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from the 2025 Reading Challenge group.
Note: RJ - Slayer of Trolls is not currently a member of this group.
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Just curious: will you be reading in publication order or chronological order?
NEW AUTHORS IN 2021Here are the new-to-me authors that I read for the first time in 2021 (not including short stories):
Charles Williams
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar
William Lindsay Gresham
Lawrence Wright
Andrea Camilleri
Theodore Sturgeon
Robert Bloch
Kate Atkinson
Octavia E. Butler
Robert Silverberg
Candice Fox
Toni Morrison
Hugh Howey
Ira Levin
Muriel Spark
Albert Camus
Horace Walpole
Yevgeny Zamyatin
Daniel H. Wilson
Peter Temple
Alexander McCall Smith
Michael Ende
2021 HALL OF SHAME:For the first time in a few years, I did-not-finished not just one but THREE books this year. Those books and the 1 and 2 star books I read this year are listed below:
Did Not Finish - 1 star reads:
Cosmos by Carl Sagan - yes, it is beloved by many readers but not me. Part of the problem was the small type size on my dead tree copy but the big problem was how Sagan took fascinating subjects and rendered them completed boring.
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden - generally speaking, I prefer my fantasy books without strong YA romance overtones
The Wrecking Crew by Donald Hamilton - I can deal with the dated lingo and misogynistic references, but the plot is just so stupid I finally had to give up
2 star reads:
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams
By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho
Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon
Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
Trouble In Paradise by Robert B. Parker
The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson
GENERAL FICTION/CLASSICS IN 2022A favorite reading category for me and I have some good ones lined up for the new year:
This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson
The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
Fair Land, Fair Land by A.B. Guthrie Jr.
Matilda by Roald Dahl*
The Worst Class Trip Ever by Dave Barry*
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho**
On the Eve by Ivan Turgenev
Jazz by Toni Morrison
* I don't read lot of children's books or even YA, but my daughter was purging her bookshelves and I rescued these from the Goodwill box since I hadn't read them.
** yeah, I know, but it's on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, so I figured I better get to it since I'm not getting any younger.
GENERAL FICTION/CLASSICS IN 2021I have come to enjoy General Fiction books a lot, probably because I finally figured out how to select better authors. It's not unusual for my favorite book of a given year to come from the General Fiction category.
2021 was a pretty good year for General Fiction. The books I read included:
Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
Rating: 3
I read this as a "Mystery/Crime/Suspense" book, but it actually turned out to be an enjoyable historical novel set in the Caribbean in the 17th Century. Not Crichton's best but not his worst either.
The Time Regulation Institute by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar
Rating: 4
A lost classic of Turkish literature, this absurd comedy is set during Turkey's modernization period in the early 20th Century.
By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho
Rating: 2
Like the other Coelho books I have read, this is a mishmash of New Age spiritualism, liberal Catholicism (is there such a thing?), and do-gooder self-help group hugs framed by a tepid romance story. Vomit bag not included.
Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey
Rating: 5 stars
Kesey might not be for everyone, but my goodness that man could write. This is without question his magnum opus.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Rating: 4 stars
The story of a freed slave haunted by the ghost of a young girl is powerful and emotional and very, very well written.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
Rating: 4
The classic short novel about a young teacher (in her prime, as she will mention often) and her relationship with her students.
The Fall by Albert Camus
Rating: 4 stars
I sprained my brain reading this one. When I am smarter I hope to read it again.
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Rating: 4 stars
Why this book is labeled Science-Fiction is beyond me. Yes, the protagonist travels back in time to meet her enslaved ancestors, but the time travel is merely a plot device to enable the story to happen. It's about as "scientific" as A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Rating: 3 stars
The "first gothic novel" is not that thrilling to read but it's short.
A Column of Fire by Ken Follett
Rating: 4 stars
The third book in the Kingsbridge series doesn't spend much time in Kingsbridge, but it does tell the story of an early secret service that protected the English royalty during the time of the Reformation.
My GENERAL FICTION/CLASSIC BOOK OF 2021 is:
Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
NON-FICTION IN 2022Although I only read four Non-Fiction books in 2021, they were all pretty good. I might actually read FEWER Non-Fiction books in 2022, because of the size of some of the books I'll be working on.
In 2022 I'm hoping to read these Non-Fiction books:
Asimov's Chronology of the World by Isaac Asimov - a history of the world, starting 15 Billion years ago with the Big Bang, all the way through WWII. It's a massive book that I believe is out of print, but I still have my 33 year old copy and I'm finally getting around to reading it. This should keep me busy through June...
Overboard!: A True Blue-Water Odyssey of Disaster and Survival by Michael J. Tougias
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene B. Sledge
They Call Me Coach by John Wooden
Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
NON-FICTION IN 2021A few years ago I didn't read much Non-Fiction, probably due to flashbacks to all those boring textbooks in school. But I have found that I really enjoy a good Non-Fiction book, sometimes even better than fiction!
2021 was a pretty good year for Non-Fiction books, at least in quality (if not quantity). I read:
War by Sebastian Junger
Rating: 4/5
The Perfect Storm author spent some time in Afghanistan with US Marines stationed there in order to film the award-winning documentary Restrepo. This book was born from that journey.
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
Rating: 5/5
A history of fundamental Muslims going back to the end of WWII, leading all the way to the tragedy of 9/11. The Pulitzer was well deserved.
D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Battle for the Normandy Beaches by Stephen E. Ambrose
Rating: 4/5
The story of perhaps the most pivotal day in 20th century history.
Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come by Richard Preston
Rating: 4/5
If COVID scares you, this book will absolutely terrify you. By the author of The Hot Zone, which added the word "Ebola" to the popular lexicon over 25 years ago
My NON-FICTION BOOK OF 2021 is:
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
MYSTERY/CRIME/SUSPENSE IN 2022My favorite genre! Right now I am working my way through about 40-50 series or author's canons so that is the focus of my reading, although I will occasionally use the excuse of a group read to try someone new to me.
The books in this genre I hope to read in the first few months of 2022 include:
The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver
Get Carter by Ted Lewis
Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
The Drowning Pool by Ross Macdonald
Reversible Errors by Scott Turow
I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down: Collected Stories by William Gay*
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier*
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins**
* yeah, I know, these two should probably be in the General Fiction category but I put them in this stack so I'd get to them a little faster
** I really don't know how I came to own this, and I wouldn't be surprised if I DNF it
MYSTERY/CRIME/SUSPENSE IN 2021This has become my favorite genre, although I still enjoy General Fiction and Non-Fiction a lot and Horror is making a strong move. I've read a lot of Mystery books this year, although most of them were more "crime" or "action" or "suspense" books and not really a mystery per se.
But enough quibbling, let's get onto the list (without comments, due to length):
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn - 3/5
Die Trying by Lee Child - 3/5
The Hot Spot by Charles Williams - 5/5
Big Trouble by Dave Barry - 3.5
The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth - 4.5
Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham - 5/5
The Kings of Cool by Don Winslow - 5/5
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie - 3/3
Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith - 3/5
The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri - 4/5
You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott - 3/5
Choke Hold by Christa Faust - 3/5
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson - 4/5
Hungry Men by Edward Anderson - 3/5
Little Caesar by W.R. Burnett - 3/5
My Gun Is Quick by Mickey Spillane - 3/5
Crimson Lake by Candice Fox - 2/5
Ice Station Zebra by Alistair MacLean - 3/5
Trouble In Paradise by Robert B. Parker - 2/5
The Pale Criminal by Philip Kerr - 4/5
Mr Hire's Engagement by Georges Simenon - 4/5
Righteous by Joe Ide - 4/5
The Broken Shore by Peter Temple - 4/5
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón - 4/5
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - 4/5
Laura by Vera Caspary - 3/5
My MYSTERY/CRIME/SUSPENSE BOOK OF 2021 is:
Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
SHORT STORIES IN 2022I enjoy reading short stories and always try to have a volume or two in my reading stack.
In 2022, the short story collections/anthologies I hope to read include:
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson - Stevenson's most noted shorter works are all included in this volume, including the title story, The Suicide Club, and The Body Snatcher.
The Great God Pan and Other Horror Stories by Arthur Machen - Machen's writing has a surprisingly modern feel to it, and his ideas are creepier than most modern horror fiction. The Great God Pan is considered to be a masterpiece of horror.
Green Tea and Other Weird Stories by J. Sheridan Le Fanu - contains the first and foremost lesbian vampire story: "Carmilla"
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu - modern Sci-Fi stories that don't suck? We'll see... This collection is highly rated on Goodreads, but then again that might be a mark against it.
The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe - I might as well finish this one off since I read a good chuck of it last year in the process of reading The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964 edited by Robert Silverberg - said to contain an excellent selection of classic Sci-Fi stories
The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor - like the Poe volume above, I have read many of these stories already in my reading of A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories and Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories so I might as well finish off the collection
SHORT STORIES IN 2021I like short stories. I know some readers don't, but I do. As a child, short stories were some of the earliest "adult" books I read. The first one I clearly remember was an Agatha Christie short story called "Three Blind Mice," read by (I think) my 3rd grade teacher who challenged us all to guess who did it. A friend of mine was the only correct guess. I still say he cheated.
The short stories I read in 2021 included:
The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe
Rating: 3 stars
EA Poe is one of those influential authors whose work has inspired many, many others, so it's good to have a working knowledge of his canon. But I found that I really enjoyed the most well-known stories, and found a lot of the others kind of boring.
The Best American Mystery Stories 2019 edited by Jonathan Lethem and Otto Penzler
Rating: 3 stars
Not one of the better editions of this long-running series. Guest editor Lethem seems to have made a choice to focus on "quirky" stories rather than good ones.
Old Venus edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
Rating: 3 stars
Modern authors write an updated version of "planetary fiction" in this anthology. Too much description, not enough story-telling. Would someone please put Martin on a bus back to Westeros?
Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories by Flannery O'Connor
Rating: 4 stars
Flannery's southern-flavored stories are charming and disturbing all at the same time.
The Best American Mystery Stories 2020 edited by C.J. Box and Otto Penzler
Also not one of the better editions of this long-running anthology series. It was the last for series editor Penzler, and I think it will be my last as well since three of the last four editions have been a little lackluster.
My SHORT STORY COLLECTION/ANTHOLOGY OF 2021 is:
Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories by Flannery O'Connor
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
NOTE: I also read Books of Blood, Volumes 4-6 by Clive Barker and The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard but I chose to include them in the Horror and Fantasy sections, respectively.
HORROR IN 2022My Horror reading has picked up in the last few years, although the line between Horror and Fantasy is not always clear.
The Horror books I hope to read in 2022 include:
Gone South by Robert R. McCammon - I don't love McCammon as much as other readers, but he does tell an entertaining story. I'm about 1/3 through this one and should finish in February.
The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker - I'm fairly excited for this one. Barker fans seem to love it! It was the basis for the Hellraiser movies.
The Tale of the Body Thief
Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor - I don't know much about this one, but it has been well reviewed by friends whose opinions I trust, and I found a cheap dead tree copy, so...
The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice - fourth book in Rice's celebrated Vampire series. How much I like this book will have a lot to say about how far I continue with the series.
Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks - like the author's World War Z, this is told in a "oral history" fashion (originally an homage to Studs Terkel's The Good War)
Rage by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman - it's hard to find this story of a school shooting since King has disowned it and it's out of print, but I was lucky enough to come across an older copy of The Bachman Books that contains it
FANTASY IN 2022Fantasy reading in 2021 was a little better than Sci-Fi but not much. Will this year be an improvement?
Here is a look at some of the Fantasy books I hope to read in 2022, and - like with the Sci-Fi books - I am focusing on trying to finish or continue some of the series I have already started:
The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft - the third book (out of four) in the Books of Babel series, the finale of which was published recently. One of the more unique fantasy series I have ever read, although sometimes it gets a little slow and indulgent.
Delusion's Master by Tanith Lee - the third and middle book in the impeccably written but often bizarre five-volume Tales of the Flat Earth series
The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin - the third Earthsea book (the conclusion of the original trilogy)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis - third in the seven-volume Narnia series
Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey - third (?) in the Dragon Riders of Pern series, although it all depends on which order you're going by...
The Road to Amber by Roger Zelazny - a collection of Amber short stories and other oddities
HORROR IN 2021I have been reading more Horror books in the last few years, not the slasher stuff but the genuinely creepy dark fiction that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
Books of Blood: Volume IV by Clive Barker
Books of Blood: Volume V by Clive Barker
Books of Blood: Volume VI by Clive Barker
Rating: 4 stars each
I started the year with the second half of Clive Barker's excellent Books of Blood short story collection. While not as good as the first half of the series, there is a lot of good inventive fiction here.
Be warned that the content is very violent and dark.
The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
Rating: 3 stars
The third book in Rice's Vampires series is the best so far, expanding the world to include the Great Family and the Talamasca. The dramatics drag things down at times, as usual.
Psycho by Robert Bloch
Rating: 3 stars
Someone who hasn't seen the faithful film adaptation might rate this very solid book higher...but who hasn't seen the film adaptation? This was probably wild in its day, but it's a little tame now, and might even be considered more of a "mystery" than "horror."
The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg
Rating: 3 stars
Four young men take a cross-country trip to track down the remains of a cult who might offer everlasting life...at a price. Very outdated and borderline misogynistic but still packs a philosophical punch.
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
Rating: 4 stars
Although the movie adaptation was very faithful, the book might even be better than the iconic film.
The Shining by Stephen King
Rating: 4 stars
The Kubrick film made several changes to the story but got the basic idea right and keeps things tight while the book drags at times. Both versions are enjoyable nonetheless.
My HORROR BOOK OF 2021 is: (tie)
Books of Blood, Volumes 4-6 by Clive Barker
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
FANTASY IN 2021Fantasy was a little better than Sci-Fi in 2021.
Blood of Amber by Roger Zelazny - 4/5
Sign of Chaos by Roger Zelazny - 3/5
Knight of Shadows by Roger Zelazny - 3/5
Prince of Chaos by Roger Zelazny - 3/5
I started the year by finishing off the 2nd Chronicles of Amber series. The first two books were pretty good but the last three felt rushed. I would recommend this series for Amber completists only, however the first Amber series is a classic.
The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard
Rating: 4 stars
The final volume in the three-volume collection of the original Conan stories written by Howard before his untimely death. I found this volume to be the weakest of the three, although Howard's writing style has improved and is much more confident in these stories.
Sourcery by Terry Pratchett
Rating: 3 stars
The fifth book in the amusing Discworld series, which had not yet hit its stride by this point.
Momo by Michael Ende
Rating: 3 stars
The "other" book by the author of the Neverending Story is also for children but can be enjoyed by adults as well.
My FANTASY BOOK OF 2021 is:
The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard
SCIENCE FICTION IN 2022Last year's Sci-Fi reading was not very good, continuing a disturbing trend. Am I choosing the wrong books? Is the genre just really this bad? Have I lost interest or (gasp) grown up? Or some combination of the above? I'm not sure what the answer is, but hopefully things pick up this year.
Here are some of the Sci-Fi books I hope to read this year, with of course a focus on continuing or finishing off some of the various series I have started:
The Last Colony by John Scalzi - 3rd in the Old Man's War series. I'm already most of the way through this one and should finish it in early January. Already I like it better than any Sci-Fi I read in 2021 so that's a relief.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams - every decade or so I feel compelled to revisit the Hitchhikers books to see if they have gotten any funnier than the last time I read them. The answer, unfortunately, is always no.
Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honour of Jack Vance edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois - yes, Vance and the Dying Earth deserve the honor of this collection, but can someone PLEASE hold Martin down and sit on top of him until he focuses on finishing (ahem) some of his other projects?
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick - it's been too long without PKD
The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter - the award-winning authorized sequel to H.G. Wells' The Time Machine
Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card - since OSC finally got around to finishing this series, I might as well finish reading it
Once again I'm setting my reading goal at 52 which of course is one book per week. I don't count short stories, audiobooks or graphic novels in that total. In the following entries I'm going to share some thoughts on what books I expect to read in various genres this upcoming year so stay tuned! I try to read several books at once (the best cure I have ever found for the dreaded "reading slump"), which usually includes at least one from each of the following categories:
- General Fiction & Classics
- Non-Fiction
- Mystery, Crime, Suspense
- Short Stories
- Horror
- Fantasy
- Science-Fiction
I've also been trying an 8th category which is "Book Club Reads" - let's see if I can keep that going this year.
As always please feel free to comment. Friend requests are always welcome (as long as they are genuine and not someone looking to pimp their latest release).
SCIENCE FICTION IN 2021SF used to be my favorite genre to read. Now it's almost an afterthought. Why? Because there is a lot of garbage out there in the SF genre, and some of the worst of it is the popular stuff. Ugh.
This year in the Sci-Fi genre, I read:
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams
Rating: 2 stars
The second (and final) book in the Dirk Gently series actually starts off pretty funny, at least in the first half. Then reality sets in, the plot drags, the jokes fall flat and it's a struggle to finish.
Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon
Rating: 2 stars
Often touted as a classic of the genre, this look at a future world without gender is just too dated to take seriously, and it's boring too. An interesting plot twist at the end helped keep this from a one-star rating.
Dawn by Octavia E. Butler
Rating: 3 stars
The first book in the Xenogenesis series tells the story of aliens arriving to save humanity from destroying itself...but at what price? A little slow and too touchy-feely to be a favorite, but a solid read overall.
All Clear by Connie Willis
Rating: 4 stars
The second part of the duology that started with Blackout, and the fourth novel in the Oxford Time Travel series. Willis' ranbling style bothers a lot of readers, and the complains are justified, but this is really one 1200-page epic book about civilian life in London during the Blitz, and readers who enjoy historical fiction will appreciate this one.
Wool by Hugh Howey
Rating: 3 stars
After a shaky first two parts the story is readable but a bit predictable and cliche. The world Howey created is the most interesting part by far.
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
Rating: 3 stars
The Russian classic that inspired 1984 and Brave New World is unfortunately not as good as either of those books, mostly due to a very unusual and quirky writing style that is off-putting to many readers.
The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson
Rating: 2 stars
The authorized sequel to Michael Crichton's Andromeda Strain is packed full of interesting ideas but the execution is poor.
See? Not very good overall at all.
My SCIENCE-FICTION BOOK OF 2021 IS:
All Clear by Connie Willis
...by process of elimination
NOTE: I also read The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg and Kindred by Octavia E. Butler but I will discuss them in the entries I make for the Horror and General Fiction categories.
I finished the novel that inspired the film classic
Laura by Vera Caspary
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading another novel that inspired another (less) classic film
Get Carter by Ted Lewis
#67 in 2021:I finished the novel that inspired the film classic
Laura by Vera Caspary
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading another novel that inspired another (less) classic film
Get Carter by Ted Lewis
That ends my reading for 2021! Over the next few days I will post some end of the year wrap-up entries including my Book of the Year, then I will migrate my bad self over to the year 2022.
