Book Lists 2016 (Archived) Book • Page 2

I was legitimately surprised it happened. It was perfect, really, completely switching on expectations like that. The Whitecloaks were so frustrating in reading that series for me precisely because of that. I almost always prefer evil villains in fantasy, but a well written "for the good" villain is almost as compelling. Call it the Lord of the Rings influence for me.

I realized just how much groundwork Sanderson lays right at the beginning particularly with Warbreaker. In the very first chapter, all the bases were covered and put in place. I very much like the "learn your powers" approach in WoT and we see in Shallan/Kalladin.

I really wanted to bite! But you're so into them and have the opportunity to keep going quickly, so I'd rather just see you read and react. When Jordan as alive and people would ask him questions, he'd always just respond RAFO. (Read and find out.) Logain and Min were characters I grew to love more and more as the series progressed. I'm glad you've mentioned them both, now, haha.

I've read some related ones already (Salem's Lot and The Stand off the top of my head, but I think a few more as well). I've often considered reading the whole "related works" DT experience, but I don't have that much time on my hands.

Oh, that's intriguing. I read book one while on vacation in Italy when I borrowed it from a friend. I bought the trilogy, but never got around to reading them (depression really sucked the life out of reading for awhile, slowly getting it back). That makes me super excited to dive in.

I'll definitely let you know what I think of the Rothfuss book when I get to it. I've started a book review blog to try and grow my personal brand (eventually want to get published one day) and it's helping me stay on top of reading.

 

On Sandersons site, which is amazing, he has full annotation for most of his books if you feel like really diving into the material. The amount of time this guy has to write meaningful content is insane. I used it a bit for Warbreaker, its very interesting just super overwhelming too when you are already reading a 700 page book.

Where is your blog? I'd like to check that out.

Also I feel like maybe its time to make a WoT thread.

 

That's going to cut into the productivity.

the lemonade review (my last name is lemons and i was going for a pun)

I debated doing that. I'll give you the honors since you're in the midst of the magic!

 

Lol nice. You realize that means your tagline has to be, if you've got Lemons make lemonade, right?

I'm going to check it out now. Want to see your in depth thoughts of Sanderson and Magicians which i dont know much about

 

Haha, I'm still working it all out, but the recommended reads section will be called The Lemonade Stand because it's refreshing.

I tried to remain spoiler free as possible in reviews, but I'll gladly talk any in-depth with any book ever. The Magicians sequels are so much better than the first book. It's so strange.

 

I really liked your reviews for stormlight. I hadn't thought about how interesting the geography of Roshar is until now. That's a really good point.

 

Thank you! I'm trying something new and still trying to find my voice/how I want to interact with the novels. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of George Lucas' "one planet ecosystems" that permeate the Star Wars universe, though the other worlds in the Cosmere don't keep up that comparison. I'll be honest: I want more time on the Clear Lake. Both the interlude and Dalinar's vision we got there were some of my favorite parts and I don't know why.

 

Yes! I absolutely agree. Those interludes are such a tease because they are only getting better and better and adding about a million other questions about the world. I'd probably say those books have my favorite format for epic literature. Parts split into chapter povs with interludes between. Very affective way of storytelling

 

If only he also utilized the Jordan Prologue Method!

 

Lol definitely. Thinking about an easy way to describe their differences and I'm landing on Jordans prologues are about characters and if Sanderson is using one its probably about magic

 

I think every Jordan prologue involves a Forsaken (though not always identified as such), if I'm recalling it right, too. Man, that Eye of the World prologue... that's when I knew one day I would try to write a fantasy novel. Just to recreate that.

 

Think this forum could use a Cosmere thread? I'm going through Mistborn at the moment (though I have read TWoK, just not WoR) but I'm definitely going to want to talk about the books with some others at some point and it seems like there's enough discussion to warrant a separate thread.

 

Hmmm interesting. I haven't thought about that, especially since most of the Forsaken are still disguised but i see what you're saying. Book 4 was the only one that had a really weird prologue that felt more like a first chapter, i think it was mainly Min returning to the tower. I think when I'm done I'm going to go right back to the first prologue and read it because although I adored it already, there is so much more that I understand now I'm sure it will read completely differently

 

I'm all for it

 

Absolutely.

You're about ten minutes of conversation away from me dropping all current book reading and starting over, just so you know.

 

No man or woman can withstand the pull of the True Source! For real though, I have like 3 comics I wanted to read before the next WoT and now i just want to say screw it and let them sit on my shelf for another week

 

Started a Cosmere thread here Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere • forum.chorus.fm

 

Do it! *peer pressure intensifies*

 

January
01. Old Man's War – John Scalzi [2005]
02. The Killing Joke – Alan Moore, Brian Bolland [1988]
03. Coraline – Neil Gaiman [2002]
04. The Hobbit: Dramatized Audiobook – J.R.R. Tolkien, Ensemble Cast [2007]

February
05. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe – Cullen Bunn, Dalibor Talajić [2011]
06. Fantastic Mr. Fox – Roald Dahl [1970]
07. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making – Catherynne M. Valente [2011]
08. Whistling Past The Graveyard – Susan Crandall [2013]
09. The Emperor's Soul – Brandon Sanderson [2012]

March
10. Masters of Atlantis – Charles Portis [1985]
11. The Knight of the Swords – Michael Moorcock [1971]
12. Dragons Love Tacos – Adam Rubin, Daniel Salmieri [2012]
13. Year One – Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli [1987]
14. The Queen of the Swords – Michael Moorcock [1971]

April
15. The King of the Swords – Michael Moorcock [1971]

May
16. Warbreaker – Brandon Sanderson [2009]

June
17. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore – Robin Sloan [2013]
18. Perfect State – Brandon Sanderson [2015]
19. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs [2011]

July
20. A Princess of Mars – Edgar Rice Burroughs [1912]
21. As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From The Making Of The Princess Bride – Cary Elwes [2014]

August
22. Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English – John McWhorter [2008]
23. The Martian – Andy Weir [2014]
24. The Illyrian Adventure – Lloyd Alexander [1986]
25. The Little Paris Bookshop – Nina George [2013]

September
26. Wonder Woman, Vol. I: Gods and Mortals – George Pérez, Len Wein [2004]
27. Emperor of the Eight Islands – Lian Hearn [2016]
28. The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry [1943]
29. Black Orchid – Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean [1988]]
30. Wolverine, Vol. 1: Hunting Season – Paul Cornell, Alan Davis [2013]

October
31. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope – Alan Dean Foster, George Lucas [1977]
32. Velvet, Vol. 1: Before the Living End – Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting [2014]
33. Wolverine, Vol. 2: Killable – Paul Cornell, Alan Davis, Mirco Pierfederici [2014]
34. Haunt, Vol. 1 – Robert Kirkman, Todd McFarlane [2011]
35. All You Need Is Kill – Nick Mamatas, Lee Ferguson [2014]
36. The Gods of Mars – Edgar Rice Burroughs [1963]
37. Superman: New Krypton, Vol. 1 – Geoff Johns, James Robinson [2009]
38. The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Vol. 1 – Yoshiki Tanaka, Hiromu Arakawa [2014]
39. Wolverine: 3 Months to Die, Vol. 1 – Paul Cornell [2014]

November
40. The Dispatcher – John Scalzi [2016]
41. Kimi ni Todoke, Vol. 1 – Karuho Shiina [2006]
42. Batman, Vol. 1: The Court of Owls – Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo [2012]
43. The War of Art: Break Through the Block & Win Your Inner Creative Battles – Steven Pressfield [2003]
44. The Hangman's Daughter – Oliver Pötzsch [2010]
45. Velvet, Vol. 2: The Secret Lives of Dead Men – Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting [2015]
46. Blink – Malcolm Gladwell [2005]

December
47. Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter – Richard Parks [2013]
48. Baba Yaga's Assistant – Marika McCoola, Emily Carroll [2015]
49. Wolverine: 3 Months to Die, Vol. 2 – Paul Cornell, Kris Anka, Pete Woods [2014]
50. The Amazing Spider-man, Vol. 1: The Parker Luck – Dan Slott, Humberto Ramos [2014]
51. Velvet, Vol. 3: The Man Who Stole the World – Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting [2016]
52. The Amazing Spider-man, Vol. 1.1: Learning to Crawl – Dan Slott, Ramón Pérez [2014]
53. Batman, Vol. 2: The City of Owls – Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo [2013]

 

I'll have a full list of what I've read in here when I can take a look at my desk. But I'm currently reading:

- 'Whip Smart: A Memoir' - Melissa Febos
- 'From The Memoir of A Non-Enemy Combatant' - Alex Gilvarry
- 'Love Is A Mix Tape' - Rob Sheffield

Once those are done, I'm gonna keep reading through Vonnegut's works in release order.

 

We seem to have very similar tastes—I'm just about done with The Queen of the Swords and will shortly be jumping back into some Sanderson novels to catch up, and I've got book one of Riyria on my to-read shelf. Neat!

 

Read 35 books in 2015. Shooting for 40 in 2016.

1. MaddAddam (MaddAddam trilogy #3) - Margaret Atwood
2. Wizard and Glass (Dark Tower #4) - Stephen King
3. Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West - Stephen E. Ambrose
4. The Wind Through the Keyhole (Dark Tower 4.5) - Stephen King
5. The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) - Brandon Sanderson
6. The Magician's Land (The Magicians #3) - Lev Grossman
7. The Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower #5) -Stephen King
8. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? - Phillip K. Dick
9. Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges #2) - Stephen King
10. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
11. The Water Knife - Paolo Bacigalupi
12. The Talisman - Stephen King
13. Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower 6) - Stephen King
14. The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) - Philip Pullman
15. The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower #7) - Stephen King
16. Steelheart (Reckoners #1) - Brandon Sanderson
17. Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel
18. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) - Pierce Brown
19. One Summer: America 1927 - Bill Bryson
20. Joe Hill - The Fireman
21. A Man on the Moon - Andrew Chaikin
22. The City of Mirrors ( The Passage #3) - Justin Cronin
23. Under Heaven - Guy Gavriel Kay
24. End of Watch (Bill Hodges #3) - Stephen King
25. Swan Song - Robert McCammon
26. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (HP #1) - JK Rowling
27. The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories #1) - Bernard Cornwell
28. Redeployment -Phil Klay
29. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (HP #2) - JK Rowling
30. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption - Bryan Stevenson
31. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (HP#3) - JK Rowling
32. The Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown
33. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
34. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - (HP#4) - JK Rowling
35. Theft of Swords (The Riyria Revelations #1) - Michael J. Sullivan
36. The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey - Rinker Buck
37. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - George R.R. Martin
38. The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (Liberation Trilogy #2) - Rick Atkinson
39. All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque
40. One Child: The Story of China's Most Radical Experiment - Mei Fong

 

Here's what I've read so far this year:
1.) Skippy Dies — Paul Murray
2.) How the Light Gets In — MJ Hyland
3.) The Book of Basketball — Bill Simmons
4.) If On A Winter's Night A Traveler — Italo Calvino
5.) The Afterlife — John Updike
6.) Old School — Tobias Wolff
7.) The Bonfire of the Vanities — Tom Wolfe
8.) White Teeth — Zadie Smith
9.) Tenth of December — George Saunders
10.) My Struggle: Volume 1 — Karl Ove Knausgaard
11.) The Violent Bear It Away — Flannery O'Connor
12.) The Art of Fielding — Chad Harbach
13.) White Noise — Don DeLillo

Here's my Goodreads.

 

Just finished The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien, was a great read.

I am starting A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man by James Joyce.

Anyone into this kind of stuff:
Invisible Landscapes by Terence Mckenna
Cosmic Trigger by Robert Anton Wilson
Game of Life by Timothy Leary
Adventures of Ideas by Alfred Whitehead
Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins

 

1. Beloved by Toni Morrison
2. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
3. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
4. 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane
5. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
6. A Portrait of the Artist As A Young Man by James Joyce
7. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (re-read)
8. Passing by Nella Larson
9. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf