This list was started in October of 2017 and includes a sampling of my reading. For a more complete list, please follow me on Goodreads and check out my books.
Storm Front (Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butcher; I've had the good fortune to take a workshop from Jim Butcher and finally read his first installment of the Dresden Files. Fun, fun, fun.
Among Others by Jo Walton; this Hugo winner was a great find for me. Literary fantasy at its finest, and a great example of Don Maass's push to for speculative fiction that blurs the lines. One of my favorite books of last year. I lucked into finding it. A friend thought I'd like it, and passed it on.
Circe by Madeline Miller; Beautiful imagery and storytelling. The weaving of ancient myth with a more modern twist was delightful. One of my favorite books last year.
Last Call by Tim Powers; I was blown away by the imagery and the weaving of such vastly different elements as the tarot and organized crime in Las Vegas. Poker with a tarot deck?? This book goes on my favorites shelf. The imagery is deeply affecting and the humor is laugh-out-loud.
Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear; some serious science happening in this novel. Bear presents a fascinating idea that I'd like to research more, the reactivation of ancient viral DNA in the human genome.
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders; what happens when a witch falls in love with an engineer? They are tasked with saving the world, of course.
Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey; a little less convincing than the first two books in the Expanse Series, but still a good read.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson; I just started this wild ride of a book. Puts me in mind of Ready Player One. I find myself laughing out loud.
Company of Liars by Karen Maitland; a fun historical mystery patterned after The Canterbury Tales. An interesting view of England during the plague.
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson; Cutting my teeth on my first Sanderson novel. I get to spend a day in a seminar with him soon and look forward to it. So far, his mastery of worldbuilding is amazing.
The Black River Chronicles; fun frolic in this game world come to life.
A Borrowed Hell by L.D. Colter; I always enjoy's this author's magical realism and am already seeing it at play in this novel.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein; this novel did not take the direction I thought it would, but it presents some political ideas worth chewing on, especially as we consider settling other bodies in the solar system. Treatment of female characters is outdated, but I can't ding someone for writing to the culture of his time.
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams; I'm finally reading this classic of epic fantasy. My Three Wells series has been compared to the world created in this series. I'm enjoying his language and worldbuilding.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson; I am a huge fan of Stan Robinson's writing and philosophy. If you want realism and scientific accuracy, you can't get much better than Stan. He's a fascinating person who writes hard SF as well as anthropological works. He's a creative genius.
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan; fascinating look at the future possibility of downloading consciousness. It is very much a mystery novel couched in SF. Interesting mix with some great writing. Quite graphic, as a warning.
Among Others by Jo Walton; this Hugo winner was a great find for me. Literary fantasy at its finest, and a great example of Don Maass's push to for speculative fiction that blurs the lines. One of my favorite books of last year. I lucked into finding it. A friend thought I'd like it, and passed it on.
Circe by Madeline Miller; Beautiful imagery and storytelling. The weaving of ancient myth with a more modern twist was delightful. One of my favorite books last year.
Last Call by Tim Powers; I was blown away by the imagery and the weaving of such vastly different elements as the tarot and organized crime in Las Vegas. Poker with a tarot deck?? This book goes on my favorites shelf. The imagery is deeply affecting and the humor is laugh-out-loud.
Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear; some serious science happening in this novel. Bear presents a fascinating idea that I'd like to research more, the reactivation of ancient viral DNA in the human genome.
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders; what happens when a witch falls in love with an engineer? They are tasked with saving the world, of course.
Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey; a little less convincing than the first two books in the Expanse Series, but still a good read.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson; I just started this wild ride of a book. Puts me in mind of Ready Player One. I find myself laughing out loud.
Company of Liars by Karen Maitland; a fun historical mystery patterned after The Canterbury Tales. An interesting view of England during the plague.
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson; Cutting my teeth on my first Sanderson novel. I get to spend a day in a seminar with him soon and look forward to it. So far, his mastery of worldbuilding is amazing.
The Black River Chronicles; fun frolic in this game world come to life.
A Borrowed Hell by L.D. Colter; I always enjoy's this author's magical realism and am already seeing it at play in this novel.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein; this novel did not take the direction I thought it would, but it presents some political ideas worth chewing on, especially as we consider settling other bodies in the solar system. Treatment of female characters is outdated, but I can't ding someone for writing to the culture of his time.
The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams; I'm finally reading this classic of epic fantasy. My Three Wells series has been compared to the world created in this series. I'm enjoying his language and worldbuilding.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson; I am a huge fan of Stan Robinson's writing and philosophy. If you want realism and scientific accuracy, you can't get much better than Stan. He's a fascinating person who writes hard SF as well as anthropological works. He's a creative genius.
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan; fascinating look at the future possibility of downloading consciousness. It is very much a mystery novel couched in SF. Interesting mix with some great writing. Quite graphic, as a warning.