book. But that's hardly her fault. She got locked in tower, for goodness sake.
Winner: Unfortunately, Fire. Is an annoying friend better than no friend at all?

Category Five. Fantasy Elements.

Fire is the last human monster, which gives her the power to read minds. Plus she's superhumanly beautiful. Kind of hard to beat.
Ben teaches herself magic while locked in a tower armed only with an old broom and a spellbook. She masters magic and the fine art of broom-riding.

Winner: Draw. Fire's telepathy gives her an advantage, but Ben's just too resourceful to fall behind. After a long, drawn out battle, they shake hands in mutual respect and fatigue.

End Score! Fire: 3 Ben: 1 Draws: 1 Congratulations, Fire! You move on to the next round! No worries, Ben, you're still the queen and you can still ride a broom.

So our Fantasy Finalists are: Hermione Granger, Courtney Crumrin, and Lady Fire! Tune in next Wednesday for the Urban Fantasy Character Arena!

--Persy

Wednesday Scrolls - Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck, Other Edition

We've gone over the big ones. Fantasy. Urban Fantasy. Classic & Historical. But what about scifi? What about chick lit? What about romances? What about those books you just can't find a genre for? What about THEM!!

Don't worry, I'm not ignoring them. All of the above fall into the lovely, broad genre of Other. As much as I love scifi, there just aren't a ton of heroines in science fiction literature. I don't read a lot of chick lit, and there are very few awesome heroines in chick lit anyway. And, well, the genre-less ones obviously go in Other. Here's a list of the awesomest ten heroines from the above-mentioned genres.

#10. Deryn Sharp from the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld. Steampunk. Okay, so the whole girl-dressed-as-a-boy has been done millions upon millions of times, and, honestly, lots of people are sick of it. However, when it's done well, I actually love it. This time, Scott Westerfeld pulls it off. Deryn Sharp pretends to be a boy to get into the British Air Force, where she proves to be a brilliant air(wo)man. She's kind of like Bloody Jack only steampunk, and not quite as witty. And the book itself (Leviathan)? Surprisingly awesome.

#9. Dulcie from Going Bovine by Libba Bray. Scifi/Fantasy. She's a punk angel, which sounds like a boring cliché but actually isn't, and she's a little sad but a little cheerful at the same time. Pretty cool, in other words. And the book itself? OMGSOAWESOME!

#8. Sammy Keyes from the Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen. Mystery. The young-girl-detective thing's been done many times as well, but never has it been so enjoyable. Sammy is awesome for all ages, not just ten-year-olds. She's smart and resourceful, everything a good detective should be. She just has a bit of bad luck from time to time. And the book itself (Sammy Keyes And The Hotel Thief)? Awesome.

#7. D.J. Schwenk from Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Chick Lit. She's funny, she's likeable, she's in an unfortunate situation, and she has character growth. A good main character is the only thing that will make it possible for me to actually like a coming-of-age/chick-lit/whatever book, and D.J. is very cool. And the book itself? Pretty awesome.

#6. Shahara Dagan from Born of Fire by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Scifi/Romance. Shahara is aweome because she's good at her job, but not much else. She often even seems like a complete idiot until you're reminded that she's never been a criminal before, only a policeman. Plus she's got a miserable past, and you know how I love those. And the book itself? Oh like you need me saying it again.

#5. Haruhi Fujioka from Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori. Manga. Everybody loves manga! Okay, not everyone, but everyone should. I mean, pictures! But anyway. Surrounded by rich airheads, Haruhi is sarcastic and surprisingly laid back, just kind of 'whatever-but-please-don't-touch-my-stuff'. Let's face it, I just love everyone from OHSHC (Haruhi's just the only girl). And the manga? OMGSOAWESOME!

#4. Audrey Cuttler from Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway. Chick Lit. What were the qualities of a good chick lit heroine? Funny, likeable, unfortunate situation, and character growth? Well, Audrey's got all of those PLUS music! And the book itself? Absolutely hilarious.

#3. Gratuity "Tip" Tucci from The True Meaning Of Smekday by Adam Rex. Scifi. First of all, Tip is pretty much traveling across the world with an alien named J.Lo in a worled pretty much controled by aliens. Yes, that beeping noise is the awesome-o-meter warning you that it is about to explode. Tip not only navigates the cold cruel world by herself (she's like, twelve, by the way), but even saves the cold cruel world. And the book itself? OMGSOAWESOME!!

#2. Frankie Landau-Banks from The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. Chick lit? When Frankie realizes how her new boyfriend looks down on her and doesn't expect or want her to be smarter than him, she decides to prove him wrong. She turns out to be a freakin' genius. And just...well...awesome. And the book itself? Oh go read it for goodness sake!
#1. Jasmine Callihan from Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe. Forensics. Cats. Fashion. Hilarity. Ooh yes. Jasmine has got to be the. funniest. main character. ever. This is one of the few books that makes me laugh out loud, and yet the mystery is still intriquing and fun to figure out on your own. Jasmine is just epic. And the book itself? Absolutely HILARIOUS.

So there you are.

This concludes the Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck Saga. Should they battle it out to see who is the queen of heroines? I think they should. TO THE ARENA!!!

...Next week.

--Persy

Wednesday Scrolls - Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck, Classic & Historical Fiction Edition

Time to continue the ongoing Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck Saga! We've already covered fantasy and urban fantasy, and today we'll be taking a look at both classic and historical fiction. I combined the two genres because there just weren't enough to warrant a list for each. Even combined, there's only 8, not even a full 10. I don't read a lot of historical fiction, and there aren't really a lot of heroines in classic novels. What's really amazing though, is that they're all almsot equal in their awesomeness. Here's a list of the 8 I've encounted in my travels:

#8. Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker from Dracula by Bram Stoker. Classic Horror. Listen, y'all (and I don't use that term lightly), Dracula is not boring, it is not tedious, and it is not filled with obscene pages of violence and dirt. It's a work of genius. and Mina Harker is actually very cool. She's certainly not the best character in the book, but that hardly makes her boring. She's comfortable in her situation as a woman, doesn't run off to kill the vampires behind Van Helsing's back, and yet is still brave. She is dignified. And the book itself? ^^ Work of genius.

#7. Kit Tyler from The Witch Of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. Classic Fiction. "Despite winning the Newberry Award..." Yeah, I did just quote myself. But let's face it, Newberry Award winners are usually dull and boring, but "Blackbird Pond" is an exception to the rule. Kit is pretty awesome, seen as a foreign witch by her new neighbors and relatives. But she ends up making a school (by accident) for the young children, teaching them to read and write. Go Kit! And the book itself? Excellent.

#6. Rosalind Hawkins from The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey. Historical Fiction/Fantasy. As I've said before, best Beauty and the Beast retelling. Ever. Rosalind, like Mina, is perfectly content being a woman and wearing corsets and skirts, and doesn't even think about it. Instead, she just curls up in her chair, forgetting all about her skirts, to read her books in comfort. She's and educated woman, irritated that men don't always accept her knowledge, but she doesn't jump up on a soapbox and start shouting at everyone. Plus, she's just kind of cute. And the book itself? ^^Best B&B retelling. Ever.

#5. Emily Trefusis from Murder At Hazelmoor (AKA The Sittaford Mystery) by Agatha Christie. Classic Mystery. Christie doesn't always do it for me, but Emily is very cool. If you want something done, do it yourself. That's what she decides when her fiancé (a silly little man, but for some reason she can't figure out, she loves him anyway) is charged with murder. So she heads down to solve the mystery herself, weedling her way into the heart of the little village. She's a brilliantly created heroine. And the book itself? Ending a bit disappointing, but overall quite good.

#4. Cat Royal from the Cat Royal series by Julia Golding. Historical Fiction. Cat's actually a very average young adult historical heroine: spunky, adventurous, and witty. She's good at getting into tight situations, and she's good at getting out of them. Perhaps it's Golding's writing that distinguishes Cat from all the others. And the book itself (The Diamond of Drury Lane)? So good.

#3. Marguerite St. Just from The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. Classic Adventure/Superhero. *squees* Best book EVER. While Marguerite isn't the best part of it, she plays her part(s) superbly. You want a double agent? Check her out. And the book itself? OMGZ SO AWESOME.

#2. Mary "Jacky" Faber from the Bloody Jack/Jacky Faber series by L.A. Meyer. Historical Adventure. Girl dresses as boy to get into some sort of all-boy situation. Cliché. But when it's actually done well, it's amazing. Jacky doesn't start dressing as a boy because she particularly wants to, it just kind of happens and she's got nowhere else to go but the sea, and they don't take girls anyway. Jacky is full of adventure and absolute hilarity. And the book itself (Bloody Jack)? Go read ALL THE BOOKS IN THE SERIES!

#1. Mara from Mara, Daughter Of The Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. Classic/Historical Espionage. Okay, remember how I said Marguerite St. Just is the best example of a double agent? Mara would actually give her a serious run for her money. I would love to see these two in battle. Mara is roped into double agent-dom, but she does it so well and she's so amazing. And the book itself? Dude, READ IT ALREADY.

And there you have it. This weekend I'll be doing a review, and the following Wednesday we'll have the last installment of the Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck Saga! Unless we have an ultimate showdown, of course...

--Persy

Wednesday Scrolls - Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck, Urban Fantasy Edition

Welcome to the latest episode of Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck -- Urban Fantasy Edition! Check out the Literary Characters Who Do Suck and Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck - Fantasy Edition.

This week we're taking a look at urban fantasy. I combined supernatural, adult urban fantasy, and YA urban fantasy to make one list (and still only managed to find 11 chars), so let's see who made the top 10.

#10. Alexandra "Allie" from Everlost by Neal Shusterman. YA Supernatural. Allie's smart and resourceful, has a mind of her own, and her moral compass isn't always tuned correctly. I love flawed characters. And the book itself? Awesome.

#9. Mira from the Dark Days series by Jocelynne Drake. Adult Urban Fantasy. What I like about Mira is that she's a proper vampire. Meaning she's centuries old and evil, but not pointlessly so. She can beat you up, but she's not exactly a superhero. While she may not be totally awesome, she's still pretty good. And the book itself (Nightwalkers)? Not too shabby.

#8. Nina Harrison from The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks. YA Urban Fantasy. Part of this book's charm is that the vampires aren't super sexy undead bodies of supreme power. They're pretty weak, in fact. But that doesn't stop Nina from (reluctantly) going on a quest to save her friends. And the book itself? Awesome.

#7. Phoebe Kendall from Generation Dead by Daniel Waters. YA Supernatural. Phoebe is one of the few Goth Literary Chars who is actually goth. She's not perky underneath, she doesn't skip around only listening to Evanescence, and she doesn't love shopping so so much. Plus, she's pretty cool all around. And the book itself? OMG SO AWESOME.

#6. Kaylee Cavanaugh from the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent. YA Supernatural/Urban Fantasy. Ah, good old chars who, while they may not know what's going on, they can figure it out pretty well. They have cool heads in dire situations, a proper sense of moral obligation, and still manage to make a few stupid mistakes here and there. Of course, they figure out how to fix them in the end. And the book itself (My Soul To Take)? Awesome.

#5. Mercedes Thompson from the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Adult Urban Fantasy. Mercy's not just around to be the focus of the attention of ten differently-oriented-but-all-incredibly-attractive-supernatural men, which seems to be what most adult urban fantasy is all about. No, Mercy's there to actually be cool, fix cars, and moodily turn into a coyote. This book really teaches you not to judge by a cover. And the book itself (Moon Called)? Surprisingly Awesome.

#4. Clarissa "Clary" Fray from the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. YA Urban Fantasy. Tiny and clumsy, Clary is a pretty average urban fantasy heroine. Not strikingly beautiful and not too extraordinary in general (or so it seems! *very surprised at Clary's totally surprising talent*). So Clary may not be a completely original heroine, but Cassandra Clare actually pulls it off in this case, whereas every other tiny, clumsy, oh-so-normal char can get annoying. And the book itself (City Of Bones)? There's a reason I've read it 4 times and have my own copy.

#3. Kerry Nowicki from Companions Of The Night by Vivian Vande Velde. YA Urban Fantasy. If you know me at all, you know about my obsession with Vivian Vande Velde, and that obsession is not without reason. Fantasy, historical, supernatural, science fiction, urban fantasy, juvenile, young adult, Velde can do it all, and she does vampires spectacularly. Evil hilarious vampire? Check. Twisty plot? Check. Good heroine? Check. Kerry freaks out in the beginning, making her realistic, but gets over it and makes herself team up with Evil-Hilarious-Vampire in order to save her family. And the book itself? OMG SO AWESOME.

#2. Claire Danvers from the Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine. YA Urban Fantasy. Easily the best young adult urban fantasy series, Morganville Vampires has what ever urban fantasy book should: evil vampires (see #3). Claire is introduced as a sixteen-year-old in advanced placement in college because she's so smart, and what's awesome is that she proves to actually be a genius, it's not just a clever ploy to get a sixteen-year-old heroine. Claire looks like a bit of wimp, but people constantly underestimating her is what allows her to continually get through ridiculous situations intact. And the book itself (Glass Houses)? Awesome.

#1. Sookie Stackhouse from the Southern Vampires series by Charlaine Harris. Adult Urban Fantasy. Oh yeah, you knew this was coming. Of course Sookie is around the top of the list. She's hilarious, adorable, and can read minds. Throw that in with a southern accent and killer vampires and you've got a fabulous heroine. And the book itself (Dead Until Dark)? Aaawesome.

There you are, the 10 heroines of urban fantasy who don't suck. And only one honorable mention: Cathy Vickers from the Cathy series by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman.

This weekend: a review by moi, Persy! Next Wednesday: Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck - Classical And Historical Edition!

--Persy

Wednesday Scrolls - Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck, Fantasy Edition

You may remember the hate list I made a few weeks back, listing 12 chars in literature that I can't stand. Another type of char that is usually despicable is the heroine. Heroines are usually annoying little whiners or tough I-can-do-anything-a-boy-can-do jerks, but sometimes there are a few who don't suck. In fact, a few are pretty cool. Originally, I was just going to compose a list of heroines that don't suck, but then I discovered that there were actually quite a few awesome heroines, so I had to divide them up into genres, and I'll be posting each edition for the next few weeks on Wednsdays. But, at the end of it all, I may just start really narrowing it down in an epic showdown, and we'll see which heroines are at the very top of the not-sucking pyramid.

This week's edition: Fantasy. I'll be honest, this was hard. I read a lot of fantasy, and there turned out to be quiite a few awesome heroines, but I managed to narrow it down to 10. This list is by no means absolute, and it's hardly like #1 is significantly more awesome than #6. In fact, this list would probably be different if I'd been in a different mood.

#10. Sabriel from Sabriel by Garth Nix. Sabriel has always been one of my favorite books, and Sabriel herself is part of why. She starts out strong and knowing what she's doing, but she's still a bit new at it all so you get to learn along with her. And the book itself? Awesome.

#9. Stephanie Edgley from the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy. Hey, if Stephanie wasn't smart, she'd never ended up as Skulduggery Pleasant's trainee, let's just put it that way. And the book itself (Skulduggery Pleasant)? Awesome.

#8. Anidori-Kiladra Talianna "Isi" Isilee from the Bayern series by Shannon Hale. Isi is charming. She's in a pitiful situation, but makes the best of it while saving the world. She also gets points for talking to geese. And the book itself (Goose Girl)? Awesome.

#7. Captain Holly Short from Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Captain Holly Short, a fairy policewoman, so to speak. She's tough, but isn't adamant about it and doesn't go around proclaiming her awe-inspiring ability to knock ten men out with a single blow. And the book itself (Artemis Fowl)? Awesome.

#6. Fire from Fire by Kristin Cashore. Fire is a truly unique char. She's not superwoman, in fact, she's technically a monster, "cursed" with indescribable beauty that gives her control (if she takes it) of just about any man (and maybe a few women too). She learns to defend herself, but is never the best warrior ever, and that doesn't stop her from using her own talents to save the world, so-to-speak. And the book itself? Awesome.

#5. Sophie Hatter from Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Like Isi, Sophie is introduced to a pitiful situation early on, and, like Isi, she makes the best of it and turns out to be completely awesome. She's the best young-woman-cursed-as-grumpy-old-woman you'll ever find. And the book itself? Awesome.

#4. Benevolence "Ben" from Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Ben leads a very impressive life. She starts out as a fat little thing, a bit piggy and selfish, but when unfortunate circumstances lead her to a life of despair, she starts to teach herself magic and eventually ends up traveling all over a snowy mountain (which certainly gets rid of a few pounds). Ben's character growth is amazing, and she's an enjoyable character all the way through. And the book itself? Awesome.

#3. Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Well, obviously she'll be on this list. HP is one of the biggest and best fantasy series ever, and Hermione is definitely one of the (many) reasons why. She's got flaws, she's got character growth, she's got smarts, she's got a feminine side, and she's got a pretty good right hook. And the book itself (Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone)? Awesome.

#2. Flora Segunda from Flora Segunda by Ysabeau S. Wilce. I don't know why this book is so obscure, because Flora is made of awesome. Bit lazy and likes to eat a bit too much, and she may not be the prettiest thing in the book, but boy does she have a nack for adventure. And the book? Well, awesome.

#1. Courtney Crumrin from the Courtney Crumrin series by Ted Naifeh. Is it weird that the #1 on this list is from a comic book? No, it is not, because Courtney Crumrin is amazing. She's got the whole tainted old soul thing down while still a young teen, and not in a sappy urban romance way. And the book itself (Courtney Crumrin And The Night Things)? Awesome, though in my opinion, the fourth book (Courtney Crumrin's Monstrous Holiday) is actually the best.

And there you have it. Some honorable mentions: Creel (Dragon Slippers, Jessica Day George), Princess Cimorene (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Patricia C. Wrede), Rage Winnoway (Night Gate, Isobelle Carmody), Sydelle Mirabil (Brightly Woven, Alexandra Bracken), Cecelia Rushton (Sorcery & Cecelia, Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer), Katherine "Kate" Talgarth (Sorcery & Cecelia, Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer), Opal Cowan (Opal Cowan series, Maria V. Snyder), Suzy Turquoise Blue (Keys To The Kingdom series by Garth Nix), Mira (Mira, Mirror, Mette Ivie Harrison), Alys (Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde), Veralidaine "Daine" Sarrasri (The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce), and Jessica Sternhagen (Erratum by Walter Sorrells).

This weekend: a review by Arty! Next Wednesday: Urban Fantasy edition of Literary Heroines Who Don't Suck!

--Persy