Tag / Nancy Holder

by admin

Prolific Authors – 17 Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 1xx books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We continue today with our penultimate entry and the lone author I’ve read 17 times, who was at the top of this list two years ago.

Nancy Holder

My former most prolific author first came to my attention in 1998, when I read Halloween Rain, her first entry, along with Christopher Golden, in the series of books based on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Twelve of her 17 entries, all of which are tie-ins to either Buffy and/or Angel, were read between 1998 and 2002.  After a nine-year layoff, she returned to my attention in 2011 with Carnival of Souls.

The Book Of Fours – Nancy Holder

Another five years went by, before she returned again with two books in 2016, one in 2018, and then, finally, one in 2021.  Seeing as I have depleted my backlog of Buffy novels, she’s likely to stay put for the foreseeable future, unless someone re-releases these cheaply on the Kindle.

by admin

Prolific Authors – 17 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  We continue things today with the sole author I’ve read 17 times.

Nancy Holder

My most prolific author first came to my attention in 1998, when I read Halloween Rain, her first entry, along with Christopher Golden, in the series of books based on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Twelve of her 17 entries, all of which are tie-ins to either Buffy and/or Angel, were read between 1998 and 2002.  After a nine-year layoff, she returned to my attention in 2011 with Carnival of Souls.

Heat – Nancy Holder

Another five years went by, before she returned again with two books in 2016, one in 2018, and then, finally, one in 2021.  Seeing as I have depleted my backlog of Buffy novels, she’s likely to stay put for the foreseeable future, unless someone re-releases these cheaply on the Kindle.

by admin

Prolific Authors – 17 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 54 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we finish things off with the author I’ve read the most, with 17 entries.

Nancy Holder

My most prolific author first came to my attention in 1998, when I read Halloween Rain, her first entry, along with Christopher Golden, into the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series of books based on the television show.  12 of her 17 entries, all of which are tie-ins to either Buffy or Angel, were read between 1998 and 2002.  After a 9 year lay off, she returned to me attention in 2011 with Carnival of Souls.

Carnival of Souls – Nancy Holder

Another 5 years went by, before she returned again with 2 books in 2016, once in 2018, and then one earlier this year.  Seeing as I have depleted my backlog of Buffy novels, she’s likely to stay put for the foreseeable future, unless someone re-releases these cheaply on the Kindle.

by admin

Book 9 (of 52) – The Book Of Fours

The Book Of Fours – Nancy Holder

When tidal waves and burning forests bring mayhem to the streets of Sunnydale at the same time vicious attackers appear with mystical axes, the Scooby gang knows that something is up. While Buffy and Faith try to keep the town, and each other, safe, a woman named Cecile Lafitte has put plans in motion to bring forth the Gatherer, who wants to kill both slayers and bring destruction to all of Earth.  To defeat the Gatherer, the two slayers must look for help from their immediate predecessors, along with Willow and Cordelia, to stop Cecile before he can come forth.

It’s been nearly 3 years since I travelled back to Sunnydale to visit our old friends from Buffy The Vampire Slayer.  The Book of Fours, from prolific Buffy writer Nancy Holder, brings us a tale of multiple slayers, many of whom have been sacrificed to the same evil.  What I thought would be an easy read turned into a bit of a disappointment.  There were a few unnecessary plot threads that looked like they were going somewhere, only to be abandoned for the remainder of the book and resolved in passing in the epilogue.  Was this the fault of Holder or is what they say about not being able to go home again true?  Who knows?

 

by jim

The Decade In Books

The 2010s have drawn to a close and its time to take a look back at the previous decade. Today, we move on to books, specifically the 229 books I read between 2010 and 2019. This decade coincides completely with my starting the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge, which I have never really come close to completing.

2015 was my best year, with 31 books completed.  2010 was by far the worst year in terms of finished books, with only 7.  Over the course of 10 years, those 229 books totaled over 77,000 pages.


152 different authors contributed to the books I’ve read this decade, 35 of which I’ve read multiple times.  The ghost writer for Richard Castle leads the way and is the only author I read more than 10 offerings from over the last 10 years.  The most surprising entry is Erle Stanley Gardner, who passed away in 1970. Continue reading →

by admin

Prolific Authors 2019

Way back in December of 2011 (and again in the Decembers of 2013, 2015, and 2017), we took a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 48 books from 50 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span. Once again, we will be limiting ourselves to the now 70 authors from whom I have read more than one book.

 

Author Name Current Total 2017 Total Difference
Nancy Holder 16 15 1

Nancy Holder adds 1 new book over the past 2 years to maintain her lead.

Richard Castle 15 14 1

The writer (or writers) using the nom de plume of the main character from the television show Castle sees a slight increase, despite the show being off the air for well over 3 years now.

Stephen King 13 12 1
Greg Rucka 13 13 0
Christopher Golden 12 12 0
Brad Meltzer 12 11 1

Very little movement in the next tier the past 2 years.

Jeffery Deaver 11 8 3

We round out the double digits with Deaver, who will be going up again soon, as I’m currently reading one of his books. Continue reading →

by admin

Book 8 (of 52) – How I Survived My Summer Vacation Vol. 1

How I Survived My Summer Vacation – Michelle West, Nancy Holder, Cameron Dokey, Yvonne Navarro, Paul Ruditis

This collection of 6 short stories, billed as Volume 1 though the only one released, takes place between seasons 1 & 2 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.  Buffy has gone to Los Angeles to spend the summer with her estranged father while Willow, Xander, Giles, Angel, and Jenny Calendar hold down the fort in Sunnydale.

It was nice to return to the old Scooby gang once again, but I think this would have worked better as a singular effort rather than as a collection from multiple writers.  As is, it was a bit of a disjointed experience, with character personalities, especially Giles, shifting from story to story.  But, as the last Buffy book left in my drawer of things to read, finishing it was a bittersweet experience.  Maybe one day I’ll go searching for the novels I haven’t already read.

 

by admin

Prolific Authors 2017

Way back in December of 2011 (and again in the Decembers of 2013 and 2015), we took a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 47 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span. Once again, we will be limiting ourselves to the now 54 authors from whom I have read more than one book.

Author Name Current Total 2015 Total Difference
Nancy Holder 15 13 2

A new leader in the clubhouse, as Nancy Holder adds 2 new additions over the past 2 years to put her out front.

Richard Castle 14 9 5

The second largest increase (or largest for someone I had read before) goes to the writer (or writers) using the nom de plume of the main character from the television show Castle.  I’m guessing this total will stay pretty static, with the show off the air for over a year now.

Greg Rucka 13 13 0
Christopher Golden 12 12 0
Stephen King 12 12 0

These three round out the top 5 with absolutely no movement over the past 2 years.

Brad Meltzer 11 9 2
Jeffery Deaver 8 5 3

Slight increases for both of these authors, with more to come.  Meltzer’s next book is already pre-ordered, while there are a few unread Deaver works on my Kindle. Continue reading →

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Book 23 (of 52) – The Angel Chronicles Volume 3

The Angel Chronicles Volume 3 - Nancy Holder

The Angel Chronicles Volume 3 – Nancy Holder

I dipped back in the to-read drawer for this 17 year old novelization by Nancy Holder of 3 episodes from the second season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Surprise, Innocence, and Passion.  After giving in to his forbidden love with Buffy, Angel feels a moment of complete happiness and loses his soul.  He turns on Buffy and the Scooby gang, killing one of their own in the process.

It just so happens that Surprise, the first part of the Angel loses his soul two-parter, was the first episode of Buffy that I ever saw.  Holder manages to convey most of the emotional punch that was on the screen way back when.

by admin

Book 13 (of 52) – Heat

Heat - Nancy Holder

Heat – Nancy Holder

My second attempt to acquire and read this book was much more successful, though maybe fate was trying to keep me from something.  In this tale from author Nancy Holder, ancient demons from China plot to thaw out magical dragons and take over the world, attacking both in Sunnydale and Los Angeles.  Buffy and Angel are forced to reunite in order to stop the threat and save the world.

Unlike her other works in this franchise, Holder’s output this time was a bit of a slog to get through.  Perhaps if less time was spent on the demons and where they came from and why they are attacking and more time was spent with out heroes, it would have been a bit more enjoyable.  But, it is what it is and my latest foray into the Buffyverse comes to an end.