2009 Read List

[triadruid]

Read a LOT this year; having a book going at the office and (at least) one at home probably helped. An asterisk means I've read it before; suggestions and commentary welcome.

1. John E. Stith, Reckoning Infinity (6.5, standard foreign-object-enters-the-solar-system-and-OMG-it's-intelligent story, but it's been done much better)
   
2. Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Dart (7.5, lush but slow start of an epic; I think I'll save the next installment for my next cross-country trip)
   
3. Robert J. Sawyer, Hominids (7, flawed but intriguing quantum worlds story)
   
4. David Petersen, Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 (7.5, nice graphic novel exploring the world of sentient mice; reminds me of a medieval Rats of NIMH)
   
5. Robert J. Sawyer, Humans (7.5, some interesting elements but he's Beating. Us. Over. The. Head. with how good the Neanderthals are and how corrupt the 'Humans' are (especially Americans, naturally)
   
6. Robert J. Sawyer, Hybrids (5, our villain turns out to be an American named Jock Krieger who wants to commit genocide - is anyone surprised at this point? The one token 'bad' Neanderthal is completely off-stage for the entire trilogy. Glad this is over; time to dive out of sci-fi for a while.)
   
7. Vernor Vinge, Across Realtime (7.5, uneven and somewhat limited look at how humanity might evolve and change in the face of working, flawless 'stasis' that could be used as weapon or defense both)
   
8. Terry Pratchett, Thud! (8.5, a little hard to follow at first but good use of both past 'history' of the Discworld books and tweaking some of the tropes)
   
9. Machiavelli, The Prince (7.5, another 'classic' that I should have read 15 300 years ago, because now they're integrated so deeply into our cultural psyche that they don't seem revolutionary)
   
10. Roland Merullo, American Savior (6, nothing in this book happened in a way I didn't expect it to; maybe he's groundbreaking and daring for mainstream Christians, but not I)
    
11. Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky (7, very funny but not as good as the first Wee Free Men book; Tiffany's a bit too amazing)
    
12. Diane Wolkstein & Samuel Noah Kramer, Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth (8, very readable translation of the Sumerian myths, with a long footnote section)
    
13. Lois McMaster Bujold, Curse of Chalion (7, takes a long time to get going and I don't often get into this sort of small-scale, royal-intrigue fantasy)
    
14. Elizabeth Bear, New Amsterdam (7.5, Bear writes fast and sometimes loose, but her characters are engaging and the situations are both believable and fantastic; this time it's a vampire and sorcerer detective duo, with compatriots)
    
15. Terry Pratchett, Wintersmith (6.5, Tiffany is an irritating teenager in all her glory and the Feegles are mostly incidental)
    
16. Mark Tiedemann, Realtime (6, by 2050 St. Louis is apparently entirely composed of 12 prominent citizens who will ALL figure in a conspiracy, and two federal agents who have to fall in love work together. Nothing exciting here, move along)
    
17. A.C. Crispin, V (7, nothing earth-shattering but a fast, light read and some vignettes that helped expand the depth of the miniseries)
    
18. A.C. Crispin, V: East Coast Crisis (7, I needed some light reading for this month and this delivered just fine)
    
19. Cameron Rogers, The Music of Razors (8, creepy little angel story, reads like Gaiman and Barker, but even funnier and with some interesting imagery)
    Kenneth Johnson, V: The Second Generation (gave up when he contradicted the story's internal mythology yet again; also, this (unsurprisingly) reads like a screenplay, in the bad way)
    
20. Richard K. Morgan, TH1RTE3N (7.5, ending was a little tacked-on but engrossing and funny in a Vin-Deisel-sci-fi-action-flick sort-of-way)
    
21. E. E. 'Doc' Smith, The Skylark of Space* (6, catalysts will make us awesome! Classic space opera, but faded a little since I last read it 20 years ago)
    
22. Samuel C. Florman, The Aftermath (7.5, formulaic but accessible story of the last 25k survivors on earth after a cometstrike, who just happen to be largely engineers like the author)
    
23. J.S. Filbrun, Gemini Rising (6.5, mercifully fast but glaringly bad early-80s sci-fi; I had read this in a previous life - i.e. when I was 12) and it stuck with me, primarily for the open ending and the sex scenes, no doubt)
    
24. Larry Niven and Steven Barnes, The Descent of Anansi (6, dated and trite corporate terrorism story with amazingly misleading cover blurbs)
    
25. Norah Vincent, Self-Made Man (8, very interesting look at a woman's trip into the realm of being a man for a year and a half; some gender-duality stuff is unavoidable coming from a novice's perspective, but her writing is excellent and her insights solid for the most part)
    
26. Evil Hat Books, Spirit of the Century: A Pulp Role-Playing Game (7, looks like a good game but it took forever to read this entire thing; there's some excellent tips for fast-starting in it but overall it wants for a bit of editing. Not what I was hoping for in a 'pickup-game-friendly' RPG)
    
27. DC Comics, Superman: Exile (6, forgettable late-80s Superman leaves Earth for space in a crisis of conscience; even depowered from his height, Supes is not very interesting to watch in one-on-one fights, and the story drags toward the obvious conclusion)
    
28. Johnathan Stroud, The Amulet of Samarkand (8, good young adult novel in the vein of Pratchett's Eric, but with the demon as one of the POV characters)
    
29. Justina Robson, Silver Screen (7, slightly incoherent nanotech 'mystery' that didn't seem to really want to go anywhere with its subject matter)
    
30. Jim Butcher, Turn Coat (8, this series keeps getting better with each iteration, and the overall storyline becomes more clear - and more horrifying)
    
31. Stephen King et al, The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home (6.5, stumbling but lush graphic novel of the missing trip home for Roland's original ka-tet)
    
32. Stephen King et al, The Dark Tower: Treachery (7.5, better interpretation of the start of the fall of Gilead)
    
33. M. John Harrison, Light (7, I wanted to like this, and the ideas/tech are great, but the characters are by turns predictable and unlikeable, the plot is contrived and vague at the end, and the writing is not 'brilliant' in my view but instead repetitive and stilted. It's not even that it hasn't aged well, because it was written in 2002, it just doesn't strike me as all that breathtaking)
    
34. Jonathan Stroud, The Golem's Eye (6.5, weak middle-book of the trilogy, really just sets up things for the future with a bizarre side-plot about magic-resistant golems. The main characters have gotten fairly irritating as well, in that SuperKids sort of way)
    
35. Richard Bandler and John Grinder, The Structure of Magic I & II (9, good summary of techniques for getting behind the omissions and distortions we use in everyday life... some of this I had already absorbed but the book is very systematic, practical, and well-organized. I'm already see NLP seeping into everyday life in some useful - and occasionally alarming - ways)
    
36. Stephen King, Firestarter (8, ahh, for the heady days when King had an editor who was unafraid of him. Don't know how it took me so long to read this, but I enjoyed the taut action, the characters, and the fact that the usual King wish-it-all-away ending actually made sense when you're dealing with a girl with Huge Mental Powers)
    
37. Stephen King et al, The Dark Tower: Sorcerer (8, wish it had been longer, but Robin Furth's amalgamation of King, Crowley, and Milton was very entertaining. I wish this story had been in the main series of books, as it's more deserving than what Flagg got there at the end)
    
38. Jonathan Stroud, Ptolemy's Gate (7.5, SuperKids syndrome in full effect, but stronger book than the last one. Adds some new material and fleshes out things previously only hinted at, with only a little of "we're the only ones who can save the world!" toward the end. YA Lit is really not my thing, at 34...)
    
39. Luke Crane and David Petersen, The Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game (read for research on the Feegle Grinder coming up this fall - game looks good and fun overall, but still too complex for what we have in mind. That's not a fault of the game, though, and I hope to play it sometime regardless, it just wasn't what I needed this time around.)
    
40. Connie Willis, Bellwether (7.5, fairly timeless tale about the modern scientific 'establishment', chaos theory, fads, and a rather unnecessary love story sideplot)
    
41. Howard Chaykin, The Complete Bite Club (7, enjoyable but lightweight vampires-as-crime-bosses comic/graphic novel; the appeal is largely in the unapologetic artwork, as the dialog and plot itself is nothing revolutionary)
    
42. Robert Jordan, Conan the Defender (6, Jordan definitely has an ear for the Conan style - that is to say, women, swords, and banter - and the book moves along efficiently and effortlessly, but sometimes too effortlessly. It reads a bit like a hybrid of Conan and Wheel of Time, which was occasionally disorienting)
    
43. Thomas Harris, Hannibal Rising (6.5, I really didn't expect Hannibal freakin' Lecter as Mary Sue/super-vigilante, and frankly didn't need his motivations. Then again, why read this if you're not looking for that? My mistake, of course... Harris apparently wrote this as a defense against his movie-partners getting someone else to do it if he refused, and it shows. Listening to him read his own audiobook was probably helpful, if marred by a few idiosyncrasies)
    
44. Gregory Benford, Cosm (8, pitch-perfect scientists and fun theoretical implications win out overall; a totally unnecessary 'action scene' and some definitely dated technology was my only real complaint)
    
45. Chris Dolley, Resonance (8.5, enjoyable sci-fi romp that somehow connects Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, the manyworlds hypothesis, superstring theory, quantum mechanics, and the nature of consciousness. I would almost certainly read other stuff by this author, who I picked up on a lark)
    
46. Greg Bear, The Forge of God (8, end-of-the-world has rarely been done better, frankly. I'd like to see a film of this, as it's written in a very cinematic style)
    
47. Greg Bear, Anvil of Stars (7.5, the sequel to Forge of God takes a while to really ramp up but eventually delivered a fairly complex message about revenge and technology, though still not as much as I would have wanted)
    
48. Marta Alto et al, Jackets for Real People: Tailoring Made Easy (7.5, accessible and instructive but badly-organized-and-edited manual for beginning tailoring of women's jackets)
    
49. Alexander Trocchi, Cain's Book (4, I was bored to tears by most of this book. It's telling that the most interesting part to me was not his dissolute lifestyle or drug habits, but when he almost got swept out to sea; definitely dated and surpassed in the last 50 years)
    
50. Misty Massey, Mad Kestrel (6, vaguely entertaining but trite Mary Sue Bligh story; a first novel by a Renn Faire pirate features a Rennie-style pirate who is the best swordswoman EVAR, and the secret scion of an extinct magical family, who can do anything by singing... no thanks)
    
51. Frank Herbert, Eye (5, short-story collection and uneven like most, but Herbert REALLY doesn't do well in this format; too many loose ends, unexplained asides, and ambiguous narratives)
    
52. Harry Turtledove, The Man with the Iron Heart (6, with Nazis as post-WWII guerrilla fighters, Turtledove takes no chances and really seems to be forcing the world to conform to his metaphor for the current Middle East conflicts)
    
53. Frank Herbert, Whipping Star (8, the Caleban communication problems and the BuSab machinations made this a worthwhile fast read)
    
54. Terry Pratchett, Making Money (7, almost-dull Discworld book about Moist von Lipwig's troubles in his newest government job; I could see where most of this one was going ahead of time)
    
55. Robert Jordan, Winter's Heart* (8, rereading this let me skim the few boring parts, and see how much of everything really was set up far in advance)
    
56. Robert Jordan, Crossroads of Twilight* (7, while there's some interesting stuff here it just feels incomplete somehow. There's no big payoff at the end, and it only advances the storyline a few days overall)
    
57. Robert Jordan, Knife of Dreams* (9, a real return to form in that big plot points advance, the characters do things both expected and unexpected, and we learn more about the world. My only complaint is the adding of yet more characters at this late stage of the game, and some copyediting flaws)
    
58. Marvel Comics, Spider-Man: The Other (8, Spider-Man is at his best when his life is at its worst, and it doesn't get much worse than dying of a terminal disease. Probably works better as a standalone trade paperback than trying to integrate it into the larger Spidey mythology; I only spotted one editorial error, but diehard fans had several other complaints)
    
59. Marvel Comics, Spider-Man: New Ways To Die (7, funny little collection of recent issues with the new anti-hero Anti-Venom, and those wacky Osborns)
    
60. Stephen King & Peter Straub, The Talisman* (7.5, readable and fast young adult novel, a little thin on the reread but engaging. It's interesting to see hints of some of the Dark Tower mythology here. It reads a LOT like a D&D adventure in the way it's setup & paced, which isn't entirely a bad thing: "I can't tell you that fact, just get going! Someone else will help you later.")
    
61. DC Comics, Identity Crisis (7, mostly forgettable and very wrapped up in its own internal mythology, and thus not very accessible to the casual reader. Also, terribly terribly misogynist in many ways.)
    
62. Stephen King & Peter Straub, Black House (6, vastly disappointing sequel with little of the charm of the original. Meandered upon itself for some time, then rushed to a conclusion that was much TOO tied into the Dark Tower series - and when I say that, it means something.)
    
63. Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson, The Gathering Storm (8.5, terrible typographic errors and odd word choices aside, this book moves the storyline along briskly and well. Sanderson has a real feel for the characters themselves, and writes extremely immersive, engaging text. At several moments I was shouting, laughing, or weeping out loud.)
    
64. Sergei Lukyanenko, Night Watch (7.5, I don't like the way he tries to tie their struggle into everything that's ever gone badly for Russia, but the overall concept is interesting and the writing, even through the translation, is catchy)
    
65. Jim Butcher, Backup (7, Thomas Raith's turn in the spotlight for a slender 12,000-word novella. Funny and fast, but I wanted quite a bit more. Most of what I read the Dresden Files for is the terrible things that happen to Harry, and the snappy patter)
    
66. Sergei Lukyanenko, Day Watch (6, confusing and doesn't really go anywhere, until he writes himself into a corner with the last story and has several characters 'discover' the massive subplot... again)
    
67. Sergei Lukyanenko, Twilight Watch (7, I enjoy his world but his plots are pretty 'gotcha')
    
68. Sergei Lukyanenko, Last Watch (5, what the heck was that? totally out-of-left-field ending, mostly nothing happens, and only a little of the beloved banter. Very disappointing ending; should have stopped at three and a half books or so)

And the only two I'm in the process of reading at the moment...

69. Bram Stoker, Dracula (still... this thing is interminable)
    
70. Arthur C. Clarke, Imperial Earth (off to a good start)

Also, I came across a very funny/useful community via LJ Spotlight: bookfails.

Comments

[lilia-blackbear.livejournal.com]

Bram Stoker, Dracula (still... this thing is interminable)

Until the end. The ending is the only thing I don't really care for in the book, but because it is full of lovely layers throughout the rest (one reading does it no justice, really) of the novel, I never tire of reading it again and again.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I'm about 50 pages from the end... it does have some interesting bits in the rest that may benefit from the reread, but I think once will be enough for me for some time, at least.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I'm really kind of curious, now. I agree with you about the ending, but what sorts of layering are you fascinated with earlier? It's possible I missed something, but it all seemed very telegraphed/straightforward to my modern eyes...

[lilia-blackbear.livejournal.com]

The reread takes not so modern eyes. The book was first published in 1897 -- a look at Victorian themes in the book is quite fascinating.

For instance, my favorite character -- Mina. Knowing a bit about Bram Stoker is helpful; several biographers say he did not understand women and was a little afraid of them (even though married -- one of Oscar Wilde's ex-girls, actually). This argument (don't know if I buy it completely) is seen with Mina. She is described by others as having a man's brain. Her behavior is fascinating to the Victorian men in the novel.

There are snippets in the seemingly straightforward telegraphs and diary entries of Stoker's thoughts in parallel or contrasting Victorian ideas of colonialism, immigration, and let's not forget sex (although no where near the sexed-up Coppola movie -- however, the sexual innuendos in the book of the 1890s may be something close to the 1990s sex in the movie to contemporary audiences). But all of those idea have to be found -- the Victorian myth of subtlety, unless you have read lots of Victorian-aged novels and you can see what is not subtle at all.

Then there are the layers of relationships... friendships, admirations for men, women, animals, monsters even -- admiration by all of them for others, too. Dracula is a monster -- more-so than any movie production I've ever seen, and yet, even a monster can admire. For instance, he is very protective of Harker ("This man belongs to me, I want him!") when the three vampiresses try to take him. Now, it could be that he is just selfish, but maybe not... but Dracula sure does like his children of the night too.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Thanks for explaining.

[ruisseau.livejournal.com]

Might I borrow #45 when I need a break from WoT?

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

We borrowed it from KCPL actually.