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I’m taking a different approach to talking about what I’m reading. This is mostly because I start of lot of books, but don’t finish them until much later. For the past couple of months, I’ve been spending more time than normal reading. I’m a little proud of myself.Some of these haven’t been touched in 2011, but I plan on getting back to them this year.

Towers of Midnight, Brandon Sanderson. I’ve made it about halfway through the latest Wheel of Time book. I’ll finish it eventually. It’s going pretty slowly. I have the same issues with it that I had with the last one. There’s stuff happening, but there are long stretches of nothing happening. I do think the stuff happening in this book is more interesting than the stuff that happened in the last book. Rand wants to do what!?!?

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. This is the latest Sword and Laser pick. I’m almost finished with and I really like it. It’s about the end of the world. The forces of Heaven and Hell are getting their forces ready for the upcoming battle. It’s a pretty funny book, though some of the jokes don’t work. Maybe it’s a British humor (I almost spelled it humour) thing, since both of the authors are British.

Batman: Year One, Frank Miller. I really like this one too. It’s a retelling of the origins of Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and Catwoman. I liked the Commissioner Gordon storyline more than the rest, but it was cool to see Batman learning to become Batman, making mistakes, etc.  Not surprisingly, the storylines of all three characters intersect in the end.  This makes me want to read more Batman stories, especially ones written by Frank Miller.

The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman. I started reading The Walking Dead last year in preparation for the TV show. I read the first 2 trade paperbacks, which is comprised of the first 12 issues of the comic book series. It’s so good! It’s about the aftermath of a zombie outbreak. Like everyone says, it’s less about zombies and scares than it is about how people interact with each other. Read the books and then watch the TV show.

The First Law Trilogy, Joe Abercrombie. I think I started reading The First Law Trilogy in 2009. It’s been about a year since I started on the final book, Last Argument of Kings. This is a great series for those who like fantasy series that are more adult than The Lord of the Rings or The Wheel of Time. If I were a recommendation engine, I would say something like “If you like George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, then you might like this series”. It’s a great read. I’ve heard that the last book isn’t as good as the first two. That might be the reason I’m not in a hurry to go back to it.

• Last Argument of Kings, Joe Abercrombie
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
• Go, Mutants: A Novel, Larry Doyle
• Serenity Found, Jane Espenson
• Incarceron, Catherine Fisher
• Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks, Mick Foley
• The Associate, John Grisham
• The Fourth Hand, John Irving
• The Walking Dead, Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 4: The Heart’s Desire, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 5: The Best Defense, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 6: This Sorrowful Life, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 7: The Calm Before, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 8: Made to Suffer, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 9: Here We Remain, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 10: What We Become, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 11: Fear the Hunters, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 12: Life Among Them, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 13: Too Far Gone, Robert Kirkman
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larson
• The Girl Who Played With Fire, Stieg Larson
• The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest, Stieg Larson
• The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd
• I Am Number Four, Patticus Lore
• The Giver, Lois Lowry
• The Day Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Twilight Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Final Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• Busted Flush, George R.R. Martin
• Suicide Kings, George R.R. Martin
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller
• Batman: Year One, Frank Miller
• Either You’re in or You’re in the Way, Logan and Noah Miller
• The Final Crusade, Chaite Naasiri
• The Darker Mask, George Phillips
• The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
• The Well of Ascension, Brandon Sanderson
• The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
• Towers of Midnight, Brandon Sanderson
• A Memory of Light, Brandon Sanderson
• Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare
• Private Parts, Howard Stern
• The Way of Shadows, Brent Weeks
• Shadow’s Edge, Brent Weeks
• Beyond the Shadows, Brent Weeks
• The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams
• Stone of Farewell, Tad Williams
• To Green Angel Tower, Tad Williams

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe: A Novel by Charles Yu. This was the Sword and Laser’s latest pick and I decided to read it since I haven’t read one of their selections in a while. The title made me think of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I don’t know if they have any similarities since I have read Hitchhiker’s Guide, but other Sword and Laser listeners are making that comparison, so I guess there are some.

The book is about a time machine repairman, Charles Yu, who is searching for his father who left his family and is somewhere out in time. You learn about Yu’s broken family and how Yu feels responsible for his father going away. To me, this book was just okay. It’s was interesting, sad, and funny in parts, but mostly I was just trying to get through it so I could get back to my Wheel of Time book. All the sci-fi references and jargon were cute at first, but after a while I got annoyed with it. Maybe if you liked Hitchhiker’s Guide, you’ll like this one more than I did. Or just wait until they make a movie out of it.

I said this was a 2010-2011 list, so I just deleted what I’ve already read and carried the rest over. I also added a few.

Book List 2011

• Joe Abercrombie, Last Argument of Kings
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
• Go, Mutants: A Novel, Larry Doyle
• Serenity Found, Jane Espenson
• Incarceron, Catherine Fisher
• Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks, Mick Foley
• The Associate, John Grisham
• The Fourth Hand, John Irving
• The Walking Dead, Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 4: The Heart’s Desire, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 5: The Best Defense, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 6: This Sorrowful Life, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 7: The Calm Before, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 8: Made to Suffer, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 9: Here We Remain, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 10: What We Become, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 11: Fear the Hunters, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 12: Life Among Them, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 13: Too Far Gone, Robert Kirkman
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larson
• The Girl Who Played With Fire, Stieg Larson
• The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest, Stieg Larson
• The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd
• The Giver, Lois Lowry
• The Day Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Twilight Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Final Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• Busted Flush, George R.R. Martin
• Suicide Kings, George R.R. Martin
• Kraken, China Mieville
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller
• Either You’re in or You’re in the Way, Logan and Noah Miller
• The Final Crusade, Chaite Naasiri
• The Darker Mask, George Phillips
• The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
• The Well of Ascension, Brandon Sanderson
• The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
• Towers of Midnight, Brandon Sanderson
• A Memory of Light, Brandon Sanderson
• Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare
• Private Parts, Howard Stern
• The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams
• Stone of Farewell, Tad Williams
• To Green Angel Tower, Tad Williams

The Adderall Diaries by Stephen Elliott. I bought this book after I heard that James Franco had bought the movie rights. I like Franco as an actor, and I like that he’s done some weird things with his career lately. The title and premise of the book seemed interesting and I wanted something kind of wanted something different to read, so I thought I would go for it.

This is a true story. Stephen Elliott was suffering from writer’s block and decided to write a true crime novel about the murder trial of a computer programmer in the San Francisco area. He ended up with this book, which is part memoir and part recount of the trial. I guess covering the trial made him think about his past. I really enjoyed reading this book.  Elliott’s life is kind of sad to me, with the substance abuse, failed relationships, and father/son drama.   He and some of the players in the murder mystery confirmed that there are some messed up people in the world. Yes, I’m being judgmental. It makes me glad my upbringing was stable and my life right now is fairly normal and boring.

• Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself
• Joe Abercrombie, Before They Are Hanged
• Joe Abercrombie, Last Argument of Kings
• The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
• Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
• Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
• Go, Mutants: A Novel, Larry Doyle
• The Adderall Diaries, Stephen Elliott
• Serenity Found, Jane Espenson
• Incarceron, Catherine Fisher
• Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks, Mick Foley
• American Gods, Neil Gaiman
• The Associate, John Grisham
• The Fourth Hand, John Irving
• The Colorado Kid, Stephen King
• The Walking Dead, Volume 1: Days Gone Bye, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 2: Miles Behind Us, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 4: The Heart’s Desire, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 5: The Best Defense, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 6: This Sorrowful Life, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 7: The Calm Before, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 8: Made to Suffer, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 9: Here We Remain, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 10: What We Become, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 11: Fear the Hunters, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 12: Life Among Them, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 13: Too Far Gone, Robert Kirkman
• The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd
• The Day Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Twilight Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Final Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• Busted Flush, George R.R. Martin
• Suicide Kings, George R.R. Martin
• Kraken, China Mieville
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller
• Either You’re in or You’re in the Way, Logan and Noah Miller
• The Final Crusade, Chaite Naasiri
• Tongues of Serpents, Naomi Novik
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• The Darker Mask, George Phillips
• The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
• The Well of Ascension, Brandon Sanderson
• The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
• Towers of Midnight, Brandon Sanderson
• Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare
• Bitter Seeds, Ian Tregillis
• The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams
• Stone of Farewell, Tad Williams
• To Green Angel Tower, Tad Williams

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.. I decided to read this because everybody was talking about it on Twitter. Amazon had the hardcovers for about $9 a piece, so I snatched them all up. I enjoyed this series a lot.

It takes place in the not so distant future. A country called Panem exists in what remains of North America. Panem is governed from a place called the Capitol, which is located in the Rocky Mountains. As punishment for a rebellion against the Capitol, each year a boy and a girl from each of Panem’s 12 districts must compete in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a fight to the death that all of Panem is forced to watch. The winning competitor’s home district gets extra food for a year.

The first book is definitely the best, so at least give that one a try. Once you get into it, it’s hard to put it down.

• Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself
• Joe Abercrombie, Before They Are Hanged
• Joe Abercrombie, Last Argument of Kings
• The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
• Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
• Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
• Go, Mutants: A Novel, Larry Doyle
• The Adderall Diaries, Stephen Elliot
• Serenity Found, Jane Espenson
• Incarceron, Catherine Fisher
• Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks, Mick Foley
• American Gods, Neil Gaiman
• The Associate, John Grisham
• The Fourth Hand, John Irving
• The Colorado Kid, Stephen King
• The Walking Dead, Volume 1: Days Gone Bye, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 2: Miles Behind Us, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 4: The Heart’s Desire, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 5: The Best Defense, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 6: This Sorrowful Life, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 7: The Calm Before, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 8: Made to Suffer, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 9: Here We Remain, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 10: What We Become, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 11: Fear the Hunters, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 12: Life Among Them, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 13: Too Far Gone, Robert Kirkman
• The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd
• The Day Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Twilight Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Final Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• Busted Flush, George R.R. Martin
• Suicide Kings, George R.R. Martin
• Kraken, China Mieville
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller
• Either You’re in or You’re in the Way, Logan and Noah Miller
• The Final Crusade, Chaite Naasiri
• Tongues of Serpents, Naomi Novik
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• The Darker Mask, George Phillips
• The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
• The Well of Ascension, Brandon Sanderson
• The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
• Towers of Midnight, Brandon Sanderson
• Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare
• Bitter Seeds, Ian Tregillis
• The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams
• Stone of Farewell, Tad Williams
• To Green Angel Tower, Tad Williams

Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik. It was just ok. I was dissappointed. It’s definitely the weakest in the Temeraire series. I was bored for most of the book.

Now I’m working on The Hunger Games Trilogy.

After that I’ll start reading The Walking Dead.

• Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself
• Joe Abercrombie, Before They Are Hanged
• Joe Abercrombie, Last Argument of Kings
• The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
• Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
• Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
• Go, Mutants: A Novel, Larry Doyle
• Serenity Found, Jane Espenson
• Incarceron, Catherine Fisher
• American Gods, Neil Gaiman
• The Law of Nines, Terry Goodkind
• The Associate, John Grisham
• The Fourth Hand, John Irving
• The Colorado Kid, Stephen King
• The Walking Dead, Volume 1: Days Gone Bye, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 2: Miles Behind Us, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 4: The Heart’s Desire, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 5: The Best Defense, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 6: This Sorrowful Life, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 7: The Calm Before, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 8: Made to Suffer, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 9: Here We Remain, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 10: What We Become, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 11: Fear the Hunters, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 12: Life Among Them, Robert Kirkman
• The Walking Dead, Volume 13: Too Far Gone, Robert Kirkman
• The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd
• The Day Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Twilight Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Final Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• Busted Flush, George R.R. Martin
• Suicide Kings, George R.R. Martin
• Kraken, China Mieville
• The Final Crusade, Chaite Naasiri
• Tongues of Serpents, Naomi Novik
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• The Darker Mask, George Phillips
• The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
• The Well of Ascension, Brandon Sanderson
• The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
• Towers of Midnight, Brandon Sanderson
• Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare
• Bitter Seeds, Ian Tregillis
• The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams
• Stone of Farewell, Tad Williams
• To Green Angel Tower, Tad Williams

Scott Pilgrim is a series of 6 graphics novels written by Bryan Lee O’Malley. It’s a really fun series. Scott is a 23-year-old Canadian who is also the bass player in a band. He meets a woman, but in order to date her he has to defeat her 7 evil exes. I decided to read this after I saw the first preview for the movie adaptation Scott Pilgrim vs. the World a while back. Even seeing that preview didn’t prepare me for what I saw in these books. It was a lot of fun. The last volume came out last week. I think they’re each around 200 pages so even a slow reader like me could finish them quickly. I hope the movie is good. At least see the movie if you don’t want to read.

• Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself
• Joe Abercrombie, Before They Are Hanged
• Joe Abercrombie, Last Argument of Kings
• Go, Mutants: A Novel, Larry Doyle
• Serenity Found, Jane Espenson
• Incarceron, Catherine Fisher
• American Gods, Neil Gaiman
• The Law of Nines, Terry Goodkind
• The Associate, John Grisham
• The Fourth Hand, John Irving
• The Colorado Kid, Stephen King
• The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd
• The Day Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Twilight Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Final Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• Busted Flush, George R.R. Martin
• Suicide Kings, George R.R. Martin
• Kraken, China Mieville
• The Final Crusade, Chaite Naasiri
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• The Darker Mask, George Phillips
• The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
• The Well of Ascension, Brandon Sanderson
• The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
• Towers of Midnight, Brandon Sanderson
• Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare
• Bitter Seeds, Ian Tregillis
• The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams
• Stone of Farewell, Tad Williams
• To Green Angel Tower, Tad Williams

These are going to be short and sweet from now on if they weren’t already.

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King. I only read this book because the new Syfy series Haven is based on it. From the Haven previews, I think it’s only going to be loosely based on the book. Almost the entire book consists of these two old journalists telling their intern a story about an unsolved mystery that happened years earlier. Reading it made me remember why I don’t read Stephen King anymore. Something about his writing style gets on my nerves. I advise passing on this one and just watching the TV show. I read this book using the Kindle apps on my iPhone and my work PC. It’s the first time I’ve read a book that way.

Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis. This was another Sword and Laser pick. It was interesting. Think alternate history WWII with super-powered people that use batteries to power their abilities. I love alt history and I love superpowers and they go pretty well together in this book. I wasn’t really into the beginning and the end, but I really enjoyed the middle. When I started getting close to the end I could tell that this was the first in a series. I later found out that it is the first in a trilogy. If I had known that before I started, I may have waited to read it. At this point, I’m not sure if I’m going to finish the trilogy.  Maybe if I had the other two to read right away I would’ve been more likely to continue.

• Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself
• Joe Abercrombie, Before They Are Hanged
• Joe Abercrombie, Last Argument of Kings
• Go, Mutants: A Novel, Larry Doyle
• Serenity Found, Jane Espenson
• Incarceron, Catherine Fisher
• American Gods, Neil Gaiman
• The Law of Nines, Terry Goodkind
• The Associate, John Grisham
• The Fourth Hand, John Irving
• The Colorado Kid, Stephen King
• The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd
• The Day Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Twilight Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Final Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• Busted Flush, George R.R. Martin
• Suicide Kings, George R.R. Martin
• Kraken, China Mieville
• The Final Crusade, Chaite Naasiri
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, Bryan Lee O’Malley
• The Darker Mask, George Phillips
• The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
• The Well of Ascension, Brandon Sanderson
• The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
• Towers of Midnight, Brandon Sanderson
• Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare
• Bitter Seeds, Ian Tregillis
• The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams
• Stone of Farewell, Tad Williams
• To Green Angel Tower, Tad Williams

I just wanted to make a quick update on my book list since it’s been a while.

Americans Gods by Neil Gaiman is the first (I think) book in the One Book One Twitter project started by Wired Magazine. The purpose of One Book One Twitter is to get a lot of people talking about the same book. They have a schedule for which chapters you’re supposed to read each week and there’s a Twitter account leading the discussion. I haven’t been taking part in the discussion on the book, but I did like it enough that I read ahead and finished it early.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Gaiman. I’d never read any of his books, but I had seen the movie Stardust. It’s hard to say too much without spoilers, so I’m just going to go for it. The story is about a man named Shadow who gets out of jail after 3 years. He is hired to work as a bodyguard for a mysterious man named Wednesday who turns out to be a god. This book uses a concept that I’ve seen a few times lately: that gods really exist because people believe in them. When people stop believing, the gods lose their power. You see a lot of old gods and creatures of folklore that were brought here when people settled in America like Loki, Anansi, Anubis, etc. You also see gods based on newer concepts like technology and media. There’s even a god inside the TV. The new gods want to wipe out the old gods. Wednesday is trying to rally the old gods so that they can fight for survival. It’s a good, quick read and I recommend it.

I read The Gathering Storm when it came out last October or November, but never got around to mentioning it here. Brandon Sanderson took over the job of finishing the Wheel of Time after Robert Jordan died. I remember being satisfied with the book overall. There were times where it seemed to drag on with a lot of pointlessness but overall I think he did a great job of keeping it interesting. Right now I just want to know how it ends.

I also read the first 2 books in Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law trilogy. If you like George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, you’ll probably like it. I’ll say more when after I finish the whole trilogy.

I keep adding more to the list.

• Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself
• Joe Abercrombie, Before They Are Hanged
• Joe Abercrombie, Last Argument of Kings
• Serenity Found, Jane Espenson
• Incarceron, Catherine Fisher
• American Gods, Neil Gaiman
• The Law of Nines, Terry Goodkind
• The Associate, John Grisham
• The Fourth Hand, John Irving
• The Colorado Kid, Stephen King
• The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd
• The Day Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Twilight Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Final Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• Busted Flush, George R.R. Martin
• Suicide Kings, George R.R. Martin
• The Final Crusade, Chaite Naasiri
• The Darker Mask, George Phillips
• The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
• The Well of Ascension, Brandon Sanderson
• The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
• The Gathering Storm, Brandon Sanderson
• Towers of Midnight, Brandon Sanderson
• Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare
• Bitter Seeds, Ian Tregillis
• The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams
• Stone of Farewell, Tad Williams
• To Green Angel Tower, Tad Williams

I haven’t read much over the past few months. I blame it mostly on The Wire, Doctor Who, and Torchwood. Here’s my list for 2010. I know I won’t finish them all this year, so this is probably more of a 2010-2011 list. The one I’m working on now is at the top of the list.

• Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself
• Joe Abercrombie, Before They Are Hanged
• Joe Abercrombie, Last Argument of Kings
• Serenity Found, Jane Espenson
• The Law of Nines, Terry Goodkind
• The Associate, John Grisham
• The Fourth Hand, John Irving
• The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd
• The Day Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Twilight Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Final Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• Busted Flush, George R.R. Martin
• Suicide Kings, George R.R. Martin
• The Final Crusade, Chaite Naasiri
• The Darker Mask, George Phillips
• The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
• The Well of Ascension, Brandon Sanderson
• The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
• The Gathering Storm, Brandon Sanderson
• Towers of Midnight, Brandon Sanderson
• Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare
• The Dragonbone Chair, Tad Williams
• Stone of Farewell, Tad Williams
• To Green Angel Tower, Tad Williams

I’ve knocked out 2 books recently. Big deal!

The first one was The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I became interested in it because the movie is coming out in December and Peter Jackson made the movie. The story starts in 1973 and it’s about a teenage girl that was raped and murdered by a neighbor. She’s up in her own personalized heaven, which she calls “my heaven”, and watches over her family and her killer over the next several years. She can’t directly affect anything on Earth, but there are times when people see her or feel that she’s near. The book is mostly about her family and friends as they deal with their grief over losing her. It’s very melancholy at times. It’s a pretty good book, but I’ll probably like watching as a movie more than liked reading the book.

The second one was Rollback by Robert J. Sawyer. Sawyer is the guy that wrote Flashforward. For some reason I thought this was a sequel to Flashforward, but it’s not. It takes place about 40 years in the future. In 2009 (their past), we received a transmission from aliens and we sent a response. This book is centered on the response they sent to our response. An extremely rich guy, who is a major benefactor to SETI, wants the woman who translated the original message to work on the new message. She and her husband are in their 80s now and don’t think they have much time left. The benefactor pays for her and her husband to have a rejuvenation procedure, which is called a “rollback”. They decide to reverse their bodies back to age 25. The procedure works for her husband and not for her. The book focuses on her struggling to decrypt the code and him trying to adjust to being young again while having a much older wife. You do see a lot of flashbacks to back when she was working on the original 2009 message. I didn’t like those parts as much. It’s a pretty good book overall. Short and sweet.

• Joe Abercrombie, The Blade Itself
• Joe Abercrombie, Before They Are Hanged
• Joe Abercrombie, Last Argument of Kings
• World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, Max Brooks
• Serenity Found, Jane Espenson
• The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
• Memoirs Found in a Bathtub, Stanislaw Lem
• The Stormcaller, Tom Lloyd
• The Day Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Twilight Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• The Final Watch, Sergei Lukyanenko
• Inside Straight, George R.R. Martin
• Busted Flush, George R.R. Martin
• The Final Crusade, Chaite Naasiri
• The Darker Mask, George Phillips
• Unholy Domain, Dan Ronco
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard, J.K. Rowling
• The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
• The Well of Ascension, Brandon Sanderson
• The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
• The Gathering Storm, Brandon Sanderson
• Flashfoward, Robert J. Sawyer
• Flashfoward, Robert J. Sawyer
• The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
• Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare