Books of 2011: Catch Up

These things always get ahead of me.  I guess I read faster than I write.

"Cryoburn," Lois McMaster Bujold
I was very glad to get back to the Miles Vorkosigan Universe.  It was one of the ones that my mom started me reading science fiction on, and made me really love character-driven scifi (as opposed to science-driven, which, don't get me wrong, is good too).  This one occurs a few years after the events in "Diplomatic Immunity," with Miles still acting the auditor, a role which I quite for him.  The best part of this one was that my mother bought the hardback, which came with a CD with a digital version.  I could read it on my kindle and she could have the hard copy, no fighting over who gets it first!
I would rate it at 8.5/10

"Starship Troopers," Robert A. Heinlein
While my former roommate enjoyed reading Classic Literature in the "Old Russian Guy" context, I never can get in to something like that.  Heinlein, however, writes classic scifi, which is more my style.  You've probably read this one already, so I'll just say that I thought it was an interesting vision of a future society, half utopian and half police state.  And powered armor is always fun.
8/10

"Do Unto Others..." Michael Z. Williamson
I didn't really like the first Ripple Creek book, "Better to Beg Forgiveness," as it seemed a bit too much like it was written, directed and produced by Sylvester Stallone, but "Do Unto" had more in the way of character development and, you know, that story stuff.  I think the Ripple Creek books have promise, but I'm not sure that Williamson has found his stride with them yet.
7/10

"Citizens," edited by John Ringo and Brian M. Thomsen
 A collection of short stories written by authors who were in the military.  Made me want to re-read some of my Bolo books, but otherwise nothing much memorable for me in this one.
6/10

"Citadel,"  John Ringo
I really enjoyed "Live Free or Die," the first in this series, and was looking forward to this one.  It doesn't focus as much on Tyler Vernon, instead it focuses more on some new up and comers, a girl in the Navy and a Welder working for Vernon's company.  I always like a science fiction story where the humans are continually underestimated and wind up completely surprising and overwhelming whatever alien overlord the author chooses.  Just makes me happy.  "Citadel" is not as funny as the first one, and focuses more on the military action side of things.  Funny story about this one--I read it in 12 hours, then went over to my friend's house the next day, and it turns out his brother had had it on reserve at the library, but his mom forgot to tell him the library had called, so it went back out, and I unsuspectingly checked it out right after.  Instead of turning it straight back in I brought it over, and then my friend and his brother both read it, and then turned it in.  All on one checkout.

"1635:  The Eastern Front," Eric Flint
I've read all of the hard-published books in the 1632 series.  I am coming to really really hate them.  You know that feeling you get when you read a good book and then find out that there is a sequel that hasn't come out yet.  That happens every. single. time.  And how many more years are there after the 1630's?  I can tell you we're at least up to the 2010's, and there seem to be more coming, so...
This whole stinking book is one big setup.  I waited three years since the last one in the "Main" storyline, and all I get is a big setup for the next one?  Quite frankly, I may stop paying attention to this series.  It will be like the "Wheel of Time" books, which I never read simply because there were so many.  Bah!
Book itself 7/10, even though I really like the series

Ok, that's all for now.  As I mentioned a couple days back, we watched The Lord of the Rings, so I think I will be re-reading those books, now.  Starting with The Hobbit, of course.  Assuming I can find our supremely beat-up copies around here somewhere, and all the pages haven't fallen out.