A review of 2012

I read less in 2012. One of the main reasons is that my commute is shorter so I have less time in the car. The last book I listened to during my commute was The Night Circus. I've also had less time to read during lunch. Only 25 books in on year, less than the previous year. The television and Xbox are also to blame.

The highlights in 2012 were The Magicians and The Magician King. These were pleasant surprises. The concept was interesting, if unoriginal, but it was executed with originality. The sequel expanded on the themes and characters while providing a different challenge.

I was also pleased with A Storm of Swords and look forward to reading the next book soon. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was also a great read, and its sequel was fun. I've found myself reading much less nonfiction and focusing on science fiction and fantasy. This has been by design, though I hope to read more nonfiction in the future. I also haven't read any translated literature in quite a while.

2011 in Review

42 books. That's how many I read in 2011, including audiobooks and lecture series. A pretty good year. I was reading during my lunch break for a while during the year but my schedule changed so I usually went swimming instead. I found myself reading less as the year went on and I got occupied doing different things.

My favorite books of the year: The Skinner; C; Freedom; The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet; and Atonement. My favorite book I read this year was The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. Honorable mention goes to Christopher Hitchens' Arguably.

I finished two series this year, the His Dark Materials series and the Aubrey/Maturin series. I also started the Sword of Truth series. For 2012, one of my goals is to finish the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. I must admit I have a love/hate relationship with book series. The second book alone of the Sword of Truth was nearly a thousand pages long.

Another goal is to finally read 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, another long book. Also, I have a shelf full of books I've accumulated that I'd like to read, and a list on the library web site that's close to fifty books.

2010 Review

2010 was a good year for books and for my reading. I managed to read 46 books, including one graphic novel and several audiobooks. That doesn't include the many chidlren's books I've read with my kids. December was a banner month with 8 books finished.

The most memorable books I read this year were The Lost Books of the Odyssey, Hellhound on his Trail, The Drunkard's Walk, The Blank Slate, and Son of a Witch. I also really enjoyed reading the Lankhmar series.

I read mostly fiction but a good bit of nonfiction. I focused mainly on fantasy novels that I've been wanting to read. I did not read many classics--the oldest book I read was Babbitt. Maybe I'll read more this year.

I am looking forward to getting to some unfinished series this year. I need to read the last book of the Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series; the last book of the His Dark Materials trilogy; the rest of George R. R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series; more Dune books; the last of the Liveship Traders trilogy. I've got Gene Wolfe's Book of the Short Sun to read. There are seven books on my bookshelf lined up for me to read. I've got two audiobooks and three lecture series lined up. And lastly, there are about 50 books on my library list waiting for me to request them. I don't think I'll be running out of things to read in 2011.

2009 Review

2009 was quite a year in many respects. I read a wide variety of books: nonfiction, fiction, fantasy, science fiction, short books, long books, audio books, lecture courses. A total of 42 books, including 2 lecture courses.

I think the most memorable book I read this year was Perdido Street Station. It was a wild, surprising and emotional ride. Other memorable books were Anathem, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, and Foucault's Pendulum. Philip Roth's American Pastoral was also an intense story. The Savage Detectives and Matter were also good books to read.

I enjoyed Steven Pinker's The Stuff of Thought and I plan to read more of his works. I am a Strange Loop was also informative. And I also thought The Hero with a Thousand Faces was insightful.

I already have a stack of 10 books I received as Christmas gifts to read for the new year.