nothing starts off a year right like a pile of books
So, here’s the pile I’ve got to start off my year. Albeit not in pile form. I assume you can do the mental rotations and stacking, should you require that format to be suitably amused.
Except for that book on the far left (Sorceror’s Apprentice. I only paid a $1 for it…and may finish it someday), I’m excited about reading the rest.
I’ve got (from left to right):
- the finale to a classic fantasy series – Hammer of the Sun – which I’ve kind of been putting off because it reads a little slow (closer to Tolkien’s style than current fantasy) but I’m still looking forward to the read.
- a new Neal Stephenson – Anathem - which is pushing high 900s page wise…so I think I’ll hold off on that one. But, still it’s Neal Stephenson! And it does sound quite interesting, I’m just as excited about something of that size as I would have been 10 years ago.
- a new fantasy series – His Majesty’s Dragon – which I’ve seen before but… I needed something extra to push me into picking it up. Jim Butcher (Dresden Files writer) mentioned it as the one current fantasy book people should read…or something like that, so I figured what the hell, I’ll at least try the 1st volume.
- classic fantasy for when I feel like just plowing through something in a few hours – the Elric stuff – this series has been on my list for so long it’s nice to be finally getting to it. Plus, I’ve read a lot more pulp sci-fi from this era (70s) than I have fantasy, so it’s nice to see the other side of the coin.
- the remaining Dresden Files books – that are available in paperback anyway. There’s another currently in HC, but hopefully by the time I finish this pile it’s available in paperback. Of course, that will mean the new HC is out and then the waiting starts (finally – ie I’ll be all caught up on the series).
- Some US history – American Colonies & American Slavery, American Freedom – two books I picked up off this list here of books “that would allow an interested but non-expert reader to “understand America.” I’ve been putting off my foray into this country’s history for so long, and I had no idea where to start, so I was quite pleased to find this list…linked from another post elsewhere I’m sure. I suspect I’ll get to the others eventually as well.
- a science-ish book – The Evolution of God – A book that’s always looked interesting, and been on my list for a while.
- an oddity – Crabgrass Frontiers – a history, I guess. This was referred somewhere in an interesting blog or comment, I can’t recall. It’s about Chicago and suburbanization in the US. Could be interesting….
My favorite book in this picture has GOT to be Small Favor. Love the size – just everything.
You sir, are a dork.
a) any year Nick Cave writes a book is a good year…
b) just simultaneously juggled bios of Willie Mays, Teddy Roosevelt, & Thelonius Monk
c) doing complete Sherlock Holmes for vacation…never realized how funny they were…
I picked up one of those “complete Sherlock Holmes” 2 volume sets a couple years back and was really pleased/surprised by how well the whole thing held up over time. Usually I can’t read books from that time period without falling into a helpless slumber BUT not only was the writing style still engaging, the stories themselves were just all around fun, interesting and compelling. A mark of a master.