End of the year reading roundup
I don't usually do this, because I just don't read that many books. Don't get me wrong--I read as many as I can. I'M ALWAYS READING. I'm just a kind of slow reader.
I suspect there are some items missing from this list because I'm reconstructing it from my B&N online records. I know I walked into bookstores a few times, never left empty handed, and tried to get things read ASAP.
Also: plenty of rereads, the only one of which I can be certain is A Wizard of Earthsea because I re-bought it as an ebook. (The first two Hitchhiker's Guide novels as well--they're sitting on the coffee table and I know I reread them this year.) ETA: Oh, yeah, I reread all 3 Hunger Games books.
In no particular order, novels:
Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie
Ancillary Sword - Ann Leckie
The Great Way (3 books) - Harry Connolly
Incarnate - Jodi Meadows
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
The Steel Remains - Richard K. Morgan
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms - N. K. Jemisin
Delia's Shadow - Jaime Lee Moyer
Blade Reforged - Kelly McCullough
Ever After - Kim Harrison
Graphic novels:
Saga (3 volumes) - Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples
Rat Queens Vol 1 - Kirtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch
Hyperbole and a Half - Allie Brosh
Wow, that list looks pretty meager compared to many other folks' lists. I don't know how the hell you all do it. I especially don't know how some of you read 50+ books a year and write at least one novel. I mean, I've had the two most productive writing years of my life in 2013 and 2014, and it's because I got rid of television. Yet some of you write 1 or 2 books a year, read 50, and watch at least 5 TV shows religiously. Do you all own time-turners?
There are maybe another dozen books where I sampled the first chapter and declined to purchase the whole book.
Let me note something: HOW THE FUCK MANY BOOKS ARE WRITTEN IN FIRST PERSON. Seriously. I work to avoid them and yet on this list exactly two of these novels aren't narrated in first person (The Great Way, which technically is 3 novels, and The Steel Remains).
I keep meaning to write a post on first person narration and why I hate it so much. Of the dozen books I sampled and declined to purchase, ten were first-person narration, and the narration was significantly part of what put me off the book. (So congratulations, authors whose first-person-narration books I read! You're better writers than practically everyone!)