Posted by
Catmman on Friday, January 08, 2010 2:47:44 PM
I read more fiction this year as opposed to history or political/current events type fare. I blogged a lot and didn't see the need to let an escape such as reading be dominated by the same type of stuff I read on the blogs and saw on the news everyday. 38 books in total.
Here's the list:
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte. This was a spontaneous pick to kick off the year. Actually, I borrowed it from a guy at work. Yes, there are still those of us who read Victorian fiction. I had always wanted to read this and did so. It wasn't a bad novel, but tedious for one such as myself not accustomed to a romance-type novel.
Red Hot Lies - Christopher Horner. A book about global warming/climate change alarmism. The only problem with books like these is they are pretty time-period specific. The world of 'global warming' alarmism is so fluid, especially now with 'Climategate', books on the topic can get dated pretty fast. This was a good read though.
Agincourt - Juliet barker. A great book and the history and time period of the historic battle of Agincourt where Henry V and his English armies defeated the French. A book encompassing the history, not only of the battle, but the politics, culture, logistics and life during this period of history in Europe. A well written, comprehensive history.
The Last Patriot - Brad Thor. I'm not one for political thrillers. This was a decent book with an interesting premise: what if evidence existed, uncovered by Thomas Jefferson, that Islam was not what is is purported to be by modern day Islamic extremists. A decent thriller, but ultimately disappointing to me.
World War Z - Max Brooks. A third read of this book. I'm a sucker for zombie fiction, but this is more than your typical zombie pulp. It's a unique horror book. Written with an 'interviewer/interviewee' perspective of survivors of a worldwide zombie apocalypse. The stories are personal, with the zombies really being a plot element only. A fun read and IMO truly frightening at parts.
Plague of the Dead - Z A Recht. An example of typical, current day zombie fiction. Some elements of the political thriller here as well. A decent read, but unless your a fan of the genre, pass. This is a series of books. I have read none of the other books. Read into that what you will.
Somewhere in Time- Richard Matheson. Richard Matheson is legend in the horror/sci-fi industry. The man has written numerous books. He has written screenplays for several horror TV shows, most notably The Twilight Zone. his fiction is very good as well. I Am Legend is one of the few books I've ever read all the way through in one sitting (I Am Legend having been turned into several films, The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price, The Omega Man starring Charlton Heston and I Am Legend starring Will Smith. SIT was also made into a movie starring the late Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. If you've seen the movie, then you've read the book. There are very minor differences between the two. A good read, blending spiritual, scientific and emotional elements. Some would call it depressing, but to me it's a tribute to the power of true love.
Thermopylae, The Battle that changed the World - Paul Cartledge. Another interesting history. If your a fan of the movie '300' you owe it to yourself to understand the elements of the real battle which took place in 480 BC. Encompasses more elements than simply the battle itself with explanations of the differences between the Greek and Persian cultures of the time. Another recommended history.
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card. Here's where I will upset some sci-fi fans. I give this 'classic' of science fiction a big, fat 'Meh'. It was a decent read and all, but IMO it doesn't live up the it's hype. I knew what was going to happen half-way through the book. The end was anti-climatic to me. If you're a sci-fi fan, it's not a wasted read or anything, but it's not all it's been made out to be in sci-fi circles. If done right I think it would make a great movie, but a classic? Meh...
Watchmen - Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons. Yeah it's a comic book. But it was voted one of the top 100 novels of the 20th Century so it goes on my list. A plot where the superheroes are really only people in costumes who fight crime. Only one guy has 'superpowers', the result of a lab accident. All of the characters are classic (or borderline) classic cases of psychotics in one form or another. Rife with anti-war and altruist messaging. Interestingly, I enjoyed the movie and thought the movie climax was much better than that in the comic. Another example of hype not meeting expectations.
The Andromeda Strain - Michael Crichton. Another example of of you've seen the movie, you've read the book. Only slight differences between the two. It is well written, but If you've seen the movie, don't bother. One other thing, don't watch, rent or otherwise waste your time with the 2008 made for TV remake. It stinks that bad!
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austen/Seth Graham-Smith. They say that nothing adds to the enduring legacy of a true literary classic than throwing in a few zombies. In this case, they may be wrong. I was intrigued by this due to the zombie element, but it's a Jane Austen novel with some adaptations thrown in. 85% of the original narrative is there. The story is cute I suppose. Not only are zombies added, but the characters of the story have all been trained as either Samurai or Ninjas or has Ninja bodyguards due to the zombie menace. People liked this adaptation and it would probably make one hell of a movie if done right, with the proper tongue-in-cheekness. After having read this along with Jane Eyre, thank god writes like Alexander Dumas and later Jules Verne and H.G. Wells came along to give the 18th century some real imagination.
Liberty and Tyranny - Mark Levin. This is an awesome book. A good primer on conservatism, not to mention other things which are wrong with our government today. I tried for ten days to find this (when it first came out) but couldn't get it anywhere. I finally found it at a WaldenBooks in the Mall. I remember WaldenBooks really as the only place to go buy books when I was a kid. Too bad they are closing. A must read.
Amusing Ourselves to Death - Neil Postman. Recommended by The eminent Townhaller, The Interface. A great little book about how people are, basically becoming so involved in irrelevant garbage (the book written in the 80's speaks more about television, but it can easily be correlated to today's fascination with cell phones, gadgets, texting, etc.) we have lost the ability to relate to one another in any meaningful way. Not a large book, I had to order mine from Amazon.
The Conservative Handbook - Phil Valentine. A thick, but small (in size) book. Kind of a one stop shop on how to deal with liberals and others on many political and social topics. Not a bad read, but not really convenient. It is packaged really as a handbook, but it's thickness makes it difficult to carry around as such. Not a bad read, but nothing really new to a well read or informed conservative.
Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards and Pyrotechnics; The History of the Explosive that changed the World- Jack Kelley. A rather long title for such a nifty, neat book. As a firearms guy (former instructor, military, etc.) I thought I knew a lot about gunpowder and explosives. I picked up a lot of info on the history of gunpowder, how warfare was changed due to its addition to the battlefield, how technology grew in response to gunpowder (metallurgy, physics, chemistry, manufacturing). this was one of the 'funnest' books I've ever read. Narrative in style, it isn't meant as a scholarly treatise, though everything is annotated at the end of the book. Highly recommended if your into firearms or history.
God According to God - Gerald Schroeder. I was intrigued by talk of this book I heard on the Michael Medved radio show. I bought it and it was an interesting read. I must admit, I'm not a philosophical giant nor an intellectual Adonis, but this book was very intriguing. This is a book I must read again. In a nutshell, the author explores 'God' through the eyes of science and reason, explaining how mankind has, in some ways, replaced God with what their idea of God should be. Is there a God? Is God simply a philosophical idea? Can the existence of God be proven scientifically? An interesting read which like I said must be read again.
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman. A future war fought in space between Earth and an aline species. The premise is interesting. What makes it mind-blowing is this - how can you fight a war when each battle is fought hundreds of years in the past? The technological achievements of both races are more or less equivalent at the beginning of the war, yet neither species has developed faster than light space travel. So, each area of the galaxy the races fight in takes decades, sometimes hundreds of years to get to. Sometimes each race faces an enemy who may be technologically superior or inferior depending on when that particular 'army' travels to it's destination in relation to the other side. And who knows, is the war still even going on? Akinda-allegory about the Vietnam War, this was an interesting book with a non-typical ending.
The Living Dead - Edited by John Joseph Adams. A collection of short stories about zombies. By far, one of the worst 'books' I have ever read in my life. I can't remember off the top of my head how many stories there are in the book - over three dozen I think. I can think of maybe three which were any good. I found it hard to believe that a zombie story could be written with an abortion angle, but there is one in this book. Let me give you a short synopsis: A group of survivors of a zombie plague have been brought together by a utopian-type socialist 'leader'. Everything, food, clothing, work, even sex is controlled in order for the survivors to live. One of the survivors becomes pregnant. Due to the rationing of supplies by the leader, for the sake of the 'community' the pregnant lady must abort her child. To do so, her and a couple of survivors - a 'doctor' (read abortion doctor) must go into town to a abortion clinic to perform the procedure. The only problem is the abortion clinic continues to be surrounded by a group of anti-abortion activists, who are zombies. The group must figure out how to get to the clinic, battle through the zombie-activists - led by an undead Christian minister - and get out alive. No thought in the story about the irony in battling undead to survive in a post apocalyptic world, yet giving such little consideration to the value of a new, actual human life to carry on the species. A terrible book I won't even link to.
The Ayn Rand Reader, Volume 1 - Edited by Leonard Peikoff/Gary Hull. A collection of Rand essays on numerous subjects in addition to specific clips from some of her novels - Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead - illustrating specific examples of her philosophy of Objectivism. One can hardly go wrong reading a little Ayn Rand every year. Some of her stuff can be pretentious and I don't happen to agree with her beliefs on religion, but most of her stuff is educational and informational.
Tales of the Dying Earth - Jack Vance. Another supposed 'classic', this time of fantasy fiction. Actually a series of four books collected in one volume, these books are credited in some circles with influencing the creation of Dungeons & Dragons. You can see those elements in some of the stories, so I can see the connection. That being said, this book (all four volumes) was the weirdest, sometimes most boring thing I've ever read. For all that is holy, skip this collection of books - they aren't worth the time.
Master and Commander, Post Captain, HMS Surprise, The Mauritius Command - Patrick O'Brien. The first four book out of a twenty book collection. Excellent, though the second book is a bit slow. The movie Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World (starring Russell Crow, one of my favorite movies) is an amalgamation of a few of the books in this series. Chronicling the adventures of Royal Navy Officer Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend, Dr. Stephen Maturin it's an amazingly detailed story set during the time of the Napoleonic Wars and offers an insight into life in the British Navy during this time in history. Highly recommended. Note: Since they are separate novels, I'll only link the first one. follow the link for info on the others.
The 5,000 Year Leap - W. Cleon Skousen. A primer on how our government is supposed to work, chronicling the founding of the United States. A must read and recommended if your sketchy on real Constitutional government or give it to someone who needs a swift kick in the pants on why things are spiraling out of control in our country today.
The War of Wars - Robert Harvey. A comprehensive history of the entire Napoleonic War. Written in a narrative style, I probably enjoyed reading this book more than any other this year. It is heavily annotated at the end of the book, so all the references are there. This is a big one, clocking in at just under 1,000 pages, with small print. If it weren't published in such a manner, it would be impossible to place this in only one volume. I read some reviews on Amazon that the book is a bit Britain-centric. Well, duh. the book is written by an Englishman and it was the British after all who kept at Napoleon all those years. Yes, Austria did their part, but just as the US today is the head of most military coalitions, so it was with the British during this war. I read this book in concert with the Patrick O'Brien/Capt. Aubrey novels which enhanced my enjoyment of both novels. Highly recommended.
23 Hours,
Frostbite - David Wellington. As I try to do every October, I try to read some horror/monster novels, just to get in the mood for Halloween. 23 Hours is another novel in a series about vampires. Frostbite is a novel with a new, refreshing take on the werewolf. All of Wellington's books are decent read, not masterpieces of modern literature, but they aren't intended to be. Good, pulp-type horror novels from a non-mainstream horror author.
High Bloods - John Farris. Another horror pulp-type novel. This one also another interesting take on the werewolf. Decent suspense, though not really 'scary'. Another non-mainstream author and publisher.
To Reign in Hell - Steven Brust. The premise of this novel is that the war in Heaven which resulted in the casting out of Satan and the creation of Hell, was all just a big misunderstanding between ego-centric Angels. I can't say this was a complete waste to read, but it could have been half as long to get across the same point. If you aren't comfortable in your Christian faith, don't bother with this, since it will probably just offend you. Interesting, but at times it seemed as if it were written simply to offend.
The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist - Peter F. Hamilton. A three-book sci-fi series. These are big books. Book 1 is over 1,000 pages. Book 2 is almost 1,200 pages. Through an accident, the barrier between current reality and the afterlife is breached. Souls from the 'Beyond' can come back and possess the living. The books basically are how different elements of humanity deal with the onslaught. The term 'space opera' has been levied on this series of books and it's apt. My explanation really is an injustice. there are so many elements and details, it's kinda hard to give any more detail without really giving a detailed review. These books are good reads, real page turners in spots. My only complaint is there seems to be a need of the author to unnecessarily describe sex in extremely graphic detail. It only happens in a few spots, so it's easily overlooked, but it just seems juvenile in an otherwise well written novel. As with the other series novels above, I'll only link to the first book.
The Gathering Storm - Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson. The first of three books in the Wheel of Time series written by Robert Jordan. Robert Jordan passed away in 2007, so this book has been over four years in the waiting (five or six years actually since the last book came out - not counting a 'prequel' novel). A grand, almost to grand imagining. The first book in this series came out in 1990. It's been 19 years and the series is still running. Regardless of the intentions of the author, this is too long for any book. Of course it doesn't escape me that I make that criticism, yet I'm still reading the books. There is just something in me that can't let this series go. Another complaint is that the late author's wife has decided to make what was supposed to be the last book, into a three book 'set'. I've read the justification, but it just smacks of greed to me. If they release the other two books, it will be another two years before this series is over. I was twenty-one years old when I started reading these novels. When I'm done, I'll be at least forty-three. The series is good, but this should be a lesson in the industry to not let an author get to carried away with his own imagination.
That's the list with added reviews. If you would be inclined to read any of the books on the list, I hope my small reviews and tidbits help with the decision making.
To start off 2010, I'm reading the third book in the sci-fi series I mentioned above - the Naked God. It's a big one at over 1,300 pages. On deck is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, the complete and unabridged version.
Tune in next year for my break down of my books read from 2010!