Books I read in 2010

[vilakins]

These are copied and pasted from my library reading history, and I added a few more books I either bought or borrowed from a friend. There are 76, 10 more than last year, and the usual mix of SF, fantasy, and light detective. Feel free to ask me about any.

[Edit] I bolded the ones I liked best.

Strawberries with the Führer - Helga Tiscenko
Children of the star - Sylvia Engdahl
The magicians of Caprona - Diana Wynne Jones
The stars my destination - Alfred Bester
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
Witch week - Diana Wynne Jones
Unseen academicals - Terry Pratchett
Axis - Robert Charles Wilson
Foreigner - CJ Cherryh
Iron council - China Miéville
A swiftly tilting planet - Madeleine L'Engle
Cockatiels at seven - Donna Andrews
The city & the city - China Miéville
Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
Many waters - Madeleine L'Engle
Good omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
The Pinhoe egg - Diana Wynne Jones
Firefly summer - Maeve Binchy
Master and commander - Patrick O'Brian
Lustrum - Robert Harris
The Grand Tour - Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
The silver branch - Rosemary Sutcliff
Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Alanna - Tamora Pierce
Throne of jade - Naomi Novik
The mislaid magician, or, Ten years after - Patricia C Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
In the hand of the goddess - Tamora Pierce
Black powder war - Naomi Novik
House of many ways - Diana Wynne Jones
The woman who rides like a man - Tamora Pierce
Lioness rampant - Tamora Pierce
The name of the wind - Patrick Rothfuss
Empire of ivory - Naomi Novik
Bridge of birds - Barry Hughart
Crown duel - Sherwood Smith
Victory of eagles - Naomi Novik
Eight skilled gentlemen - Barry Hughart
Post captain - Patrick O'Brian
Terrier - Tamora Pierce
Trickster's choice - Tamora Pierce
Frontier wolf - Rosemary Sutcliff
The red box - Rex Stout
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
Wild magic - Tamora Pierce
The red wolf conspiracy - Robert V S Redick
Her royal spyness - Rhys Bowen
Bloodhound - Tamora Pierce
HMS Surprise - Patrick O'Brian
Have a little faith - Mitch Albom
Wolf speaker - Tamora Pierce
A royal pain - Rhys Bowen
The rats and the ruling sea - Robert VS Redick
Six geese a-slaying - Donna Andrews
Tongues of serpents - Naomi Novik
Evanly choirs - Rhys Bowen
Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom
The Mauritius Command - Patrick O'Brian
Swan for the money - Donna Andrews
Royal flush - Rhys Bowen
The outback stars - Sandra McDonald
Sea of shadow - Fuyami Ono
Evan and Elle : a Constable Evans mystery - Rhys Bowen
The Emperor Mage - Tamora Pierce
The stars down under - Sandra McDonald
Royal blood - Rhys Bowen
Mission of gravity - Hal Clement
Tatja Grimm's world - Vernor Vinge
Evans above - Rhys Bowen
The school of essential ingredients - Erica Bauermeister
The rabbi's cat [graphic novel] - Joann Sfar
The rabbi's cat 2 [graphic novel] - Joann Sfar
A fire upon the deep - Vernor Vinge
The anti-social behaviour of Horace Rumpole - John Mortimer
Get real - Donald E Westlake
The housekeeper and the professor - Yoko Ogawa
Cryoburn - Lois McMaster Bujold (in progress, and very enjoyable it is)

Comments

[pebblerocker]

I see you've been going through Tamora Pierce :) and you liked Foreigner, which is a series I'm working through with great enjoyment. I think ten books are out and Cherryh is working on more, so I'll be kept going for ages, and they stand up well to re-reading.

[vilakins]

I read the first three years ago and loved them, so I decided to reread those three and go on to the rest. :-)

I'm still going through Tamora Pierce. They're fun, fairly light reads though the Beka Cooper ones are a lot darker and more chewy.

[pebblerocker]

Considering how much I loved the Alanna books I'm surprised how much Pierce I haven't read. I discovered Circle of Magic just as the libraries decided it was old hat and they would keep an odd one or two and chuck the rest on the sale trolley, so I haven't got through it all in order... and I don't know Beka at all, though I assume she's related to George!

[vilakins]

She's one of George's ancestors, a Dog (i.e. police) several centuries earlier. The dialect in the books is a bit of a pain, and her Copper Isles language (and culture) is pure Indonesian) but the books are interesting and meaty, and Beka isn't an aristocrat which is always a plus in my book.

The first book is Terrier, and the second Bloodhound. Mastiff is meant to come out this year.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

I've only read a few of them- I seem to have spent this year reading a lot of Stargate Atlantis fic. These are the ones on your list I've read.

The stars my destination - Alfred Bester
Foreigner : a novel of first contact - CJ Cherryh
Good omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Throne of jade - Naomi Novik
Black powder war - Naomi Novik
Bridge of birds - Barry Hughart
Victory of eagles - Naomi Novik
Eight skilled gentlemen - Barry Hughart
Mission of gravity - Hal Clement

Which of the books you read did you like best?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I'll have to pick. I'm not very good at best of lists.

OK, here you go:

The city & the city - China Miéville
Master and commander - Patrick O'Brian (and the others I've read so far)
Lustrum - Robert Harris
Temeraire - Naomi Novik (and the whole series which I devoured this year)
The name of the wind - Patrick Rothfuss
Bridge of birds - Barry Hughart
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
The red wolf conspiracy - Robert V S Redick
The rats and the ruling sea - Robert VS Redick
Have a little faith - Mitch Albom
Foreigner - CJ Cherryh
The outback stars - Sandra McDonald
The rabbi's cat 2 [graphic novel] - Joann Sfar
The rabbi's cat [graphic novel] - Joann Sfar
A fire upon the deep - Vernor Vinge
The housekeeper and the professor - Yoko Ogawa
Cryoburn - Lois McMaster Bujold

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I've copied your short list to look into. :^)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't read Cryoburn unless you've read the other Vorkosigan books. And I recommend them highly. Do read them in order though, starting with the two about his parents; they're both awesome people.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Wholeheartedly seconded!

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

*nods* When I check into them, I'll look at the other books by the author & the order. I agree, if you possibly can, it's much better that way.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I use the wikipedia to get the order of series right.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

I usually check all the books by an author in Amazon & find out which are the first couple.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I like the wiki for listing books in order in one place, and in reading order if it's different from publication order (like the Narnia and Chrestomanci books). So easy!

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

That's true. I'll bear it in mind, thanks. :^)

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Ooh, some good stuff on there! I've read a fair few of them, and I have Foreigner, The City and the City, and Master and Commander still on the To-Read Pile.

Any you particularly recommend?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I should bold the ones I especially liked, but in the meantime, see my previous comment. :-)

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Which, I see, has a number of choices I agree with, and quite a few I haven't read. :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I bolded them up and added a couple. :-)

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Foreigner is really, really good. Great characterization and a fascinating view of aliens who are physically not that different from human, but whose mind-set is definitely alien in ways that are difficult for humans to believe- you expect someone who looks fairly human to think human.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I've read the next two as well, but I'm planning to reread them as I did with Foreigner, then catch up with the rest.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Cherryh is pretty good with that, from some of the other stuff of hers I've read.

[entropy-house.livejournal.com]

Yes, so far all I've read of hers have very good characterizations for people and aliens.

[jhall1.livejournal.com]

That looks like a good list, though I've only read a handful of the books on it. I'm glad that you liked "Mission of Gravity". I'm a little surprised that "Good Omens" didn't make the "liked best" category. Have you read any of Richmal Crompton's "William" books? "Good Omens" is funnier if you have, as Adam and his friends were modelled on William and his friends.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I loved the Just William books as a kid! I had to be fairly selective (esp with the Discworld ones) though or I'd have half the list bolded.

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

I can see Naomi Novik´s books - I haven´t read any...will have a look if some translations are available, otherwise I will try Ebay if they are worth it. O´Brien has not been translated here. I liked the book Master and Commander, this is the only one in our library.
I also have CJ Cherryh´s trilogy "The Fades Sun of..." - a very strong story.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've read that one. [notes down] I must get the next Foreigner one out too.

[pet-lunatic.livejournal.com]

Patrick O'Brian and Robert Harris were the highlights of my reading year :) Along with Ian Rankin's Rebus. Must stop identifying so much with all these cynical alcoholic characters, lol.

If you like detective books and sci-fi, have you ever read Michael Marshall Smith's 'Only Forward'? He writes crime noir books as Michael Marshall (which are also very good), but that one is crime noir sci-fi with a big side order of surreal dark comedy. And plenty of cats :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thank you! [notes down in book rec notebook]

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

I've only read two of those, Middlesex and Good Omens, but scarily for me, I've not even heard of the vast majority of them.
So unlike me!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I think we have very different taste in books. I think you'd love "The housekeeper and the professor" though: a short, fascinating, and very moving read.

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

probably. I'll keep an eye open for it :0)

[luinielle.livejournal.com]

I love the Temeraire series. :o) I'm behind on my Patrick O'Brian books - I've only read the first two in the series. "Red Wolf Conspiracy" is on my ever growing never ending to-read list. How did you like the Constable Evans series by Rhys Bowen? I tried her other two series but just didn't enjoy them as much as the Evans books.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They're fun; easy to read and perfect for dipping into at work or a holiday read. I enjoyed the royal ones (she does like her punny titles) but I haven't read any others.