Ahoy everyone; been a while since I've updated; sorry about that. Still I did want to let everyone know which books I've read this year and which ones you should pick up as well, which is most of them. The following are very briefly reviewed grouped together as makes sense, while still trying to keep in semi-chronological as to the order I bought them. I also want to take this moment to advocate audiobooks as a great way to catch up on long literature that you may feel you wouldn't finish easily otherwise. I did that for "The Count of Monte Cristo", "War & Peace", "Warbreaker", "Mistborn" (all 3), and most recently "Middlemarch" (in 2016). Listening to music is fun, but so is reading a new book. Also, "GraphicAudio" is a great audiobook area if you like full-cast audio (each character has a voice and there are background sounds).
Key: Titles (# number if NOT the first time read), Author, Fun Picture, Review
The Great Hunt
The Dragon Reborn
The Shadow Rising
By Robert Jordan
Books 2-4 of "The Wheel of Time" series. Epic fantasy at its epicmost. These books have great characters and a great vast story. That being said, the books feel dense, in that they are hard to speed through, for me at least. There are 14 books in total and I go through them slowly, but consistently (currently in the middle of book 5). If you like fantasy and enjoy being with a story for the long haul this is a good series to start. But if you want something quick, stay away.
War & Peace (2)
by Leo Tolstoy
One of the longest books you can read in any language and one of the most worth it, in my opinion. This is a classic deserving of the title, a story that constantly makes you think in many directions. It takes place during the Napoleonic wars and often follows aristocratic families, so it has that old feel in many ways. And yet it continues to apply to you and to me nowadays. Tolstoy's theory on history is very interesting to follow if you are interested in it, but if not the story is excellent nonetheless.
The Aeronaut's Windlass
by Jim Butcher
An excellent first book in a series. It has multiple viewpoints; I think that the cat is one of the best narrators ever. Action, Mystery, Steampunk, Airship battles, and character relationships and character arcs that you care about. If you don't like waiting for new books to come out in a long series (this is likely to be 6 books long), perhaps you can wait. But this book made me a Jim Butcher fan and now I'm out to read the other many many books he has written. This book does wrap up nicely as well, so while it is quite obvious there is more to come, you won't die waiting. Definitely an excellent book.
The Knife of Never Letting Go (3-4)
The Ask & The Answer (3-4)
Monsters of Men (3-4)
By Patrick Ness
If you've talked to me about books to read before, this series has come up, almost without fail. This is my 3rd or 4th time through it and I love it every time. It makes me laugh, cry, and think in multiple directions. When I say that, it means that it doesn't give me easy answers on hard topics. Sure, it eventually leans in certain directions, but there is still much for you to consider as a reader. This is a trilogy where each book feels unique even though they are part of a larger whole. Each book is deep with symbols and meanings as well as good characters who change over time. This is one of my favorite series and I will continue to read them again and again.
The Sword of Summer
by Rick Riordan
I enjoy a good romp. That's what Rick Riordan's books are to me. They don't feel deep (nor too shallow either), but I don't care because the story is just fun to go through. Also, you get to learn about Norse Mythology as you go. The characters are engaging and they learn over time and you love them. The thing that I love most about Riordan's books in general is that they encourage kids to read and learn. Classics are all well and good, but I appreciate the authors who, like bards of old, just want to tell a good story whose messages are easy to discern and that help their audience yearn for more. This is book one, probably of a 3 or 5 book series, so hold tight for the rest of them.
Hollow City
Library of Souls
by Ransom Riggs
The final two books of the series "Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children." A really enjoyable series that uses and seems in part inspired by old weird photos that appear to have illusions/camera tricks in them. Only this book takes those photos seriously and weaves a tale about children who have peculiar abilities. It's hard to say too much without spoiling the plot, but these have some good history to them as well as having good stories. The trilogy wraps up well and would be worth reading again I think. So have at'em.
Promise of Blood
by Brian McLellan
Good first book - a mixture of old time guns and magic. The whole trilogy is out and has decent reviews. I don't like to give a final opinion until I've read them all, but so far so good.
Westmark
The Kestral
The Beggar Queen
The Beggar Queen
The Book of Three (4)
The Black Cauldron (4)
The Castle of Llyr (4)
Taran Wanderer (3)
The High King (3)
by Lloyd Alexander
The Westmark Trilogy and The Chronicles of Prydain are both excellent stories that also make you ponder. Three things I require of my favorite books - A good story, characters I care about, and words or situations that make me wonder about issues to my improvement. The Westmark Trilogy is less known but still excellent in this regard. The topics found there are perhaps a little darker than those found in the Chronicles of Prydain. That being said, The Chronicles of Prydain win the title, between these two, of books you need to read. If you like them, then try Westmark, as it is a similar style of writing with a very different plot. How can I put into words how wonderful the Chronicles of Prydain are? They are a classic to me, a must read series, a series that once read will continue to play upon your memory.
Ella Enchanted (2)
by Gail Carson Levine
If you like old fairytales retold, this is a winner. I actually didn't realize until near the end of the book that this is a retelling of Cinderella, but it does it well with a new twist. A children's book worth reading.
Wild Seed
by Octavia Butler
Wild Seed is the first book in a series that is all out and with good reviews; I just haven't had the chance to read the sequels yet. The idea of it, of a man who takes over other's bodies on death and has thus started breeding abilities in humans, meets a woman who almost cannot die. It is an odd almost scary story, and yet it is very compelling. I recommend giving it a read; it feels like a stand alone.
Enchantment (2)
by Orson Scott Card
This had become one of my new favorites from Orson Scott Card. A stand alone story that feels very fresh, and one where the ending message is believed. I love the final lines. This is not so much a retelling of Sleeping Beauty as it is a story that uses that as a device. It also incorporates old Russian stories of Baba Yaga and the Bear and other stories. I love it and plan on rereading it again, probably this upcoming year. So so should you.
The Wrath and the Dawn
by Renée Ahdieh
Now I want to read 1001 Arabian Nights. This story is, I've been told, a retelling/expansion of sorts on that. A good story and a good romance so far. This is book of of 3, I believe so we'll see how the others turn out. Still, this 1st one was excellent.
The Raven Boys
by Maggie Stiefvater.
I love this author and the book didn't disappoint. This is book one of four, the 4th one not having been released yet. The thing that Stiefvater does well, as I have seen it, is to take a world that is largely our own and incorporate just a few elements that are new, in this case some Irish (or was it Scottish) mythology into the story. But the characters feel like characters you could run into today. So far so good; I plan on continuing to read the series.
