A
new list for a new year. This is a list and a quick thought on books
I've read this year. I will update it as the year goes on. I have 2 more
published main sequence novels left to read in the Wheel of Time. I
plan to tackle those, as well as book 14, due out fall of this year. I
may do an Asimov read as well.
"It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it."
- Oscar Wilde
1. The Magister Trilogy Book 3 : Legacy of Kings -
by C.S. Friedman (455 pages) A cool end to the story. This is a world
where to do magic, you either have to burn your soul, or steal the soul
of someone else. But it turns out a human can't prey on another human,
and something even darker is at play. Dark and intense, this is an
enjoyable well written book. (1/2-1/10)
2. Arhel book 3: Mind of the Magic -
by Holly Lisle (305 pages) A good wrap up to the trilogy. Faia
inadvertently removes all the magic from Arhel. This is about how it
happened, and who Delmuirie and the First Folk really are. I enjoyed it,
fast paced and fun. (1/11-1/15)
3. The Eyes of the Dragon - by
Stephen King (380 pages) An excellent book, a new all time favorite. A
King Arthur-esque story about an aging king, his two sons, and a wizard.
Very cool. (1/16-1/18)
4. Fantastic Voyage - by
Isaac Asimov (186 pages) A classic and a good story. About a group of
Doctors who are miniaturized along with a submarine, and injected into a
man's bloodstream to remove a blood clot from his brain.(1/19-1/25)
5. Till We Have Faces - by
C.S. Lewis (178 pages ) A very good novelization of the Greek myth of
Cupid and Psyche. Very well written and enjoyable. How can they meet us
face to face till we have faces? (1/25-1/31)
6. The Madness Season - by
C.S. Friedman (495 pages) An old book by C.S. Friedman that I somehow
missed when I was reading all her books back in the day. A cool Sci-Fi
story set in the distant future, after Earth is conquered by an alien
race called the Tyr. They are all of one mind, (similar to the Borg.) A
man who for reasons unknown who has lived for thousands of years, is
uncovered by the Tyr and removed from Earth for "observation."
(1/31-2/8)
7. The Empress of Eternity -
by L.E. Modesitt Jr (352 pages) This book is not that good. I am a fan
of Modesitt, but the pacing was awful, and it was written in a confusing
manner. Over 100 pages before anything started to make sense, and the
ending felt rushed. It is written in alternating chapters about 3 groups
of people, and it is difficult to keep straight who is doing what. Plus
there is a whole tree hugger agenda in this book that took away from
the story. Readable, but barely.(2/9-2/17)
8. Infinity Blade: Awakening -
by Brandon Sanderson (102 pages) A good story, but a little too short. I
felt like the story was just getting started, and it was
done.(2/18-2/20)
9. Dominion - by
C.S. Friedman (121 pages) Another book that is too short! A cool short
story telling how Gerald Tarrant came to have his castle in the forest.
(2/20-2/22)
10. The Time Machine - by
H.G. Wells (131 pages) A very cool book. This is the story that coined
the phrase "Time Machine" - in 1885. Enjoyable and ahead of it's time.
(2/23-2/27)
11. Jormundgand - by
Nigel Firth (210 pages - I stopped at page 50) I am bailing on this
book. (Hangs head in shame.) It is soooo dry and boring. It is written
by a scholar who is well informed on the mythology, but he has no
storytelling ability. (2/28-3/2)
11. SeinLanguage - by Jerry Seinfeld (180 pages) Normal Seinfeld observations. A quick and funny read. (3/3-3/6)
12. Mainspring - by
Jay Lake (358 pages) A Steampunk novel about a boy chosen by God to
rewind the mainspring of the world. In this universe the solar system
works like a clock, and the Earth spins on an orbital track. A cool
story.(3/7-3/15)
13. John Carter book 1: A Princess of Mars
- by Edgar Rice Burroughs (425 pages) A cool story about a man who is
transported to Mars. I found it hard to believe it was written in the
1800's. (3/16-3/25)
14. Mustaine - by
Dave Mustaine & Joe Layden (288 pages) I don't usually read
biographies, but the story of the singer/guitarist from Megadeth, and
how he became a Christian and cleaned up his life really intrigued me. A
well written and enjoyable book. (3/25-3/27)
15. Lucky Man - by
Michael J. Fox (238 pages) I know, 2 biographies in a row. Not my
reading norm. I was interested in his story detailing his Parkinson's
disease, and the Nook store had it on sale. Another well written and
interesting book. (3/28-3/31)
16. The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún -
by J.R.R. Tolkien (308 pages) I skipped about 50 pages of commentary by
Tolkien's son. A pair of ancient Norse poems about a man, Odin, a
Valkyrie, and a host of mythological figures. In the vein of Beowulf, a
difficult but interesting read. (4/1-4/8)
17. Banquets of the Black Widowers - by
Isaac Asimov (223 pages) A mystery novel about a group of men who meet
once a month to "grill" a guest and try to solve a problem they have. A
good read. (4/8-4/16)
18. Opus 200 -
by Isaac Asimov (432 pages) A bit like a clip show. A recap of his
second 200 books. Interesting, and helpful for discovering books by the
author that you wouldn't have come across otherwise. (4/16-4/24)
19. The Book of Dragons -
by Edith Nesbit (155 pages) We were at the used book store. D'arcy
picked this book, and Jenni put it back. She picked it up 2 or 3 more
times, and it was only $1, so I figured I should buy it. It was fairly
good. It is a collection of stories about dragons aimed at pre-teens.
(4/24-4/26)
20. The Collapsing Universe
- by Isaac Asimov (178 pages) A Physics book. This is basically a book
explaining how the theory of black holes came to be, and the physical
evidence in nature to back it up. As of the writing of this book there
had been no black holes discovered, and I did a quick Google search, and
my initial impression is that they still have not found any. There is
always the possibility that they are out there, just not where they can
be detected from earth. Written in layman's terms.(4/26-4/28)
21. American Lion -
by Jon Meacham (382 pages) This was an interesting read. It provides a
good view into Andrew Jackson's life and career. Not an easy read, but
well written with an insightful view into the mindset and politics of
the day. (4/29-5/16)
22. Nuclear Power - by
Isaac Asimov (53 pages) I left my other book at work so I read this
one. It is more of an older children's book, explaining how we
discovered nuclear power. Interesting, but not a whole lot of
information most adults with an interest in nuclear power wouldn't
already know. (5/5-5/5)
23. I Am America (And So Can You!) -
by Stephen Colbert (230 pages) (my brain may rot after reading this
book...) Only a small case of brain rot. I should recover. His TV show
is funny. His book is not. His humor doesn't work without the visual
cues. (5/16-5/20)
24. Mitch Rapp #7: Memorial Day -
by Vince Flynn (407 pages) An action packed story about a CIA operative
who is trying to stop a nuke from being detonated in Washington D.C. An
enjoyable read. (5/20-5/30)
25. The Genetic Code -
by Isaac Asimov (187 pages) An explanation of how DNA and RNA were
discovered. It is written in layman's terms, and explained in an
interesting way. The information is dated, but it provides good insight
into how the scientific research was done up to that point. (5/30-6/1)
26. The Obsidian Trilogy book 1: The Outstretched Shadow -
by Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory (711 pages) A good story, but a
bit disjointed. The book is written by two different authors, and their
styles don't mesh perfectly. I felt as if I was reading two different
books. Other then that, it was fun and well paced, with a satisfying
end, even though it is book one in a trilogy. (6/2-6/9)
27. The Dark Tower Book 4½: The Wind Through The Keyhole.
- by Stephen King. (307 pages) 9 years after the series was complete,
King decided there was story to be told between books 4 and 5. This is a
cool story, a flashback within a flashback. Roland is telling a story
of his youth while the ka-tet rides out a storm. (6/9-6/11)
28. Fathom -
by Cherie Priest. (380 pages) A modern take on mythology, centered
around elemental gods. Some trying to awaken Leviathan and destroy the
Earth, some fighting against them. It started great but fizzled a
little part way through. (6/12-6/19)
29. Mitch Rapp #1: American Assassin -
by Vince Flynn (435 pages) A fun book. Not alot of deep reading in
there but it has a good story and alot of action. A political intrigue
thriller about how Mitch Rapp got his start. (6/19-6/23)
30. The Sword Of Truth book 1: Wizard's First Rule
- by Terry Goodkind (836 pages) A good book. A little drawn out at
times, but that goes along with the genre. It felt like I was reading a
Robert Jordan / Tolkien hybrid book. More gets accomplished then in a
Jordan novel, but there were several times I felt like there was a gap
in the story. It is good enough that I will tackle the rest of the
series. And remember, people are stupid. (6/24-7/3)
31. The Dream Thief -
by Shana Abe (335 pages) Mediocre. Readable, but a bland story. I think
the author may have been a romance writer at some point, and the cheese
bleeds through in her stories. (7/4-7/10)
32. The War Of The Worlds -
by H.G. Wells (173 pages) Not as good as The Time Machine, but still
enjoyable. Wells was definitely ahead of his time. (7/10-7/20)
33. Earth Is Room Enough -
by Isaac Asimov (208 pages) A collection of Sci Fi short stories, all
taking place on Earth. A couple were really funny, and "The Dead Past"
was excellent. (7/22-7/24)
34. Blockade Billy -
by Stephen King (132 pages) A (fictional) story of the only baseball
player to ever be erased from the game. This story involves a scandal so
bad, he was removed from MLB, any record of him erased, and his team
was forced to replay the first 30 games of the season. (7/25-7/25)
35. Mitch Rapp #3: Transfer Of Power - by Vince Flynn (641 pages) A terrorist takes over the White House, and Rapp goes in. A fun action/thriller book. (7/25-7/31)
36. The Wheel of Time prequel: New Spring -
by Robert Jordan (334 pages) The only prequel to the Wheel of Time that
was completed before Robert Jordan's death. In his usual style, and an
enjoyable read for anyone curious about how Lan and Moraine met.
(8/1-8/5)
37. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk -
by David Sedaris (159 pages) Bizarre. A collection of short stories
about animals put into human situations. Very dry. I normally like dry
humor, but this book didn't work for me. (8/5 -8/5)
38. The Invisible Man -
by H.G. Wells (127 pages) An interesting read. A scientist turns
himself invisible, and proceeds to terrorize London and a small town. I
am always impressed when I can read a book from 100 years ago, and it
still feels relevant. I didn't notice anything in the story that was so
implausible that it took away from my enjoyment of the book. (8/6-8/9)
39. Mitch Rapp #2: Kill Shot -
by Vince Flynn (385 pages) Good, but not my favorite Rapp novel. It was
paced slower than other books in the series, and the story that I
thought this prequel was about was not in the book at all. (8/9-8/13)
40. The Sword of Truth book 2: Stone of Tears -
by Terry Goodkind (979 pages) Much better than book 1. The pacing
improved, and the story flowed much better. This is the story of Richard
learning to control and use his magic. (8/14-9/5)
41. The Sword of Truth book 3: Blood of the Fold -
by Terry Goodkind (623 pages) The story is good, but the writing is
choppy. I enjoy the story, but I always feel like I am reading a Wheel
of Time knockoff. In this book, Richard discovers the truth about Gars
and Mriswith. (9/5-9/17)
42. Legion -
by Brandon Sanderson (87 pages) Very cool. A story about a man who
solves problems by creating alternate personalities for himself, e.g. A
gunslinger, a linguist, and a theologian to name a few. Fun and fast
paced. My only complaint is that it is too short! (9/17-9/18)
43. On Writing
- by Stephen King (297 pages) Part memoir and part writing course. A
surprisingly good read, even for someone with no ambition to be a
writer. It gives good insight into Kings life, and how he writes. I
would recommend it to anyone who aspires to be a writer. (9/18-9/20)
44. The Green Mile Part 1: Two Dead Girls -
by Stephen King (92 pages) A good read, and a good set up for the rest
of the story. This series is about a man on death row, sentenced to die
for murdering 2 young girls, and the prison guard who tells us the story
50 years (or so) later. (9/21-9/23)
45a. Heuristic Algorithm and Reasoning Response Engine -
by Brandon Sanderson (22 pages) A short story about a war being fought
against robot bugs by robotic armored suits. Picture Starship troopers
crossed with Iron Man. (9/23-9/23)
45b. The Clockwork Century book 2½: Tanglefoot -
by Cherie Priest (69 pages) A novella that takes place in the middle of
the book Clementine. Short but well told, and I enjoyed the story.
(9/23-9/23)
46. When The Women Come Out To Dance -
by Elmore Leonard (228 pages) A very well written and enjoyable book. I
never heard of Elmore Leonard until last week, when I saw a headline
that he won a National Book Foundation award. I saw this for sale used
and picked it up. A collection of short stories, mostly featuring female
protagonists. Of the bunch, Tenkiller was my favorite. (9/23-9/25)
47. Mitch Rapp #4: The Third Option -
by Vince Flynn (402 pages) Entertaining as always. Rapp is in Germany
and get's double crossed. This story is about how high up the leak was,
and how corrupt the people involved were. (9/25-9/30)
48. Yours, Isaac Asimov: A Life In Letters -
by Isaac Asimov (332 pages) A bit dry, but interesting. A collection of
correspondence between Asimov and his fans, and some famous people too.
this helps to give you a glimpse of the kind of man he was.
(10/1-10/4)
49. The Green Mile Part 2: The Mouse On The Mile -
(92 pages) Continuing the story of Coffey, this book tells the story of
a man executed just before Coffey arrived, and two inmates who arrived
on to death row just before he did. (10/4-10/5)
50. Contact -
by Carl Sagan (432 pages) Fantastic! Easily the best book I have read
this year. It is very well written and it's a very cool story. The story
of a radio telescope picking up an alien message that has an
instruction manual to build a machine. but no one knows what the machine
will do.(10/6-10/10)
51. Carrie -
by Stephen King (245 pages) A story about an outcast teen girl who also
happens to have telekinetic power. A prank goes too far, and mayhem
ensues in true Stephen King fashion. (10/10-10/13)
52. Ernest Hemingway On Writing -
by Ernest Hemingway (140 pages) A collection of excerpts from letters
written by Hemingway to various people, all dealing with the subject of
writing. Interesting and insightful. The part (for me at least) that
stood out the most, was a letter he wrote stating that his letters were
never to be published. I found it humorous that not only did they
publish them, they rubbed it in his face. (10/14-10/14)
53. The Heavenly Host -
by Isaac Asimov (54 pages) A fun short story about a boy traveling with
his mother who is an interplanetary inspector. They are on a world that
is applying for a permit to make it a permanent human colony, but the
boy thinks the native life is intelligent. (10/14-10/14)
54. Chernobyl -
by Frederik Pohl (357 pages) I expected this to be cheesy, but it was
surprisingly good. This book tells the story of Chernobyl, but with
fictional characters. Well paced and interesting. (10/14-10/18)
55. The Green Mile Part 3: Coffey's Hands -
by Stephen King (90 pages) Another arrival on death row, and we learn
some interesting things about Coffey. This book ends on a serious
cliffhanger. An enjoyable series. (10/19-10/21)
56. Chili Palmer book 1: Get Shorty -
Elmore Leonard (375 pages) Fun and fast paced. The story of a mobster
who chases a bad pay to L.A. When he gets there, he finds out the movie
business is alot like Mob business, so he decides to make a movie. The
only problem is I saw the movie first, so my brain automatically fills
in the actors faces instead of making up my own. The movie was fairly
faithful to the book though. (10/22-10/24)
57. The Emperor's Soul
- by Brandon Sanderson (175 pages) A wonderfully told tale of a woman
who uses magic to forge things. When she is caught trying to steal from
the palace, she is recruited to forge a new soul for the Emperor.
(10/25-10/25)
58. Green book 2: Endurance -
by Jay Lake (319 pages) I am on the fence about this book. The first
half was dry and boring setup. The second half was alot better, but the
first half took away from my enjoyment of the story as a whole. Also,
the author kept throwing in phrases like "I learned later in life" and
"As I would one day find out" that felt awkward and misplaced. The book
was not written as a retrospective story, and the retrospective phrases
were annoying. Take those out and improve the pacing in the first half
and I would have loved it. (10/26-11/3)
59. The Problem Of Pain -
by C.S. Lewis (164 pages) This is an excellent book that will make your
head spin. This is about Human suffering, and why God would allow
humans to suffer. Provided some new insight for me into the Christian
life, and how I look at eternity. Highly recommended for anyone who has
ever wondered how can God allow this to happen? (11/3-11/8)
60. The Law Of Nines - by
Terry Goodkind (502 pages) This is an interesting story. It's basically
about a man who turns 27 and everything in his life gets turned upside
down. Goodkind's writing has improved quite a bit since Wizards First
Rule, the story is cohesive and it doesn't feel like huge gaps are
missing. (11/8-11/13)
61. Alcatraz 4: Alcatraz Versus The Shattered Lens -
by Brandon Sanderson (296 pages) A quirky and fun YA novel. I love it
when an author doesn't take himself too seriously. (11/13-11/15)
62. The Sword Of Truth book 4: Temple Of The Winds -
by Terry Goodkind (822 pages) This series seems to get better as it
progresses. In this book Richard must find the Temple of Winds to stop a
plague. Good pacing and an interesting story. (11/15-11/28)
63. The Clockwork Century book 5: The Inexplicables -
(366 pages) Very well written and enjoyable Steampunk novel. This is
the story of a Sap dealer who has been dipping into his own supply. When
he turns 18 and gets kicked out of the orphanage he lived in, he
decides to head for Seattle, the source of the Blight gas that the Sap
is made from. Lots of action and a dark foreboding atmosphere.
(11/28-12/5)
64. The Wheel Of Time book 12: The Gathering Storm - by
Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (784 pages) A major plotline tied
up. An excellent read, and a great beginning of the end of the series.
(12/6-12/17)
65. The Wheel Of Time book 13: The Towers Of Midnight -
by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (861 pages) Huge progressions,
and a couple of other plotlines tied up. Only 5 days till the last book
comes out!!! (12/18-1/2)
(21,085 Pages)
