100 Books 2014: 9-13

I've made some more progress on my reading Goal for 2014! I might actually have to make it a little higher. We'll see. This edition is a little heavy on the YA. Travis told me he always checks out the teen recommendations table for me. Haha, isn't that sweet? 

9. Timeless by Gail Carriger: This is the 5th and final book in the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. I used to borrow lots of supernatural books from my friend Brittany and she introduced me to this series. I LOVE it! It has werewolves and vampires and romance and Victorian technology without being cheesy, which is hard to do! I'm a little sad the series is done, and I actually cried real tears while reading it on my lunch break at work! I'm going to keep an eye out for more by Gail Carriger. She has a YA series now, as you can see by entries 12-13! I highly recommend this series!

10. Freaks by Annette Curtis Klause: Travis picked this one for me. It is the story of a boy whose parents are "freaks" and he grows up in a sideshow. At the beginning of the book he strikes out on his own to make a name for himself in the world. This was a fun read. There is a weird/unnecessary love story which is the worst part of the story. Thankfully it isn't a huge part. It was great to read about characters based on real human oddities. If you like that kind of thing, check out Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. It is WEIRD and amazing!

11. Swamplandia by Karen Russell: This was the first big disappointment of the year. Karen Russell's first book, St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves is one of my all time favorites. Read that one! The actual story is so interesting and the characters are really original but the book just draaaaaaaags. I don't usually read more than one book at a time, but I finished three more while I read this. It finally gets good about 150 pages in, but then something terrible happens and the way it is handled (or not handled) is just so bleh. Not a satisfying read at all. Don't even bother.

12. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger: Like I said, I like how Gail Carriger writes and I'm glad I picked up her YA books even though I was a little embarrassed to carry them around at work. They are in the same vein as the Parasol Protectorate but take place in a boarding/finishing school for young women who will become spies/assassins. They actually end up being  a sort of prequel to her other series. 

13. Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger: Book 2 of this series, even better than the first! I have high hopes for the rest! 

There you go! As always, tell me some books to read! I've got all the ones you suggested last time in my too read this! I've gotten a little library happy and have a stack of a about 12 books next to the bed!