My Reading Year 2016

[jacey]

I did well this year – almost a hundred books read from cover to cover. I’m not counting books I bought and used for research because I don’t tend to read them in linear fashion, I cherrypick sections and information. The only non-fiction on this list has been read cover to cover. You can find full reviews of everything on this list at my Goodreads account or on my blog here. Filter by booklog 2016. (Note the numbers may not correspond exactly.)

So what have I been reading in 2016? Well, since I’ve also been busy writing I’ve tried to read books that haven’t interefered with my writing train-of-thought-at-the-time. Mostly I’ve succeeded. Highlights of 2016 have been:

• the discovery of Jodi Taylor’s St. Marys books, wacky but with serious stakes


• Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom duo and the rest of her Grisha books


• Gaie Sebold’s Babylon Steel novels which I’ve been meaning to read for a few years and finally managed it


• Ann Aguirre’s final Sirantha Jax book which i kept putting off reading because I didn’t want the series to end


• catching up with Benedict Jacka’s Alex Verus novels at long last – now i can’t wait for the next one


• Sean Danker’s The Admiral


• finally finding a Zelazny that wows me. (A Night in the Lonesome October, narrated by Jack the Ripper’s dog.)


• reading more Georgette Heyer Regency romances – always a delight

Here’s my full reading list.

FICTION

1. Patricia Briggs: Fire Touched – Mercy Thompson #9


2. Andy Weir: The Martian.


3. Lois McMaster Bujold: Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen – Vorkosi #16


4. Paul Cornell: The Witches of Lychford


5. Seanan McGuire: Every Heart a Doorway


6. Julie Kagawa: The Iron King – The Iron Fey #1


7. David Tallerman: Patchwerk


8. Jim C Hines: Codex Born – Magic ex-Libris #2


9. Benedict Jacka: Taken – Alex Verus #3


10. Adrian Tchaikovsky: The Tiger and the Wolf – Echoes of the Fall #1


11. Zen Cho: Sorcerer to the Crown – Sorcerer Royal #1


12. Emma Newman: Between Two Thorns – Split Worlds #1


13. Veronica Roth: Insurgent – Divergent #2


14. Liesel Schwarz: A Conspiracy of Alchemists  – Chronicles of Light and Shadow #1


15. Ann Aguirre: Endgame – Sirantha Jax #6


16. Leigh Bardugo: Six of Crows – Six of Crows #1


17. Anne Gracie: The Perfect Rake – Merridew Sisters #1


18. Georgette Heyer: The Masqueraders


19. Jim Butcher: The Aeronaut’s Windlass – Cinder Spires #1


20. Diana Gabaldon: Virgins – Outlander (novella)


21. Rachael Miles: Chasing the Heiress – The Muses Salon #2


22. Tim Powers: Down and Out in Purgatory


23. Guy Haley: The Emperor’s Railroad – Dreaming Cities #1


24. Tim Lebbon: Pieces of Hate with Dead Man’s Hand


25. Sarah Hegger: The Bride Gift


26. Gaie Sebold: Babylon Steel


27. Jodi Taylor: Just one Damn Thing After Another – Chronicles of St Mary’s #1


28. Jodi Taylor: A Symphony of Echoes – Chronicles of St Mary’s #2


29. Jodi Taylor: A Second Chance – Chronicles of St Mary’s #3


30. Jodi Taylor: A Trail Through Time – Chronicles of St Mary’s #4


31. Jodi Taylor: The Very First Damn Thing – Chronicles of St Mary’s 0.5


32. Jodi Taylor: When a Child is Born – Chronicles of St Mary’s Short Story 2.5


33. Jodi Taylor: Roman Holiday – Chronicles of St Mary’s Short Story 3.5


34. Jodi Taylor: No Time Like the Past – Chronicles of St Mary’s #5


35. Jodi Taylor: Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings – Chronicles of St Mary’s Short Story 6.5


36. Jodi Taylor: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? – Chronicles of St Mary’s #6


37. Jodi Taylor: Christmas Present – Chronicles of St Mary’s Short Story 4.5


38. Jodi Taylor: Lies, Damned Lies and History – Chronicles of St Mary’s #7


39. Joe Hill: The Fireman


40. Benedict Jacka: Chosen – Alex Verus #4


41. Lisa Tuttle: The Somnambulist and the Psychic Thief


42. Peter S. Beagle: Summerlong


43. Tom Lloyd: Stranger of Tempest (Couldn’t finish)


44. Georgette Heyer: The Nonesuch


45. Benedict Jacka: Hidden – Alex Verus #5


46. Isabella Barclay: A Bachelor Establishment


47. Walter Jon Williams: Voice of the Whirlwind


48. Alexandra Bracken: The Passenger


49. Eileen Putman: The Dastardly Duke – Love in Disguise #2


50. Lois McMaster Bujold: Penric & the Shaman – Penric & Desemona #2


51. Georgette Heyer: The Quiet Gentleman


52. Karen Tuft: The Earl’s Betrothal


53. Sally MacKenzie: What to do with a Duke – The Spinster House #1


54. Julie Daines: Willowkeep


55. Kevin Hearne: The Purloined Poodle – Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries


56. Willow Palecek: City of Wolves


57. Georgette Heyer: Sylvester


58. Georgette Heyer: Devil’s Cub


59. Georgette Heyer: Regency Buck


60. Jodi Taylor: The Great St Mary’s Day Out – Chronicles of St Mary’s Short Story


61. Regina Scott: The Husband Campaign – The Master Matchmakers #3


62. C.E.Murphy: House of Cards – The Negotiator #2


63. Allison Butler: The Healer – Borderland Brides #1


64. Sean Danker: The Admiral – Evagardian #1


65. Jodi Taylor: The Nothing Girl


66. Cassandra Rose Clarke: The Wizard’s Promise


67. Jodi Taylor: Little Donkey


68. Donna Lea Simpson: Lord St Claire’s Angel


69. Roger Zelazny: A Night in the Lonesome October


70. Georgette Heyer: The Talisman Ring


71. Alastair Reynolds: Revenger


72. Janis Susan May: Miss Morrison’s Second Chance


73. Regina Jeffers: Angel Comes to Devil’s Keep


74. Leigh Bardugo: Crooked Kingdom – Six of Crows #2


75. Leigh Bardugo: Shadow and Bone – The Grisha #1


76. Leigh Bardugo: Siege and Storm – The Grisha #2


77. Leigh Bardugo: Ruin and Rising – The Grisha #3


78. Sean Danker: Free Space – Evagardian #2


79. C.C. Aune: The Ill-Kept Oath


80. Den Patrick: The Boy with the Porcelain Blade – Erebus Sequence #1


81. Julia Quinn: The Duke and I – Bridgertons #1


82. Benedict Jacka: Veiled – Alex Verus #6


83. John Scalzi: Miniatures – The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi


84. Julia Quinn: The Viscount who Loved Me – Bridgertons #2


85. Benedict Jacka: Burned – Alex Verus #7


86. Lois McMaster Bujold: Penric’s Mission – Penric #3


87. Bianca Blythe: A Rogue to Avoid – Matchmaking for Wallflowers #2


88. Lois McMaster Bujold: Penric’s Demon – Penric #1


89. Gaie Sebold: Dangerous Gifts – Babylon Steel #2


90. Nick Wood: Azanian Bridges


91. Genevieve Cogman: The Burning Page – Invisible Library #3


92. Jodi Taylor: My Name is Markham – Chronicles of St Mary’s short story

NON-FICTION

1. David McKie: What’s in a Surname


2. Allison Kinney: Hood


3. Nisi Shawl & Cynthia Ward: Writing the Other


4. Susanne Alleyn: Medieval Underpants and Other Blunders


5. Louise Allen: Walks Through Regency London

Comments

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

I'm not the only one reading silly numbers of books then?

Happy new year!

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

I used to aim for 50 books a year, but one year when I was doing a lot of writing I barely managed half that. So in 2016 I set my target at a sensible 30 books - and somehow tripled it. A fair amount of it was down to a couple of stupid accidents which left me with instructions to elevate my legs - and since working and elevating are more-or-less incompatible I did get a head start on my reading. In 2017, I'd like to read the same number of books without the accidents. I'm setting my Goodreads (Challenge) target at 50 and we'll see where we go from there.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Not sure how many I've got through this year- I'll have to count!

[hairmonger.livejournal.com]

So are these all new reads? I had to go count my list, and I read 71, but I read a great many more books than that.

Mary Anne in Kentucky

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Yes, these are all new reads. I don't think I re-read anything in 2016, but I wouldn't blog something twice - though if the first read were from before I started blogging I would certainly blog it.

[hairmonger.livejournal.com]

I re-read a lot, so I'm impressed that I managed to read that many new books.

But then there's this kind of ambiguous case: I've just taken Paul Cornell's London Falling back to the library without finishing it, realizing as I read along that I'd tried to read it before. I'd find an interesting bit and then the Eight Deadly Words would strike again, and another interesting bit, but not enough of them. After I returned it, I read in my journal three years ago that I'd just finished it. Apparently it left so little impression that it was like reading the first time. So now it's listed in my book list twice. With explanatory notes. "See also [date]"

(And I've just now finally remembered to reserve Witches of Lychford.)

Mary Anne in Kentucky

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed Paul's first Lychford book (Witches of) and Lost Child of Lychford is in my Strategic Book Reserve, fairly near to the top. I haven't read London Falling yet. The other books I've been promising to read are the Ben Aaronovitch books, starting with Rivers of London, and I want to read some Tad Williams (got Dragonbone Chair lined up, but it's so long I'm almost put off starting it.) Plus I still need to read Patrick Rothfuss and I have to finish all the available Iron Druid books, Jim Hines Magic ex Libris books, and the Harry Dresdens. I did manage to catch up with Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus books in 2016, and very good they were, too. I'm eagerly awaiting Scott Lynch's 4th outing for the Gentleman Bastards, The Thorn of Emberlain. I must read Wolf Hall this year and take a crack at Railsea. I've also got three tanya Huffs to catch up with. (I've read all her back catalogue.) So many books, so little time.