RJ - Slayer of Trolls’s Comments

RJ - Slayer of Trolls’s comments from the 2025 Reading Challenge group.

Note: RJ - Slayer of Trolls is not currently a member of this group.

1. Did you (or will you) reach your 2020 reading goal?

Yes, I reached it a few months ago.

2. What were your favorite books this year?

Here's my 2020 favorite reads list: (I'm not done reading for the year, but I'm pretty sure this is the final list)

FIVE-STAR READS


The Terror by Dan Simmons


Moneyball by Michael Lewis


The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman


The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins

HONORABLE MENTION (4-star reads)

A Little Yellow Dog by Walter Mosley
The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler
World Without End by Ken Follett
Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
A Murder of Quality by John le Carré
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose
A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell
The Howling Man, Perchance to Dream, and Night Ride and Other Journeys all by Charles Beaumont
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Bad Seed by William March
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Swag: A Novel by Elmore Leonard
Prizzi's Honor by Richard Condon
Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar
A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor
Joe by Larry Brown
Books of Blood: Volumes One to Three by Clive Barker*
The Way West by A.B. Guthrie Jr.*
Blackout by Connie Willis*

*should finish by end of 2020 - final rating pending

3. What were your least favorites?

WORST BOOK OF THE YEAR:


Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold

RUNNERS-UP (2-star ratings)

Bloody Rose by Nicholas Eames
The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Hawaiian Nation : Man, Gods, and Nature by Michael Kioni Dudley and Keoni K. Agard

4. What is one book you would recommend to everyone?


East of Eden by John Steinbeck
This is a literary masterpiece that I would recommend to anyone. (My 4 star rating is just my personal enjoyment and isn't meant to denote any detraction from the literary significance of this extraordinary work)

5. Was there a book that made you stretch out of your comfort zone?

The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain is about a lengthy journey he took to Europe and "the Holy Land" about 150 years ago, and I found myself reading with a tablet nearby so I could study and research all the interesting areas, works of art and architecture, and historical events Twain referenced about which I was ignorant or under-informed.

6. Did you discover any new genres or authors?

New authors to me:
Dan Simmons
Gil Brewer
William Sloane
Yaa Gyasi
Stephen E. Ambrose
Ruth Rendell
Alfred Lansing
William March
Vonda N. McIntyre
Sara Gruen
Flannery O'Connor
Larry Brown
John Helyar
Michael Kioni Dudley
Keoni K. Agard

I also spent time reacquainting myself with Clive Barker and Charles Beaumont, authors who I hadn't read in a while but got to know much better this year.

I wouldn't say I discovered any new genres but I got a new appreciation for horror this year thanks to Charles Beaumont, Clive Barker, Dan Simmons, William March, and William Sloane.

7. Did you lead a challenge for the group? How was your experience? Would you like to in the future?

No, N/A, and I don't think so.

8. Did you join any of the monthly or quarterly challenges, is there one you would like to see again in 2021?

No and no.

9. If you participated in any of our yearly challenges, what was your favorite?

N/A

10. Is there a challenge from years past that you would like to see brought back?

No

11. Do you like having visitors in your reading corner or challenge tracking area?

Yes, anyone is welcome.

2020 Challenge - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

2021 Challenge topic will be posted later this month.

12. Did you make any new friends in the group this year? We hope you will take a minute to go see their corner and see how they are doing. Or just say it was awesome reading with you let’s do it again!

I did make a few friends in the group this year. Friend requests are always welcome as long as they can honestly and correctly answer my challenge question. ;-)

Lisa wrote: "RJ from the LBC wrote: "The best thing about 2021 is that it won't be 2020. ;-)"

Randy! Don't jinx it!"

Oh no! I hope I didn't... ;-)

I finished:


Trumps of Doom by Roger Zelazny
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard

#65 in 2020:

I finished:


Trumps of Doom by Roger Zelazny
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard

I finished reading:


A Call for Hawaiian Sovereignty by Michael Kioni Dudley and Keoni K. Agard
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


War by Sebastian Junger

#64 in 2020:

I finished reading:


A Call for Hawaiian Sovereignty by Michael Kioni Dudley and Keoni K. Agard
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


War by Sebastian Junger

Those who love the 80s should definitely read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Watching the movie is not an acceptable substitute.

The best thing about 2021 is that it won't be 2020. ;-)

I finished:


Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Every Dead Thing by John Connolly

NotAGoodSamaritan wrote: "Can anyone suggest a book that blows my mind? Something like Shutter Island or something like that which you read?"

Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges is pretty mind blowing.

#63 in 2020:

I finished:


Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Every Dead Thing by John Connolly

I finished:


Books of Blood, Volume Two by Clive Barker
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Books of Blood: Volume Three by Clive Barker

I finished #62 for 2020:


Books of Blood, Volume Two by Clive Barker
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Books of Blood: Volume Three by Clive Barker

Woman Reading wrote: " Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing.

This may be a century-old tale but it was mes..."

I finished this book earlier this year. I really liked it also.

I finished:


Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey
Rating: a generous 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Trumps of Doom by Roger Zelazny
(this is the first book in the second Amber series and NOT a book about the ex-President)

I finished another book:


Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey
Rating: a generous 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


Trumps of Doom by Roger Zelazny
(this is the first book in the second Amber series and NOT a book about the ex-President)

I finished:


Hawaiian Nation : Man, Gods, and Nature by Michael Kioni Dudley and Keoni K. Agard
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the "sequel:"


A Call for Hawaiian Sovereignty by Michael Kioni Dudley and Keoni K. Agard

I finished my 60th book of the year:


Hawaiian Nation : Man, Gods, and Nature by Michael Kioni Dudley and Keoni K. Agard
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading the "sequel:"


A Call for Hawaiian Sovereignty by Michael Kioni Dudley and Keoni K. Agard

By the way, I liked a lot of your non-fiction selections Bibliophile, and I added several of them to my own wish-list.

How fun! I also have a pretty good idea what I'm going to read next year, although there always seem to be some last minute changes.

I'll be posting mine in my 2021 Personal Challenge post.