Books Read 2020

[Rumpy]

Cold Storage by David Koepp (Jurassic Park Screenwriter). I really wanted to like this one, as it started off feeling like a new take on The Andromeda Strain. But then it quickly veers off the rails into absurdity and I had to pretty much force myself to finish this. I wanted some serious sci-fi, and the opening chapters were like that, but then he inserts inane humor and it quickly fell apart with so many random absurdities.

Just started Trebek's book. Living where he was born gives me an interesting perspective. This book is going to give the city and the surrounding region some extra international exposure. He tells it like it is and I appreciate that. You could tell he still had much fondness for the place he grew up in.

[Hipolito]

Heloise the Bard, Book 1: The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True by Sean Gibson (ebook, LibraryThing Early Review): In this comical fantasy, a sassy bard tells the story of her adventuring group as they try to help a town (of idiots) with its dragon problem. The bard strips away the usual heroism and derring-do, showing that adventuring is dirty and unglamorous and the line between good and evil is thin.

There are chuckles to be had. Here's a sample: "And, as the famously rotund and campy bard Beef Roast once sang, two out of three ain't great." There's a cute reference to the Three Dirty Dwarves video game. My favorite bit, which goes on for several pages, was when the adventurers try to communicate with hand signals, but hopelessly misinterpret each other. But the author is obsessed with foul odors and bodily functions, which isn't my type of humor. The overall story is only moderately interesting and a bit too long.

Rating: 2 out of 8 Grinnarian ploufers

[Scuzz]

What with Joe Abercrombie coming out with a new trilogy involving the same world I decided to re-read the original First Law Trilogy. I am not sure how long it has been since I read it (first book was out in paperback in 2007 and I think I started reading the series when the second book came out). I was surprised how much I had forgotten, and how much I still loved some of the characters. It is a rare book where the character who seems most evil becomes your favorite character but that happens with this series. It was also good to see some names that show up in the later books again.

These (along with the Black Company original trilogy) are probably my favorite fantasy books of the last 20 years. I don't re-read a lot of books, so this was rare for me but it was totally enjoyable re-visiting this world and I now look forward to reading the new trilogy, although I don't expect it to be this good. that would be hoping for too much.

[Jaymann]

What with Joe Abercrombie coming out with a new trilogy involving the same world I decided to re-read the original First Law Trilogy. I am not sure how long it has been since I read it (first book was out in paperback in 2007 and I think I started reading the series when the second book came out). I was surprised how much I had forgotten, and how much I still loved some of the characters. It is a rare book where the character who seems most evil becomes your favorite character but that happens with this series. It was also good to see some names that show up in the later books again.

These (along with the Black Company original trilogy) are probably my favorite fantasy books of the last 20 years. I don't re-read a lot of books, so this was rare for me but it was totally enjoyable re-visiting this world and I now look forward to reading the new trilogy, although I don't expect it to be this good. that would be hoping for too much.

I am half way through the second book of the new series (The Age of Madness) and it delivers. Not quite up to The First Law Trilogy, but what is?

[Scuzz]

I do have the first book in the new series. I will probably start with that soon.

[hitbyambulance]

currently reading:

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Food of the Gods - H.G. Wells
Islam at the Crossroads - Muhammad Asad (do not know just how committed i am to this one)

i purchased a pile of books at a library book sale recently for insanely cheap prices and i have no idea what to start on next:

Everything and Nothing - Jorge Luis Borges
The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco
Notes of a Native Son - James Baldwin
An Artist of the Floating World - Kazuo Ishiguro
Amerika, or The Man Who Disappeared - Franz Kafka
Outer Dark - Cormac McCarthy
Cosmos - Witold Gombrowicz
Sometimes a Great Notion - Ken Kesey
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville

also ... a pile of Little Free Library scores that will be returned after being read. _some_ of them:

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Tower - W.B. Yeats
Save Me the Waltz - Zelda Fitzgerald
The Buried Giant - Kazuo Ishiguro
The Tempest - William Shakespeare
The Slow Regard of Silent Things - Patrick Rothfuss
The Machineries of Joy - Ray Bradbury
The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Other Stories - Edgar Allen Poe
Joyland - Stephen King

_also_... some eBooks that i want to get to:

The Beautiful and Damned - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Eyeless in Gaza - Aldous Huxley
Death's End - Cixin Liu

oh and i bought a signed copy of William Gibson's Agency so that's an auto-add to the front of the queue

big project next year might be James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake

[Jaymann]

If 2020 hasn't been depressing enough, throw a little Kafka on the barbe.

[ImLawBoy]

i purchased a pile of books at a library book sale recently for insanely cheap prices and i have no idea what to start on next:

. . .
The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco
. . .

Oh, hell no.

[ImLawBoy]

I'm back into a lull when it comes to reading, but part of that is due to taking on some challenging books. I just finished A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (on Kindle), which centers around the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in 1976 and explores the impacts that it had in the following decades on Jamaica and the US. It's a fictionalization of events, with each chapter spoken in the voice of the central character of that chapter. These voices include multiple gang members from Jamaica, a Rolling Stone freelancer, a middle class Jamaican woman running from violence, a CIA agent stationed in Jamaica, and a ghost. Each character has a unique voice, and sometimes the Jamaican patois could be challenging to get through. Still, it was a great read and I strongly recommend it. Don't take my word for it, though. It also won the Man Booker Prize for fiction in 2015.

Meanwhile, I'm in the homestretch on This Storm by James Ellroy in hard copy. I'm hoping to finish it this year to pad my (pathetic) stats, but I'm not confident. On Kindle, I've started Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon. I think I picked this up on sale when folks around here were talking it up. I read Stinger by McCammon back when I was in high school and was voraciously reading horror books, but I don't think I've read anything else by him

[Scuzz]

The library here has quit collecting books (for now) and cancelled their annual sale due to the pandemic. We have a couple of boxes of books in the garage we would donate to them and I really miss not being able to buy a bunch of cheap quick reads.

[TheMix]

i purchased a pile of books at a library book sale recently for insanely cheap prices and i have no idea what to start on next:

. . .
The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco
. . .

Oh, hell no.

This. So much this. Actually, to be fair, if you are willing to skip lots of pages, then it might not be too bad. I wasn't annoyed at the ending like ILB, but I'd seen the movie before I read the book; so I knew the story. But a dozen pages to describe the bas-relief on some doors? Two dozen pages to describe a dream? Who knows how many pages dedicated to describing all... ALL... of the religious artifacts stored in the monastery (spoiler: I finally figured out how to skip ahead until I saw someone speaking)? Ugh. I may have exaggerated a bit, but not as much as you might think. I don't recall the conversations that ILB is referring to, but I definitely remember the sense of impending "is this ever going to end" dread that would appear any time the author started describing anything.

[Jeff V]

The library here has quit collecting books (for now) and cancelled their annual sale due to the pandemic. We have a couple of boxes of books in the garage we would donate to them and I really miss not being able to buy a bunch of cheap quick reads.

Does your library participate in digital at all? I used the library all the time, haven't stepped foot in it since Covid. I download ebooks and audiobooks on Overdrive. Free is really the best price; they take up no space, and you don't get a sore back hauling them around.

[Scuzz]

The library here has quit collecting books (for now) and cancelled their annual sale due to the pandemic. We have a couple of boxes of books in the garage we would donate to them and I really miss not being able to buy a bunch of cheap quick reads.

Does your library participate in digital at all? I used the library all the time, haven't stepped foot in it since Covid. I download ebooks and audiobooks on Overdrive. Free is really the best price; they take up no space, and you don't get a sore back hauling them around.

I haven't transitioned to digital yet. Part of the reading experience is paper, turning pages and fingering the book.

[Isgrimnur]

Are we not doing 'phrasing' anymore?

[hitbyambulance]

....and what book do i decide to start last night ? Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah

[Blackhawk]

What with Joe Abercrombie coming out with a new trilogy involving the same world I decided to re-read the original First Law Trilogy. I am not sure how long it has been since I read it (first book was out in paperback in 2007 and I think I started reading the series when the second book came out). I was surprised how much I had forgotten, and how much I still loved some of the characters. It is a rare book where the character who seems most evil becomes your favorite character but that happens with this series. It was also good to see some names that show up in the later books again.

These (along with the Black Company original trilogy) are probably my favorite fantasy books of the last 20 years. I don't re-read a lot of books, so this was rare for me but it was totally enjoyable re-visiting this world and I now look forward to reading the new trilogy, although I don't expect it to be this good. that would be hoping for too much.

I also read these (well, the first two) recently for the first time. I'm taking a break for something lighter before going back for the third. I'm... confused. I really, really liked them, but I'm not sure why. They're a plot tease, all build-up and no climax. I always feel like something cool is about to happen, but nothing ever actually happens. Interesting people spend hundreds of pages traveling to an interesting spot to grab a tchotchke that isn't there when they arrive. Interesting people spend hundreds of pages preparing for a major event that takes place after they leave, and we don't get to see. And yet watching these people jabber at each other on the road is still really, really engaging.

[Smoove_B]

I've tried numerous times to get Trent Steel, RM9 and another guy into the First Law Trilogy. It's easily my favorite fantasy series of the last 20 years, by a mile. I've also re-read the entire series at least 3 times, which is absolutely unusual for me. I think the only book series I've read more times is the Gunslinger. Blackhawk, you really need to read the third. So much will be made clearer. I mean, there's other stuff that won't be clear, but truly the third book is fantastic.

[Jeff V]

I haven't transitioned to digital yet. Part of the reading experience is paper, turning pages and fingering the book.

The convenience and ability to experience books anywhere anytime overrode this minor relic of days of reading past.

[Scuzz]

What with Joe Abercrombie coming out with a new trilogy involving the same world I decided to re-read the original First Law Trilogy. I am not sure how long it has been since I read it (first book was out in paperback in 2007 and I think I started reading the series when the second book came out). I was surprised how much I had forgotten, and how much I still loved some of the characters. It is a rare book where the character who seems most evil becomes your favorite character but that happens with this series. It was also good to see some names that show up in the later books again.

These (along with the Black Company original trilogy) are probably my favorite fantasy books of the last 20 years. I don't re-read a lot of books, so this was rare for me but it was totally enjoyable re-visiting this world and I now look forward to reading the new trilogy, although I don't expect it to be this good. that would be hoping for too much.

I also read these (well, the first two) recently for the first time. I'm taking a break for something lighter before going back for the third. I'm... confused. I really, really liked them, but I'm not sure why. They're a plot tease, all build-up and no climax. I always feel like something cool is about to happen, but nothing ever actually happens. Interesting people spend hundreds of pages traveling to an interesting spot to grab a tchotchke that isn't there when they arrive. Interesting people spend hundreds of pages preparing for a major event that takes place after they leave, and we don't get to see. And yet watching these people jabber at each other on the road is still really, really engaging.

I have always thought the characters, and what Abercrombie does with them, are what makes these books good. The basic premises tend to be pretty cliche now, and Abercrombie plays with that.

[Scuzz]

I haven't transitioned to digital yet. Part of the reading experience is paper, turning pages and fingering the book.

The convenience and ability to experience books anywhere anytime overrode this minor relic of days of reading past.

I can see why digital would be great for some people. I just haven't needed to take advantage of it's advantages yet, Maybe someday.

[$iljanus]

I miss having bookcases filled with books. Gave so many to the local library because once I got married there just wasn't much space as we merged possessions. Would have been useful in the post-apocalypse as a shining beacon of culture in a desolate land...or good kindling for a fire.

My board games have taken their place.

[hitbyambulance]

I haven't transitioned to digital yet. Part of the reading experience is paper, turning pages and fingering the book.

The convenience and ability to experience books anywhere anytime overrode this minor relic of days of reading past.

i've found i would much rather put a physical book on hold at the library and wait for it to read it, rather than downloading the ebook version. i do the same thing with CDs/tapes/records, or DVD/VHS/LaserDisc. the physical 'container' enhances the media experience significantly for me.

[Hipolito]

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (hardcover): Tying together concrete definitions, logical arguments, history, academic findings, and his struggles against his own prejudices, the author provides a new way to look at racism. From his innovative viewpoint, he examines the intersections of race and class, gender, sexuality, geography, culture, behavior, and biology. Not all of the logic flows smoothly, and not all of the research is believable. (For example, he cites the dubious statistic that the average life expectancy of transwomen of color is 35 years.) But the book is effective enough to change how I think and how I see the world.

There are many important and surprising takeaways, but the ones that most stand out to me are:

1. You are either a racist or an antiracist (someone who actively fights against racist policies). There is no such thing as a non-racist; to be "color-blind" is to sit there and do nothing about racist policies (while probably continuing to benefit from those policies), which makes you a racist.
2. Race is a construct with no scientific bearing. The goal of racism isn't hate, but power and self-interest.
3. Saying that Blacks are powerless against racism weakens their will to fight and ignores history.
4. Integration expects Blacks to heal by being in proximity to Whites who haven't stopped fighting them.
5. The policies that cause thousands of Black babies to die every year from malnutrition, exposure, and inadequate medical care are just as racist and overt as people who firebomb and shoot up Black churches. Though the latter kill fewer, they attract more of our attention.
6. Racists are illogical and motivated by power, and therefore don't respond to moral and educational suasion. Antiracists must first seize power; only afterward does racism subside, as proven by the eventual acceptance of desegregation, interracial marriage, and Obamacare after those things became law.

Rating: 6 out of 8 historically Black colleges and universities.

[freelunch]

And that's 2020 in the can. 99 books completed. I don't really care for page counts since I read eBooks and I've seen variances of more than 100 pages in "official" page counts for some of the books I've read.

Tried to do a Top Ten but I couldn't narrow it down, so here are the 33 books I rated at five stars in 2020

Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan
Percy Gloom by Cathy Malkasian
After Hours, Vol. 3 by Yuhta Nishio
Valentine: The Duology by Sorcha Black
Tenacity by Auryn Hadley
Harleen by Stjepan Šejić
The X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon
The Sharp Edge Of Bliss by Sorcha Black
Gentrified by Kirsten McCurran
The Lucky One by R. Byrne
The Boss by Abigail Barnette
Devils' Day Party by C.M. Stunich
Marriage Training by Golden Angel
Clockwork Stalker by Cari Silverwood
44 Hours by Donna Jay
In the Arms of a Woman by Harper Bliss
Resilience by Auryn Hadley
Valentine Roulette by Livia Grant, Jennifer Bene, Renee Rose, Maren Smith, Addison Cain, Lee Savino, Sophie Kisker, Measha Stone
Against All Odds by Kris Bryant, Maggie Cummings & M. Ullrich
Tender Mercies by Kitty Thomas
Vibe by Liza James
The Eighth House: Hades & Persephone by Eris Adderly
The Great Passage by Shion Miura
The Institute by Dani René, Anna Edwards, Murphy Wallace, India R. Adams, Jennifer Bene & Sian B. Claven
Sacrificed to the Sea by Cari Silverwood
The Hour of Our Death by Scarlett Parrish
Honey I Fucked The Kids, Part 1: I Blew Out The Candles by Jennifer Johnson
The Present by Patrick Khayler
Dissent by Auryn Hadley
Dark Math Jesus by Cari Silverwood
An Unexpected Gift: Christmas In Australia by K J
The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 9: 1967-1968 by Charles M. Schulz

Set myself a goal of 80 books for 2020, which shouldn't be hard to hit. Subsequently bumped up to 100 books. Subsequently knocked back down to 75. Then back to 80.

I'll be following this thread but my reviews are kind of crap so they're probably not worth reproducing (they're available on LibraryThing, Goodreads and Amazon.com.au if anyone is interested)

Last year I finished 94 books, down from 111 in 2018, 36 in 2017 and 15 in 2016.

Books Finished in 2020

01. Text, Don't Call by Aaron Caycedo-Kimura
02. Submissive Lies by Shane Starrett
03. Not Pounded By Romance Wranglers Of America Because Their New Leadership Is From The Depths Of The Endless Cosmic Void by Chuck Tingle
04. Family Jewels by Scarlett Parrish
05. The Silent Ones by K.L. Slater
06. Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan
07. Witching Moon by Poppy Woods
08. Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith
09. Percy Gloom by Cathy Malkasian
10. Today's Cerberus, Vol. 1 by Ato Sakurai
11. Star Wars Episode One Vol. 1 by Kia Asamiya
12. After Hours, Vol. 1 by Yuhta Nishio
13. After Hours, Vol. 2 by Yuhta Nishio
14. After Hours, Vol. 3 by Yuhta Nishio
15. Valentine: The Duology by Sorcha Black
16. My Time in the Affair by Stylo Fantome
17. Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 1 by Natsuki Takaya
18. Rabbit by Max Ellendale
19. Peace, Love, & Macarons by Jessica Gadziala
20. Gullivera by Milo Manara
21. Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 2 by Natsuki Takaya
22. Rocked by Livia Grant
23. Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, Vol. 3 by Natsuki Takaya
24. Tenacity by Auryn Hadley
25. Harleen by Stjepan Šejić
26. The X Ingredient by Roslyn Sinclair
27. Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon
28. The Sharp Edge Of Bliss by Sorcha Black
29. Tortured Whispers by Danielle James
30. Gentrified by Kirsten McCurran
31. Exposed by Jennifer Bene
32. The Lucky One by R. Byrne
33. Dirty Blvd.: The Life and Music of Lou Reed by Aidan Levy
34. Rule Breaker by Phoebe Alexander
35. The Boss by Abigail Barnette
36. The Surrogate by Jordan Silver
37. Devils' Day Party by C.M. Stunich
38. Scooby-Doo Team-Up, Vol. 1 by Sholly Fisch
39. Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san Vol. 1 by Honda
40. Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san Vol. 2 by Honda
41. One Too Many by Jade West
42. Marriage Training by Golden Angel
43. Clockwork Stalker by Cari Silverwood
44. 44 Hours by Donna Jay
45. Deep Screw by Scarlett Parrish
46. Gallows Pole by Eris Adderly
47. Succumb by Sorcha Black
48. Lord John and the Haunted Soldier by Diana Gabaldon
49. Breaking Ashley by Shay Sands
50. In the Arms of a Woman by Harper Bliss
51. Lake House Taboo by Belle Hart
52. Soccer Mom by Amber Skye
53. Step Mom by Jeremy Forsyth
54. Resilience by Auryn Hadley
55. The Husband Sitter by Jessa Kane
56. Valentine Roulette by Livia Grant, Jennifer Bene, Renee Rose, Maren Smith, Addison Cain, Lee Savino, Sophie Kisker, Measha Stone
57. Against All Odds by Kris Bryant, Maggie Cummings & M. Ullrich
58. Taken by Selena Kitt
59. Submitting to Her by Max Sebastian
60. Tender Mercies by Kitty Thomas
61. In The Black by Luci Dreamer
62. Serendipity by Lisa Chalmers
63. Run Baby Run by Margot Scott
64. Try Me Again by Clare Lydon
65. Wolfe by Cari Silverwood
66. Reasons to Heal by Jenn Matthews
67. Vibe by Liza James
68. The Eighth House: Hades & Persephone by Eris Adderly
69. Three For All by Kitt Crescendo
70. The Great Passage by Shion Miura
71. The Institute by Dani René, Anna Edwards, Murphy Wallace, India R. Adams, Jennifer Bene & Sian B. Claven
72. Getting Even: Prank War by M.C. Questgend
73. The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon
74. Bad Bad Bad by K. Webster
75. Happily Ever After & Everything In Between by Debbie Tung
76. Sacrificed to the Sea by Cari Silverwood
77. Tainted Love by Jaimie Roberts
78. The Hour of Our Death by Scarlett Parrish
79. Honey I Fucked The Kids, Part 1: I Blew Out The Candles by Jennifer Johnson
80. The Present by Patrick Khayler
81. Deep Wood by Margot Scott
82. Dissent by Auryn Hadley
83. Dark Math Jesus by Cari Silverwood
84. Taking What's Mine by Alexa Riley
85. Lots Of Naughty & A Little Nice by Leigh Lennon
86. Coming Home To Holly by Emily Hayes
87. An Unexpected Gift: Christmas In Australia by K J
88. All I Want for Christmas Is a Cowboy by Jessica Clare
89. The Big Guy is Coming to Town by Lilith Adams
90. Snowed Inn by by Allyson Lindt & Shaylin Matthews
91. All I Want For Christmas Is Mom by Laura Lovecraft
92. Home by Kris Bryant
93. Eight Crazy Cocks: A Hanukkah Gangbang Fantasy by Malicia Paine
94. Santa’s Favorite by Madeleine Taylor
95. Sharing Noelle by Margot Scott
96. Santa with a K by Cari Silverwood
97. Remember The Time by Tay Mo'Nae
98. The Virgin by Wol-vriey
99. The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 9: 1967-1968 by Charles M. Schulz

[hitbyambulance]

i'll probably finish Dune Messiah tonight. i have a real love/hate relationship with Frank Herbert's writing. his world building truly sets an example (that has been followed and imitated by many), he sometimes has a solid grasp on the metaphysical and more sublime aspects, and some of the ideas and analogies/symbolisms are actually engagingly presented - but there are passages that fail to convey anything of meaning or atmosphere, he sometimes pretends to be profound when whatever is being relayed really is not, some of the dialog is weird and awkward and the thought balloons need to be relegated back to comic book land. (he would have made a superb Marvel Comics writer back in the 1960s, i think) so i guess that mirrors some of the same praise/criticism i have for Philip K. Dick.

it would be great to see real and meaningful novels set in this universe _not_ written by Brian Herbert.

[freelunch]

2021 Thread

[Isgrimnur]

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (hardcover):

Funny. I just finished the audiobook,

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi

Stamped from the Beginning uses the life stories of five major American intellectuals - Puritan minister Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Du Bois, and legendary activist Angela Davis. - to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists.

[Jaymann]

Just under the wire I finished:

The Trouble With Peace by Abercrombie. Great stuff, as usual. The third volume isn't out yet, so I ordered Sharp Ends, which is short stories set in the First Law universe to tide me over.

[Hipolito]

How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (hardcover):

Funny. I just finished the audiobook,

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi

Stamped from the Beginning uses the life stories of five major American intellectuals - Puritan minister Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Du Bois, and legendary activist Angela Davis. - to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists.

I was thinking of reading Stamped from the Beginning, and may do so someday. But the next book that my Black Lives Matter book discussion group is tackling is Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.