Here’s my reading list from September. Relatively short compared to recent months, but I actually spent an entire week without reading any fiction at all . . . none of the ones I tried “clicked,” so I eschewed fiction to kind of reset the “system.”

1. THREE CUPS OF TEA by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (331 p.) True story about a man (Mortenson) who failed in his attempts to climb K2, but after being nursed back to health by a poor, Pakistani village, promised to build them a school. He came back to the U.S., completely new to trying to raise money, but came up with the $12K needed . . . and has since built lots of schools–as well as community centers, and other forms of aid, not only in Pakistan, but also in Afghanistan. He “fights terror with books,” as the tagline goes. Remarkable story not least because it’s all true. The writing style is a little breathless, thrilling, golly-shucks-gee-whiz, but it makes a good story because it IS a good story, and eminently readable. (Oh, and the three cups of the title? From an old saying–when you serve a guest tea the first time, he’s a stranger; the second time, he’s a friend; the third time, he’s family.)

2. SENSE AND SENSIBILITY by Jane Austen (368 p.) A classic, of course, and a nice refreshing change of pace. Do I need to explain this one? Elinor and Marianne Dashwood both fall for inappropriate men (one for the man himself, one for his connections), and deal with their disappointment according to their natures . . . one by being sensible and calm, the other by being all sentiment and emotion . . .

3. AGENT OF CHANGE by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (241 p.) Sci-fi Liaden book–the story of how Val Con and Miri meet, but first, they have to deal with the misunderstanding between themselves and the Juntavas, the interplanatary crime syndicate….

4. CARPE DIEM by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (323 p.) Stranded on a low-tech world,. Val Con and Miri get to enjoy almost a vacation, filled with music and new, good friends. I really enjoy this book. I find it interesting, though, that the man on the cover of this book looks completely different than the man on the cover of the last one . . .

5. PLAN B by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (330 p.). Now, Val Con’s clan, Korval, is at war with the deceptive, secretive, and evil Department of the Interior back on Liad . . . but first, there’s this unfortunate invasion by the Yxtrang….

6. I DARE by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (467 p.) Korval is moving on the Department of the Interior, but meantime, a stray member, believing his family is dead, is trying to get a foothold on the inhospitable planet of Surebleak, so that he can avenge his clan. You know, really, I just love this series. The Liaden world is unique, the characters are fascinating, and they’re just good fun.

7. THE KILTERNAN LEGACY by Anne McCaffrey (262 p.) Usually a sci-fi author, of course, she did write a few contemporary books that near but don’t quite become Romance novels, of which this is one of my favorites. Irene Teasey, recently divorced and with a pair of 14-year old twins, inherits an Irish estate from a great-aunt she never knew. They fly over to wrap up the estate, but find reasons to stay instead, while figuring out what the great-aunt would have wanted  . . . and what they want themselves.

8. THE BLUE CASTLE by L.M. Montgomery (218 p.) Also “romance-ish,” this book by the author of “Anne of Green Gables” tells the story of Valancy Sterling, who’s lived a prim, constricted life with her selfish mother and cousin. Then, she’s told she only has one year to live and, by their standards, goes a little crazy. Keeps house for a man with a dying daughter. Even gets married, and flaunts her independence in her conservative family’s collective face.

9. PEGASUS IN FLIGHT by Anne McCaffrey (290 p.) The sequel to “To Ride a Pegasus,” this takes place in the not-too-distant future, in our world, but with scientific evidence of psychic Talent–telekinesis, telepathy, empathy. We’re just building a real space station to ease overcrowding, when they discover a boy with a remarkably strong kinetic talent . . .

10. PEGASUS IN SPACE by Anne McCaffrey (373 p.) Taking up where “Flight” left off, Peter Reidinger is even more confident in his Talent’s strength as he grows up, and suddenly, is able to send packages to the Moon . . . or can he go even further? These “Pegasus” books are actually fore-runners of McCaffrey’s “Talent and the Hive” series which takes place further into the future, when interstellar travel and psychic talents are even more engrained. I enjoy these even more, though, because the world they inhabit is so close to ours . . . if psychic talents DID exist with this kind of strength, this could really almost happen . . . And it’s classic-McCaffrey, too. Good story, great characters, and the interaction among them is spot on.

11. SPUNK AND BITE by Arthur Plotnik (253 p.) A “hip” kind of grammar book (meant to be the cool new answer to the classic “Strunk and White” . . . but really, I think the author tried way too hard to basically disagree with everything they said, all the classic rules, and so anxious to sound smart and knowing and sarcastic, that frankly I found it more unreadable than not. There are entertaining grammar kind of books (”Bird by Bird,” “Woe is I”), and then there are too-cool-for-school kinds. Eh.

12. OD MAGIC by Patricia McKillip (315 p.) A fantasy by one of the most unique fantasy authors I know. Her books have such a unique, dreamy kind of quality. This one starts with Brendan Vetch, a grieving young man who is asked to become the gardner the kingdom’s one and only magic school, one which the king protects jealously, wanting to be sure that all trained magic is loyal to him. But is that what the school’s founder had in mind?

13. GAME OF KINGS by Dorothy Dunnett (543 p.) First book of the Lymond Chronicles, one of the best historical fiction series ever. (No, really!) In mid-16th century Scotland, everyone is all a-twitter at the return of the bandit Francis Crawford of Lymond. Accused spy, traitor, thief and all-around scoundrel . . . or is he? I admit this isn’t my favorite book of the series. It was the author’s first and has a completely different tone than the others, but still . . . wow.

14. QUEENS PLAY by Dorothy Dunnett (432 p.) Second in the Lymond Chronicles. His name cleared, Francis Crawford goes undercover to France, to help protect the 7-year old Queen Mary from an unknown, but very real, threat. Or, is he going to spend all his time carousing? Is it all part of the game?

15. DISORDERLY KNIGHTS by Dorothy Dunnett (503 p.) Third Lymond. This time, Francis is on his way to Malta, where he meets on of the Knights most famous, most godly men, known as Gabriel. Will they be able to save Malta from the Turks? Will Francis be able to save his former lover, now captured?  And, when he heads to back to Scotland, will he be able to keep the loyalty of his own men, once Gabriel and his beautiful, young sister come to town?

16. THE PIRATE COAST by Richard Zacks (380 p.) A history of the story behind the “…to the Shores of Tripoli” lyric in the US Marines Hymn–a secret excursion by a handful of Marines in 1805 to rescue enslaved seamen in Tripoli. Interesting and entertainingly written.

17. ALLERGY SOLUTIONS FOR DOGS by Shawn Messonnier (190 p.) Exactly what it sounds like–a book which analyzes allergy causes and symptoms in dogs, and what you can do for them. (This read was Chappy’s idea.)

18. PAWN IN FRANKINCENSE by Dorothy Dunnett (486 p.) Fourth in the Lymond series, where he heads to the mid-east (Tripoli, in fact, which I found interesting–especially when he’s captured at Djerba, a city which the US actually captured in 1805 and which I only just read about in the Pirate Coast). Anyway, this is a desperate mission, this book, as Francis tries to save not one, but two young children from the hands of the Turks–and his most evil enemy. Absolutely heart-breaking climax, which makes me cry….

19. FOR THE LOVE OF A DOG by Patricia McConnell (288 p.) A study in the emotions of dogs–starting with, “Do they have any?” (a stupid question to almost any one who’s ever owned a dog, I think). I personally don’t see how there can be any question but that dogs can feel fear and anger, love and hate. And happiness. Let’s not ever forget happiness! But the analysis is interesting, her writing style is wonderfully engaging and entertaining, and ultimately I want to agree with just about everything she says. Not only that, she speaks often about her sheep, which her dogs help her with, and I constantly want to know–what kind of sheep? Are they wool-sheep? Or meat-sheep? Maybe I really have been spinning too much lately.

• Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading • Permalink:September Stories, 2006 //