It comes to me that I must say 'adieu' from my blogging days at University Book Store. I have had some great times here, and have been allowed to put my opinions to print which has been one of the more rewarding aspects of my employment. Thanks for taking me in to your homes and making me one of your booksellers.

Over the past four years I have read more than 150 books, most of which I liked, some of which I loved. So, I take this final opportunity to give you my top 10 picks for books (from those books read in the past four years.) Is that even possible? Well, I will do what I can.

Top books should come to mind effortlessly ... and they should be books that you can easily see yourself reading over and over again, hence an actual physical copy is called for, demanded in fact.

The list that follows is not in any order of top to bottom.

1. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
my all-time favorite vampire novel! ... wish there was a sequel or sequels, but the author hasn't conceded ... not yet ... I do understand about not wanting to be pigeon-holed.

2. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
poetic, prophetic (?), dark and dire ...

3. Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, by N.K. Jemisin ... a new voice in scifi/fantasy who is already rockin' the house ... I will be reading more of her books ... she seems ready and poised to be a major literary contender.

4. The Reapers are the Angels or is it the Angels are the Reapers, by Alden Bell. I always get confused on this title, not because I don't love it, rather because I am thinking too darned much. I love-love-loved the heroine in this somewhat short in length award winner. It spans readership from young adult to adult, with the Alex award.

5. Bad Monkeys, by Matt Ruff, a local author. Don't know why it took me soooooooo long to stumble upon this great-funtastic-read?! I won't spoil this for you in any way ... hence end of spiel, except to say that you will be glad to be on the side of those who have read this splendidly unique tale.

6. The Unit, by Ninni Holmqvist, translation by Marlaine Delargy. Set in a future where society mandates that those without biological families submit themselves for random medical testing and requisite organ donation. I would be housed here--in the Unit--if this future existed ... to my eventual sad end. Great characters and believable futuristic setting.

7. Engines of the Broken World*, by Jason Vanhee ... keep on the alert for a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g by this to-date self-published author! A fresh voice in speculative fiction and a dynamite co-worker to boot. May $ucce$$ follow you wherever you go Jason!!! Buy this book!

8. Brief History of the Dead, by Kevin Brockmeier. I loved the cover art on this book of the empty overcoat ... & I am a sucker for good cover art. What happens to us when life ends? This book takes us to the precipice and beyond.

9. The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. Who cannot love this book?!! The author, Patrick Rothfuss, has been to University Book Store on three occasions that I know of and each time he brings such a lovely, welcoming energy to his fans and loyal readers. Thank you Mr. Rothfuss! We love you Patrick! And now all you have to do is to complete your trilogy ... that's all. lol.

And, drum roll, number ten!

10. Baking with Julia, by Julia Child. I bought this as a remainder at University Book Store, so it sold for under $20**!!! Remainders or bargain books are a large stock in trade at UBS, and the lovely Miss Nicole can be found on the floor sorting through a plethora of great titles. Come and browse and see what bargains abound!

So, that's it ... were there any surprises? Are you going to buy with the intention to read, any of these titles? I hope so. And I hope you swing by to say goodbye to me. Waaah!

"Read a book, it's a game changer!"
~Jan O., Book seller for four years at University Book Store.


*For purchase information on this book, call University Book Store and ask for the used book sellers desk.

**To see if there are any remainders of this book available, you will need to call UBS and ask for the book information desk.

Girls Rock!

One constant that is almost always guaranteed to pull me into a book is a kick-a.. heroine. I love the portrayal of remarkable women in fiction. And to be a kick-a.. girl you don't have to be totally together all the time; in fact I find that the girls who figure things out as they go are much more interesting. Yeah, the messier the better! Remember tortured Temple in the Reapers are the Angels? (A book by Alden Bell that I gave a nod to in an earlier post). T-T rocks as a kick-a.. heroine! Because even as she can't give herself a break, she is still a force of good in the dystopian world that she inhabits.

So it probably won't surprise you to find that I have found a few new heroines to write about.

N.K. Jemisin's first novel, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, might never have been written if she had listened to the advice of others, and not entered into the seemingly male-dominated scifi/fantasy genre (according to a Kelly Link interview.) But now we have Yeine Darr, deemed barbarian and outcast by the court city of Sky. Yeine, daughter first, who is still grieving the loss of her mother, granddaughter second to a cold and calculating King who would make her his pawn.Yeine who quickly falls in with the childlike god Sieh, eventually ignites the passions of the brooding and dangerously mysterious nightlord Nahadoth, and then proves divisive to the rest of the gods. I nominate Yeine as an up-and-comer in the kick-a.. heroine category, and it appears that I am not alone in this nod because Ms. Jemisin received the 2011 Locus Award for Best First Novel! Hoorah! I am looking forward to reading great fictions by N.K. Jemisin.

Next on my reading list is Girls Kick Butt, a collection of short fiction from a variety of different female scifi/fantasy authors filled with kick-a.. characters. I like collections of this kind, centered around genre and theme: it is a really great way to get introduced to new writers, ones that you haven't read before, along with seeing what the oldies but goodies are up to these days.

Take Jenna Black's protagonist exorcist Morgan Kingsley, in Nine-Tenths of the Law, reluctant to take on a paying client who may want to terminate her own daughter using the excuse that a demon has taken possession of her, as a powerplay. How might Morgan be kick-a.. heroine? Well as I see it, she pushes past the lure of fast cash to try to get to the truth of the matter, holding the desire for the highest good for all in her heart even if that reality seems to be orchestrated by a demon possessed teenager. And then there's Red in  Elizabeth A. Vaugh's short story. Red rocks it as a fighter, a rebel with a cause, she is duty-bound to freeing all slaves, even the ones that walk on four feet. But that's enough of a spoiler.

Go on, read the rest of this collection with me and let me know what you think. Duane, our scifi/fantasy guru, told me that Jeanna Black's protagonist has walked the pages of fiction already, but I didn't know that. I am coming in with a beginner's mind and report to you in that way.

Namaste,

Jan