Fourteen more books since I last posted, July 5.

Six of them were re-reads this time, prepping for the new Harry Potter release. Don't worry, though-- I avoided major spoilers when discussing those books.

44. Hood by Stephen Lawhead. Large paperback, 479pp. First of the "King Raven" trilogy. I liked this book more for the concept than the execution-- a credible version of how the Robin Hood legend may have come about, with Celtic overtones. Unfortunately, the part where Bran transitioned from slightly cowardly, spoilt Welsh princeling to proactive, forest-dwelling lord was not terribly convincing (to me) and after that the focus shifted away from him entirely to his enemies and allies. Not worth celebrating for its own sake; I'll have to see how the sequel, "Scarlet", progresses the story to make a final decision.

45. Princess in Love by Meg Cabot. Paperback, 288pp. 3rd of a series. Also borrowed from my cousin. Just as funny and endearing as the others, but I think I've reached saturation point for now on this series.

46. Death Masks by Jim Butcher. Paperback, 374pp. 5th of a series. Yes, I caved and bought the rest of these. Dresden's world continues to get more complex and textured with each installment. This story was ostensibly about the Shroud, with vampire politics mixed in, but there was so, so much more to it. (As a side note-- I continue to be impressed by the deft way religious elements are handled in the stories). Developments from previous stories continue to have consequences without overwhelming present storylines, and Dresden continues to evolve; I like him more with every story.

47. Blood Rites by Jim Butcher. Paperback, 372pp. 6th of a series. The introduction of Mouse! The truth about Thomas! Succubi in the world of adult film! More depth to Murphy! A revelation about Harry's mentor! And holy shit, permanent physical consequences for one of Harry's actions! Why did I never find this series before this year?

48. Dead Beat by Jim Butcher. Paperback, 424pp. 7th of a series. This one features necromancy-- including a final battle that made me grin like a maniac. (And made me momentarily contemplate a crossover with the 2006 movie, "Night at the Museum"). The White Council got some interesting development here-- Ramirez! Luccio! A new job for Harry!-- and so did Bob. Liked Butters. Was fascinated-- and worried-- by the further involvement of Lasciel, the Fae issues, and the subplots with Thomas and S.I.

49. Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher. Paperback, 479pp. 8th of a series. I always get a kick out of popular media referencing con culture, seeing as I've been to a few myself. Ahem. Aside from that, I enjoyed the mentorship issues (in both directions), the further complications with Murphy and the Fae Courts and the White Council and the vampire war, and whoa, he finally discussed Lasciel with Michael.

50. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. Paperback, 400pp. 1st of a series. Reread. Really interesting to read these early ones again, knowing what revelations will be coming later. This early on, the series still had all the wonder in it, but the seeds of future darkness were already quite obvious if you know what to look for.

51. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. Hardcover, 341pp. 2nd of a series. Reread. I see where all the hints pre-HBP came from, now, about the connections between books 2 and 6. And it makes me want to kick Rowling, in retrospect. She clearly wants to include Slytherin and its inhabitants as equals among the four houses, because that's the Right Thing to Do, but continually undermines that in her storytelling.

52. Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. Large paperback, 435pp. 3rd of a series. Reread. Now that I've finally seen all the movies, it's interesting to note where the differences fell between book and film; Hermione got a lot of the on-screen emphasis that went to other characters. And oh, Sirius. Flawed though he was, his fate still burns at me more than anyone else's in the entire series. (Even after finally reading DH).

53. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling. Large paperback, 734pp. 4th of a series. Reread. This is the book that first made me suspicious about Dumbledore's motives. It also introduced the romantic subplots, much to the consternation and elation of the many fangroups. (I don't understand why OBHWF is so anathema to many fans; it was clear from Day 1 that canon Harry wanted, and needed, that kind of family structure to have a happy ending).

54. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. Hardcover, 870pp. 5th of a series. Reread. In this one, Harry finally goes through his long-delayed Terrible Teenage Rebellious Phase. To mixed effect. People always forget their savior is human, too. The wizarding world grew more complex in this book, and finally shook off the last shreds of the wonder lingering on from Book 1. This is probably the book that affected me most, out of the whole series, until Book 7.

55. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling. Hardcover, 672pp. 6th of a series. Reread. The plot of this one lagged in some ways-- it was clear that the author was spacing out the plot to cover a school year's worth, and trying to find in-story motivations for that pacing raised all my hackles about Dumbledore. I definitely came down on the "Snape is a Good (though Not-Nice) Man" camp after this one, even the first time I read it. But it added a lot more to the fabric of the various characters, and inspired several ideas I'm using in my current HP AU fanfic.

56. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. Hardcover, 784pp. 7th of a series. I've already mentioned this one in other entries-- it made me shriek, it made me cry, I hated some of the developments, loved others, and had already predicted about half of the "plot twists". But all in all, it was a very satisfying ending to the series, and cemented my affection for Harry as a character. I'd been waiting to see what kind of man he would be when he gained some maturity-- because I knew the fanboys' daydreams of Super!Harry wouldn't fit his canon presentation-- and was content with the end result.

57. White Night by Jim Butcher. Hardcover, 404pp. 9th of a series. I couldn't wait, so I bought this one without waiting for paperback, and loved it all the way through. The vampire war came back to the forefront in this one, finally. More consequences of previous plotpoints played out-- Thomas, and Murphy, and Elaine, and Harry's apprentice, and finally drawing a line with Lasciel. Ramirez got fleshed out a little more-- love him-- and Marcone, and even Mouse; the secondary characters in this series are all nearly as interesting and complex as Harry himself, and I really appreciate that. Can't wait for the next one.

Next up: The Wizard Lord, by Lawrence Watt-Evans. First of a new series. I've read and enjoyed Watt-Evans in the past, and I haven't read much non-parodic epic fantasy this year, so I thought I'd give it a try.
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