Books Read 2013

[Odin]

Last year's thread is here.

I'm currently working on:


Finished: (incomplete - missing various Star Wars books?)
The Towers of Midnight (Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson)
A Memory of Light (Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson)
New Spring (Robert Jordan)
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (Seth Grahame-Smith)
Mistborn: The Final Empire (Brandon Sanderson)
The Zombie Survival Guide (Max Brooks)
The Well of Ascension (Brandon Sanderson)
The Hero of Ages (Brandon Sanderson)
Aikido The Way of Harmony (John Stevens)
Heir to the Empire (Timothy Zahn)
Dark Force Rising (Timothy Zahn)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
The Last Command (Timothy Zahn)
Specter of the Past (Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn #1) (Timothy Zahn)
Vision of the Future (Timothy Zahn)
Survivor's Quest (Timothy Zahn)
Outbound Flight (Timothy Zahn)
Allegiance (Timothy Zahn)
Choices of One (Timothy Zahn)
Outbound Flight (Timothy Zahn)
The Approaching Storm (Alan Dean Foster)
Tatooine Ghost (Troy Denning)
Vector Prime (R.A. Salvatore)
Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)
Have Spacesuit Will Travel (Robert Heinlein)
The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Invincible (Jack Campbell)
The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Guardian (Jack Campbell)
Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
Ender's Shadow (Orson Scott Card)
Have Spacesuit, Will Travel (Robert Heinlein)
Vision of the Future (Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn, #2) (Timothy Zahn)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J. K. Rowling)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (J. K. Rowling)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J. K. Rowling)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J. K. Rowling)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (J. K. Rowling)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (J. K. Rowling)

[Blackhawk]

Finished:

• Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms, Ethan Golsdorf
• The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan
• Storm Front (Dresden Files), Jim Butcher
• The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett
• Heir to the Empire (Thrawn trilogy 1), Timothy Zahn
• Dark Force Rising (Thrawn trilogy 2), Timothy Zahn
• Never Unprepared: The Complete Game Master's Guide to Session Prep, Martin Ralya
• The Lazy Dungeon Master, Mike Shea
• The Last Command (Thrawn trilogy 3), Timothy Zahn
• The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
• Wise Man's Fear, Patrick Rothfuss
• Killing Floor, Lee Child
• Without Remorse, Tom Clancy

Currently Reading:

Browsing, waiting for the mood to strike.

The kids school schedules have really cut into my reading time this year. What reading time I have had has been given up to writing and reading to maintain my tabletop RPG campaign. If I listed rule books I've read this year, I'd probably break the forum.

[El Guapo]

Trying to pick my reading back up in 2013, beyond the Atlantic and the New Yorker.

Finished:

The Big Short (Michael Lewis)

Currently Reading:

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table (Rupert S. Holland)

[Isgrimnur]

1. Sports from Hell: My Search for the World's Dumbest Competition by Rick Reilly
2. Star Trek: Countdown
3. Why Air Forces Fail: The Anatomy of Defeat Edited by Robin Higham, Stephen J. Harris
4. Daring Young Men: The Heroism and Triumph of The Berlin Airlift-June 1948-May 1949
5. Military Intelligence: A Picture History by John Patrick Finnegan
6. Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and Addiction by Claudia Christian
7. American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle
8. The American Black Chamber by Herbert O. Yardley
9. The Intelligence Wars: Lessons from Baghdad by Steven K. O'Hern
10. The Lying Stones of Marrakech: Penultimate Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould
11. Sacred Secrets: How Soviet Intelligence Operations Changed American History
12. Man in the Empty Suit by Sean Farrell
13. Grenadiers: The Story Of Waffen SS General Kurt 'Panzer' Meyer
14. NATO's Secret Armies: Operation Gladio and Terrorism in Western Europe by Daniele Ganser
15. A History Of Middle Europe: From the Earliest Times to the Age of the World Wars by Leslie C. Tihany
16. The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century
17. Honorable Men: My Life in the CIA by William Colby

[Mandeville]

Currently Reading:
"The Afghan Campaign" - Steven Pressfield

Book Finished:
"Marvel Comics; The Untold Story" - Sean Howe (A great history of marvel from 1950 - modern Day with a particular focus on the 60's and 70's.)
"The Sandman Companion" - Hy Bender
"Let the Great World Spin" - Colum McCann

Graphic Novel/Trade Paperback Finished:
Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes
Sandman: The Dolls House
Sandman: Dream Country
Sandman: Seasons of Mist
Sandman: A Game of You
Sandman: Fables and Reflections
Sandman: Brief Lives
Sandman: Worlds End
Sandman: The Kindly Ones
Sandman: The Wake
Sandman: Endless Nights

[Shinjin]

I inadvertently started reading David Benioff's City of Thieves during a lull at my mother's house over xmas break. Only 5 chapters in, but holy crap is it interesting. Will be finishing it as soon as I get down to the library hold shelf.

Finished:
Wild Cards: A Mosaic Novel (various, edited George R.R. Martin)
City of Thieves (David Benioff)
Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)

[Reemul]

Reading Paying the Piper by Simon Wood, story about a child kidnapper, premise is good but its got. Bit convoluted towards the middle but I started it yesterday and hope to finish it tonight.

Next is Rain by Craig Saunders.

[YellowKing]

Killing Kennedy:The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Doesn't offer much new that we don't already know about the Kennedy assassination, but presents the story in an easy, straightforward fashion that doesn't dwell on conspiracy theories. (3.5 of 5)

Proof of Heaven

Neurosurgeon recounts the detailed near-death experience he had during a nearly fatal bout of meningitis that left him comatose and with a non-functional neocortex. Will probably not convince skeptics, but does offer one of the more compelling NDE cases I've read about considering the subject's profession and own skepticism before the incident. Despite the title of the book, his experience does not concern itself with the traditional Christian view of Heaven, Jesus, etc. but solely on what he actually "witnessed." (3.5 of 5)

Steve Jobs

I'm not a huge Steve Jobs fan (though I loves my iPad), but this was an utterly gripping and entertaining read. 5 of 5.

[Madmarcus]

placeholder in anticipation of reading more.

As of 1/1/13 I'm not currently reading anything (just finished the 4th Iron Druid book yesterday)

[rshetts2]

I may even keep up with this, this year.

[msteelers]

In!

Finished:
A Dance With Dragons
Cold Days
11/22/63 - by Stephen King

Currently reading:
The First Law Trilogy - by Joe Abercrombie

Next up: ???

[moghedian]

22 books last year and I actually kept it updated for a change so I'll do it again...

Reading

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Read

Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory (NOOK) -Jan
People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry (NOOK) - Jan/Feb
Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica (NOOK) - Feb
After Visiting Friends: A Son's Story by Michael Hainey (NOOK) - Feb/Mar
Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff (softcover/advanced readers version)
The King of Plagues (Joe Ledger Series #3) by Jonathan Maberry (NOOK)
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (advanced readers version)
The Burn Palace by Stephen Dobyns (hardcover, borrowed from store)
Inferno by Dan Brown (hardcover, wife bought)
Gun Machine by Warren Ellis (NOOK)
Joyland by Stephen King (Moms copy)
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes (NOOK)
The Crime of Julian Wells by Thomas Cook (NOOK)
The Hillside Stranglers by Darcy O'Brien (NOOK)
The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper (NOOK)
The Execution of Noa P. Singleton by Elizabeth L. Silver (library E-book)
Into the Storm (Destroyermen) by Taylor Anderson (library E-book)
The Last Winter of Dani Lancing by P.D. Viner (advanced readers version)
Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker (NOOK)
Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman (NOOK)

[theohall]

Reading:


Complete:
I Zombie I - Jack Wallen
Die Trying - Lee Child
The Surgeon - Tess Gerritsen
Term Limits - Vince Flynn
Tripwire - Lee Child
Fireblood - Jeff Wheeler

[Smoove_B]

Considering I read ~10 books last year, maybe I can actually contribute again to this thread...

Currently Reading:

Cryptonomicon

Finished:

Roadside Picnic
Old Man's War
Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects
American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition
Heart Shaped Box
Horns
11/22/63
Extinction Point
Nuture Shock - New Thinking About Children

Abandoned:

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

[disarm]

My reading accomplishments for 2012...15 novels over 12 months, with hopes to expand the types of books I read and increase the number I complete in 2013


Finished

The Ghost in the Wires - Kevin Mitnick - January 14
The Zombie Wilson Diaries - Timothy Long (aka OO's own Crusis) - February 26
The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time - Book One) - Robert Jordan - April 28
American Gods - Neil Gaiman - June 3
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card - June 18
The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time - Book Two) - Robert Jordan - July 20
The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time - Book Three) - Robert Jordan - August 12
The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time - Book Four) - Robert Jordan - September 14
The Fires of Heaven (The Wheel of Time - Book Five) - Robert Jordan - October 20
My Appetite for Destruction - Steven Adler - October 31
Lord of Chaos (The Wheel of Time - Book Six) - Robert Jordan - December 26


In Progress

A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time - Book Seven) - Robert Jordan

[Rumpy]

Currently:

The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer. No, this is not what the recent movie is based on, but rather it's a spy novel as part of a trilogy that has also been optioned as a movie. Pretty good story so far. Anyone familiar with this author?

[bb2112]

In

[Covenant72]

I have set a goal of reading 24 books this year. A modest attainable goal as long as I stick with the reading for most days. I'm not going to maintain a list of books I have read in my post this year; instead I will linkmy goodreads page which should stay current.

My Books

[Wanyeca]

Just Started:
A New Introduction to Islam by Daniel W. Brown.

[Jeff V]

I came up a little short of my contest goal last year of 75 books. I finished only 70, the last two months since my wife arrived it's been difficult to find the time.

Finished:

Who I Am - A Memoir by Pete Townshend
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
King of Vodka - The Story of Pyotr Smirnov by Linda Himelstein
Make the Break (If You Can) by Reginald Exton
The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? by Jared Diamond
The Onion Book of Known Knowledge
The Slave's Gamble: Choosing Sides in the War of 1812 by Gene Smith
The War of 1812: A Complete Chronology with Biographies of 63 General Officers by Bud Hannings
Cleopatra and Antony by Diana Preston
The Signal and the Noise - Why So Many Predictions Fail -- But Some Don't by Nate Silver

1356: A Novel by Bernard Cornwell
How Music Works by David Byrne
Why Men Fake It: The Truth About Men and Sex by Abraham Morgentaler, MD
The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Knight Tenebrae by Julianne Lee
Opera Explained: An Introduction to The Ring of the Nibelung by Stephen Johnson
Vaporware by Richard Dansky
The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King
Knight's Blood by Julianne Lee
Cooked - A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan

The New Father -- A Dad's Guide to the First Year by Armin Brott
Framed: A Historical Novel about the Revolt of the Luddites by Christy Fearn
Hellhole Awakening by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
The Waste Lands by Stephen King
Take, Burn or Destroy by S. Thomas Russell
Knight's Lady by Julianne Lee
The 4 Percent Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality by Richard Panek
Two Graves by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
The Transplant by Alexandria Ulysses
Sinai by William Smethurst

Wizard and Glass by Stephen King
A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance: Portrait of an Age by William Manchester
Bankrupting Physics: How Today's Top Scientists are Gambling Away Their Credibility by Alexander Unzicker, Sheilla Jones
Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick
kissing Bowie by Joan Taylor
A Concise History of the Middle East: Ninth Edition by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr.
Second Chance by David D. Levine
Betrayal: A Kydd Sea Adventure (Kydd Sea Adventures) by Julian Stockwin
Socrates in 90 Minutes by Paul Strathern
Confucius in 90 Minutes by Paul Strathern


The Bluffer's Guide to Rock Music by Eamonn Forde
Wars of the Flesh (edition 2013) by Germaine Shames
Private Berlin by James Patterson
Private Games by James Patterson
Place of a Skull by Keith Jacobsen

Currently reading:

The Evolution of Strategy: Thinking War from Antiquity to the Present by Beatrice Hauser
Inferno by Dan Brown
Limbus, Inc. by Jonathan Maberry, Joseph Nassise, Anne C. Petty (Editor)

[JonathanStrange]

JANUARY

1. A People's Tragedy A History of the Russian Revolution Orlando Figes
2. Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar Simon Sebag-Montefiore
3. Gulag: A History Anne Applebaum
4. Russia: A 1000-Year Chronicle of the Wild East Martin Sixsmith
5. Telegraph Avenue: A Novel Michael Chabon (Audiobook)
6. A Hologram for the King: A Novel Dave Eggers (Audiobook)

FEBRUARY

7. Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story Jim Holt
8. A Universe From Nothing Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing Lawrence Krauss
9. The Quantum Universe (And Why Anything That Can Happen, Does) Brian Cox
10. Mr g: A Novel About the Creation Alan Lightman (Audiobook)
11. Midnight's Children Salman Rushdie (Audiobook)
12. The Satanic Verses Salman Rushdie (Audiobook)

MARCH

2 weeks/Hawaii -----2 weeks/Australia---

APRIL

13. Personal Memoirs: Ulysses S. Grant U.S. Grant Audiobook/KindleBook
14. The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace H.W. Brands Kindlebook
15. Captain Sam Grant/1822-1861 (Classic Biography of Ulysses S. Grant, Vol. 1) Lloyd Lewis
16. Grant Moves South Bruce Catton
17. Grant Takes Command: 1863 - 1865 Bruce Catton
18. Le Rouge et le Noir Stendhal (Audiobook)
19. Madame Bovary Flaubert (Audiobook)

MAY

20. Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years Diarmaid MacCulloch Kindlebook Audiobook
21. A History of the Jews Paul Johnson Kindlebook & Audiobook
22. The Hindus: An Alternative History Wendy Doniger Kindlebook
23. Islam: A Short History Karen Armstrong Kindlebook
24. What the Buddha Taught: Revised and Expanded Edition Walpola Rahula

26. Les Miserables Victor Hugo (Audiobook)

JUNE

27. A Sport and A Pastime : A Novel James Salter Kindlebook
28. The Hunters : A Novel James Salter Kindlebook
29. Sacred Hunger Barry Unsworth Kindlebook
30. The Quality of Mercy : A Novel Barry Unsworth Audiobook
31. I Curse The River of Time Per Petterson Audiobook Kindlebook

32. Out Stealing Horses Per Petterson Kindlebook Audiobook

JULY

33. Métronome: L'histoire de France au rythme du métro parisien Lorant Deutsch
34. La carte et le territoire Michel Houellebecq (Goncourt winner)
35. Flowers of Evil and Other Works/Les Fleurs Du Mal Et Oeuvres Choisies Baudelaire
36. Los Detectives Salvajes/The Savage Detectives Roberto Bolano

AUGUST

37. Tesla - Man out of Time Margaret Cheney Kindlebook
38. Turing: Pioneer of the Information Age Jack Copeland Kindlebook
39. Tesla Inventor of the Electrical Age W. Bernard Carlson Kindlebook
40. The Logician and the Engineer: How George Boole and Claude Shannon Created the Information Age Paul J. Nahin Kindlebook/Audiobook
41. The Information, A History, A Flood James Gleick Kindle/Audiobook
42 Chaos: Making A New Science James Gleick Kindlebook/Audiobook

SEPTEMBER

43. The Eerie Silence: Renewing Our Search for Alien Intelligence Paul Davies (re-read)
44. If the Universe Is Teeming with Aliens ... WHERE IS EVERYBODY?: Fifty Solutions to the Fermi Paradox and the Problem of Extraterrestrial Life Stephen Webb (re-read)
45. Lonely Planets: The Natural Philosophy of Alien Life David Grinspoon (re-read)
46. Great Expectations Charles Dickens Audiobook (re-read...err...re-listened)
47. Hard Times Charles Dickens Kindlebook (re-read)

OCTOBER

48. Life After Life Kate Atkinson Kindlebook/Audiobook
49. The Son A Novel Philipp Meyer Kindlebook/Audiobook
50. Tree of Smoke A Novel of Vietnam Denis Johnson Audiobook/Kindlebook
51. Frozen In Time An Epic Story of Survival Mitchell Zuckoff Kindlebook
52. The Interestings A Novel Meg Wolitzer Audiobook

53. Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls David Sedaris Audiobook
54. The Guns at Last Light The War in Western Europe 1944-1945 Rick Atkinson Kindlebook
55. Fun and Games (Charlie Hardie #1) Duane Swierczynski Audiobook

NOVEMBER

56. Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle No. 1) Neal Stephenson Kindlebook/Audiobook
57. The King of the Vagabonds (The Baroque Cycle No. 2) Neal Stephenson Kindlebook/Audiobook
58. Odalisque (The Baroque Cycle No. 3) Neal Stephenson Kindlebook/Audiobook
59. Deathride: Hitler vs. Stalin: the Eastern Front, 1941-1945 John Mosier
60. Cross of Iron: The Rise and Fall of the German War Machine, 1914-1945 John Mosier

[Baroquen]

Finished reading:

Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan. I enjoyed it. Will probably read more of this series soon.

Currently reading:
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

[Holman]

Finished:

The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, Stephen Greenblatt
Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
The Return of the King, Tolkien
The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944, Rick Atkinson
The Canterbury Tales (General Prologue, Knight's Tale, Miller's Tale, Wife of Bath's Tale), Chaucer
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare, Stephen Greenblatt
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2003-2005, Thomas Ricks
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Alison Bechdel
Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama, Alison Bechdel
Playing at the World: A History of Simulating Wars, People, and Fantastic Adventures from Chess to Role-Playing Games, Jon Peterson
The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice, some guy
Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel
Heart of Darkness (and "Youth: a Narrative"), Joseph Conrad.
Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, Noah Trudeau
And No Birds Sang, Farley Mowat
The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
The Heart of the Matter, Graham Greene
Our Man in Havana, Graham Greene
Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel
Excession, Iain Banks
September Hope: The American Side of a Bridge Too Far, John McManus
Arnhem 1944: The Airborne Battle, Martin Middlebrook
The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945, Rick Atkinson
Lincoln and His Generals, T. Harry Williams
The Passage, Justin Cronin
Armor, John Steakley
A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin
A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin
To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Adventure, Ryan North
A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin
A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin
Caesar: Life of a Colossus, Adrian Goldsworthy
A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin
The Odyssey, Robert Fagles translation
GULAG: A History, Anne Applebaum
Here, Bullet, Brian Turner
Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956, Anne Applebaum

[Bad Demographic]

Currently reading:
The Odyssey by Homer, translated by George Herbert Palmer
The Big Short by Michael Lewis


I feel pretty sure I'll read far fewer books this year than last year. 75 was just too many.

Read:
Septimus Heap Book One: Magyk by Angie Sage
Septimus Heap Book Two: Flyte by Angie Sage
A Fistful of Collars by Spencer Quinn
In Your Dreams by Tom Holt
Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines
Goblin Hero by Jim C. Hines
Goblin War by Jim C. Hines
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
The Truth by Terry Pratchett
Red Hood's Revenge by Jim C. Hines
Eight Days of Luke by Diana Wynne Jones
Witch's Business by Diana Wynne Jones
Unexpected Magic: Collected Stories by Diana Wynne Jones
The Truth about Sharks and Pigeons by Matt Phillips
Jingo by Terry Pratchett
Moneyball by Michael Lewis
Earth, Air, Fire and Custard by Tom Holt
Odds and Gods by Tom Holt
Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones
The Coyote Under the Table by Joe Hayes
Odds and Gods by Tom Holt
Little People by Tom Holt
The Wretched of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
The Blight of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
God's War by Kameron Hurley
Infidel by Kameron Hurley
Rapture by Kameron Hurley
Little People by Tom Holt
The Better Mousetrap by Tom Holt
Wish You Were Here by Tom Holt
The Human Division by John Scalzi
Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb
A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow
A Fatal Thaw by Dana Stabenow
Dead in the Water by Dana Stabenow
The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu
The Bat by Jo Nesbo
Terror at the Shore by Seamus Cooper
Codex Born by Jim C. Hines
A Cold-Blooded Business by Dana Stabenow
Never Go Back by Lee Child
A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones
The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo
The Widow File by S. G. Redling
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Damocles by S.G. Redling
The Kings and Queens of Roam by Daniel Wallace
The Sound and the Furry by Spencer Quinn
The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith

[gbasden]

I just started reading Heads in Beds, a memoir/expose of the hospitality industry. It's definitely interesting, so far.

[Wanyeca]

Finished:
Behind the Veil: An Australian Nurse in Saudi Arabia.

Pretty funny.

[Kasey Chang]

Finished "Locked Rooms" by Laurie King

http://www.amazon.com/Locked-Rooms-susp ... 0553386387" target="_blank

Interesting alternate Sherlock Holmes story, where Sherlock Holmes semi-retired, married a Mary Russell, and in this book, arrived in San Francisco to confront a chapter of her past that may be back to haunt her.

The descriptions are nice of 1920's San Francisco, a city in transition, with a bit of 1906 quake as background. Even Dashielle Hammett made a cameo as a secondary character. Peeling the onion is done quite expertly here, and there's even a bit of Chinese Feng Shui involved. Overall, it's a good mystery. I just can't quite get used to the dual narrator approach, as the book used both Holmes and Russel as narrators, in different parts of the book.

[Rumpy]

Finished: The Tourist. Not bad. Definitely quite a ride, and would make for quite a movie. I guess I should read the others in the series now.

[Covenant72]

Just finished "It" by Stephen King, a horror yarn about a group of kids who must battle an ancient evil that awakens every 30 years or so and feeds on the local population of children. They must then return as adults to finish the job when it is discovered they didn't get the job done.

An extremely creepy story with very well written characters; King has a fantastic grasp of children and can really getting you back to your youth. An excellent blend of childhood whimsy and Lovecraftian levels of horror. 5/5

Next up is the Wheel of Time series, starting with book 1 "The Eye of the World"

[Pyperkub]

Finished

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - was interesting to read this for the first time. I might have to read some more Dickens this year

The Perks of being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky - saw the movie last year, and enjoyed it, but felt that there was something missing in the translation to the screen. The letter format seemed to work much better to tell the story, and the themes were expanded by sections of the book that were cut from the movie. I also found the Study topics interesting (as this is one of the newer HS Literature books that ends up on the banned lists frequently)

Down on the Farm - Charles Stross (Laundry novella/Short story) - fun addition to Stross's Laundry files

Overtime - Charles Stross (Laundry short story). apparently somewhat out of chronology, but in the correct order - a holiday-themed Laundry story. One of the better ones (he doesn't go overboard in explaining magic/mathematics conjunction. Convinced me to pay over 9.99 for the Apocalypse Codex...

The Apocalypse Codex - from a pacing perspective, probably the best Laundry novel yet (but Jennifer Morgue is still the best).

Lost Homicidal Manaic (goes by Shirley) - Jeff Strand's most recent Andrew Mayhem novel. A bit darker than most of his stuff (and he's a horror writer), but a lot of the humor is still there. His books are just crying to become movies (I'd really like to see Wolf Hunt get done right).

[Jag]

I'll try this year. It's so hard to keep track, but Goodreads has been helpful.

Finished 2013:
An Autumn War (Long Price Quartet #3) - Daniel Abraham
The Price of Spring (Long Price Quartet #4) - Daniel Abraham

Reading:
Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1) - Kevin Hearn

[Zarathud]

Completed:

January:
Feed by Mira Grant (excellent until the end)
Deadline by Mira Grant (ok until a very interesting ending)
Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (mostly for the interesting ending)
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson (great premise for its magic)
Dance of Cloaks by David Dalgish
Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams
Spin by Robert Clarles Wilson
Tremeraire (His Majesty's Dragon 1 & 2) by Naomi Novik

February:
Tremeraire (His Majesty's Dragon 3 & 4) by Naomi Novik
The Daylight War: Book 3 of the Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett
The Emperor's Edge by Lindsay Buroker
Mageborn: The Blacksmith's Son by Michael G. Manning
The Kinshield Legacy by K.C. May

[WYBaugh]

Finished Old Man's War by John Scalzi.

It's a light, enjoyable read with some interesting premises on space travel and technologies. The only thing that really annoyed me with Scalzi's writing style is during character conversations, every statement is "I said", "Tom said", "he said", etc to ad nauseum. Even when only two characters are talking each sentence is followed by a said. Especially drove me nuts listening to the audiobook since the narrator is doing different voices for the characters so you knew who was talking.

[RLMullen]

I'm in this year!

Books Read in 2012 -- in late

Now Reading

A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin

Finished

[silverjon]

Finished Machine of Death, a solid anthology of short fiction about a world in which a machine test can tell anyone how they'll die, though not when or where or anything terribly specific. Each story also includes a title illustration by various artists. Most of the writers and artists are known for their web work. Liked it quite a lot.

Also working my way through Anne Bishop's Black Jewels series. They're a bit too much romance to appeal to a male audience, I think, though they're entertaining enough if you can get past Bishop's use of stock phrases and propensity for making all her bad guys chaotic stupid, or child rapists, or both. Many readers find the later books boring compared to the action of the first trilogy, but I think the later books are better for toning it down and going for subtle strengths over most-powerful-doods-EVARZ.

And I read Jo Nesbo's The Bat, the first of his Harry Hole mysteries in English at long last. Very different in tone from the later books, and probably not as good as it could have been for a long-time follower because you already know whodunnit and can guess at most of what else will happen... but it's still interesting to see Harry at the beginning, a much less damaged man. And it does contain a lot of great characterization, though less of the terrific setting detail I appreciate in Nesbo, which may show author evolution or may have simply been harder to incorporate with a story set in Australia rather than Norway.

Also finished The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury, which filled in a few gaps from the comics and was otherwise totally forgettable. Sorry, guys, but this one's just a money grab for the franchise.

(This is why you lot get the highlights and not a full record of everything I read.)

[Canuck]

I finished only 70, the last two months since my wife arrived

This is an odd sentence. It sounds like your wife came from Amazon.

[Isgrimnur]

Did he spring for 2-day through Prime or have her shipped Super Saver?

[WarPig]

Since I seem to be reading a lot so far this year...yes it's a lot, but my office becomes dead this time of year so I have time. These are all completed as of 2013.

Books Completed:
The Atrocity Archives - Charles Stross
The Jennifer Morgue - Charles Stross
Down on the Farm - Charles Stross
The Fuller Memorandum - Charles Stross
Overtime - Charles Stross
The Apocalypse Codex - Charles Stross (These are all the "Laundry Files" books; about an IT nerd who works for a secret British government agency that is trying to prevent extradimensional incursions by unnamed horrors into our reality. Magic is mathematics and computers are our magic wands, mythos is all Lovecraft. Funny and dark)
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Ender in Exile - Orson Scott Card
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card
Xenocide - Orson Scott Card
13 Bullets - David Wellington (vampire cop drama)
The Last Threshold - Neverwinter Book IV - RA Salvatore
Dead Ever After (Final Sookie Stackhouse novel) - Charlaine Harris
Old Man's War - John Scalzi
The Ghost Brigades (Old Man's War series) - John Scalzi
The Last Colony (Old Man's War) - John Scalzi
The Human Division (Old Man's War) - John Scalzi

In Progress: Affliction - Laurell K Hamilton

Coming Up: I have, however you see it, been hooked on the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K Hamilton. It's thinly veiled porn. Still, the character is a badass and the plots (when there are plots) are decent and gory. I see it as a Sookie Stackhouse setup with more violence and bondage.

[godhugh]

I'll join up! Now that I'm done with the really tough school stuff I finally have time to do some reading for pleasure.

Finished:

11/22/63 - Stephen King - I greatly enjoyed this one. Best King book I've read in years.

Currently Reading:

Wool: Omnibus - Hugh Howey

[Steron]

READING


ON DECK


FINISHED
Life After Death By Damien Echols
Hilarity Ensues By Tucker Max
Sloppy Seconds By Tucker Max

COULD NOT FINISH
The Wizards of Langley:Inside The Cia's Directorate Of Science And Technology By Jeffery T Richelson : I couldn't do it. I tried. I really did. The read was just too hard. It beat me.