2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2021
>
Randy's Ridiculously Realistic Goal - 52 in 2021
date
newest »
newest »
#41 in 2021I finished the Cold War thriller
Ice Station Zebra by Alistair MacLean
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the second Jesse Stone book
Trouble In Paradise by Robert B. Parker
#42 in 2021I finished a non-fiction book about D-Day, which might be the most momentous day in 20th century history:
D-Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II by Stephen E. Ambrose
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
I also started reading (getting a head start on an upcoming group read)
Beloved by Toni Morrison
#43 in 2021I finished the second half of the duology started by Blackout in the Oxford Time Travel series
All Clear by Connie Willis
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the "authorized" sequel to the late Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain
The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson
#44 in 2021: I finished the second book in the Jesse Stone series:
Trouble In Paradise by Robert B. Parker
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started the second book in the hard-boiled Bernie Gunther "Berlin Trilogy":
The Pale Criminal by Philip Kerr
#45 in 2021: I finished the Pulitzer Prize winner:
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the story of an expectant mother-to-be:
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
#46 in 2021:I finished the post-apocalyptic Science-Fiction novel:
Wool by Hugh Howey
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the literary classic:
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
#47 in 2021:I finished the short story collection:
Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories by Flannery O'Connor
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
The Best American Mystery Stories 2020 edited by C.J. Box and Otto Penzler
#48 in 2021: I finished the second book in the Bernie Gunther series:
The Pale Criminal by Philip Kerr
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Mr Hire's Engagement by Georges Simenon
#49 and #50 in 2021: I finished two books that were both very good but couldn't have been much different:
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
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...
and I started reading:
The Fall by Albert Camus
and
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
#51 in 2021:I finished the philosophical short novel
The Fall by Albert Camus
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mind: blown
I gave up on
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
Rating: 1 star (DNF)
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come by Richard Preston
#52 in 2021I met my 2021 reading goal of 52 by finishing this "roman dur" (hard novel)
Mr Hire's Engagement by Georges Simenon
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the second in the IQ series
Righteous by Joe Ide
#53 in 2021:I finished
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson
and I also started reading
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Here are some Audiobook reviews - I don't count these towards my reading goal but I sometimes post a rating and review.
Exposure: Poisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer's Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPont by Robert Bilott
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Stay Fit and Healthy Until You're Dead by Dave Barry
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished the novella
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the dystopian classic
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
I have been spending a lot of time in my car lately, so I have been catching up on audiobooks. This is a good one, available for free on Audible with a subscription (your results may vary):
The Coming Storm by Michael Lewis
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#54 in 2021: I finished the second book in the Sherlockian "IQ" series:
Righteous by Joe Ide
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the prequel to The Shadow of the Wind:
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
#55 in 2021I finished the OG (Original Gothic) novel
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
The Great God Pan and Other Horror Stories by Arthur Machen
#56 in 2021:I finished the fifth Discworld novel
Sourcery by Terry Pratchett
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the final installment in the Winternight trilogy started by The Bear and the Nightingale:
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
#57 in 2021:I finished the Russian dystopian classic
We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the award-winning Aussie crime thriller
The Broken Shore by Peter Temple
I gave up on the histrionic Russian fantasy
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Rating: 1 star (did not finish)
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Not sorry.
and I started reading the "other book" by that Neverending Story guy
Momo by Michael Ende
#58 in 2021:I finished the interesting-yet-dull "authorized" sequel to Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain:
The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the third book in the Old Man's War series by the Master of Snark:
The Last Colony by John Scalzi
#59 in 2021:I finished the book that inspired one of my all-time favorite films:
The Shining by Stephen King
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Gone South by Robert R. McCammon
#60 in 2021: I finished the award-winning Aussie crime thriller
The Broken Shore by Peter Temple
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
#61 and #62 in 2021:I finished the third book in the Kingsbridge series:
A Column of Fire by Ken Follett
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and the second book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series (the prequel to The Shadow of the Wind):
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the historical novel:
This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson
and the noir classic:
Laura by Vera Caspary
#63 in 2021: I finished the 2020 edition of the long-running annual anthology series
The Best American Mystery Stories 2020 edited by C.J. Box and Otto Penzler
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#64 in 2021: I finished the charming
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the second Matt Helm book
The Wrecking Crew by Donald Hamilton
I finished the "other" book by Michael Ende
Momo by Michael Ende
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the third (out of four) installment in the Books of Babel series
The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft
also, I DNF-ed the awful
The Wrecking Crew by Donald Hamilton
and I started reading the first book in the Lincoln Rhyme series
The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver
#66 in 2021:I finished a book about a virus that is WAY scarier than COVID
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 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading perhaps the ultimate history book
Asimov's Chronology of the World by Isaac Asimov
#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.
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.
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
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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
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
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Cosmos (other topics)The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (other topics)
The Winter of the Witch (other topics)
By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept (other topics)
The Wrecking Crew (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
William Lindsay Gresham (other topics)Charles Williams (other topics)
Lawrence Wright (other topics)
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar (other topics)
Andrea Camilleri (other topics)
More...
I finished the last of the three-volume collection of original Conan stories:
The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the fifth book in the Discworld series
Sourcery by Terry Pratchett