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My goal for 2014 is 35 books, and I've started the year off right with 1. Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
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Jan 3, 2014 16:39
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January: 1. Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh 2. Take the Cannoli: Stories From the New World by Sarah Vowell 3. Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky Roadside Picnic is a science fiction novel that was censored in the Soviet Union for years. Good book.
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Feb 2, 2014 16:52
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The Clowning posted:January: February: 4. The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail - But Some Don't by Nate Silver 5. Bossypants by Tina Fey Both were great. March: 6. Galveston by Nic Pizzolatto 7. Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett 8. Lost At Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries by Jon Ronson Why yes, I've been watching True Detective. And I love Jon Ronson's books.
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Mar 31, 2014 20:37
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April: 9. Sleep Donation by Karen Russell. A novella with an interesting premise: thousands of people lose the ability to sleep, but there is technology for those who can to donate sleep to those who can't. This was okay, but it didn't have much of a story arc. 10. Equoid by Charles Stross. A novella in his Laundry series. It's about the true nature of unicorns and H.P. Lovecraft. I really liked this. May: 11. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin. The only other Le Guin I've read is The Left Hand of Darkness, which I liked but didn't love; The Dispossessed was different. I loved this book and blew through it in a few days. I love the way Le Guin explores the realities of an anarchist society. Now I really want to read the other books in her Hainish Cycle, and maybe re-read The Left Hand of Darkness. 12. The Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal. Another novelette, about a former astronaut and her terminally ill husband. This was pretty disappointing. Like with Sleep Donation, I was hoping it would be heavier on the science fiction aspects than it was. 13. My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse. I've always heard that Jeeves and Wooster stories are hilarious, but this definitely wasn't my cup of tea. I found it pretty boring.
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May 25, 2014 21:20
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I didn't manage to finish a single book in June, but I did read a lot in July: 14. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. I loved this book. I can see why it has won so many awards. Leckie slowly reveals an interesting universe with unique takes on AI, planetary conflicts, mysterious weapons, and other sci-fi tropes. And she's an excellent writer. 15. The January Dancer by Michael Flynn. This sci-fi novel revolves around a mysterious pre-human artifact as it is stolen/acquired by various factions. It was pretty good, although occasionally I didn't know what was going on, and it dragged a bit in the middle. I might read the sequel, which expands on the universe established in The January Dancer. 16. The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi. This book has a lot of action and crazy sci-fi techno babble, which I enjoyed. However, I thought the characters were clichéd, and sometimes it felt like stuff was just happening for no particular reason. I'm not sure if I'll read the sequel. 17. Annihilation by Jeff VanDerMeer. This is an atmospheric book about the exploration of a mysterious, uninhabited place. VanDerMeer does a good job of building a sense of dread. The book is fairly short, which is good; any longer and it would have dragged. I'll probably read the sequel, because I read that it reveals a lot of the mysteries that are set up in Annihilation. 18. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin. This is a book about a man whose dreams can change reality, though he can't control them. I didn't like it as much as I liked The Dispossessed, but it's well-written and it kept surprising me. My goal is 35 books, so I'm currently two books behind schedule.
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Jul 31, 2014 21:32
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