Books Read 2010

[Pyperkub]

Books Read in 2010:

U is for Undertow - Sue Grafton
The Black Company - Glen Cook
Shadows Linger - Glen Cook
The White Rose - Glen Cook
Shadow Games - Glen Cook
Dreams of Steel - Glen Cook
The Silver Spike - Glen Cook
Nine Dragons - Michael Connelly
Up in the Air - Walter Kirn (very different from the movie)
Bleak Seasons - Glenn Cook
She is the Darkness - Glenn Cook
Water Sleeps - Glenn Cook

Bump to add three more annals of the Black Company.

[Zork]

Bumped to add some new books (and drop my "failed" list).

I've really become addicted to Audible, so most of these are the unabridged audio version when available. Normal book reading is denoted by an asterisk (*).

READ
The Total Money Makeover - Dave Ramsey: [5/5]
Financial Peace Revisited* - Dave Ramsey: [4/5]
NurtureShock - Po Bronson, Ashley Merryman: [5/5]
Season of Life* - Jeffrey Marx: [4/5] Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

Linchpin: Are You Indispensible? - Seth Godin: [5/5] This is the best book I've listened to in several years. In fact, I'll put it in my top 3 of all time. It's the first book I've ever wanted to re-read immediately after finishing it. It's THAT GOOD. This book is chock-full of great advice and quotes. Too many to list here. Just do yourself a favor and go read/listen to this book. Favorite quote: "Tell your lizard (brain) to shut up.".

READING
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

QUEUE
Your Kids Are Your Own Fault - Larry Winget: I'm a big fan of Winget's other books, his in-your-face attitude, and his Big Spender TV show from a few years ago. A lot of good reviews already, so I'm moving this to the top of my queue.
Born to Run - Christopher McDougall
The Blind Side - Michael Lewis
Screamfree Parenting - Hal Edward Runkle (listened in Nov 2009, need to listen to a few chapters again)
A Whack on the Side of the Head - Roger von Oech

-Zork

[Jeff V]

I read Winget's "Success is Your Own Damn Fault" last year. Great book, but when I told a friend in HR about it, she nearly threw up (he basically annihilates all of the corporate teamwork/touchy-feely bullshit that HR departments base their existence on). I look forward to your review of his take on kids.

[Isgrimnur]

They Dared Return: The True Story of Jewish Spies behind the Lines in Nazi Germany

A story of Jews who fled the tide of Nazi oppression, came to the U.S., and joined the good fight against the Nazis by being dropped behind enemy lines. A pretty short book overall, culled from interviews with the main participants and official records. While a decent read, it didn't quite grab me with a ton of drama. The bravery of these men was top notch, but the recounting of the tale tends to be a bit dry.

Aircraft Down!: Evading Capture in WWII Europe

Another short book, this tracks several downed airmen from the loss of their aircraft through their treks to freedom via the underground in various locations. One story tracks the entire crew of a (iirc) Lancaster bomber that survives their crash landing and manages to escape and evade as a complete group, being only separated for small times and distances to avoid suspicion. What I gathered from the stories is that it was like the old adage about air combat: long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. Out of the two books, I have to give this one an edge.

[Pyperkub]

Books Read in 2010:

U is for Undertow - Sue Grafton
The Black Company - Glen Cook
Shadows Linger - Glen Cook
The White Rose - Glen Cook
Shadow Games - Glen Cook
Dreams of Steel - Glen Cook
The Silver Spike - Glen Cook
Nine Dragons - Michael Connelly
Up in the Air - Walter Kirn (very different from the movie)
Bleak Seasons - Glenn Cook
She is the Darkness - Glenn Cook
Water Sleeps - Glenn Cook
Soldiers Live - Glenn Cook

Bump - finished the Black Company series. In the Library today I found a couple of books by Niven & Pournelle set in the "The Magic goes away" setting. Should be interesting, though I may be fantasied out.

[noxiousdog]

Michael Lewis

• Liar's Poker

Reading this book was interesting as it took an insider's view of the Solomon Brothers downfall from an inside perspective which was completely opposite of reading Snowball (Buffett biography) which took the outsider's view. It would have been more convincing had Lewis 1) been better at writing at the time and 2) actually been an insider as opposed to a no-nothing employee which is what he tries to convince us of the entire time. One of the redeeming features is the parallels to Enron are huge, so it was like going back 15 years for me. I suppose it's like that for a lot of high dollar, high stress, high intellect, a-type environments.

3/5


Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

• Superfreakonomics - Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance - 4/5

Only reason this isn't 5/5 is that it was very short. Both the original and this should be must reads for everyone. They are easy to read and interesting. The Ste(v | ph)ens take a look at different data sets that either has been sitting in plain view or recently gathered on something that was considered conventional wisdom and takes a new look at it. For example, it's estimated that in the US, there are roughly 21 billion miles driven drunk each year. There are an estimated 13,000 people killed related to those miles. At the same time nearly 1,000 drunk pedestrians die in traffic accidents, if you assume that people walk drunk in the same proportion that they drive drunk (1 out of 140 miles), you're 8 times more likely to be killed walking drunk than driving drunk. Even after eliminating cases where a drunk driver kills someone besides themselves, a walked drunk mile is still 5 times more deadly than a driven drunk mile.

Even if you disagree with the implied conclusions (which I think are overstated by critics), it's information that should make you stop and at least think about a new point of view.

Kelly Wright

• Dividends Still Don't Lie

3/5

This is an excellent message, but since I've been a believer in it for a long time, it was kind of a boring book. The short version is that you can get good returns on stocks by buying low and selling high, especially when they are dividend payers. Shocking, I know.

The trick in their case is they screen for solid long term track record companies that are at cyclical highs and low based on their particular dividend profile. For example, Archer Daniels Midland, is cyclically undervalued at 1% dividend yield and overvalued at 2%, while the Bank of Hawaii is 2.5% and 4% respectively.

James Rollins

• Amazonia 3/5

This was recommended to me as a story similiar to Avatar. There are a lot of parallels and it's very mainstream fiction in the Michael Crichton vein. It's not bad, but it's not that good either.

[Isgrimnur]

Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

160 pages of young lit that was very well written. Truly an enjoyable little book. Now here's hoping I don't have nightmares...

[Koz]

Books Read in 2010:

U is for Undertow - Sue Grafton
The Black Company - Glen Cook
Shadows Linger - Glen Cook
The White Rose - Glen Cook
Shadow Games - Glen Cook
Dreams of Steel - Glen Cook
The Silver Spike - Glen Cook
Nine Dragons - Michael Connelly
Up in the Air - Walter Kirn (very different from the movie)
Bleak Seasons - Glenn Cook
She is the Darkness - Glenn Cook
Water Sleeps - Glenn Cook
Soldiers Live - Glenn Cook

Bump - finished the Black Company series. In the Library today I found a couple of books by Niven & Pournelle set in the "The Magic goes away" setting. Should be interesting, though I may be fantasied out.

Just finished them myself. The last book was total carnage.

On to The Name of the Wind.

[Jeff V]

Drake's Bay by T.A.Roberts

Dr. Ethan Storey is a history professor at University of San Francisco. Other than living on a boat with his much younger wife (and former student Kay), it’s been a boring, if successful career. Then one day Kay drags him to an old building called the Willems Institute; and Dr. Storey’s life isn’t going to be boring much longer.

The institute happens to be a historian’s treasure trove of old manuscripts and books dating back to the Renaissance. He winds up being hired to catalog the entire collection – it seems the Willems family, who never visits anymore, is looking to sell it. Dr. Storey then becomes aware that the collection should include long-missing logs from Sir Francis Drake’s voyages along the west coast of the United States during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. All an interesting setup for a history buff like me, but then things get tough. Another historian with connections to the collection is murdered, and when the institute is torched, Dr. Storey comes to learn that there is more to the mystery than ship’s logs.

Roberts packs a lot of information and action into a fairly short (240 page) novel. The setting and background story had me wanting to read up more on Drake; the international intrigue and action seems like it would fit well with a Harrison Ford action-movie. This wasn’t a quick read – it was one to take time and savor. Roberts left a segue into a potential sequel as well – I’m not sure how a historian will play out as an action star across a series of novels, but Ethan Storey was a solid protagonist for this particular story.

[silverjon]

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Joe Hill's Horns, and it is head and shoulders above his first novel. Heart-Shaped Box had its moments, but was overall only ok. Horns has thus far added just enough supernatural elements to a believable setting to draw me right in. I can't tell where the story going to end up, and that is a rare quality.

[Jaymann]

Yellow Blue Tibia by Adam Roberts.

"Part a droll comedy of manners parodying the fall of Soviet communism, part an intellectual inquiry into the idea of multiple quantum realities and part an attempt to discover why, despite the ubiquity of reported sightings, UFOs have never been proved to exist."- Eric Brown THE GUARDIAN

The plot is intentionally absurd (Russian science fiction writers make up aliens made of "radiation" in the 1930's who turn out to be real (maybe) and later blow up Chernobyl and the space shuttle Challenger). But the dialogue is priceless. A sample:

"...But to elevate love to transcendental, cosmic and godly proportions as people do? Is this not a little self-regarding? As if because I enjoy eating beefsteaks, and because beefsteaks serve the useful purpose of keeping me alive, I therefore declared that the universe is beefsteak, God a beefsteak, and beefsteak the universal core value of everything?"

"Your words produce in me," I replied, "an enormous desire to piss."

If you are in any way a fan of science fiction this is a must read.

[YellowKing]

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Joe Hill's Horns, and it is head and shoulders above his first novel. Heart-Shaped Box had its moments, but was overall only ok. Horns has thus far added just enough supernatural elements to a believable setting to draw me right in. I can't tell where the story going to end up, and that is a rare quality.

Good to hear. I really wanted to like Heart-Shaped Box but was disappointed. Think I might pick this one up along with 20th Century Ghosts, which I hear is excellent.

[Pyperkub]

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Joe Hill's Horns, and it is head and shoulders above his first novel. Heart-Shaped Box had its moments, but was overall only ok. Horns has thus far added just enough supernatural elements to a believable setting to draw me right in. I can't tell where the story going to end up, and that is a rare quality.

Good to hear. I really wanted to like Heart-Shaped Box but was disappointed. Think I might pick this one up along with 20th Century Ghosts, which I hear is excellent.

My local Borders seems to have 20th Century Ghosts on their clearance rack - $5.99 for the mini hardcover, though I expect you may be going digital...

[silverjon]

Yeah, Horns was good. I'll stick with my impression that it was a better book than the first. 20th Century Ghosts has some very good stories in it, while others are unmemorable. I think Hill works best with a solid realistic grounding, and adding too much of the fantastic messes things up. You can decide for yourself if Horns is too much, but I thought it really hung together.

I'm now plowing through a book of Richard Christian Matheson's stories (they are popcorn, also a lot of them appeared in a paperback I had with me in an airport layover). I like the fiction, but every two or three stories, there's a break for a few pages of gushing prose about how utterly amazing RCM's stories are, from many famous names in dark fantasy. Seems like largely a marketing gimmick, as a very expensive edition of this book came out that was signed by all of them (except Ray Bradbury). It makes for strange and disjointed reading, moreso than even just the short-short approach to storytelling (which RCM does very well, without 30 other writers telling me so).

Now that I'm on the publisher's website, I want more books, curse them and their limited pressings.

[GreenGoo]

Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

• Superfreakonomics - Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance - 4/5

Only reason this isn't 5/5 is that it was very short. Both the original and this should be must reads for everyone. They are easy to read and interesting. The Ste(v | ph)ens take a look at different data sets that either has been sitting in plain view or recently gathered on something that was considered conventional wisdom and takes a new look at it. For example, it's estimated that in the US, there are roughly 21 billion miles driven drunk each year. There are an estimated 13,000 people killed related to those miles. At the same time nearly 1,000 drunk pedestrians die in traffic accidents, if you assume that people walk drunk in the same proportion that they drive drunk (1 out of 140 miles), you're 8 times more likely to be killed walking drunk than driving drunk. Even after eliminating cases where a drunk driver kills someone besides themselves, a walked drunk mile is still 5 times more deadly than a driven drunk mile.

Even if you disagree with the implied conclusions (which I think are overstated by critics), it's information that should make you stop and at least think about a new point of view.

Because of this post I picked up the first Freakonomics at the library yesterday. I'm only a little ways into it, but I have a few impressions.

First, there is a little too much "wow, no one ever thought to do this, Levitt might just be the smartest man alive" vibe. I can live with that, but it was off putting.

Second, a few of the early conclusions they present to the reader to illustrate what the book is about seemed to not be completely proven by the facts as they presented them. That is also fine, but if you are going to convince me of a "new way of thinking about things" then you need to give me fairly concrete examples. Which they did, with most of them. Just not all. Again, since I'm not already a believer, I need more than the writer's say so to be convinced.

Third, it has opened my eyes and caused me to pay far more attention to incentives and disincentives in my daily life. I do find this an interesting area of study and discussion and I do look forward to reading further. Obviously, counter-intuitive outcomes from seemingly common knowledge situations are the most fascinating.

I find additional interest in learning how "normal" people react to financial incentives. I am not particularly motivated by money. I need enough to keep the roof over my family's heads, to eat, to pay the insurance, to buy my bus pass once a month. Other than that, I just put the rest away, and my wife spends it when she can get to it. Going without a paycheck causes me almost no stress whatsoever, except when it threatens my mortgage payment. So I am interested in comparing my own reaction to the incentives listed in the book with the reaction the authors claim the public normally has.

Thanks for the heads up ND. If I find the book sufficiently interesting I will move on to Super Freakonomics.

[noxiousdog]

First, there is a little too much "wow, no one ever thought to do this, Levitt might just be the smartest man alive" vibe. I can live with that, but it was off putting.

Iirc, he doesn't do most of the research. He's just found other people's work. I can't recall exactly what the split is in Freakonomics, but in the second it's almost all other people's. I think he does the drunk driving/walking calculations on his own, but other than that I can't recall any thing else major. (er, maybe the child seats.)

[GreenGoo]

First, there is a little too much "wow, no one ever thought to do this, Levitt might just be the smartest man alive" vibe. I can live with that, but it was off putting.

Iirc, he doesn't do most of the research. He's just found other people's work. I can't recall exactly what the split is in Freakonomics, but in the second it's almost all other people's. I think he does the drunk driving/walking calculations on his own, but other than that I can't recall any thing else major. (er, maybe the child seats.)

That's fine. Part of what the book is about is looking at data with new eyes, finding new patterns and the implications of those patterns. I don't expect him to collect all his own data. Some of the stuff he's looking at would take decades to collect (and did).

I'm not far into the book at all. He's talking about identifying teachers who cheat with regard to standardized testing right now. That's barely 10-20 pages in.

I was just making an "initial impressions" post. If I have more to say after finishing it I will be back to post it.

[silverjon]

If I find the book sufficiently interesting I will move on to Super Freakonomics.

Even if you don't: condensed version

[GreenGoo]

If I find the book sufficiently interesting I will move on to Super Freakonomics.

Even if you don't: condensed version

You always hear about the pen being mightier than the sword, and that information is power. I've enjoyed some concrete examples in the book where various more crude actions did not produce the desired results, but when the right info got in the right hands, the world moved. Very entertaining.

Still reading, but only on my commute, so it could be a few days to finish. I just enjoy talking about books, perhaps I shouldn't clutter this thread up with it? I realize this is a place for people to keep track of what everyone else is reading.

[silverjon]

Psssh... what's the point of reading anything if we don't talk about it?

[GreenGoo]

Psssh... what's the point of reading anything if we don't talk about it?

Personal enjoyment, keeping the mind sharp(ish) and personal growth by being introduced to new concepts and ideas?

I understand your meaning though.

[silverjon]

Oh heck, I don't talk about 3/4 of what I read with anyone in particular... but you understood my meaning.

Still, if this thread was purely a list (with or without the capsule reviews), it'd be dreadfully boring.

[Jeff V]

I just enjoy talking about books, perhaps I shouldn't clutter this thread up with it? I realize this is a place for people to keep track of what everyone else is reading.

No, it's a place to talk about it too. I read all of the reviews here, and have read some of them based on the recommendations. I hope others have been sufficiently moved to do the same based on my reviews.

[GreenGoo]

I just enjoy talking about books, perhaps I shouldn't clutter this thread up with it? I realize this is a place for people to keep track of what everyone else is reading.

No, it's a place to talk about it too. I read all of the reviews here, and have read some of them based on the recommendations. I hope others have been sufficiently moved to do the same based on my reviews.

Absolutely. Your efforts are not wasted Jeff, I've read every review you've posted in this thread.

[Kasey Chang]

I'm reading a book called "The Next 100 Years" I got at CostCo. It's pretty interesting, as this guy predicts what'll happen in the world in the next 100 years due to GeoPolitics, and economic trends and such. Some of the prediction includes:

* Russia Federation's resurgence in the 2040's or so
* Collapse of China in about 2020-2030
* Major US crisis about 2030 and a fundamental shift in National policy (last one was Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan, every 50 years or so)

Well, I'm only half way through the book.

[lildrgn]

I've gotten lazy at my little reviews, even to the point of not updating what I've read/been reading.

I have been immersed in Dennis Lehane's Kenzie/Gennaro books. Love 'em. Just finshed Sacred and though I read Gone Baby Gone last year, may read it again as I'm more familiar with the characters (and arc) now.

I am currently reading a book called Ariel by Steven Boyett, a post-apocalyptic story about a young man and a unicorn (that talks!) as they make their way after the Change. I usually don't do SF, but the cover art of Ariel's sequel, Elegy Beach (that I saw at the library), suckered me in. I just started Ariel last night, and, so far, it seems to be pretty cool. It's 20+ years old or so, but nothing has jumped out as cheesy or lame (even in the author's 2009 note, he mentions how much the "real world" has changed when compared to his novel of 20 years ago) in the first 50 pages (save for a talking unicorn!).

[YellowKing]

Just finished James Rollins - Altar of Eden I'm a big James Rollins fan, even though he writes what are essentially just quick beach-read fluff action books. I was really looking forward to this latest as it is a departure from his "Sigma Force" series and is considered a stand-alone adventure. Unfortunately I felt this was a return to his early, early novels in which his plot lines were so ridiculous they detracted from the fun. While Rollins always bases his adventures in real science, he tends to take things to their very extremes of credibility, and this book is guilty of it more than most. Hyper-intelligent animals, communal hive-minds, crazy genetics - I just found it ridiculous. And unfortunately without the familiarity of the Sigma Force personnel, I really just found myself not caring about the characters. I give it 4/8 tentacles, and hope Rollins gets back on track with his next book.

[Scuzz]

The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace


This book is a story about wine fraud wrapped around the story of the most expensive bottle of wine to ever be auctioned at Christy's Auction House. The wine, a 1787 Lafitte with the initials Th. J etched into the bottle.

The book is an easy read, perhaps a little long but it covers the basics of wine fraud, wine snobbery and wine collecting. Also an interesting look at excess.


3 of 5

[silverjon]

More on the subject of Joe Hill, Locke & Key (comic series) has turned out to be *really* good. I blew off reading it for a long while because the first run is subtitled "Welcome to Lovecraft" (name of a town) and the art style is kinda cartoony (it works). Now I am eager for the second book.

[Isgrimnur]

Wish You Were Here: The Official Biography of Douglas Adams

The linked version is a trade paperback that appears to be import-only. I found it in Dallas at Half-Price Books for $5. There are other versions available.

Douglas Adams truly had an interesting life. From some of the things that he had to go through as a child with divorced parents to the troubles with his theater and television people, he was a bit socially inept. He was brilliant, however. His ideas for The Digital Village were truly ahead of their time and were a victim of the dotcom bubble bursting. His impact on our modern world and the way that some of the true visionaries thought can not be underestimated. This man knew a lot of rich, famous, powerful people.

Obviously the H2G2 series is covered in depth, but not to the complete exclusion of all else. Last Chance to See and The Meaning of Liff series are covered in more depth than the excellent Dirk Gently series. But writing for Douglas Adams seemed to be truly a chore for him. He was easily distracted and sought out distractions to justify his lack of progress. His famous line about deadlines seems to be well and truly grounded in fact, not just a pithy line but a true accounting of how he worked.

All in all, an insightful read into a man that, while he may be held up as a hero and visionary to most of us, at the end of the day was as much of an insecure writer and a flawed human being trying to get by.

[Jeff V]

Vagabond by Bernard Cornwell

Vagabond is book 2 of the Grail Quest series following the exploits of British archer Thomas of Hookton. King Edward III is sieging Calais, while Thomas is sent to Northumberland to talk to a priest who knew his late father, whom people suspect possessed or knew of the whereabouts of the Grail. Thomas gains another nemesis in the person of an Inquisitor, and also adds another poor British lord to his enemies list. Meanwhile, Thomas gains an unlikely companion in Robbie, the son of Scottish noble assigned to accompany him while waiting for a ransom to be raised.

Appropriate to the medieval time period, death is everywhere, and several main characters from the first volume do not survive the end of this book. The French remain inept and unable to win any battle in spite of crushing odds. The main story arc established early in the first book is still alive and well going into the third (and last) volume.

[Chaosraven]

Reread Stephen Kings Dark Tower series at work last week. Looking forward to picking up books from this thread for next week.

[lildrgn]

Just finished Ariel by Steven R Boyett. I really enjoyed it. Again, by checking out the sequel simply because of the cover, then placing this one on hold knowing nothing about it, I found myself really engrossed in the story.

If you are into the post-apocalyptic thing, check this out. Next up is its sequel, Elegy Beach.

[Pyperkub]

Books Read in 2010:

U is for Undertow - Sue Grafton (meh - she's writing out the string I think)
The Black Company - Glen Cook
Shadows Linger - Glen Cook
The White Rose - Glen Cook
Shadow Games - Glen Cook
Dreams of Steel - Glen Cook
The Silver Spike - Glen Cook
Nine Dragons - Michael Connelly
Up in the Air - Walter Kirn (very different from the movie)
Bleak Seasons - Glenn Cook
She is the Darkness - Glenn Cook
Water Sleeps - Glenn Cook
Soldiers Live - Glenn Cook

For the black company books, I was kept interested throughout, but I felt after the first 3 books, it fell off. I'm not sure if that's because Croaker/the Narrators became too involved in strategizing or what. Maybe I just liked the idea of them fighting for the wrong side and then making it right, with vast things unknown and only hinted at. I also think the whole Deceivers/Khadi plot took too long to resolve, maybe the latter books needed to be more concise.

The Burning City - Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

I remember some of the great books by Niven & Pournelle. This isn't one of them. They've dropped off since they had to write the sequel to A Mote in God's eye. Of course, I'm subjecting myself to the sequel since I got them both from the library. This one's set in the "The Magic Goes Away" universe, but didn't have much of the creativity of that book.

Bump.

[Chaosraven]

Chaosfaerie talked me into picking the entire weis/hickman dragonlance collection. Any thoughts on the dragonlance stuff by other authors?

[Isgrimnur]

Nothing on the DragonLance stuff, but I do like The Death Gate Cycle by Weis/Hickman.

[silverjon]

I suspect that every geek and gamer in existence has seen the art of Brom, know it or not. A couple of recent reads of mine are his dark takes on toys that are alive (The Plucker) and Peter Pan (The Child Thief). Both books are brutal and bloody, not remotely suitable for children, and contain plenty of gruesomely gorgeous artwork. Highly recommended.

http://www.bromart.com/index.html" target="_blank

[noxiousdog]

Chaosfaerie talked me into picking the entire weis/hickman dragonlance collection. Any thoughts on the dragonlance stuff by other authors?

It's not as good. But i did enjoy both the Deathgate cycle and the Dark Sword trilogy. (I think that's it).

[Skinypupy]

Perdido Street Station - China Mieville: I really liked the world he created, but found myself pretty bored with this book by the end. The whole slake-moth thing was rather 'meh', and the the ending was quite lame. Falls in the B-/C+ range.

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck: While this particular period in history doesn't interest me much, this was a brilliant read. It never ceases to amaze me how well a truly great author can draw you into a setting and characters. Solid A grade.

Starting Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five tonight.

[Jaymon]

Books read in 2010, that I have read before

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings
Read them every year, and what true Tolkien fan doesn't?

Neuromancer by William Gibson
Can't help but reread the classics occasionally

Rainbow Mars by Larry Niven
When time travel goes sideways, hilarity ensues!

The Keep by F Paul Wilson
My only Horror novel, don't know why I even keep it around, it is not very good

Foundation by Asimov
Can't stop the classics.

Kiln People by David Brin
Great story, lackluster ending. Send in the golems!

Destiny's Road by Larry Niven
Generic Sci-Fi by a prolific author

Garrett P.I. by Glen Cook
If you like Black Company, and first person mystery with plenty of humor, you may enjoy this series.

Books read in 2010 for the first time

The Forest of hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
mmm, zombies.

D. A. by Connie Willis
I'm a Connie Willis fan, I must read, even if its a novelette aimed at teenagers.

The City & The City by China Mie'ville
Not his best work (IMHO) but still a good read, a detective story in a strange city