Books of 2011
Fiction of 2011 which I would have read even if I wasn't writing in the genre plus three other books I didn't read for specifically for work.
Not necessarily in the order I read them...
1. The Painted Boy - Charles de Lint I've loved everything de Lint has ever written, this is no exception. In fact, I may love it more than his last couple of Newford books. Maybe. Maybe not.
2. suck it, wonder woman; The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek - Olivia Munn She seems to be a very interesting, funny, attractive person although the way this book is written seems to indicate she's an interesting, funny, attractive person with a serious case of ADD.
3. Little Brother - Cory Doctorow This was both as good and as frighteningly possible as everyone said it was. Sometimes that "world's longest undefended border" thing is worrisome. Cory explains the tech so well that even I thought I could join in it if I were willing to just make a little mental effort.
4. Ghost of a Chance - Simon R. Green Simon's worldbuilding is intreguing but his gritty edges too close to nasty for my taste and I didn't like any of his characters enough to spend any more time with them so I won't be picking up the rest of the series. Also, Charles Stross did much the same thing much better in On Her Majesty's Occult Service.
5. Metro 2033 - Dmitry Glukhovsky This is a translation of a Russian novel about a post apocolyptic society surviving in the Russian subway system. I loved the not-North-Americanness of it but should have remembered what "Russian novel" means before I got my hopes up for the main character.
6. First Lord's Fury - Jim Butcher I love this series. A lot. This is heroic fantasy at it's finest. And this is the last book so if you start now, you can charge right through without waiting. Like I had to. Trust me, I suffered.
7. Scholck Mercenary; Resident Mad Scientist - Howard Taylor Graphic novel with lots of extra wordage and fun art and a great and surprisingly complex story that comes complete with sense of humour.
8. Kingdom Keepers II, Disney at Dawn - Ridley Pearson YA We bought book one at Disney World four years ago and I found book two at Disneyland this winter. It's not as strong as book one but it's still enjoyable although you probably have to be a Disneyphile to enjoy these as much as I did.
9. Valhalla - Tom Holt Reread. Because of the house rebuild, all the books have to be packed. No point in packing a book that no longer speaks to me so I'll be rereading at random. (half a dozen titles have already been donated to charity yard sales) Tom Holt still speaks to me. If Terry Pratchett's humour is from the heart, Holt's is from the head and he's wickedly, dryly, sarcastically funny.
10. The City in the Lake - Rachel Neumeier Theoretically this book is for teens. Can't see why since it's significantly more adult than a lot of fantasy. The writing is lyrical without being intrusive, the protagonists are not only likeable but admirable. The cover isn't great but both story and storytelling are.
11. Deadline - Mira Grant Sequel to Feed, my favorite book of 2010, this book doesn't disappoint. Writing, characters, content... am waiting with cheese in my teeth for book three.
12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Men at Arms; Guards, Guards; The Fifth Elephant; The Nightwatch; Thud - Terry Pratchett Rereads. I reread Pratchett constantly and sometimes I just want to spend time with Sam Vimes.
17. Mojo and the Pickle Jar - Douglas Bell Reread The great thing about packing up the books is that I find gems like this. Published in 1991, this is an early and essentially overlooked urban fantasy that takes place in the American southwest using Christian mythology and a tongue-in-cheek writing style. It also seems to be the only genre book Bell ever wrote and that's a shame.
18, 19, 20 The Silver Lake, The Golden Tower, The Shining City - Fiona Patton Because this is a wonderfully complex world with equally complex characters, when The Shining City came out this spring (bk 3 in the Warriors of Estavia) I reread the first two books before diving into book three. I love this series and although all the plot points are tied up and The Shining City is a more than satisfactory end to the story, I still wish there was more to come.
21. Picnic on Paradise - Joanna Russ Reread. This is another "packing" book. It was published in 1968 and the odds are good I've been carrying it around with me for over thirty years. It may have been thirty years since I read it. It's very short and would drive readers who need every detail spelled out for them slightly crazy because not much is. Russ expects her readers to actually engage with the text. I need to reread this more often...
22. Late Eclipses - Seanan McGuire Toby Daye book four! I don't actually read a lot of current urban fantasy because that can be fraught while you're writing it. I make an exception for Toby, she's just that much fun to spend time with.
23. Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld Last year at PureSpec in Edmonton, I was told this was the place to start reading Steampunk. So I did. Whee! Book two is on the TBR pile. AND as it turns out, SW is also the author of Evolution's Darling which was my pick for the PKD award in 2000 the year I was on the jury. (it got a special citation; translation: came in second)
24, 25. Going Postal, Making Money - Terry Pratchett Rereads. I did mention I reread Terry Pratchett constantly, right? Well, I meant constantly...
26, 27, 28, 29 Souless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless - Gail Carriger (ebooks) These were popcorn books for me -- I read them one after another without stopping between (ebooks are so bad for my budget) and enjoyed the heck out of them. Fun worldbuilding -- paranormal historical romance with a little mystery and a touch of steampunk -- some amazing secondary characters and stories that move at breakneck speeds. The first book suffers a bit from 'trying too hard to establish stuff' and the superficial similarities of her lead to Amelia Peabody (which is really only relevant if you're a fan of the Amelia Peabody books), but Carriger settles down finds her voice soon enough.
30. One Salt Sea - Seanan McGuire Toby Dale book five! The plot that's not specifically about Toby thickens. And I'm sure it'll be specifically about Toby when we get there. Because Toby's just that amazing!
31. Discount Armegeddon - Seanan McGuire I got to read it early because I got to blurb it. If you're jealous, you should be. First in a terrific new urban fantasy series that's more tongue in cheek than Toby but just as smart.
32. The Help - Kathryn Stockett If the movie is based on a book, I like to read the book first. And this book was wonderful. I was having a new septic system put in while reading it and every time I answered to the door to my contractor, I was crying. Not always sad tears.
33. In a Sunburned Country - Bill Bryson I love travel books and Bryson is the closest modern equivalent to H.V. Morton. After finishing this, I checked real estate prices all over Australia -- you know, just in case.
34. 35. 36. The Hidden City, City of Night, House Name; The House War #1-3 - Michelle Sagara I have to schedule time for Michelle's books because once I dive in, I don't come out until I've finished. And usually for a few hours after that. Also, Michelle promised me that book three doesn't end in a cliffhanger if I finish before book four comes out in January 2012. I'm still climbing the walls waiting for what comes next though.
37. Pack of Lies, PS1#2 - Laura Anne Gilman (ebook) Yes, #2 Notice there's no #1 on this list. That's because the iStore's labeling leaves something to be desired. BUT the good news is, while I'm sure having read book one would have helped it didn't take long to get up to speed on everything but the politics -- and since I don't care much about politics, that didn't matter. Suspect I'll reread for depth after I get book one.
38. Weight of Stone, The Vineart War, Bk2 - Laura Anne Gilman (ebook) I love this series. This was my flying home from Italy book. It swept me up and made being locked in a tin can with a few hundred strangers bearable.
39. The Camelot Spell, Grail Quest #1, - Laura Anne Gilman YA (ebook) This was one of the other books I took to Italy on my touch. I love YA not for their simplicity of story, because some are quite complex, but for their straightforward style. Sometimes, when you're tired, you want a good story without without having to put on your big girl pants. This was an enjoyable revisit to the Arthurian legends through the eyes of three very different kids -- a squire, a stableboy, and a maidservent -- who have to save the day.
40. Snuff - Terry Pratchett It's the new Pratchett, it's Sam Vimes, there's no way I could not like this. I'm thrilled Terry's finding a way to keep writing.
41. Round Ireland with a Fridge - Tony Hawks Back in 1996 (I'm guessing, the book came out in '98) a friend bet Tony he couldn't hitchhike around Ireland with a fridge. Tony not only took but won the bet. I just hope that fourteen or so years later, the Irish would be as wonderfully supportive of someone doing something so completely idiotic.
I'm tempted to put The Wild Ways on here since I always read my books when my author's copies arrive. It makes them real. But that seems a tad self-serving because I'd do it only to bring the list to 42. Somehow, as I'm typing this mid-afternoon on New Year's Eve and my kitchen needs to be slightly less than a toxic waste dump before company arrives, I doubt I'll have time to read anything else -- although another, less busy year I might have made the attempt.