Reading List 2006: Read anything good lately?

[triadruid]

Read more numerically than in previous years, but that was helped significantly by the fact that so many were graphic novels/bound comics. Cheating? Maybe, but it was appealing at the beginning of this year, especially after re-devouring the entire Wheel of Time series last year... this, on the other hand, was the year of Discworld.

Legend: bold means I've read it already, Italics means I'm working on it, and normal text means it's a potential. * means I've read it before. The rankings after them in parentheses go from 1-10, with 10 being highest.

1. Frank Herbert, The Dosadi Experiment (7 - I felt like I was missing a lot of backstory the whole time; interesting concept, though)
   
2. Neil Gaiman, The Sandman series (9 - finally finished the end of the series, which was no disappointment)
   
3. Larry Niven and Steven Barnes, Saturn's Race (4 - gave up after I guessed the ending halfway through)
   
4. James O'Barr, The Crow (5.5 - I wanted to like this, but the graphical/narrative style didn't appeal at all; I actually liked the film better)
   
5. Cross Gen Comics, Crux (6 - started the series from the library, didn't finish as it got trite)
   
6. Marvel Comics, The Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity Abyss (6 - pretty solid for a comic, but nothing special)
   
7. James O'Barr, The Crow: Dead Time (5 - I don't even remember this one, really, but I wanted to give the series another try - no love)
   
8. DC Comics, Kingdom Come (6 - for not having picked up a DC comic in a while, I was able to follow this pretty easily)
   
9. Paul Dini & Alex Ross, Superman: Peace on Earth (7 - pretty good Superman story actually, told in large format; dealt with the omnipotence problem well)
   
10. Daniel Clowes, Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron (6 - points for originality, but this was a very weird graphic tale)
    
11. H. P. Lovecraft (among others), Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos (8 overall - some stories better than others, but it was nice to see his work along with his contemporaries, especially when they tried to kill off each other's characters)
    
12. Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys (7.5 - good Gaiman and continuation of the American Gods story, but dragged a little in places)
    
13. Terry Pratchett, Sourcery (7 - actually not one of his better efforts in my view)
    
14. Terry Pratchett, Pyramids (8 - this, on the other hand, very funny, for a stand-alone Discworld book)
    
15. Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters (7.5 - nice use of the Macbeth mythology)
    
16. Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards! (8 - heh; this was ostensibly research as I was considering going as Captain Vimes at Dragon*Con)
    
17. Eric Garcia, Anonymous Rex (7.5 - funny concept (dinosaur P.I.), not stellar execution)
    
18. Warwick Collins, Computer One (8.5 - I really liked this, even though I picked it up blind from the library)
    
19. Terry Pratchett, Eric (8 - listened to this one on Books on Tape/CD)
    
20. Philip K. Dick, Minority Report and other stories (7 overall - Dick has some definite motifs that he gets stuck in when you read him in bulk)
    
21. Kim Stanley Robinson, The Years of Rice and Salt (8.5 - this'd been a 9 if it wasn't for the last section; very good alternate history without Christianity/Europe)
    
22. Alan Moore, Tom Strong, Book One (6 - eh, comic; nuff said)
    
23. Piers Anthony, On a Pale Horse* (re-read, started in Sacramento on a trip; I might actually continue the series this time)
    
24. Walter Tevis, The Man Who Fell to Earth (7.75 - gripping and bleak, but very tightly written sci-fi; the movie is also quite good, with David Bowie of course)
    
25. Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures (7 - some funny moments, but not that great)
    
26. Harry Turtledove, Great War: Walk in Hell (7.5 - dragged in places, but continues the thread of his alternate history timeline)
    
27. Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo: Shrouded Moon (5.5 - bundled comics, not my style/age level I fear)
    
28. Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man (8.5 - Death stories in Discworld are always a favorite for me)
    
29. Jacqueline Carey, Banewreaker (7.5 - wanted to like this Tolkien rewrite, but it dragged in many places, and repeated itself something fierce; great concept though, so I kept reading)
    
30. Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents (8 - pretty funny, if angled a little more toward youth than most Discworld books)
    
31. Jacqueline Carey, Godslayer (8 - second part of Banewreaker's story was actually better than the first overall, and ended solidly)
    
32. Drew Karpyshyn, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction (5 - ugh, this should have been a comic, then I'd have finished it quicker)
    
33. Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad (8 - voudoun, godmothers, and witches, oh my!)
    
34. Alan Moore, Promethea (almost 8 - reading this took quite a while, and I'm sure I missed a lot; however it's so long and involved that it's hard not to find some part you like)
    
35. Clive Barker, Cabal (and other stories) (9 overall - Barker writes some of the most realistic monsters I've ever seen; Cabal itself was a reread, but many of the short stories were also very good)
    
36. Various Authors, Isaac Asimov's Faeries (7.5 overall - I liked some of the early stories and the last several much better than the ones in the middle, which I couldn't get absorbed in)
    
37. Terry Pratchett, Small Gods (9 - I really liked this one, especially Om himself)
    
38. Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies (8.5 - hopefully this bodes well for future Discworld, since I'm trying to read the whole series)
    
39. H. P. Lovecraft, Dreams of Terror and Death (7 overall - argh, this took me nearly all year to read; I started it after finishing the Cthulhu series compilation, but it dragged and wandered in the desert waaaaay too much)
    

And the only one I'm currently in the middle of reading (though there's of course a lot of Pratchett left, too):
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (7 so far, good idea, repeats himself a lot explaining it though)

The rest of the to-be-read list

Comments

The Commitment by Dan Savage

[cynthiaweb.livejournal.com]

Everyone should read this book. I love his writing.

Re: The Commitment by Dan Savage

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Added!

[hekatatia.livejournal.com]

Ooh, our lists crossover! I reread Sandman this year and also read the first of the Promethea books. I'd continue with it but the library only has the first. =/

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

We've got them in comic slipcovers courtesy of gamera_spinning, but I'm not sure how hideous they would be to ship overseas. If you still can't find them, let us know?

They're crunchy and fun, and yet smart in surprising ways.

[hekatatia.livejournal.com]

Thanks but overseas shipping is probably painful. I think I can get back issues cheap through a US site - I'll have to check next time I put in an order (about once a year).