Since we're nearing the end of the year I thought it would be cathartic to list all the books you've read this year. I apologise if this has been done before or if it feels too similar to the 'reading now' thread, but to be fair this is more reflective and a chance for you to think about everything you've covered this year. Some of you may not remember all of the books because there's so many, or maybe it's just been a long year, but that's fine as well. Just list whatever comes to mind and if you like, leave some comments about the ones you've most enjoyed (or wouldn't recommend). My 2017 list: Al Murray: The Pub Landlord (don't ask, Xmas gift) The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (excellent) The Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins (worthwhile) Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd (not great) Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (disappointing, underwhelming...) The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (a light, gentle read) Alexander the Great: Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault (a chore) The Rings of Solomon (The Bartimaeus Sequence) by Jonathan Stroud (okay...) The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart (recommended by Jannert, all four books are a great read) The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart The Wicked Day by Mary Stewart Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela (finally got my hands on this, a lovely read) Down Under by Bill Bryson (tremendously funny) American Gods by Neil Gaiman (I enjoyed this one) The Monarch of the Glen by Neil Gaiman (novella) Needful Things by Stephen King (one of his good ones) 16 books and 1 novella in total. Sounds like I've not read enough this year! In my defence, some of these are on the larger side but I would like to nearly double this list next year. I've been so busy writing that I've not had a enough time to sit down and enjoy a good book. I haven't re-read any books this year, these are all new to me. I have to say it's been quite mixed. The first half of the year wasn't great and with some duffers. That said, the Song of Achilles was my favourite this year and that's one I read back in January. After that, it didn't really pick up until I got to the Mary Stewart series which was brilliant. All the books since then have been really good. What about you guys? Any books you'd like to share? I expect I'll read the Anansi Boys by Gaiman before the year ends and I'm currently reading the Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval Britain for research purposes.
This is going to be embarrassingly short, but okay. ASOIAF - A Game of Thrones by G.R.R.M (reread) ASOIAF - A Clash of Kings by G.R.R.M (reread) ASOIAF - A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow by G.R.R.M (reread) ASOIAF - A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold by G.R.R.M (reread) ASOIAF - A Feast for Crows by G.R.R.M (reread) A World of Ice and Fire by G.R.R.M, Elio M. García Jr., Linda Antonsson Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Norwegian translation, by Erik Egeberg) Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury At the Mountain of Madness by H.P Lovecraft The Shadow out of Time by H.P Lovecraft (reread) + a bunch of short stories by Lovecraft and William Gibson. Mostly rereads. Books I intend to finish before year's end: King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury So, yeah. Not only have I read little in 2017, I've read inside a narrow range of authors, with not a few rereads. Gonna have to be much more adventurous next year.
That was me last year. I re-read all ASOIAF and read very little else. No worries there though, we all go through peaks and troughs with reading Did you not fancy reading A Dance with Dragons this time around? I have yet to read his other Westeros related stuff, so I'll have to give those a try at some point. I have the Knight of the Seven Kingdoms short stories in mind for next year. HP Lovecraft is a very strong inspiration and influence for Stephen King. I've read a bit of his stuff, but not nearly enough. Lovecraft is such a big deal to the genre that I feel like I've missed out until I read more of his work. I often try to read new stuff but I never forget about a good book after the first time. I really would like to go back and read Harry Potter, given that I haven't read through the series all at once and the last time I read these was back in 2008. That's a long time. Same goes for the Dark Tower, I love that series and really must go back.
Oh, I'll get around to reading A Dance with Dragons, but I needed a break from Westeros, to read something brand new. I'll probably save it for when Winds of Winter draws near, whenever that might be. Lovecraft, yeah, I have something of a love/hate relationship with him. I find his style unappealing in places, but also strangely charming. Many of his stories are kind of samey, but I love the alien worlds and fathomless ages. He's certainly been an inspiration to me. The high point of this year was definitely the discovery of Ray Bradbury, as a writer and as a person. His books, as well as his lectures, have rejuvenated my love of writing. That never burns down completely, of course, but sometimes you need kindling. Not sure what I'll be reading next year, to be honest, but I know I'm going to step more out of my genres, and I want to get at some of the classics. Dostoyevsky is on my list, I know that much. And apparently Oathbreaker (from Sanderson's Stormlight Archives) has just been released, so I'll probably read that well. Most of all, I'll try to read every remaining book in my collection, even the bad ones.
Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke (Only a short one, but well worth it. Far ahead of its time and introduced me to Clarke) IT - Stephen King (Enjoyed for the most part but dragged in places, which with 1,100 pages is inevitable) The Shining - Stephen King (Loved this one, better than the film in most aspects) Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky (Pretty decent Sci-fi novel) Full Dark, No Stars - Stephen King (4 novellas in one book, enjoyed 3 and the other was instantly forgettable) I am Pilgrim - Terry Hayes (A long one, but worth every page. Extremely clever and doesn't let up the pace) The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - Stephen King (Wasn't a massive fan of this one. Not sure I'll bother with the rest) Deathlist - Chris Ryan (Read most of his work. The destination is 100% predictable with them by now, but I like the journey) The Invisible Man - H.G. Wells (Honestly didn't like this much, and I really wanted to. Wasted potential) The Hatching - Ezekiel Boone (Pretty average) Dark Moon - David Gemmell (I liked one of the characters and that was honestly it. Fantasy is rarely my genre) The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler (Not bad but not great) Leviathan Wakes - James S.A. Corey (Fell in love with this and the entire Expanse universe) Caliban's War - James S.A. Corey (Pretty invested in the franchise now and this was also great) May have forgotten one or two but it's been a good year. Overall favourite is a three-way tie between I am Pilgrim, Childhood's End and Leviathan Wakes. Find it tough to pick between them. Got two and a half more novels of The Expanse to get through before I move onto the massive pile I've been building.
I've read more this year than any year previous, so it's quite a list. Deep breath, and: Larry's Party, by Carol Shields Murphy, by Samuel Beckett The Blue Flower, by Penelope Fitzgerald Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte Autumn, by Ali Smith Brick Lane, by Monica Ali Animal Farm, by George Orwell Nights at the Circus, by Angela Carter A Closed Eye, by Anita Brookner Of Walking in Ice, by Werner Herzog The Luminaries, by Eleanor Catton We Are All Completely Besides Ourselves, by Karen Jay Fowler A Brief History of Seven Killings, by Marlon James Robert Frost’s Poems, ed. Louis Untermeyer The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck The Cinema of Werner Herzog, by Brad Prager The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides Watt, by Samuel Beckett Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut Galapagos, by Kurt Vonnegut One-Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez The Finkler Question, by Harold Jacobson The Complete Short Works of Samuel Beckett The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy The Gods Will Have Blood, by Anatole France Mercier and Camier, by Samuel Beckett The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon His Bloody Project, by Graeme Macrae Burnet How It Is, by Samuel Beckett Procession of Memories, by Harry Martinson The Invention of Angela Carter, by Edmund Gordon The Phantom Carriage, by Selma Lagerlof A God In Ruins, by Kate Atkinson Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi Essays In Love, by Alain de Boton The Return, by Hisham Matar Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was, by Sjon Multiple Choice, by Alejandro Zambra The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, by Arundhati Roy The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell The Iliad, by Homer, tr. Martin Hammond Undue Influence, by Anita Brookner Eileen, by Ottessa Moshfegh Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid The History of Wolves, by Emily Fridlund Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders A Burial at Thebes, by Seamus Heaney The Antigone of Sophocles Antigone, by Jean Anouilh The Story of Antigone, by Ali Smith Elmet, by Fiona Mozley 4 3 2 1, by Paul Auster The Odyssey, by Homer, tr. by E. V. Rieu The Paying Guests, by Sarah Waters The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton Home Fire, by Kamila Shamsie The Iliad, by Homer, tr. by Caroline Alexander
Voracious. I'm envious, my count this year is a quarter that. Do you have a favourite out of that bunch?
Yeah I've never come close to that quantity of reading before. Usually I go through periods where I stop for months. This year I made sure that didn't happen, and this was the result. The best for me was easily One Hundred Years of Solitude. I've never read anything like that novel. It goes to some pretty uncomfortable places though, fair warning, and the magic realism makes some people's blood boil, but I thought it was mindblowing. Both of Arundhati Roy's novels (with 20 years between them) are amazing. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is my favourite book from 2017 that I've read so far; The God of Small Things is even better.
I've read two translations of the Iliad this year (along with Khamilie Shamsie's novel based on Antigone), so this sounds very on point for me atm. Will check it out.
I enjoyed Byron Easy ~ Jude Cook (comedy balances the blackness of it) Song of Stone ~ Iain Banks (even blacker & sans comedy (balanced this time by interesting fuckedupness of the protag)) and for a lighter read The Third Policeman ~ Flann O'Brien (pseudonym)
This is what I've done this year: Finished, enjoyed: -Collapsing Empire, John Scalzi -I am not a Serial Killer, Dan Wells -Mr. Monster, Dan Wells -I Don't want to Kill you, Dan Wells -Queen of Blood, Sarah Beth Durst -The Reluctant Queen, Sarah Beth Durst -Arcanum Unbounded, Brandon Sanderson -The Stars are Legion, Kameron Hurley -Age of Myth, Micael J. Sullivan -Waking Gods, Sylvain Neuvel -Sleeping Giants, Sylvain Neuval -All systems Red, Martha Wells -Shadows Beneath, Brandon Sanders & others Finished, ultimately didn't enjoy: -The Immortal Prince, Jennifer Fallon -A Conjuring of Light, V.E.Schwab -The Diabolic, S.J.Kincaid -Flamecaster, Cinda Williams Chima -Dark Intelligence, Neal Asher Couldn't finish: -Traitor's Blade, Sebastien de Castell -City of Stairs, Robert Jackson Bennett -Two Serpent's Rise, Max Gladstone -This Savage Song, V.E.Schwab -Behind the Throne, K.B.Wagers -Long May She Reign, Rhiannon Thomas -Sea of Shadows, Kelley Armstrong -Throne of Glass, Sarah J. Maas -The Shadow of what was lost, James, Islington Right now, I'm reading The Core by Peter V. Brett, the last book in the Warded Man series. Whoooo boy, I might not have the patience to finish that one. Whether I do or don't, I do hope to finish at least one book beyond that, before the year is out.
Compared to this list, I can't even call myself a "reader". Dammit. Your list is bigger than the number of my unread books. You're a fast reader, by any chance?
About a book a week, plus a bit extra during holidays, long train journeys, etc. To be fair, about ten of those are very, very short (e.g. plays), but then some of them are huge too, so...
I've read Journey Under The Midnight Sun by Keigo Higashino. A Japanese kinda-noir detective thriller. It's a tough, slightly demanding read, the story spanning twenty or so years, sth like Murakami less metaphysical and with actual resolution at the end meets dreamy Chandler. Also digging into House Of Leaves. That's a very what-the-fuck book. You'd recommend anything by Pynchon?
Ah yeah, my friend lent me house of leaves years ago and I just didn't get around to it but I'd like to give it another shot one day. I'm more into experimental form these days. Multiple Choice (in my list above) was one of my favourite new books this year. I can wholeheartedly say that The Crying of Lot 49 is a great way to start Pynchon. It has all the stuff that makes you go wow and has the added advantage that, if you don't like it, it's brief. Gravity’s Rainbow is great too, but it's not easy keeping track of characters who disappear for hundreds of pages.
I read Crying of Lot 49 back at university and didn't like it much. But then again my literary taste was in its infancy, so to speak. I believe there are themes I'd appreciate today. I'm used to disappearing and reappearing characters, so I think I'd be fine. Other merits?
The narrarive becomes increasingly disoriented as the main character does, quite effectively so. Like Lot 49 it's a mine (field) of obscure knowledge. Also like Lot 49 it's a sort of detective story into madness that can't ever be resolved. It's very Pynchon and it's very long and tough and brilliant.
Mine field of obscure knowledge seems to be exactly what I need right now, a parody of all the sh*t I don't understand about the world. Saw Inherent Vice in the book store the other day. Looked interesting enough. But then again I might as well read for damn times my current reading speed, so many unfinished books I got that I didn't buy it. Which reminds me, not really a 2017 read, but hey, Fight Club. A gritty classic.
Hmm, I'll include manga to help out my list a little, rpg books too. I had a crazy year so I read less. The Statement of Randolph Carter, H.P. Lovecraft The Alchemist, Lovecraft The Tomb, Lovecraft Nobilis 2nd edition, R. Sean Borgstrom/Jenna Moran IS 15 and 16 Usagi drop 1 and 2 Finder 8, Ayano Yamane Maid RPG Saturn Apartments 1 Uzumaki, Junji Ito Started, not finished: Infinity, Sherrilyn Kenyon Dream-quest of Unknown Kadath, Lovecraft Unlikely Flowerings 1.1 (Jenna) Reread: Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0., Mike Pondsmith
Inherent Vice is my least favourite of his books tbh. Probably Pynchon's least favourite since it's the only one he's allowed a film adaptation of. Still good though, just not great. I'd rather not talk about it.
