RJ - Slayer of Trolls’s
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RJ - Slayer of Trolls’s
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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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I finished: 
Books of Blood: Volume IV by Clive Barker
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Books of Blood: Volume V by Clive Barker
#2 in 2021:I finished:
Books of Blood: Volume IV by Clive Barker
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Books of Blood: Volume V by Clive Barker
I finished: 
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Die Trying by Lee Child
My first completed book of 2021 is...
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Die Trying by Lee Child
Blagica wrote: "I hope you go beyond your 52 book resolution! Best of Luck!PS. I might have to read some of these books this year!"
Thanks Blagica!
I don't count them for my challenge, but I don't have a strong opinion about it. Personally, I tend to absorb and retain less when I don't see the written word. I like audio books primarily for non-fiction stuff or to re-visit books I have already visually read.
Ashleigh wrote: "...3. What were your least favorites?
The Black Echo..."
I don't blame you. I didn't think it was that great either.
I read The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth. I thought they were both good but they lacked they same special spark that A Christmas Carol had.
Good luck this year Lisa! Happy reading!
SCIENCE-FICTION IN 2021My once-favorite genre has become the genre I struggle through. Hopefully cleaning house on some of the series I am midway through will help me find some good stuff again.
Here are the books I am hoping to finish or at least start reading in the Science-Fiction category in 2021:
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams
I hated the first book in this series, and I was never a big Hitchhikers' fan either. In fact, the only book of Adams's that I enjoyed was Last Chance to See. But this book is on the 1001 Books You MUST Read Before You Kick the Bucket, and I already had a copy on my shelf, so I guess I MUST read it. Pray for me.
All Clear by Connie Willis
This is the second part of the story that was started in Blackout, which was my SF Book of the Year last year, despite really only earning 3.5 stars (rounded up).
Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honour of Jack Vance edited by George R.R. Martin
Can some Dying Earth stories improve my Sci-Fi reading? We'll see...
The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson
Don't let the cover fool you. Michael Crichton had nothing to do with this sequel to his The Andromeda Strain. But I'm going to read it anyway.
The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter
Baxter's authorized sequel to The Time Machine by H.G. Wells picked up some awards and nominations. It will be the first book I've read by Baxter, who also wrote the Manifold and Xeelee series.
SCIENCE FICTION IN 2020:Last but...least? I used to read a lot of Science-Fiction, but now I seem to have lost the taste for it, other than certain authors. Partly to blame, I am trying to finish off some series that I have gotten partway into, and maybe they're not the greatest series? My only 1-star read of the year came from this category...
SCIENCE-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR
Blackout by Connie Willis
Other Science-Fiction reads in 2020:
3 stars
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Apex by Ramez Naam
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor
Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer
2 stars
A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
1 star
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
HORROR IN 2021Last year was a really good year for the Horror genre for me, and hopefully that continues into 2021! I'm still working on the Books of Blood (see: short stories, above) but after I finish those here are some of the books I hope to finish or at least start in 2021:
The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
I'm not a huge vampire fan, and Rice's prose - though immaculate - is a bit wordy for my tastes. But the world and history she has managed to create for her vampire anti-heroes is fascinating.
The Shining by Stephen King
The Kubrick film with Jack Nicholson is one of my all-time favorites, so it's high time I read the novel that inspired it.
Psycho by Robert Bloch
I hear they made a movie version of this book also?
HORROR IN 2020:It was a surprisingly good year for Horror for me. Even the 3-star books were pretty readable and entertaining. There were a lot of Horror short stories I read (Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Best Horror of the Year Volume Ten, the various collections of Charles Beaumont) but those are discussed in the Short Story topic above.
HORROR BOOK OF THE YEAR
The Terror by Dan Simmons
Other Horror reads in 2020:
4 stars
The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror by William Sloane (which includes To Walk the Night - 3 stars - and The Edge of Running Water - 4 stars - the entire fictional output of the author)
3 stars
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
FANTASY IN 2021This is a favorite genre of mine, but right now I'm finishing up some series and they aren't all gems. I expect my Conan and Discworld series to continue for several years (because I'm in no hurry), but I'm getting close to wrapping up some other series.
Here's what I'll be finishing or starting or hoping to start in 2021:
Blood of Amber, Sign of Chaos, Knight of Shadows, and Prince of Chaos by Roger Zelazny, the final four books in The Great Book of Amber.
I finished the first book in the second Chronicles of Amber in 2020, and I should finish the series in 2021. I do have some Amber short stories in a collection from NESFA (The Road to Amber) but those will probably have to wait until 2022.
The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard
This collection contains the final Conan stories by original author Howard. I'm reading this collection now, interwoven with the Amber books (above). Once I'm done with the original Conan stories, I intend to start the large body of Conan work written by other authors.
Sourcery by Terry Pratchett
The Discworld read continues...
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Will this story focus on the Russian folklore critters or the teen angst romance? The second book wasn't up to par with the still over-rated first book, but hopefully things will improve in this conclusion.
Momo by Michael Ende
This critically-acclaimed stand-alone fantasy novel by the author of (everyone sing along!) The Neverending Story will be a treat I give myself for finishing Arden's Winternight Trilogy.
The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft
The third book in the Senlin Ascends series about a make-believe steampunk Tower of Babel. Unfortunately, the fourth book is not yet published....
MYSTERY IN 2021My favorite genre! Last year I read 19 books in this category, not including short stories. I won't try to guess all of the mystery books I'll read in 2021 but here are the first few I hope to get to:
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
I'm reading this one now and should be done in a few days. I had been ducking it for a while because I had heard it was Flynn's weakest book, but having almost finished it I am starting to think it might be her best.
Die Trying by Lee Child
Second in the Jack Reacher series. The first one was fun.
Big Trouble by Dave Barry
I love me some Dave Barry, but usually I read his non-fiction humor columns.
Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
I've read all of Crichton's fiction from when he was alive (except for the John Lange books), but this one was published posthumously.
The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth
Forsyth's The Odessa File was one of the first "grown up" novels I ever read, way back in high school.
The Kings of Cool by Don Winslow
The prequel to Savages.
Also on the way...Agatha Christie, Patricia Highsmith, Megan Abbott, and much much more!
FANTASY IN 2020Another one of my favorite genres. My love of Fantasy was re-ignited a few years ago when I started reading the excellent and unfinished A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin.
There were some good reads this year, and a few duds as well. I'm working on finishing the series that I am in the middle of so I can start some new series, but I'm probably another year or so away from that.
FANTASY BOOK OF THE YEAR
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Other Fantasy reads in 2020:
4 stars
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin
Trumps of Doom by Roger Zelazny
3 stars
Death's Master by Tanith Lee
Mort by Terry Pratchett
Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey
2 stars
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER in 2020Mystery/Suspense/Thriller is a mouthful, so I usually abbreviate it as "Mystery" even though that's not a completely accurate picture of the books I'm describing. This has become my favorite genre to read, and I'm in the middle of following something like 40 different series or authors. That's probably too many, yet every year I seem to add more than I finish.
Here's how my 2020 in Mystery turned out - only one real disappointment this year:
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR
The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins
Other Mystery/Suspense/Thriller reads in 2020:
4 stars
Joe by Larry Brown
A Little Yellow Dog by Walter Mosley
The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler
Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Swag: A Novel by Elmore Leonard
A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell
Prizzi's Honor by Richard Condon
The Bad Seed by William March
A Murder of Quality by John le Carré
3 stars
Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming
Origin by Dan Brown
A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane
Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille
Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen
The Vengeful Virgin by Gil Brewer
The Man Who Risked His Partner by Stephen R. Donaldson writing as Reed Stephens
2 stars
Every Dead Thing by John Connolly
SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS/ANTHOLOGIES IN 2021I used to read mostly genre short stories, especially Sci-Fi and Fantasy. But since expanding my tastes I've found lots of great short stories out there waiting to be read. Here are some of the Collections or Anthologies that I hope to finish or at least start reading in 2021:
The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe
I'm currently reading this collection, which includes many of the most well known of Poe's stories, including his novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket and Related Tales.
Books of Blood, Volumes 4-6 by Clive Barker
Barker's work is graphically violent and not for everyone, but the bounds of his imagination are staggering and his stories are well written.
The Best American Mystery Stories 2019 edited by Jonathan Lethem and Otto Penzler
I didn't get to this annual anthology last year, but I'll get to it in early 2021, and hopefully I'll get to the 2020 collection soon as well.
Old Venus edited by George R.R. Martin
I don't have high hopes for this anthology after reading a couple of the selections a couple years ago. But it's been sitting on my shelf half-read for too long, so this year I will finish it off.
The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor
Last year I read part of this collection (A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories and this year I will read the rest of the stories, including those collected in Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories as well as a few others, I believe.
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
I'm not sure I'll get to this one but it's been on my radar for a while now.
The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe
Another one I'm not sure I'll get to in 2021 but it makes sense to finish this off after I complete The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales.
SHORT STORIES IN 2020We all like short stories don't we? A well-written short story conveys so much in so few words, and they can stick with you forever, such as one of my all time favorite short stories "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury.
This year I did get to renew my acquaintance with Charles Beaumont, the famed writer of many of the most celebrated episodes of the original Twilight Zone series, and I was able to read most of his catalogue of short stories.
SHORT STORY COLLECTION/ANTHOLOGY OF THE YEAR
Books of Blood: Volumes One to Three by Clive Barker
Other Short Story Collections/Anthologies in 2020:
4 stars
A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
The Howling Man, Perchance to Dream, and Night Ride and Other Journeys all by Charles Beaumont
3 stars
The Hunger: And Other Stories, Yonder, and A Touch of the Creature all by Charles Beaumont
The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2019 Edition edited by Rich Horton
Best Horror of the Year Volume 10 edited by Ellen Datlow
Fire Watch by Connie Willis
NON-FICTION IN 2021Another category of reading that has been pretty good to me in the last few years. For the coming year I hope to finish or at least start reading the following:
War by Sebastian Junger
This book about the War in Afghanistan also spawned the documentary Restrepo, which I may need to re-watch once I finish the book.
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
This book traces the origin of Al Qaeda leading up to the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York. I understand it inspired a Hulu miniseries which I have not seen.
D-Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II by Stephen E. Ambrose
After reading Ambrose's Band of Brothers last year, I felt inspired to read more WWII history. Ambrose isn't a great writer per se but he did get some very good first-hand accounts in Band of Brothers so I'm hoping for more of the same in this one.
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
Hey! Finally a book not about war!
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
Since I was apparently the only person on planet Earth who didn't read this book a few years ago when the movie came out, I figured it's time to rectify that oversight.
