2011 Book review

Another year over and much as I did last year, I’m going to briefly go over the books I read this last year.

I will freely admit, very few of these could be considered ‘classic literature’, most is a mix of sci-fi, fantasy or adventure fiction. That’s just what I like to read.

Book total this year was 53, up from the 45 I managed in 2010 and above the 50 that I aimed for. Part of this is that I travelled more (and hence had time with nothing to do but read), part is because I took a couple of small vacations (and spent time reading) and part is due to getting an iPad and loading a couple of book apps on there.

The iPad is never going to replace real, physical, paper books for me. I love the smell of new books, the feel of the book (and you can’t read an iPad in the bath without significant risk). That said, it is convenient when travelling and for carrying a few books easily. It’s especially nice when getting books from Amazon. 6 week shipping vs immediate delivery. No contest there.

My choice for best books of the year:

1. First Lord’s Fury (Codex Alera) by Jim Butcher. This is the climax of the Alera series and definitely the best of the bunch. Fast moving, tense, full of action and altogether an excellent ending for an excellent series. One thing I really like about this one: It doesn’t end with ‘happily ever after’.
2. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. This is a bit of a surprise. I got this on sale without too much in the way of expectations. Not to say I don’t like Brandon Sanderson, I’ve enjoyed everything of his that I’ve read, but this was his first published book and so I was willing to give it a little leeway. Not necessary. Good characters (though I’m sure I recognise that headstrong princess from a few places), good plot without too many holes and an intriguing mystery that all comes together logically in a way that leaves you saying ‘But, of course that’s the problem’. Definitely recommend and looking forward to more of his work.
3. Star Trek: Destiny (trilogy). Yes, I’m recommending Star Trek novels. The world has not ended. I find most Star Trek novels are quickly churned out, mediocre novels. Average writing, average plotting (at best) and usually a reset button to return the universe to the way it was at the end. This trilogy is none of those. The plot works, it’s intertwined over three books and about four time-periods and the crew of at least four ships, and it works. It also leaves the universe dramatically changed (in a way that I did not foresee coming). Finally it’s one of the few time travel tales I’ve read that doesn’t leave me cringing.

Sooo… books per month.

You can almost see from that which months I was travelling or on holiday. June – trip to UK and a few days at leisure. Oct – trip to Pass and lots of time to read while travelling. Nov – Week away in the middle of nowhere.

Lastly, books per genre. Yes, I read a lot of fantasy. (note, these links go to the library pages on this blog, there’s a link to the Amazon page from there)

Science Fiction

1. The Long Night of Centauri Prime (Babylon 5: Legions of Fire, Book 1) by Peter David
2. The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke
3. Star Trek: Destiny #3: Lost Souls by David Mack
4. Star Trek: Destiny #2: Mere Mortals by David Mack
5. A Confederation of Valor (omnibus) by Tanya Huff
6. Star Trek: Destiny #1: Gods of Night by David Mack
7. Earthfall (Homecoming) by Orson Scott Card
8. Deathstalker by Simon R. Green
9. Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
10. Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke
11. The Time Machine (SF Masterworks) by H. G. Wells
12. The Call of Earth by Orson Scott Card

Fantasy

1. The Phoenix Transformed (The Enduring Flame) by Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory
2. Nightingale’s Lament (Nightside, Book 3) by Simon R. Green
3. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
4. The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower) by Stephen King
5. Agents of Light and Darkness (Nightside, Book 2) by Simon R. Green
6. The Dragon Token (Dragon Star, Book 2) by Melanie Rawn
7. Something from the Nightside (Nightside, Book 1) by Simon R. Green
8. A Calculus of Angels (The Age of Unreason, Book 2) by J. Gregory Keyes
9. Stronghold (Dragon Star, Book 1) by Melanie Rawn
10. The Crystal City (The Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 6) by Orson Scott Card
11. Guards of Haven: The Adventures of Hawk and Fisher by Simon R. Green
12. The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 5) by Rick Riordan
13. The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4) by Rick Riordan
14. The Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3) by Rick Riordan
15. The Sea Of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2) by Rick Riordan
16. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan
17. Heartfire (The Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 5) by Orson Scott Card
18. Alvin Journeyman (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 4) by Orson Scott Card
19. Prentice Alvin (The Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 3) by Orson Scott Card
20. Red Prophet (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 2) by Orson Scott Card
21. Seventh Son (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book 1) by Orson Scott Card
22. Rides a Dread Legion: Book One of the Demonwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist
23. First Lord’s Fury (Codex Alera) by Jim Butcher
24. Issola (Vlad Taltos) by Steven Brust
25. Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, Book 11) by Jim Butcher
26. Hawk by Simon R. Green
27. Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead

Other Fiction

1. Robert Ludlum’s The Lazarus Vendetta: A Covert-One Novel by Robert Ludlum, Patrick Larkin
2. Robert Ludlum’s The Altman Code: A Covert-One Novel by Robert Ludlum, Gayle Lynds
3. The Bourne Identity: A Novel by Robert Ludlum
4. The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel (Thursday Next Novels (Penguin Books)) by Jasper Fforde
5. Lords of the Bow by Conn Iggulden
6. Robert Ludlum’s The Cassandra Compact: A Covert-One Novel by Robert Ludlum, Philip Shelby
7. Robert Ludlum’s The Hades Factor: A Covert-One Novel by Robert Ludlum

Non-fiction

1. Three Roads to Quantum Gravity by Lee Smolin
2. Expert SQL Server 2005 Development by Adam Machanic, Hugo Kornelis, Lara Rubbelke
3. Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson
4. 19 Deadly Sins of Software Security: Programming Flaws and How to Fix Them (Security One-off) by Michael Howard, David LeBlanc, John Viega
5. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, Anniversary Edition (2nd Edition) by Frederick P. Brooks
6. On the Shores of the Unknown: A Short History of the Universe by Joseph Silk
7. Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy Seal by Chuck Pfarrer