The Dangerous World of Butterflies

Title: The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists
Author: Peter Laufer
Rating: 4

A fascinating look at a subject that I assumed (incorrectly) would be difficult to infuse with excitement.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Author: Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Rating: 5


Loved it! From the opening line, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains," to the end, I didn't want to put this book down.

Tamara Drewe

Title: Tamara Drewe
Author: Posy Simmonds
Rating: 3

I bit too soap opera-ish for my taste, but I love the layout of the pages.

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall

Title: Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Author: Bill Willingham
Rating: 3

A prequel of sorts to the Fables series (which I find a guilty pleasure). This gives the back story of some of the characters with Snow standing in for Scheherazade.

The Maltese Falcon

Title: The Maltese Falcon
Author: Dashiell Hammett
Rating: 4

A wonderful little detective story that was a lovely way to pass the time on my flights home.

The Indifferent Stars Above

Title: The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
Author: Daniel James Brown
Rating: 4

Not exactly light vacation reading, but a riveting look at a much speculated part of the settlement of the west. Very well researched and highly recommended for the history buffs among us.

Schrödinger's Ball: A Novel

Title: Schrödinger's Ball: A Novel
Author: Adam Felber
Rating: 4

One review for this book states: "If Einstein and John Cleese had written a novel together, this would be it."

I concur. This book is funny, unique, and possibly profound(?). I did not find it difficult to follow. Basic knowledge of quantum physics is not necessary to enjoy this book, but it couldn't hurt.

On a side note, I am aware that my 'o's are missing umlauts. I do not know the keyboard shortcut for them, but will correct this egregious error in due time.

The Secret History

Title: The Secret History
Author: Donna Tartt
Rating: 4

Very interesting.....a winding, dark tale that is just far-fetched enough to make you wonder.

The Kite Runner

Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Rating: 5


Not exactly reading by the pool fare; better suited to a rainy day spent with a box of tissues at your side. A very moving and well written book.

Unholy Business

Title: Unholy Business: A True Tale of Faith, Greed & Forgery in the Holy Land
Author: Nina Burleigh
Rating: 2

While I found the subject matter fascinating, this was a tough read for me. Some passages of the book came across as solely being used for name dropping.

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

Title: The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
Author: John Le Carré
Rating: 4

Brings back the mystique of the cold war and ends like a spy novel should.

Gemma Bovery

Title: Gemma Bovery
Author: Posy Simmonds
Rating: 3

A creative twist on the whole "remake of the original" school. I wasn't sure about this at first, but about halfway through I began to not be able to put it down. Good for light reading by the pool on a hot spring day (97 degrees here today).

When Germs Travel

Title: When Germs Travel
Author: Howard Markel
Rating: 3.5

As a student of public health, this book contained very little that was new to me. The book is well researched and in light of the ongoing H1N1 outbreak I would recommend it for those that are interested.

Fargo Rock City

Title: Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota
Author: Chuck Klosterman
Rating: 4

A very fun read! I thoroughly enjoyed reliving many memories attached to the songs and bands discussed.

Promethea Books 4 & 5

Book: Promethea Book Four
Author: Alan Moore, JH Williams III, et al
Rating: 2

Book: Promethea Book Five
Author: Alan Moore, JH Williams III, et al
Rating: 2


I enjoyed books one through three, but these two were just weird.

Rating System

1 - Don't waste your time
2 - Only if you insist
3 - It was okay
4 - More like this please
5 - A treasure

Read 100 Books

StumbleUpon is a great add-on for your browser. I stumbled an interesting website listing book "challenges." I tracked down the 100 Book Challenge at J. Kaye's Book Blog. I've never kept track of the number of books read during a year. Time for a change. I will post upon completion of each book and develop some sort of rating system to let you know what I think.

My rules:
All types of books count: fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, short story collections, e-books, etc.
Newspapers and magazines do not count.
All books must be ones I have not read before.
Starting date: May 2, 2009

EDIT: To comply with the new (October 6, 2009) FTC Guide, click here to read my disclosure statement.

Here is what I have read so far in 2009 along with links to their individual posts:
(If you're interested in books that I didn't finish, click here.)

1. Promethea Book 4
2. Promethea Book 5
3. Fargo Rock City
4. When Germs Travel
5. Gemma Bovery
6. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
7. Unholy Business: A True Tale of Faith, Greed & Forgery in the Holy Land
8. The Kite Runner
9. The Secret History
10. Schrödinger's Ball
11. The Indifferent Stars Above
12. The Maltese Falcon
13. Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
14. Tamara Drewe
15. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
16. The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists
17. The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq
18. I Capture the Castle
19. The Golden Compass
20. The Subtle Knife
21. A Safe Place for Dying
22. The Walking Dead: Compendium One
23. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University
24. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
25. The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead
26. Zeroville
27. Preacher: Gone to Texas
28. The Amber Spyglass
29. Codebreaker: The History of Codes and Ciphers, from the Ancient Pharaohs to Quantum Cryptography
30. Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point
31. Coraline
32. The Three Incestuous Sisters
33. Is There No Place on Earth for Me?
34. The Book Thief
35. In the Land of Invented Languages: Esperanto Rock Stars, Klingon Poets, Loglan Lovers, and the Mad Dreamers Who Tried to Build a Perfect Language
36. The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet
37. Brothel: Mustang Ranch and Its Women
38. Saints in Babylon: Mormons and Las Vegas
39. Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities
40. Chew #1
41. Chew #2
42. Irredeemable
43. The Boys Vol. 1
44. The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders
45. A Fever in Salem: A New Interpretation of the New England Witch Trials
46. Time and Again
47. Fables: The Good Prince
48. Fables: Ware and Pieces
49. Fables: The Dark Ages
50. Dark Avengers: Assemble
51. The Boys Vol. 2
52. The Boys Vol. 3
53. The Boys Vol. 4
54. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
55. Chew #3
56. Chew #4
57. Runaways Vol. 1
58. Ex Machina Vol. 1
59. The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
60. Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum
61. Batman and Robin Issue 1 (Batman: Reborn)
62. Gotham City Sirens Issue 1
63. Blackest Night #1
64. Blackest Night #2
65. Invincible Volume 1: Family Matters
66. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1 - Unmanned
67. Runaways Volume 2: Teenage Wasteland
68. Jack of Fables Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape
69. Batman Cacophony
70. Ex Machina Vol. 2
71. How the States Got Their Shapes
72. Gotham City Sires Issue 2
73. Invincible Volume 2
74. Invincible Volume 3
75. Blackest Night Issue 3
76. Wolverine Old Man Logan: Giant Size
77. The Spook Who Sat by the Door
78. Every Patient Tells a Story
79. Batman: The Killing Joke
80. Invincible Volume 4
81. Y: The Last Man Volume 2
82. Y: The Last Man Volume 3
83. Bad Girls
84. Runaways Volume 3
85. Grendel: Devil Child
86. Gotham City Sirens Issue 3
87. Civil War
88. Invincible Volume 5
89. Sisters of Salome
90. Chew #5
91. Ex Machina Volme 3
92. Ex Machina Volume 4
93. American Psycho
94. Y: The Last Man Volume 4
95. Stitches
96. In the Bin
97. How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'N' Roll
98. The Walking Dead Volume 9
99. And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Our Vinyl
100. Salt: A World History
101. The Bioarchaeology of Tuberculosis