Books read in October–28 this month! A lot of fantasy/sci-fi, but also some really good history books as well as some other stuff. Oddly, no knitting books this month!

1. MAGIC’S PAWN by Mercedes Lackey (384 p)
2. EXILE’S HONOR by Mercedes Lackey (433 p)
3. EXILE’S VALOR by Mercedes Lackey (402 p)
4. TAKE A THIEF by Mercedes Lackey (354 p)
5. ARROWS OF THE QUEEN by Mercedes Lackey (320 p)
6. ARROWS FLIGHT by Mercedes Lackey (314 p)
7. ARROWS FALL by Mercedes Lackey (293 p) –Obviously, I was on a kick for Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar books. Enjoyable fantasy books (though the writing in her later ones is better than the earliest ones).
8. JULIE AND JULIA by Julie Powell (306 p) You may have heard of this one—the author decides to cook every recipe in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in a year, and had a blog recounting her trials and tribulations. Personally, I thought it was a little boring, but lots of people have loved it. I’m not fond of her choice of language, or with the somewhat abrasive attitude. Parts were interesting, but overall, as a read I found it kind of blah.
9. CASTLE ROUGE by Carole Nelson Douglas (456 p)
10. FEMME FATALE by Carole Nelson Douglas (441 p)
11. SPIDER DANCE by Carole Nelson Douglas (490 p) The most recent three of her “Irene Adler” series of mysteries. Irene Adler, you’ll remember, was the one and only woman to outsmart Sherlock Holmes. Douglas started a series featuring her years ago, which I entirely enjoyed, and then there was a long pause until she started them up again a few years ago. The first two of the newer books deal with Jack the Ripper and, really, I don’t like them, but the most recent two are closer to the original four in feeling, and are more enjoyable. Her visualization of Irene is a treat.
12. TRUTH & BEAUTY by Ann Patchett (237 p). I’ve read, now, I believe all of Ann Patchett’s novels (absolutely adored Bel Canto), and have been enthralled by the way this woman tells a story. So when I saw her  this at the bookstore, I had to pick it up. It’s not fiction, but is instead a so far very sweet, very touching tribute to her friend Lucy Grealy, telling of their friendship of some twenty years. She writes so beautifully, and since they were both writers, she intersperses her own prose with excerpts from Lucy’s letters, and it’s just . . . moving
13. PARIS 1919 by Margaret MacMillan (494 p). A history book that addresses the WWI peace talks in Paris. Parts were fascinating, some parts less so, but altogether a good book that certainly covered a lot of things I had no knowledge of.

14. PLAN B by Ann Lamott (320 p) Thoughts on religion and life. There’s no question she can write wonderfully, and her “Bird by Bird” is one of my favorite books on writing, but no, I didn’t love this one. Part of it is the somewhat rabid attacks on our current president. I’m not a big fan of his these days, either (less and less all the time, really), but I did think that the sudden, sideways comments about how hopeless she feels about her life because of the President seemed rather out of place in a book about hope and religion (not to mention drastically shortening its shelf-life). I wasn’t looking for political ranting when I picked up the book, and was therefore disappointed to find so much of it. Some of the essays were excellent, though.
15. DISCOVERERS by Daniel J Boorstin (694 p). This is my second reading of this very long book. It’s fascinating. Lots of mini chapters which make it easy to read a small amount each night. It tells the story of many of the great discoveries—clocks, great sailing ships, medicine, printing . . . fascinating, and so, very wide-ranging. Worth the several months of nights it took me to read it (grin).
16. MIRROR OF HER DREAMS by Stephen R Donaldson (647 p)
17. MAN RIDES THROUGH by Stephen R Donaldson (661 p). The two books of the “Mordant’s Need” duology (with titles, incidentally, that hail from “Silverlock” by John Myers Myers, and were what originally caught my eye). Good fantasy books about a world where mirrors are doorways into other worlds—including ours, where Geraden convinces Teresa to come with him and help save his world. Good books.
18. INITIATE BROTHER by Sean Russell (480 p)
19. GATHERER OF CLOUDS by Sean Russell (603 p). Another fantasy duology, this one that takes place in a world much like I imagine medieval China would be. It’s technically a fantasy, and yet except for it being in a made-up world, it’s not full of magic or sorcerers or dragons, or any of the trappings of a usual fantasy. It’s just an excellent story. Good author.
20. BALANCE OF TRADE by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (451 p) One of their Liaden novels. Just purely enjoyable, light sci-fi.
21. GUARDIANS OF THE WEST by David Eddings (452 p)
22. KING OF THE MURGOS by David Eddings (368 p)
23. DEMON LORD OF KARANDA by David Eddings (422 p)
24. SORCERESS OF DARSHIVA by David Eddings (406 p)
25. SEERESS OF KELL by David Eddings (399 p) A series of five books, called the Mallorean, which follow up the Belgariad series. Classic fantasy books with, yes, swords and sorcerers, and even a dragon. And a lot of fun.
26. SWORD OF ORION by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (276 p). The first book in a new sci-fi series. I’m not sure I loved this one, but it did have that unmistakable touch of theirs, and I am curious as to what’s going to happen next.
27. FREEDOM’S LANDING by Anne McCaffrey (342 p). Sci-fi. What if earth were invaded and a shipload of people were stranded on an empty planet with nothing more than blankets, knives, and some bare medical supplies? This is the first in a series of, well, four books, but the first three are the “core” and tell a complete story. The fourth doesn’t really compare at all—I usually stop after the third. Enjoyable series, by one of my long-time favorite authors.
28. COLLAPSE by Jared Diamond (525 p). Fascinating history/anthropology/sociology book by the man who wrote “Guns, Germs, and Steel.” This one examines why civilizations choose to fall—both historical ones and some current ones. The reasons that were beyond their control, as well as ones that could have been affected by different decisions. Really fascinating.

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