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If I were to put 2019 reading on the heart monitor, one could say that the patient survived, and that she is expected to recover in full health, with new vigour, although there were times when she came close to flatlining.
What an interesting, if sometimes mundane, reading year this has been -- probably more reflective of my mood than of the books I chose.
Year's Best, By Head, Shoulders and ECG Print-Out
Quite Early One Morning
Year's Best
Voss
A Fringe of Leaves
Mordecai Richler Was Here
The Watch That Ends The Night
The Flame
Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife Abigail Adams During The Revolution
The Life of Rebecca Jones
Nothing To Be Frightened Of
Felicia's Journey
The Story of Lucy Gault
Death In Summer
Honourable Mention
House Of Mirth
show more target="_top">The Awakening: And Other Stories
The Light Of Evening
Barkskins
The Dark Flood Rises
A Good Man Is Hard To Find
Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away
Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon
The Mehs, and the Unmentionables shall remain lost on the bookshelves. They may be gathered and driven to the annual summer Charity Book Drive.
I had a most exhausting, and rewarding, adventure with Patrick White. I've been wanting to meet him for ages but somehow there was always something getting in the way of his hefty tomes. I think I might have been intimidated by his genius, figuring I'd never understand him. I think I was partially right -- but for all of that, I'm not sorry that I set my shyness-in-the-face-of-genius-or-rock-star-of-my-youth aside and decided to ask for his autograph afterall. I shall cherish the days I spent in the outback with him, all my days. Truly a terrifying, soul-searching scraping experience, both in Voss and in A Fringe of Leaves. The tree of man pierced me a little less only because by then I was prepared for the camping experience, and had my gear ready. There is still much to discover in that country from which no one seems to return, and I may tackle a few more of his novels this year.
Another man who has given me the "come-hither-you-not-so-young-maiden" look for a while was William Trevor; and I'm sorry, too, that it took so long to spend more time with him. I see I carried the same sin with me as did Julian Barnes. I first met Trevor in The Old Boys, and could not have been more nonplussed of his popularity as a writer. Still scratching my head over that one, much as Mr. Barnes did initially. But, when Bill stepped away from that country of old men, ... oh, zowee, Batwoman, he woke me up! A lifelong fan I will ever be, and I'm so very sorry there will not be fresh stories from him. (The story of my life, it seems: always a day late and a dollar short.) There are plenty of his stories for me to discover, however, so perhaps not all is lost.
I note with some self-reproach that I gave Stoner an 8/10 and I must correct that wrong, for it is a lie. Not only that, but a damn lie. I hated Stoner. I despised his weakness, his spineless approach to life. He was everything that I least admire (read: most detest) in a human being. I enjoyed John Williams's easy, writerly ways and I may look for his other books, with a prayer in my heart that he doesn't deliver another Stoner.
I did give an honest review to Saramago's blindness, for I do believe someone must be truly blind to deliver such a monstrosity, and I couldn't hold myself back. There is enough ugliness in the world that I don't need, don't want another meaningless allegory on the state of our inhumanity. I do admit to a different kind of self-reproach herein, because I can concede I may have especially-hated this book because of my own connections to blindness -- and yet -- and yet -- there is something so repulsive, viscerally, in that novel, that even admitting that I have my own Achilles Heel of Blindness cannot pierce the darkness enough to admit there was "something" redeeming in it.
I withheld my review on Stoner and hesitated in even submitting something on Saramago, for I'd been led to these books by the reviews of those I most admire here on GR: I hesitated because I suddenly had become self-conscious of being the one who is always pushing against the river -- and usually without a paddle!
I rarely seem to see what others see. It is a mystery which is begin to annoy, and worry me: I wonder why am I so out of step, so often, in this bookish world. All the rave reviews in the world could not help my eyes glazing over every 3 minutes, lost in Stoner's trancelike life. Rather than crossing to safety with the Stegner crowd, I wanted to throw myself into oncoming traffic. I left Princess Casamassima finally, three quarters of the way through the misery, only wishing there had been a train, and a station, as in Anna Karenina, where I could rid myself of her truly. Stefan Zweig proved to be the greatest disappointment in his post office, though I did leave the wicket open just enough, on his behalf, to try again.
So you see my dilemma: so many good books being read, and reviewed, and still I stand outside the shop window, peering in.
Why can't I see?
Is this my own blindness?
I see in fragments. I have part(icle) vision. I see the world from an oblique angle, and I don't want to be the funny little kid with glasses, anymore, who's always out of step with the cool kids. But ... I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. I'm pretty sure I was born this way.
Why this?
Only to say, I'm not being ornery, and I'm not being combative, and I'm not being quarrelsome, or adverse-for-the-sake-of-being-adverse when I don't see the things that you see -- I just happen to see different marks on the page, and can't understand why they don't talk to me the same way they whisper to you.
In that light, ironically, I opened [b:Don Quixote|3836|Don Quixote|Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546112331l/3836._SX50_.jpg|121842] as my last book of the year, and found adventure, and truth, to my heart's content. And may just have found the book on which we can "all" agree. Even me.
For each of us, then, a song to open the new year: may we all read books that we truly love this year, and fear not the dissenting voice of the crowd.
Reaching for his saddlebag
He takes a battered book into his hand
Standing like a prophet bold
He shouts across the ocean to the shore
Till he can shout no more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJB0nCv0qxk
Happy New Year to All! show less
What an interesting, if sometimes mundane, reading year this has been -- probably more reflective of my mood than of the books I chose.
Year's Best, By Head, Shoulders and ECG Print-Out
Quite Early One Morning
Year's Best
Voss
A Fringe of Leaves
Mordecai Richler Was Here
The Watch That Ends The Night
The Flame
Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife Abigail Adams During The Revolution
The Life of Rebecca Jones
Nothing To Be Frightened Of
Felicia's Journey
The Story of Lucy Gault
Death In Summer
Honourable Mention
House Of Mirth
show more target="_top">The Awakening: And Other Stories
The Light Of Evening
Barkskins
The Dark Flood Rises
A Good Man Is Hard To Find
Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away
Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon
The Mehs, and the Unmentionables shall remain lost on the bookshelves. They may be gathered and driven to the annual summer Charity Book Drive.
I had a most exhausting, and rewarding, adventure with Patrick White. I've been wanting to meet him for ages but somehow there was always something getting in the way of his hefty tomes. I think I might have been intimidated by his genius, figuring I'd never understand him. I think I was partially right -- but for all of that, I'm not sorry that I set my shyness-in-the-face-of-genius-or-rock-star-of-my-youth aside and decided to ask for his autograph afterall. I shall cherish the days I spent in the outback with him, all my days. Truly a terrifying, soul-searching scraping experience, both in Voss and in A Fringe of Leaves. The tree of man pierced me a little less only because by then I was prepared for the camping experience, and had my gear ready. There is still much to discover in that country from which no one seems to return, and I may tackle a few more of his novels this year.
Another man who has given me the "come-hither-you-not-so-young-maiden" look for a while was William Trevor; and I'm sorry, too, that it took so long to spend more time with him. I see I carried the same sin with me as did Julian Barnes. I first met Trevor in The Old Boys, and could not have been more nonplussed of his popularity as a writer. Still scratching my head over that one, much as Mr. Barnes did initially. But, when Bill stepped away from that country of old men, ... oh, zowee, Batwoman, he woke me up! A lifelong fan I will ever be, and I'm so very sorry there will not be fresh stories from him. (The story of my life, it seems: always a day late and a dollar short.) There are plenty of his stories for me to discover, however, so perhaps not all is lost.
I note with some self-reproach that I gave Stoner an 8/10 and I must correct that wrong, for it is a lie. Not only that, but a damn lie. I hated Stoner. I despised his weakness, his spineless approach to life. He was everything that I least admire (read: most detest) in a human being. I enjoyed John Williams's easy, writerly ways and I may look for his other books, with a prayer in my heart that he doesn't deliver another Stoner.
I did give an honest review to Saramago's blindness, for I do believe someone must be truly blind to deliver such a monstrosity, and I couldn't hold myself back. There is enough ugliness in the world that I don't need, don't want another meaningless allegory on the state of our inhumanity. I do admit to a different kind of self-reproach herein, because I can concede I may have especially-hated this book because of my own connections to blindness -- and yet -- and yet -- there is something so repulsive, viscerally, in that novel, that even admitting that I have my own Achilles Heel of Blindness cannot pierce the darkness enough to admit there was "something" redeeming in it.
I withheld my review on Stoner and hesitated in even submitting something on Saramago, for I'd been led to these books by the reviews of those I most admire here on GR: I hesitated because I suddenly had become self-conscious of being the one who is always pushing against the river -- and usually without a paddle!
I rarely seem to see what others see. It is a mystery which is begin to annoy, and worry me: I wonder why am I so out of step, so often, in this bookish world. All the rave reviews in the world could not help my eyes glazing over every 3 minutes, lost in Stoner's trancelike life. Rather than crossing to safety with the Stegner crowd, I wanted to throw myself into oncoming traffic. I left Princess Casamassima finally, three quarters of the way through the misery, only wishing there had been a train, and a station, as in Anna Karenina, where I could rid myself of her truly. Stefan Zweig proved to be the greatest disappointment in his post office, though I did leave the wicket open just enough, on his behalf, to try again.
So you see my dilemma: so many good books being read, and reviewed, and still I stand outside the shop window, peering in.
Why can't I see?
Is this my own blindness?
I see in fragments. I have part(icle) vision. I see the world from an oblique angle, and I don't want to be the funny little kid with glasses, anymore, who's always out of step with the cool kids. But ... I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. I'm pretty sure I was born this way.
Why this?
Only to say, I'm not being ornery, and I'm not being combative, and I'm not being quarrelsome, or adverse-for-the-sake-of-being-adverse when I don't see the things that you see -- I just happen to see different marks on the page, and can't understand why they don't talk to me the same way they whisper to you.
In that light, ironically, I opened [b:Don Quixote|3836|Don Quixote|Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546112331l/3836._SX50_.jpg|121842] as my last book of the year, and found adventure, and truth, to my heart's content. And may just have found the book on which we can "all" agree. Even me.
For each of us, then, a song to open the new year: may we all read books that we truly love this year, and fear not the dissenting voice of the crowd.
Reaching for his saddlebag
He takes a battered book into his hand
Standing like a prophet bold
He shouts across the ocean to the shore
Till he can shout no more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJB0nCv0qxk
Happy New Year to All! show less
My choices this year were atypical, and skewed by aftermath of my father’s totally unexpected death in November 2018: see my review of Saki’s The Reticence of Lady Anne.
By the end of January 2019, I had ignored friends’ reviews for several months and was struggling to read myself. I turned to a mix of nostalgia, short pieces, children’s/YA, a bit of humour, and things I was confident of enjoying.
Image: Curled up with a good book (Source.)
Highlights
I chose a few books specifically because I thought I might find them helpful, including the picture book Michael Rosen's Sad Book, and Mary Oliver’s poems, Thirst.
Other books caught me in unexpectedly poignant, healing ways. The standout was Billy O’Callaghan’s beautiful My show more Coney Island Baby. The second chapter in particular released a flood of cleansing tears. Almost as powerful was Bothayna Al-Essa’s All That I Want to Forget.
Lowlights
Perhaps because I’ve been more focused on myself and am painfully aware that life is short, I’ve been readier to give up on books: four DNFs this year (one not yet listed on GR), plus a fifth at the end of 2018 (compared with only 14 in the previous 11 years). However, this is liberating, so not really a bad thing.
Looking back
Now it’s year end. Just past the first anniversary of my father’s death. I’m still struggling to untangle the practical fallout, in addition to the obvious emotional issues. At a national and international level, things alarm and depress me.
I return again and again to the safe embrace of fiction. Books (and politics) were my father’s lifeblood: I literally would not have come into existence without them, and books were a constant link between him, me, and my own child (as well as between my mother, me, and my child).
I guess my “book” of the year should be a short story that is about the life-changing importance of the right story at the right time: Alix E Harrow’s A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies.
Thanks
You, my GR friends, have been a huge support to me this last year: some directly and knowingly (you know who you are), and many more just by being here: commenting and reviewing. Thank you, thank you. I wish you all a happy and healthy 2020, infused with good books.
Reviews from 2019
Image: "My reading year" by Tom Gauld (Source.)
• The Sleeper and the Spindle, Gaiman and Riddell, 5*, HERE
YA comfort, but refreshingly new.
• A Child’s Garden of Verses, Stevenson and Wildsmith, 5*, HERE
Retreat to childhood.
• Thirst, Mary Oliver, 5*, HERE
Solace for grief, prompted by Laysee.
• My Coney Island Baby, Billy O’Callaghan, 5*, HERE
An author I love, with, it turned out, powerful chapter on grief.
• Suicide, Survivors: A Guide for Those Left Behind, Adina Wrobleski, 2*, HERE
Hurtful rubbish.
• Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman, 4*, HERE
• Michael Rosen’s Sad Book, Michael Rosen, 5*, HERE
Grief, obviously. Aimed at children, but universal.
• The Newton Letter, John Banville, 4*, HERE
• The Professor and the Madman, Simon Winchester, 3*, HERE
A silly title for the extraordinary story of two very different men’s role in the first Oxford English Dictionary.
• Written on the Body, Jeanette Winterson, 5*, HERE
I read this for the gender angle, but responded to the (unexpected) grief angle.
• Blood on the Tracks: Railway Mysteries, edited by Martin Edwards, 3*, HERE.
• Difficult Loves, Italo Calvino, 4*, HERE
Early Calvino: short stories.
• Smog, Italo Calvino, 3*, HERE
• All that I Want to Forget, Bothayna Al-Essa, 5*, HERE
An extraordinary insight into the unfamiliar world of a contemporary young woman, subject to strict Kuwaiti Muslim family, and desperate to break free and write poetry.
• The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry, 3*, HERE
• In Exile, Billy O’Callaghan, 4*, HERE
Difficult to obtain, but worth it. Grief in some.
• Happiness Rules, Mark Hebwood, 4*, HERE
Sought for struggling grief, and found some solace.
• The Twat in the Flat, Geoff Allnutt, 4*, HERE
Puerile fun.
• The Victorians: Twelve Titans who Forged Britain, Jacob Rees-Mogg, HERE
An excuse for a political rant.
• Adjustable Spanner: History, Origins and Development to 1970, Ron Geesin, HERE
• The Sea, The Sea, Iris Murdoch, 3*, HERE
He’s too nasty, it’s too implausible, and it went on too long.
• More Tell Me Why, Arkady Leokum , 3*, HERE
Back to memories of childhood - mine and my own child’s.
• A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies, by Alix E. Harrow, 5*, HERE
The transforming power of the right book at the right time.
• The Algebraist, Iain M Banks, 3*, HERE
Sci-fi that goes on too long, but I got there.
• The Great Sermon Handicap, PG Wodehouse, 4*, HERE
In my mind’s ear, I can still hear my father reading this aloud.
• The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien, 4*, HERE
As much a tribute to my child as the book and author.
• The Silmarillion, JRR Tolkien, 4*, HERE
Mini Tolkien reviews:
• The Fellowship of the Ring (LotR 1), 4*, HERE
• The Two Towers (LotR 2), 4*, HERE
• The Return of the King (LotR 3), 4*, HERE
• Exhalation, Ted Chiang, 4*, HERE
Nine stories.
• Four Cautionary Tales: Translated from the Chinese by Feng Menglong, Harold Acton, Lee Yi-Hsieh, 4*, HERE
• A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Rebecca Solnit, 5*. Two reviews:
HERE
and
HERE
Nine essays.
• Six Dinner Sid, Inga Moore, 4*, HERE
• The Mating Season, PG Wodehouse, 4*, HERE
• Closely Watched Trains, Bohumil Hrabal, 3*, HERE
• Life Isn’t Binary, Alex Iantaffi, Meg-John Barker , 5*, HERE
Open your mind, and stop pigeon-holing everyone and everything into black/white, good/bad etc.
• The Testaments, Margaret Atwood, 3*, HERE
• The Fifth Child, Doris Lessing, 4*, HERE
• Unspeak, Steven Poole, 4*, HERE
The power of neologisms as covert propaganda.
• A Ladybird Book About Donald Trump, Hazeley and Morris, 4*, HERE
Sometimes humour, even when it’s unsubtle, is the best escape.
• The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Muriel Spark, 4*, HERE
• Brenda’s Beaver Needs a Barber, Bimisi Tayanita, 3*, HERE
Guilty laughs.
• The Dark Flood Rises, Margaret Drabble, DNF, HERE
• Monsters: An Owner's Guide, Emmett and Oliver, 5*, HERE
Why the world needs technical writers!
• Wanderlust, Rebecca Solnit, DNF, HERE
• The Story of Brexit, Hazeley and Morris, 2*, HERE
Not funny any more.
• The Dot and the Line, Norton Juster, 4*, HERE
• In Praise of Shadows, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, 4*, HERE
Japanese aesthetics.
• Christmas with Dull People, Saki, 4*, HERE
Four festive Saki shorts
• Dear Life, Alice Munro, 4*, HERE show less
By the end of January 2019, I had ignored friends’ reviews for several months and was struggling to read myself. I turned to a mix of nostalgia, short pieces, children’s/YA, a bit of humour, and things I was confident of enjoying.
Image: Curled up with a good book (Source.)
Highlights
I chose a few books specifically because I thought I might find them helpful, including the picture book Michael Rosen's Sad Book, and Mary Oliver’s poems, Thirst.
Other books caught me in unexpectedly poignant, healing ways. The standout was Billy O’Callaghan’s beautiful My show more Coney Island Baby. The second chapter in particular released a flood of cleansing tears. Almost as powerful was Bothayna Al-Essa’s All That I Want to Forget.
Lowlights
Perhaps because I’ve been more focused on myself and am painfully aware that life is short, I’ve been readier to give up on books: four DNFs this year (one not yet listed on GR), plus a fifth at the end of 2018 (compared with only 14 in the previous 11 years). However, this is liberating, so not really a bad thing.
Looking back
Now it’s year end. Just past the first anniversary of my father’s death. I’m still struggling to untangle the practical fallout, in addition to the obvious emotional issues. At a national and international level, things alarm and depress me.
I return again and again to the safe embrace of fiction. Books (and politics) were my father’s lifeblood: I literally would not have come into existence without them, and books were a constant link between him, me, and my own child (as well as between my mother, me, and my child).
I guess my “book” of the year should be a short story that is about the life-changing importance of the right story at the right time: Alix E Harrow’s A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies.
Thanks
You, my GR friends, have been a huge support to me this last year: some directly and knowingly (you know who you are), and many more just by being here: commenting and reviewing. Thank you, thank you. I wish you all a happy and healthy 2020, infused with good books.
Reviews from 2019
Image: "My reading year" by Tom Gauld (Source.)
• The Sleeper and the Spindle, Gaiman and Riddell, 5*, HERE
YA comfort, but refreshingly new.
• A Child’s Garden of Verses, Stevenson and Wildsmith, 5*, HERE
Retreat to childhood.
• Thirst, Mary Oliver, 5*, HERE
Solace for grief, prompted by Laysee.
• My Coney Island Baby, Billy O’Callaghan, 5*, HERE
An author I love, with, it turned out, powerful chapter on grief.
• Suicide, Survivors: A Guide for Those Left Behind, Adina Wrobleski, 2*, HERE
Hurtful rubbish.
• Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman, 4*, HERE
• Michael Rosen’s Sad Book, Michael Rosen, 5*, HERE
Grief, obviously. Aimed at children, but universal.
• The Newton Letter, John Banville, 4*, HERE
• The Professor and the Madman, Simon Winchester, 3*, HERE
A silly title for the extraordinary story of two very different men’s role in the first Oxford English Dictionary.
• Written on the Body, Jeanette Winterson, 5*, HERE
I read this for the gender angle, but responded to the (unexpected) grief angle.
• Blood on the Tracks: Railway Mysteries, edited by Martin Edwards, 3*, HERE.
• Difficult Loves, Italo Calvino, 4*, HERE
Early Calvino: short stories.
• Smog, Italo Calvino, 3*, HERE
• All that I Want to Forget, Bothayna Al-Essa, 5*, HERE
An extraordinary insight into the unfamiliar world of a contemporary young woman, subject to strict Kuwaiti Muslim family, and desperate to break free and write poetry.
• The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry, 3*, HERE
• In Exile, Billy O’Callaghan, 4*, HERE
Difficult to obtain, but worth it. Grief in some.
• Happiness Rules, Mark Hebwood, 4*, HERE
Sought for struggling grief, and found some solace.
• The Twat in the Flat, Geoff Allnutt, 4*, HERE
Puerile fun.
• The Victorians: Twelve Titans who Forged Britain, Jacob Rees-Mogg, HERE
An excuse for a political rant.
• Adjustable Spanner: History, Origins and Development to 1970, Ron Geesin, HERE
• The Sea, The Sea, Iris Murdoch, 3*, HERE
He’s too nasty, it’s too implausible, and it went on too long.
• More Tell Me Why, Arkady Leokum , 3*, HERE
Back to memories of childhood - mine and my own child’s.
• A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies, by Alix E. Harrow, 5*, HERE
The transforming power of the right book at the right time.
• The Algebraist, Iain M Banks, 3*, HERE
Sci-fi that goes on too long, but I got there.
• The Great Sermon Handicap, PG Wodehouse, 4*, HERE
In my mind’s ear, I can still hear my father reading this aloud.
• The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien, 4*, HERE
As much a tribute to my child as the book and author.
• The Silmarillion, JRR Tolkien, 4*, HERE
Mini Tolkien reviews:
• The Fellowship of the Ring (LotR 1), 4*, HERE
• The Two Towers (LotR 2), 4*, HERE
• The Return of the King (LotR 3), 4*, HERE
• Exhalation, Ted Chiang, 4*, HERE
Nine stories.
• Four Cautionary Tales: Translated from the Chinese by Feng Menglong, Harold Acton, Lee Yi-Hsieh, 4*, HERE
• A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Rebecca Solnit, 5*. Two reviews:
HERE
and
HERE
Nine essays.
• Six Dinner Sid, Inga Moore, 4*, HERE
• The Mating Season, PG Wodehouse, 4*, HERE
• Closely Watched Trains, Bohumil Hrabal, 3*, HERE
• Life Isn’t Binary, Alex Iantaffi, Meg-John Barker , 5*, HERE
Open your mind, and stop pigeon-holing everyone and everything into black/white, good/bad etc.
• The Testaments, Margaret Atwood, 3*, HERE
• The Fifth Child, Doris Lessing, 4*, HERE
• Unspeak, Steven Poole, 4*, HERE
The power of neologisms as covert propaganda.
• A Ladybird Book About Donald Trump, Hazeley and Morris, 4*, HERE
Sometimes humour, even when it’s unsubtle, is the best escape.
• The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Muriel Spark, 4*, HERE
• Brenda’s Beaver Needs a Barber, Bimisi Tayanita, 3*, HERE
Guilty laughs.
• The Dark Flood Rises, Margaret Drabble, DNF, HERE
• Monsters: An Owner's Guide, Emmett and Oliver, 5*, HERE
Why the world needs technical writers!
• Wanderlust, Rebecca Solnit, DNF, HERE
• The Story of Brexit, Hazeley and Morris, 2*, HERE
Not funny any more.
• The Dot and the Line, Norton Juster, 4*, HERE
• In Praise of Shadows, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, 4*, HERE
Japanese aesthetics.
• Christmas with Dull People, Saki, 4*, HERE
Four festive Saki shorts
• Dear Life, Alice Munro, 4*, HERE show less
I'm not one for statistics: I hate competition, even with myself. I find it eventually becomes about the numbers, and not about process and that just doesn't work for me at all. I did set a goal this past year because I wasn't sure GR would tally books and I did want to be able to say something slightly more specific than "a lot" when people ask, "how much do you read?" In 2020, I plan to aim much lower.
I read a number of great novellas in 2019, finding that the shorter form seems to be where authors are willing to push themselves and their readers. The shorter format also seems to work nicely for my concentration these days; I generally dislike putting books down and picking them up again, because I lose my sense of the world and have show more to spend time re-reading to re-immerse. A novella works well for the time chunks I have available. The Murderbot series, [b:The Haunting of Tram Car 015|36546128|The Haunting of Tram Car 015|P. Djèlí Clark|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537226167l/36546128._SY75_.jpg|58277622], [b:Laurie|40138871|Laurie|Stephen King|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|62273503], and [b:Sisters of the Vast Black|44581558|Sisters of the Vast Black|Lina Rather|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558536373l/44581558._SY75_.jpg|69197753] were my favorites.
I also read more short stories this year. I'd love to tell you what they were, but one of the most annoying things at Goodreads* is that GR Librarians have decided to take short stories that I can read on the web all by themselves, for free, and combine them into magazine editions that don't list a table of contents. So I have numerous magazines listed in my 'books read' this year, and I sure as hell didn't read all of them. My willingness to share my frustration on this issue was undoubtedly one of the strongest refrains of my '2019 on Goodreads.'**
In novels, I tended to delight in the genre-benders. [b:Winter Tide|48928838|Winter Tide (The Innsmouth Legacy, #1)|Ruthanna Emrys|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574632987l/48928838._SX50_.jpg|47306624] and [b:Deep Roots|42034449|Deep Roots (The Innsmouth Legacy, #2)|Ruthanna Emrys|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574631280l/42034449._SX50_.jpg|57748076] were pleasant discoveries as was [b:A Memory Called Empire|37794149|A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan, #1)|Arkady Martine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526486698l/37794149._SY75_.jpg|59457173]. Jasper's [b:Early Riser|23498264|Early Riser|Jasper Fforde|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525446239l/23498264._SY75_.jpg|43099966] was a pleasure. [b:The Size of the Truth|28154339|The Size of the Truth (Sam Abernathy #1)|Andrew Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539296619l/28154339._SX50_.jpg|48189962] was probably the one that surprised me the most with all the truths it snuck into its YA story.
I read a bit of non-fiction as usual, and [b:The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World|34523152|The Water Will Come Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World|Jeff Goodell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493224870l/34523152._SY75_.jpg|59752173] was the most powerful non-fiction book I read last year, although [b:How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick in America|12085010|How We Do Harm A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick in America|Otis Webb Brawley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1317794576l/12085010._SY75_.jpg|17053058] comes close for professional reasons.
I did more buddy reads, and while I definitely enjoyed the buddies, perhaps our books didn't always work out. Does more eyes equal more critiques? Someday we'll find that golden ticket, fellow buddy readers. Thanks for nerding out on books with me. show less
I read a number of great novellas in 2019, finding that the shorter form seems to be where authors are willing to push themselves and their readers. The shorter format also seems to work nicely for my concentration these days; I generally dislike putting books down and picking them up again, because I lose my sense of the world and have show more to spend time re-reading to re-immerse. A novella works well for the time chunks I have available. The Murderbot series, [b:The Haunting of Tram Car 015|36546128|The Haunting of Tram Car 015|P. Djèlí Clark|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537226167l/36546128._SY75_.jpg|58277622], [b:Laurie|40138871|Laurie|Stephen King|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|62273503], and [b:Sisters of the Vast Black|44581558|Sisters of the Vast Black|Lina Rather|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558536373l/44581558._SY75_.jpg|69197753] were my favorites.
I also read more short stories this year. I'd love to tell you what they were, but one of the most annoying things at Goodreads* is that GR Librarians have decided to take short stories that I can read on the web all by themselves, for free, and combine them into magazine editions that don't list a table of contents. So I have numerous magazines listed in my 'books read' this year, and I sure as hell didn't read all of them. My willingness to share my frustration on this issue was undoubtedly one of the strongest refrains of my '2019 on Goodreads.'**
In novels, I tended to delight in the genre-benders. [b:Winter Tide|48928838|Winter Tide (The Innsmouth Legacy, #1)|Ruthanna Emrys|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574632987l/48928838._SX50_.jpg|47306624] and [b:Deep Roots|42034449|Deep Roots (The Innsmouth Legacy, #2)|Ruthanna Emrys|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574631280l/42034449._SX50_.jpg|57748076] were pleasant discoveries as was [b:A Memory Called Empire|37794149|A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan, #1)|Arkady Martine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526486698l/37794149._SY75_.jpg|59457173]. Jasper's [b:Early Riser|23498264|Early Riser|Jasper Fforde|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525446239l/23498264._SY75_.jpg|43099966] was a pleasure. [b:The Size of the Truth|28154339|The Size of the Truth (Sam Abernathy #1)|Andrew Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539296619l/28154339._SX50_.jpg|48189962] was probably the one that surprised me the most with all the truths it snuck into its YA story.
I read a bit of non-fiction as usual, and [b:The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World|34523152|The Water Will Come Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World|Jeff Goodell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493224870l/34523152._SY75_.jpg|59752173] was the most powerful non-fiction book I read last year, although [b:How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick in America|12085010|How We Do Harm A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick in America|Otis Webb Brawley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1317794576l/12085010._SY75_.jpg|17053058] comes close for professional reasons.
I did more buddy reads, and while I definitely enjoyed the buddies, perhaps our books didn't always work out. Does more eyes equal more critiques? Someday we'll find that golden ticket, fellow buddy readers. Thanks for nerding out on books with me. show less
I love doing this. :) An end and a beginning...
My 2019 in books was a lot of fun. I discovered more than one new series to bring me joy, I had fluffy goodness from plenty of Regency-era love stories, I participated in Victober, I re-read a few favorites, and I made my proclamation that "Vintage National Park Romance" should be a much bigger genre than it is.
Top series of the year? For me, there were two new ones: Karen Barnett's Vintage National Parks novels (see note above!) and Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series. I loved the concept of the former and the execution of the latter. The Vintage National Parks books combine a sense of nostalgia with the magnificence of nature, and I am here for it. The 44 Scotland Street show more books take a whole lot of non-events and turn them into something I can relate to, because they delve into the mostly-unspoken nuances behind the mundane.
From series I had already begun the previous year, I continued to enjoy Miss Read's Thrush Green books (charming and kind!) and Lynn Messina's romantic mysteries centered on Miss Beatrice Hyde-Clare (witty and bold!).
I've had a strong suspicion in the months since I bought my Kindle last year that I've become almost exclusively a digital reader. Statistics bear me out. Of 138 books read, only 5 were hard copies. That's right, 96% were e-reads, either through Amazon, Hoopla, Overdrive, or Open Library. Yikes. And some of those I own hard copies of...it's just that I love the display on my Kindle SO darn much.
A huge percentage of my reads were either written or set before 1950. The main exceptions to this are the Thrush Green books, some of which were published in the 1990s and ostensibly set then, but still with a much older feel, and all the Alexander McCall Smith books, which are set in the modern day but have such glancing references to technology and such articulate characters that they feel timeless.
I had the fun of getting approved through NetGalley for 28 books, mostly in the historical fiction genre, with a few children's books thrown in.
Although non-fiction is always a minority category for me, I did enjoy some works on mental and emotional well-being and concepts like "lykke" (a Danish word for happiness).
For some fun with maths, I calculated that for every 23 books I read, one was a five-star rating.
I read 18 books in December (though there are a few short stories/novellas in that number)! Runner-up was June with 17 books. Other than that I averaged around 10 books a month.
Thoughts on my next year of reading? I'm sure it's going to be a lot more of the same, which is good, because these are the books that make me relax and feel a sort of emotional security. My TBR list is once again reaching a point where it's pretty well under control, so I look forward to having time to re-read a bit. Perhaps check back in with my favorite Jane Austens and L.M. Montgomerys.
I'm wondering whether I should go for a little more non-fiction than usual, but honestly, that's going to depend strictly on whether I come across subjects that really grab me.
I appreciate the reviews, recommendations, and general acknowledgement I get from friends on Goodreads. Reading is fun but it's always extra fun when it can be shared. Happy reading! show less
My 2019 in books was a lot of fun. I discovered more than one new series to bring me joy, I had fluffy goodness from plenty of Regency-era love stories, I participated in Victober, I re-read a few favorites, and I made my proclamation that "Vintage National Park Romance" should be a much bigger genre than it is.
Top series of the year? For me, there were two new ones: Karen Barnett's Vintage National Parks novels (see note above!) and Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series. I loved the concept of the former and the execution of the latter. The Vintage National Parks books combine a sense of nostalgia with the magnificence of nature, and I am here for it. The 44 Scotland Street show more books take a whole lot of non-events and turn them into something I can relate to, because they delve into the mostly-unspoken nuances behind the mundane.
From series I had already begun the previous year, I continued to enjoy Miss Read's Thrush Green books (charming and kind!) and Lynn Messina's romantic mysteries centered on Miss Beatrice Hyde-Clare (witty and bold!).
I've had a strong suspicion in the months since I bought my Kindle last year that I've become almost exclusively a digital reader. Statistics bear me out. Of 138 books read, only 5 were hard copies. That's right, 96% were e-reads, either through Amazon, Hoopla, Overdrive, or Open Library. Yikes. And some of those I own hard copies of...it's just that I love the display on my Kindle SO darn much.
A huge percentage of my reads were either written or set before 1950. The main exceptions to this are the Thrush Green books, some of which were published in the 1990s and ostensibly set then, but still with a much older feel, and all the Alexander McCall Smith books, which are set in the modern day but have such glancing references to technology and such articulate characters that they feel timeless.
I had the fun of getting approved through NetGalley for 28 books, mostly in the historical fiction genre, with a few children's books thrown in.
Although non-fiction is always a minority category for me, I did enjoy some works on mental and emotional well-being and concepts like "lykke" (a Danish word for happiness).
For some fun with maths, I calculated that for every 23 books I read, one was a five-star rating.
I read 18 books in December (though there are a few short stories/novellas in that number)! Runner-up was June with 17 books. Other than that I averaged around 10 books a month.
Thoughts on my next year of reading? I'm sure it's going to be a lot more of the same, which is good, because these are the books that make me relax and feel a sort of emotional security. My TBR list is once again reaching a point where it's pretty well under control, so I look forward to having time to re-read a bit. Perhaps check back in with my favorite Jane Austens and L.M. Montgomerys.
I'm wondering whether I should go for a little more non-fiction than usual, but honestly, that's going to depend strictly on whether I come across subjects that really grab me.
I appreciate the reviews, recommendations, and general acknowledgement I get from friends on Goodreads. Reading is fun but it's always extra fun when it can be shared. Happy reading! show less
Let’s see, in 2019 I finally got around to reading Jane Austen’s six novels; I first read Pride and Prejudice and wasn’t a big fan, Sense and Sensibility was next and improved my dispensation somewhat, then Emma was very good and Mansfield Park was awesome, Northanger Abbey was weird but finally I decided I liked it, and lastly was Persuasion which is the most recent I read but the one I remember the least about.
I almost finished up reading my way through Nabokov’s novels - only his last one to go. None of them made my top 5 of the year but Pnin and Bend Sinister were both excellent, and Lolita not far off. Ada, or Ardor was enjoyable at first but became quite disagreeable; too long, it was.
I read most but failed to read all 18 show more novels that made up the 2019 Tournament of Books, still only done that once, a glorious achievement I hope, as ever, to finally repeat this year. As always I loved some of the picks (Milkman, The Overstory, My Sister the Serial Killer) and disliked some (So Lucky, The Dictionary of Animal Languages). The Tournament of Books is brilliant, I look forward to it every year, it gets me to read more contemporary fiction than I ever would otherwise.
I only read one Dickens last year, very early on, and then never returned to my favorite author. We’ll see how 2020 goes; David Copperfield is next up I believe, which will be a re-read but as I’d currently pick it as my favorite novel I’m interested to see if I’ll still think so after a second time through.
Top 5 reads of 2019, being tickled that my top 2 are by Irish authors:
1)Anna Burns - Milkman
2)Sally Rooney - Normal People
3)Charles Dickens - Dombey and Son
4)Jane Austen - Mansfield Park
5)Ada Limón - Bright Dead Things : poems show less
I almost finished up reading my way through Nabokov’s novels - only his last one to go. None of them made my top 5 of the year but Pnin and Bend Sinister were both excellent, and Lolita not far off. Ada, or Ardor was enjoyable at first but became quite disagreeable; too long, it was.
I read most but failed to read all 18 show more novels that made up the 2019 Tournament of Books, still only done that once, a glorious achievement I hope, as ever, to finally repeat this year. As always I loved some of the picks (Milkman, The Overstory, My Sister the Serial Killer) and disliked some (So Lucky, The Dictionary of Animal Languages). The Tournament of Books is brilliant, I look forward to it every year, it gets me to read more contemporary fiction than I ever would otherwise.
I only read one Dickens last year, very early on, and then never returned to my favorite author. We’ll see how 2020 goes; David Copperfield is next up I believe, which will be a re-read but as I’d currently pick it as my favorite novel I’m interested to see if I’ll still think so after a second time through.
Top 5 reads of 2019, being tickled that my top 2 are by Irish authors:
1)Anna Burns - Milkman
2)Sally Rooney - Normal People
3)Charles Dickens - Dombey and Son
4)Jane Austen - Mansfield Park
5)Ada Limón - Bright Dead Things : poems show less
I feel like I’ve had a year of two halves in terms of my reading in 2019. Between January and August I tore through hundreds of books because I knew that, from September, I would be too busy to read as much as I wanted to as I would start my teacher training (PGCE Secondary English) course. Since September I have struggled to find the time to read as much as I want, which is not fun. I will have a lot to catch up on next summer!
According to GR I read 244 books and 56,121 pages. My average rating was 4.1/5 stars.
Best stand-alone novels:
Wherever She Goes by Kelley Armstrong. I only just finished reading this book a few hours ago. Kelley Armstrong is one of my staple ‘go-to’ authors and I love pretty much everything she writes. The show more central character of Wherever She Goes is Aubrey, a recently single thirty-something who witnesses the kidnapping of a little boy in a park. When the police don’t believe her and no one comes forward to report a missing child, she takes matters into her own hands. I really enjoyed this story.
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. This story centres around a young couple, Florence and Edward, on their honeymoon in the 1960s. I love McEwan’s writing style and the hints of something darker that always exist in his fiction. I couldn’t put this down.
Under Currents by Nora Roberts. Whatever Nora Roberts writes, I know I’m going to enjoy it. Her stand-alone ‘thriller’ novels are some of my favourite and Under Currents will definitely go on my ‘to re-read’ list. The beginning of the novel was hard to read, due to the issue ofchild abuse but it was handled well and I thought all the characters were well-rounded and nuanced. This was another book that I read in a single day because I couldn’t put it down!
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Amazingly, I hadn’t read this before 2019 and having never seen a film or television adaptation I didn’t actually know a lot about the plot, aside from the fact there was a boy called Pip and an old lady in a wedding dress called Miss Havisham. I’m glad that I went into reading this in a state of such ignorance because it meant I was able to enjoy it in the way that Dickens intended – to be shocked at the twists and turns and revelations that unfolded over the course of this novel. A wonderful read.
Best works of non-fiction:
Books that inspired or informed me this year that I plan to re-read in the future.
This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
Educated by Tara Westover
Called Out of Darkness by Anne Rice
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie
Best continuation or end of a series:
Never Tell by Lisa Gardner
Vendetta in Death by JD Robb
Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews
Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine
Fury by Rachel Vincent
Serpentine by Laurell K. Hamilton
Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong
That Ain’t Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire
Blood Bonds by Yasmine Galenorn
New-to-me series that I really loved this year:
Ishmael Jones Series by Simon R. Green
Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries by Angie Fox
Mythos Academy: Colorado by Jennifer Estep
Fury Rising by Yasmine Galenorn
Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris
Quincy & Rainie Series by Lisa Gardner
McCabe Trilogy by Maya Banks
Night Rebel by Jeaniene Frost
100 Hours by Rachel Vincent
Bewitching Bedlam by Yasmine Galenorn
Best re-reads:
Favourites in fiction and non-fiction that I re-read in 2019 and will probably re-read again.
Squirrel Terror by Lilith Saintcrow
The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett
The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost
Thankless in Death by JD Robb
The Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent
Ex-Libris by Anne Fadiman
Pratchett’s Women by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Best Short Stories and Novellas of 2019
Angel’s Song by Kim Harrison
For He Can Creep by Siobhan Carroll
Haints and Hobwebs by Jennifer Estep
Christmas Eve by Jim Butcher
Disappointments of the 2019:
I had high expectations for each of these books and they all turned out to be disappointing. With a few of them, I feel that the fault was mine – I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to read a particular book at a particular time – and I plan to re-read those ones.
The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck
Strata by Terry Pratchett
Slide Rule by Nevil Shute
The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels
After Me Comes The Flood by Sarah Perry
Confess by A. Zavarelli show less
According to GR I read 244 books and 56,121 pages. My average rating was 4.1/5 stars.
Best stand-alone novels:
Wherever She Goes by Kelley Armstrong. I only just finished reading this book a few hours ago. Kelley Armstrong is one of my staple ‘go-to’ authors and I love pretty much everything she writes. The show more central character of Wherever She Goes is Aubrey, a recently single thirty-something who witnesses the kidnapping of a little boy in a park. When the police don’t believe her and no one comes forward to report a missing child, she takes matters into her own hands. I really enjoyed this story.
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. This story centres around a young couple, Florence and Edward, on their honeymoon in the 1960s. I love McEwan’s writing style and the hints of something darker that always exist in his fiction. I couldn’t put this down.
Under Currents by Nora Roberts. Whatever Nora Roberts writes, I know I’m going to enjoy it. Her stand-alone ‘thriller’ novels are some of my favourite and Under Currents will definitely go on my ‘to re-read’ list. The beginning of the novel was hard to read, due to the issue of
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Amazingly, I hadn’t read this before 2019 and having never seen a film or television adaptation I didn’t actually know a lot about the plot, aside from the fact there was a boy called Pip and an old lady in a wedding dress called Miss Havisham. I’m glad that I went into reading this in a state of such ignorance because it meant I was able to enjoy it in the way that Dickens intended – to be shocked at the twists and turns and revelations that unfolded over the course of this novel. A wonderful read.
Best works of non-fiction:
Books that inspired or informed me this year that I plan to re-read in the future.
This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
Educated by Tara Westover
Called Out of Darkness by Anne Rice
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie
Best continuation or end of a series:
Never Tell by Lisa Gardner
Vendetta in Death by JD Robb
Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews
Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine
Fury by Rachel Vincent
Serpentine by Laurell K. Hamilton
Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong
That Ain’t Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire
Blood Bonds by Yasmine Galenorn
New-to-me series that I really loved this year:
Ishmael Jones Series by Simon R. Green
Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries by Angie Fox
Mythos Academy: Colorado by Jennifer Estep
Fury Rising by Yasmine Galenorn
Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris
Quincy & Rainie Series by Lisa Gardner
McCabe Trilogy by Maya Banks
Night Rebel by Jeaniene Frost
100 Hours by Rachel Vincent
Bewitching Bedlam by Yasmine Galenorn
Best re-reads:
Favourites in fiction and non-fiction that I re-read in 2019 and will probably re-read again.
Squirrel Terror by Lilith Saintcrow
The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett
The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost
Thankless in Death by JD Robb
The Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent
Ex-Libris by Anne Fadiman
Pratchett’s Women by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Best Short Stories and Novellas of 2019
Angel’s Song by Kim Harrison
For He Can Creep by Siobhan Carroll
Haints and Hobwebs by Jennifer Estep
Christmas Eve by Jim Butcher
Disappointments of the 2019:
I had high expectations for each of these books and they all turned out to be disappointing. With a few of them, I feel that the fault was mine – I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to read a particular book at a particular time – and I plan to re-read those ones.
The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck
Strata by Terry Pratchett
Slide Rule by Nevil Shute
The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels
After Me Comes The Flood by Sarah Perry
Confess by A. Zavarelli show less
2019. Quite some year! But here I'll just talk about my reading.
Overall, it was very good. Scanning back I gave a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews, and only one as low as 2 stars - so either I've been choosing my reading extraordinarily well, or am becoming increasingly easy to please as the years progress. In all seriousness, I think I have been less harshly judgemental than sometimes previously, more willing to pick out the good points and forgive the rest as being more not to my taste or not working for me. As with all art and entertainment, because I don't like it doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. Also, I clearly have excellent taste.
I set myself a stretching goal of 70 reads this year, partly because I adopted the policy of including show more individual shorter works as a read, if they have a separate listing - more often now the case that digital books have their own ISDNs - and had planned on reading more graphic novels on my shiny second-hand Surface Pro, bought at least partly for that use along with reading RPG books. I fell a fair way short of my goal, partly as I didn't actually read any graphic novels, but my reading life was patchy over the course of the year. I have far more books than I would like unfinished, as I didn't quite have the concentration to stick with them rather than for any fault of the book. One of the ways my depression and anxiety manifest is that ordinary living can leave me utterly drained and listless, so (short, simple) TV programs or the distractions of the evil phone screen can be more engaging. However, I've recognised that this is a sign that I'm slipping and need to take action. See, all part of that seeing the positive business.
January began strong with [a:Joanne M. Harris|14097586|Joanne M. Harris|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png]' fun [b:The Gospel of Loki|18665033|The Gospel of Loki (Loki, #1)|Joanne M. Harris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1418765745l/18665033._SY75_.jpg|26488264] and the thought-provoking look at geopolitics, [b:Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics|25135194|Prisoners of Geography Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics|Tim Marshall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432827094l/25135194._SY75_.jpg|44832697] by [a:Tim Marshall|713466|Tim Marshall|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1489696759p2/713466.jpg], both solid 4 star reads. I then jumped into short stories with [b:Some of the Best From Tor.com: 2016 Edition|32905900|Some of the Best From Tor.com 2016 Edition|Ellen Datlow|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1478559130l/32905900._SY75_.jpg|53522701]. This book helped with what I consider to be the greatest thing about this year's reading, and something a great anthology should do ( and at which [a:Ellen Datlow|46138|Ellen Datlow|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1309669102p2/46138.jpg] always excels ); introducing me to wonderful new voices.
It starts incredibly strongly with a 5 star [a:Charlie Jane Anders|4918514|Charlie Jane Anders|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1532450668p2/4918514.jpg] story, then two excellent tales from authors new to me, [a:Nina Allan|2881070|Nina Allan|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] and [a:Tara Isabella Burton|1409282|Tara Isabella Burton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1518794161p2/1409282.jpg]. I ended the month with [a:Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan|6520115|Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1467648872p2/6520115.jpg] wonderful debut novel, [b:The Gutter Prayer|39836383|The Gutter Prayer (The Black Iron Legacy, #1)|Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534836686l/39836383._SY75_.jpg|61596749]. Coincidentally, the sequel has just become available for pre-order so I recommend getting in there if you like dark, inventive, well thought-out and constructed fantasy.
February brought me some utterly superb stories from authors I now seek out - I obviously already knew [a:N.K. Jemisin|2917917|N.K. Jemisin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438215930p2/2917917.jpg] but was also delighted to make the acquaintance of [a:P. Djèlí Clark|15117586|P. Djèlí Clark|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1575504378p2/15117586.jpg], [a:Indrapramit Das|13983816|Indrapramit Das|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1531664334p2/13983816.jpg], [a:Alix E. Harrow|9823112|Alix E. Harrow|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1548339540p2/9823112.jpg] & [a:Kai Ashante Wilson|7022361|Kai Ashante Wilson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]. The only novel that month was [b:Brown Girl in the Ring|57504|Brown Girl in the Ring|Nalo Hopkinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386924870l/57504._SY75_.jpg|56024] by [a:Nalo Hopkinson|27528|Nalo Hopkinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1361387199p2/27528.jpg], an author it has taken me far too long to come to and I am grateful for one of my Goodreads groups for introducing me to.
After starting March with the third part of [a:Ada Palmer|8132662|Ada Palmer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442973045p2/8132662.jpg]'s tour-de-force Terra Ignota series, [b:The Will to Battle|33517544|The Will to Battle (Terra Ignota, #3)|Ada Palmer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484321667l/33517544._SY75_.jpg|54280306], the stories from tor.com were more of a mixed bag, mostly 3 and 4 star stories, although [a:Laurie Penny|4719213|Laurie Penny|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1412727681p2/4719213.jpg]'s clever [b:Your Orisons May Be Recorded|28820958|Your Orisons May Be Recorded|Laurie Penny|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1454333665l/28820958._SX50_.jpg|49038759] was very nearly worth 5, and she goes on the list with [a:Margaret Killjoy|2970944|Margaret Killjoy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573778976p2/2970944.jpg], [a:Melissa Marr|175855|Melissa Marr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1556828699p2/175855.jpg] and [a:Lettie Prell|1583944|Lettie Prell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1493852903p2/1583944.jpg] of writers to watch. [a:Jeff VanderMeer|33919|Jeff VanderMeer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1522640540p2/33919.jpg]'s [b:Borne|31451186|Borne (Borne, #1)|Jeff VanderMeer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1477487850l/31451186._SX50_.jpg|48253660] was as interesting and weird as you'd expect, and I'm looking forward to [b:Dead Astronauts|37589179|Dead Astronauts (Borne, #2)|Jeff VanderMeer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569673345l/37589179._SY75_.jpg|73543685], and I devoured [a:Claire North|7210024|Claire North|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1440105009p2/7210024.jpg]'s [b:The End of the Day|31408829|The End of the Day|Claire North|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484652403l/31408829._SY75_.jpg|52102281] on a beach in Barbados. Both these things are one of my highlights of the year. The island holiday was stunning, and after discovering North last year with [b:The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August|35066358|The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August|Claire North|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493966668l/35066358._SY75_.jpg|25807847] she has become possibly my favourite contemporary author.
April opened with me finishing one of several great books on politics and society I read this year, [b:Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World|40876575|Utopia for Realists How We Can Build the Ideal World|Rutger Bregman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532031994l/40876575._SX50_.jpg|49847901] by [a:Rutger Bregman|5781839|Rutger Bregman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1517928864p2/5781839.jpg]. I make no secret of my socialism and my Utopian leanings, and this truly wonderful book is a clear sighted view of how we can, and should, address so many of our world's problems. Essential reading. Fiction came from [b:The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle|36337550|The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle|Stuart Turton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506896221l/36337550._SY75_.jpg|57528323] - [a:Stuart Turton|17160667|Stuart Turton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1537181882p2/17160667.jpg] is very much in my wheelhouse and a name to watch - and another batch of fine stories, from new-to-me authors [a:Aliette de Bodard|2918731|Aliette de Bodard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1261567215p2/2918731.jpg], [a:Angela Slatter|2847546|Angela Slatter|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1286290946p2/2847546.jpg] and, most especially, [a:Lavie Tidhar|572738|Lavie Tidhar|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1369652429p2/572738.jpg]. Much of this month and the next, however was taken up with [a:John Man|31115|John Man|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]'s thorough and highly enjoyable history [b:Mongol Empire: The Conquests of Genghis Khan and the Making of Modern China|18761873|Mongol Empire The Conquests of Genghis Khan and the Making of Modern China|John Man|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410522463l/18761873._SY75_.jpg|26659410].
The rest of May and June were all fiction, the anthology closing with a run of stunningly good stories from [a:Rajnar Vajra|1939040|Rajnar Vajra|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], [a:Genevieve Valentine|3400079|Genevieve Valentine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1360060998p2/3400079.jpg], [a:Alyssa Wong|8178928|Alyssa Wong|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1469819886p2/8178928.jpg] & [a:Carrie Vaughn|8988|Carrie Vaughn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1468274730p2/8988.jpg], novels being [b:Grey Sister|35530652|Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #2)|Mark Lawrence|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523384136l/35530652._SY75_.jpg|56952069] by [a:Mark Lawrence|4721536|Mark Lawrence|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1318781585p2/4721536.jpg] [a:Madeline Miller|176372|Madeline Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1322861610p2/176372.jpg]'s brilliant [b:Circe|35959740|Circe|Madeline Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565909496l/35959740._SY75_.jpg|53043399].
July has just two entries, the slim yet dense and weirdly wonderful [b:The Last Days of New Paris|41017647|The Last Days of New Paris|China Miéville|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533085252l/41017647._SY75_.jpg|45970777] - [a:China Miéville|33918|China Miéville|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1243988363p2/33918.jpg]'s most outre book yet, and his best in a while - and [a:Peter Frankopan|3185055|Peter Frankopan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1464911422p2/3185055.jpg]'s chunky and excellent history [b:The Silk Roads: A New History of the World|25812847|The Silk Roads A New History of the World|Peter Frankopan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1472636067l/25812847._SY75_.jpg|45425898]. I concluded the summer with fine novels from [a:Sam J. Miller|4648324|Sam J. Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1564540835p2/4648324.jpg] and [a:P. Djèlí Clark|15117586|P. Djèlí Clark|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1575504378p2/15117586.jpg], a dip into some [a:Ambrose Bierce|14403|Ambrose Bierce|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1183231430p2/14403.jpg] stories and [a:Stephen Fry|10917|Stephen Fry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400162446p2/10917.jpg]'s retelling of Greek myth, [b:Mythos|35074096|Mythos The Greek Myths Retold (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #1)|Stephen Fry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1502518360l/35074096._SY75_.jpg|56371760] ahead of seeing his live performance in Salford. Manchester and environs have been something of a second home recently; while there was no QED this years ( an annual science and scepticism conference I attend ), we had weekends there including The Book of Mormon, Robin Ince's Nine Lessons for Curious People. Well, it's no Sheffield but is just over an hour on the train.
In a light September I managed just three novels - [a:Kate Atkinson|10015|Kate Atkinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1363801830p2/10015.jpg]'s [b:Transcription|37946414|Transcription|Kate Atkinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521173471l/37946414._SY75_.jpg|64175388], [a:Rebecca Roanhorse|15862877|Rebecca Roanhorse|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1512417497p2/15862877.jpg]'s [b:Trail of Lightning|36373298|Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World, #1)|Rebecca Roanhorse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1515788168l/36373298._SY75_.jpg|52833355] and, the highlight, the conclusion to [a:Meg Elison|7793962|Meg Elison|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1429643916p2/7793962.jpg]'s Road to Nowhere trilogy, possibly the best of the series.
October was half fiction and half non. A friend pushed [b:The Last Wish|40603587|The Last Wish (The Witcher, #0.5)|Andrzej Sapkowski|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529591917l/40603587._SX50_.jpg|2293675] on me ahead of The Witcher TV show, and I was delighted one of the book clubs chose the great [a:Roger Zelazny|3619|Roger Zelazny|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207671346p2/3619.jpg] seasonal masterpiece [b:A Night in the Lonesome October|62005|A Night in the Lonesome October|Roger Zelazny|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1274492048l/62005._SY75_.jpg|890916]. Despite being a huge fan of his work - the Amber sequence, [b:Lord of Light|13821|Lord of Light|Roger Zelazny|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1330127327l/13821._SY75_.jpg|1011388], etc - I'd somehow missed this one and it was a pure delight. The non-fiction was as intense and brilliant, although rather less pleasurable, all politics with [a:Naomi Klein|419|Naomi Klein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1494619590p2/419.jpg]'s call to arms [b:No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need|34814047|No Is Not Enough Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need|Naomi Klein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491517241l/34814047._SX50_.jpg|56535051] and [b:Stolen: How to Save the World from Financialisation|48109791|Stolen How to Save the World from Financialisation|Grace Blakeley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568070271l/48109791._SY75_.jpg|67563588] from economist and activist [a:Grace Blakeley|18757370|Grace Blakeley|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png].
I launched into November in full hard sci-fi mode, with [a:Andy Weir|6540057|Andy Weir|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382592903p2/6540057.jpg]'s second novel [b:Artemis|34928122|Artemis|Andy Weir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494273579l/34928122._SY75_.jpg|56402016] and [b:Children of Ruin|40376072|Children of Ruin (Children of Time #2)|Adrian Tchaikovsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548701599l/40376072._SX50_.jpg|62663185] from another writer I discovered last year and has become a firm favourite, [a:Adrian Tchaikovsky|1445909|Adrian Tchaikovsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1282303363p2/1445909.jpg]. I rounded out the month with [a:David D. Levine|1988739|David D. Levine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353130342p2/1988739.jpg]'s excellent AI story, [b:Damage|23311305|Damage|David D. Levine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1416448058l/23311305._SX50_.jpg|42865300], [a:Dennis Lehane|10289|Dennis Lehane|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1227580381p2/10289.jpg] being as darkly brilliant and disturbing as ever in [b:Darkness, Take My Hand|21681|Darkness, Take My Hand (Kenzie & Gennaro, #2)|Dennis Lehane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392049150l/21681._SY75_.jpg|1356228] and [b:The Three Dimensions of Freedom|43345902|The Three Dimensions of Freedom|Billy Bragg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556822997l/43345902._SY75_.jpg|67311345], a wonderfully pithy, direct and no-nonsense take on how we can fix politics from [a:Billy Bragg|475218|Billy Bragg|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1338378133p2/475218.jpg], bought at his gig at the Leadmill. OK, there may be a theme to the run of non-fiction.
In the final month of the year I finished only two books, but both were utterly superb. Back to [a:Claire North|7210024|Claire North|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1440105009p2/7210024.jpg] with [b:The Sudden Appearance of Hope|25746699|The Sudden Appearance of Hope|Claire North|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1454363620l/25746699._SY75_.jpg|45587878] and [b:This Is How You Lose the Time War|36516585|This Is How You Lose the Time War|Amal El-Mohtar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543953962l/36516585._SX50_.jpg|58237743]. Both inventive, beautiful, thought provoking. Speculative fiction at its zenith.
Not that I didn't read more in December. At the moment I'm savouring [a:Robert Macfarlane|435856|Robert Macfarlane|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1369335601p2/435856.jpg]'s breathtaking writing in [b:The Wild Places|2688775|The Wild Places|Robert Macfarlane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442535260l/2688775._SX50_.jpg|1521802], being horrified and traumatised by just how severe the climate crisis is in [b:The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming|41552709|The Uninhabitable Earth Life After Warming|David Wallace-Wells|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551230596l/41552709._SX50_.jpg|64830288] and reacquainting myself with [b:Night's Black Agents|13157633|Night's Black Agents|Kenneth Hite|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1323096937l/13157633._SX50_.jpg|18336042] ahead of running a game of superspy shenanigans.
So, a damned good year of reading, overall. Quite heavy on the SFF, although very diverse within that broad genre. I've found more new authors to follow than any year in recent memory. Let's see what 2020 holds in store.
Happy New Year. show less
Overall, it was very good. Scanning back I gave a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews, and only one as low as 2 stars - so either I've been choosing my reading extraordinarily well, or am becoming increasingly easy to please as the years progress. In all seriousness, I think I have been less harshly judgemental than sometimes previously, more willing to pick out the good points and forgive the rest as being more not to my taste or not working for me. As with all art and entertainment, because I don't like it doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. Also, I clearly have excellent taste.
I set myself a stretching goal of 70 reads this year, partly because I adopted the policy of including show more individual shorter works as a read, if they have a separate listing - more often now the case that digital books have their own ISDNs - and had planned on reading more graphic novels on my shiny second-hand Surface Pro, bought at least partly for that use along with reading RPG books. I fell a fair way short of my goal, partly as I didn't actually read any graphic novels, but my reading life was patchy over the course of the year. I have far more books than I would like unfinished, as I didn't quite have the concentration to stick with them rather than for any fault of the book. One of the ways my depression and anxiety manifest is that ordinary living can leave me utterly drained and listless, so (short, simple) TV programs or the distractions of the evil phone screen can be more engaging. However, I've recognised that this is a sign that I'm slipping and need to take action. See, all part of that seeing the positive business.
January began strong with [a:Joanne M. Harris|14097586|Joanne M. Harris|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png]' fun [b:The Gospel of Loki|18665033|The Gospel of Loki (Loki, #1)|Joanne M. Harris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1418765745l/18665033._SY75_.jpg|26488264] and the thought-provoking look at geopolitics, [b:Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics|25135194|Prisoners of Geography Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics|Tim Marshall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432827094l/25135194._SY75_.jpg|44832697] by [a:Tim Marshall|713466|Tim Marshall|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1489696759p2/713466.jpg], both solid 4 star reads. I then jumped into short stories with [b:Some of the Best From Tor.com: 2016 Edition|32905900|Some of the Best From Tor.com 2016 Edition|Ellen Datlow|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1478559130l/32905900._SY75_.jpg|53522701]. This book helped with what I consider to be the greatest thing about this year's reading, and something a great anthology should do ( and at which [a:Ellen Datlow|46138|Ellen Datlow|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1309669102p2/46138.jpg] always excels ); introducing me to wonderful new voices.
It starts incredibly strongly with a 5 star [a:Charlie Jane Anders|4918514|Charlie Jane Anders|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1532450668p2/4918514.jpg] story, then two excellent tales from authors new to me, [a:Nina Allan|2881070|Nina Allan|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] and [a:Tara Isabella Burton|1409282|Tara Isabella Burton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1518794161p2/1409282.jpg]. I ended the month with [a:Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan|6520115|Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1467648872p2/6520115.jpg] wonderful debut novel, [b:The Gutter Prayer|39836383|The Gutter Prayer (The Black Iron Legacy, #1)|Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534836686l/39836383._SY75_.jpg|61596749]. Coincidentally, the sequel has just become available for pre-order so I recommend getting in there if you like dark, inventive, well thought-out and constructed fantasy.
February brought me some utterly superb stories from authors I now seek out - I obviously already knew [a:N.K. Jemisin|2917917|N.K. Jemisin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438215930p2/2917917.jpg] but was also delighted to make the acquaintance of [a:P. Djèlí Clark|15117586|P. Djèlí Clark|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1575504378p2/15117586.jpg], [a:Indrapramit Das|13983816|Indrapramit Das|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1531664334p2/13983816.jpg], [a:Alix E. Harrow|9823112|Alix E. Harrow|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1548339540p2/9823112.jpg] & [a:Kai Ashante Wilson|7022361|Kai Ashante Wilson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]. The only novel that month was [b:Brown Girl in the Ring|57504|Brown Girl in the Ring|Nalo Hopkinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386924870l/57504._SY75_.jpg|56024] by [a:Nalo Hopkinson|27528|Nalo Hopkinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1361387199p2/27528.jpg], an author it has taken me far too long to come to and I am grateful for one of my Goodreads groups for introducing me to.
After starting March with the third part of [a:Ada Palmer|8132662|Ada Palmer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442973045p2/8132662.jpg]'s tour-de-force Terra Ignota series, [b:The Will to Battle|33517544|The Will to Battle (Terra Ignota, #3)|Ada Palmer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484321667l/33517544._SY75_.jpg|54280306], the stories from tor.com were more of a mixed bag, mostly 3 and 4 star stories, although [a:Laurie Penny|4719213|Laurie Penny|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1412727681p2/4719213.jpg]'s clever [b:Your Orisons May Be Recorded|28820958|Your Orisons May Be Recorded|Laurie Penny|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1454333665l/28820958._SX50_.jpg|49038759] was very nearly worth 5, and she goes on the list with [a:Margaret Killjoy|2970944|Margaret Killjoy|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573778976p2/2970944.jpg], [a:Melissa Marr|175855|Melissa Marr|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1556828699p2/175855.jpg] and [a:Lettie Prell|1583944|Lettie Prell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1493852903p2/1583944.jpg] of writers to watch. [a:Jeff VanderMeer|33919|Jeff VanderMeer|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1522640540p2/33919.jpg]'s [b:Borne|31451186|Borne (Borne, #1)|Jeff VanderMeer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1477487850l/31451186._SX50_.jpg|48253660] was as interesting and weird as you'd expect, and I'm looking forward to [b:Dead Astronauts|37589179|Dead Astronauts (Borne, #2)|Jeff VanderMeer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569673345l/37589179._SY75_.jpg|73543685], and I devoured [a:Claire North|7210024|Claire North|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1440105009p2/7210024.jpg]'s [b:The End of the Day|31408829|The End of the Day|Claire North|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484652403l/31408829._SY75_.jpg|52102281] on a beach in Barbados. Both these things are one of my highlights of the year. The island holiday was stunning, and after discovering North last year with [b:The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August|35066358|The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August|Claire North|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493966668l/35066358._SY75_.jpg|25807847] she has become possibly my favourite contemporary author.
April opened with me finishing one of several great books on politics and society I read this year, [b:Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World|40876575|Utopia for Realists How We Can Build the Ideal World|Rutger Bregman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532031994l/40876575._SX50_.jpg|49847901] by [a:Rutger Bregman|5781839|Rutger Bregman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1517928864p2/5781839.jpg]. I make no secret of my socialism and my Utopian leanings, and this truly wonderful book is a clear sighted view of how we can, and should, address so many of our world's problems. Essential reading. Fiction came from [b:The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle|36337550|The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle|Stuart Turton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506896221l/36337550._SY75_.jpg|57528323] - [a:Stuart Turton|17160667|Stuart Turton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1537181882p2/17160667.jpg] is very much in my wheelhouse and a name to watch - and another batch of fine stories, from new-to-me authors [a:Aliette de Bodard|2918731|Aliette de Bodard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1261567215p2/2918731.jpg], [a:Angela Slatter|2847546|Angela Slatter|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1286290946p2/2847546.jpg] and, most especially, [a:Lavie Tidhar|572738|Lavie Tidhar|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1369652429p2/572738.jpg]. Much of this month and the next, however was taken up with [a:John Man|31115|John Man|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]'s thorough and highly enjoyable history [b:Mongol Empire: The Conquests of Genghis Khan and the Making of Modern China|18761873|Mongol Empire The Conquests of Genghis Khan and the Making of Modern China|John Man|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410522463l/18761873._SY75_.jpg|26659410].
The rest of May and June were all fiction, the anthology closing with a run of stunningly good stories from [a:Rajnar Vajra|1939040|Rajnar Vajra|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], [a:Genevieve Valentine|3400079|Genevieve Valentine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1360060998p2/3400079.jpg], [a:Alyssa Wong|8178928|Alyssa Wong|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1469819886p2/8178928.jpg] & [a:Carrie Vaughn|8988|Carrie Vaughn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1468274730p2/8988.jpg], novels being [b:Grey Sister|35530652|Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #2)|Mark Lawrence|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523384136l/35530652._SY75_.jpg|56952069] by [a:Mark Lawrence|4721536|Mark Lawrence|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1318781585p2/4721536.jpg] [a:Madeline Miller|176372|Madeline Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1322861610p2/176372.jpg]'s brilliant [b:Circe|35959740|Circe|Madeline Miller|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565909496l/35959740._SY75_.jpg|53043399].
July has just two entries, the slim yet dense and weirdly wonderful [b:The Last Days of New Paris|41017647|The Last Days of New Paris|China Miéville|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533085252l/41017647._SY75_.jpg|45970777] - [a:China Miéville|33918|China Miéville|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1243988363p2/33918.jpg]'s most outre book yet, and his best in a while - and [a:Peter Frankopan|3185055|Peter Frankopan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1464911422p2/3185055.jpg]'s chunky and excellent history [b:The Silk Roads: A New History of the World|25812847|The Silk Roads A New History of the World|Peter Frankopan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1472636067l/25812847._SY75_.jpg|45425898]. I concluded the summer with fine novels from [a:Sam J. Miller|4648324|Sam J. Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1564540835p2/4648324.jpg] and [a:P. Djèlí Clark|15117586|P. Djèlí Clark|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1575504378p2/15117586.jpg], a dip into some [a:Ambrose Bierce|14403|Ambrose Bierce|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1183231430p2/14403.jpg] stories and [a:Stephen Fry|10917|Stephen Fry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1400162446p2/10917.jpg]'s retelling of Greek myth, [b:Mythos|35074096|Mythos The Greek Myths Retold (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #1)|Stephen Fry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1502518360l/35074096._SY75_.jpg|56371760] ahead of seeing his live performance in Salford. Manchester and environs have been something of a second home recently; while there was no QED this years ( an annual science and scepticism conference I attend ), we had weekends there including The Book of Mormon, Robin Ince's Nine Lessons for Curious People. Well, it's no Sheffield but is just over an hour on the train.
In a light September I managed just three novels - [a:Kate Atkinson|10015|Kate Atkinson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1363801830p2/10015.jpg]'s [b:Transcription|37946414|Transcription|Kate Atkinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521173471l/37946414._SY75_.jpg|64175388], [a:Rebecca Roanhorse|15862877|Rebecca Roanhorse|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1512417497p2/15862877.jpg]'s [b:Trail of Lightning|36373298|Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World, #1)|Rebecca Roanhorse|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1515788168l/36373298._SY75_.jpg|52833355] and, the highlight, the conclusion to [a:Meg Elison|7793962|Meg Elison|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1429643916p2/7793962.jpg]'s Road to Nowhere trilogy, possibly the best of the series.
October was half fiction and half non. A friend pushed [b:The Last Wish|40603587|The Last Wish (The Witcher, #0.5)|Andrzej Sapkowski|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529591917l/40603587._SX50_.jpg|2293675] on me ahead of The Witcher TV show, and I was delighted one of the book clubs chose the great [a:Roger Zelazny|3619|Roger Zelazny|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207671346p2/3619.jpg] seasonal masterpiece [b:A Night in the Lonesome October|62005|A Night in the Lonesome October|Roger Zelazny|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1274492048l/62005._SY75_.jpg|890916]. Despite being a huge fan of his work - the Amber sequence, [b:Lord of Light|13821|Lord of Light|Roger Zelazny|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1330127327l/13821._SY75_.jpg|1011388], etc - I'd somehow missed this one and it was a pure delight. The non-fiction was as intense and brilliant, although rather less pleasurable, all politics with [a:Naomi Klein|419|Naomi Klein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1494619590p2/419.jpg]'s call to arms [b:No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need|34814047|No Is Not Enough Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need|Naomi Klein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491517241l/34814047._SX50_.jpg|56535051] and [b:Stolen: How to Save the World from Financialisation|48109791|Stolen How to Save the World from Financialisation|Grace Blakeley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568070271l/48109791._SY75_.jpg|67563588] from economist and activist [a:Grace Blakeley|18757370|Grace Blakeley|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png].
I launched into November in full hard sci-fi mode, with [a:Andy Weir|6540057|Andy Weir|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382592903p2/6540057.jpg]'s second novel [b:Artemis|34928122|Artemis|Andy Weir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494273579l/34928122._SY75_.jpg|56402016] and [b:Children of Ruin|40376072|Children of Ruin (Children of Time #2)|Adrian Tchaikovsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548701599l/40376072._SX50_.jpg|62663185] from another writer I discovered last year and has become a firm favourite, [a:Adrian Tchaikovsky|1445909|Adrian Tchaikovsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1282303363p2/1445909.jpg]. I rounded out the month with [a:David D. Levine|1988739|David D. Levine|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353130342p2/1988739.jpg]'s excellent AI story, [b:Damage|23311305|Damage|David D. Levine|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1416448058l/23311305._SX50_.jpg|42865300], [a:Dennis Lehane|10289|Dennis Lehane|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1227580381p2/10289.jpg] being as darkly brilliant and disturbing as ever in [b:Darkness, Take My Hand|21681|Darkness, Take My Hand (Kenzie & Gennaro, #2)|Dennis Lehane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392049150l/21681._SY75_.jpg|1356228] and [b:The Three Dimensions of Freedom|43345902|The Three Dimensions of Freedom|Billy Bragg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556822997l/43345902._SY75_.jpg|67311345], a wonderfully pithy, direct and no-nonsense take on how we can fix politics from [a:Billy Bragg|475218|Billy Bragg|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1338378133p2/475218.jpg], bought at his gig at the Leadmill. OK, there may be a theme to the run of non-fiction.
In the final month of the year I finished only two books, but both were utterly superb. Back to [a:Claire North|7210024|Claire North|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1440105009p2/7210024.jpg] with [b:The Sudden Appearance of Hope|25746699|The Sudden Appearance of Hope|Claire North|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1454363620l/25746699._SY75_.jpg|45587878] and [b:This Is How You Lose the Time War|36516585|This Is How You Lose the Time War|Amal El-Mohtar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543953962l/36516585._SX50_.jpg|58237743]. Both inventive, beautiful, thought provoking. Speculative fiction at its zenith.
Not that I didn't read more in December. At the moment I'm savouring [a:Robert Macfarlane|435856|Robert Macfarlane|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1369335601p2/435856.jpg]'s breathtaking writing in [b:The Wild Places|2688775|The Wild Places|Robert Macfarlane|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442535260l/2688775._SX50_.jpg|1521802], being horrified and traumatised by just how severe the climate crisis is in [b:The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming|41552709|The Uninhabitable Earth Life After Warming|David Wallace-Wells|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551230596l/41552709._SX50_.jpg|64830288] and reacquainting myself with [b:Night's Black Agents|13157633|Night's Black Agents|Kenneth Hite|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1323096937l/13157633._SX50_.jpg|18336042] ahead of running a game of superspy shenanigans.
So, a damned good year of reading, overall. Quite heavy on the SFF, although very diverse within that broad genre. I've found more new authors to follow than any year in recent memory. Let's see what 2020 holds in store.
Happy New Year. show less
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