What I Read (2019)

Down to just 49 books this year--I'm slipping.

BOOK LOG 2019

January 2, 2019: It by Stephen King. “Such a beautiful evocation of childhood and horror. One of King’s very best novels.”

February 1, 2019: Lost Cities of Golarion by Tim Hitchcock, et al. “Lots of great campaign ideas with settings suitable for many levels of adventure.”

February 14, 2019: The Right Hand of God by Russell Kirkpatrick. “End of mediocre fantasy trilogy. So glad it’s done.”

February 15, 2019: Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks. “First novel in SF Culture series. Really good, bittersweet, curious what others are like.”

March 9, 2019: Different Seasons by Stephen King: “Collection of four novellas, with fantastic classics like The Body and Shawshank Redemption.”

March 28, 2019: Wizard’s Mask by Ed Greenwood. “Pathfinder book that quickly wears out its welcome with a ceaseless calvacade of battles.”

April 8, 2019: The Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch. “I think the same thing I thought 20 years ago—so much great build up and it all falls apart at the end.”

April 9, 2019: Jesus for the Non-Religious by John Shelby Spong. “Attempt to show how a non-divine Jesus could still hold spiritual significance.”

April 12, 2019: Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe. “Norton edition. Episodic and matter of fact.”

April 13, 2019: The Library Book by Susan Orlean. “Tells of huge L.A. library fire interwoven with interesting vignettes about libraries. Very readable and interesting.”

May 5, 2019: Nathalia Buttface and the Most Embarrassing Dad in the World by Nigel Smith. “Really good book for middle schoolers.”

May 20, 2019: Nexo Knights: Fright Knight by Kate Howard. “My kid laughed hysterically.”

May 29, 2019: Seekers of Secrets by Tim Hitchcock, et al. “Great guide to the fictional Pathfinder Society.

May 29, 2019: Hollow City by Ransom Riggs. “Second book in the peculiar children series. Good.”

June 15, 2019: King of Chaos by Dave Gross. “Radovan and Varian in the Worldwound. A lot of nice moments.”

June 19, 2019: Skeleton Crew by Stephen King. “Short story collection. Okay but not great, with The Mist the best.”

July 5, 2019: Pathfinder Playtest Rulebook by Various. “Draft version for second edition—I’m sticking with the original.”

July 5, 2019: Ambush at Corellia by Roger Macbride Allen. “First book in the Corellian Trilogy. Solid.”

July 10, 2019: The Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin. “I appreciate this much more now than I did as a teenager. It’s fantasy that seems simply plotted, but holds real depth.”

July 14, 2019: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham. “Fantastic Veronica Mars book, with real character development.”

July 20, 2019: Mr. Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham. “So, so good. Captures characters perfectly. I really wish they did more.”

August 1, 2019: Undead Unleashed by Various. “Pathfinder book with 15 undead villains and their lairs. High CRs, good for homebrew GMs.”

August 5, 2019: Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman. “Second book in the Scythe series. Expands and deepens the setting in a satisfying way, and great cliffhanger for book 3.”

August 18, 2019: The Alienist by Caleb Carr. “Great historical detective novel set in 1890s New York.”

September 3, 2019: McTeague by Frank Norris. “American naturalist fiction set in San Francisco—dentist turns murderer! Bit disconnected to be great.”

September 24, 2019: The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr. “Satisfying sequel to The Alienist.”

September 28, 2019: Japan: Imagine & Discover. “Picture book. Such a gorgeous country. Someday!”

October 6, 2019: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. “Great fun.”

October 10, 2019: The Yellow Sign and Other Stories by Robert W. Chambers. “Collection of weird fiction, with a few great ones and several utterly forgettable ones.”

October 13, 2019: Stalking the Beast by Howard Andrew Jones. “Fantastic Pathfinder novel.”

October 14, 2019: Guide to Korvosa by Mike McArtor. “Really good, almost completely mechanics-free description of Korvosa.”

October 30, 2019: Wool by Hugh Howey. “Fantastic, original novel.”

November 1, 2019: Comme un poison dans l’eau by Carl Hiaasen. “Kids help dad arrested for sinking polluting boat. Very good.”

November 3, 2019: Black God’s Kiss by C.L. Moore. “The first female sword and sorcery protagonist. These pulp era stories of Jirel hold up quite well.”

November 6, 2019: SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard. “Admirable, though it takes most of the fun out of Roman history.”

November 10, 2019: The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett. “Fantastic! I don’t know why I waited so long to read it.”

November 11, 2019: At the Existentialist Cafe: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails by Sarah Bakewell. “Very readable and interesting retrospective on major figures in existentialism.”

November 14, 2019: The Odyssey by Homer (trans. Robert Fagles). “Satisfying presentation of the epic.”

November 15, 2019: Faith or Fraud: Fortune-telling, Spirituality, and the Law by Jeremy Patrick. “Not too shabby!”

November 16, 2019: La Belle Sauvage by Phillip Pullman. “Prequel to His Dark Materials. Fine, but not really necessary.”

December 1, 2019: Wolf Girl by Anh Do. “Really good kids book.”

December 6, 2019: Pact Worlds by various. “Excellent Starfinder setting book.”

December 7, 2019: Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. “Thank god it’s over! Almost as bad as Ulysses.”

December 10, 2019: Wolf Girl 2 by Anh Do. “Strong kids series continues. My kid absolutely loves these.”

December 16, 2019: Beware the Glop by Steve Behling. “Marvel monsters kid book. Good.”

December 21, 2019: The Toll by Neal Shusterman. “Finale of the Scythe trilogy. Great and memorable.”

December 22, 2019: The King’s Conjuror by Benjamin Woolley. “Boring biography of John Dee.”

December 26, 2019: Kitty’s House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn. “Reality show turned trap—enjoyable continuation of werewolf series.”

December 30, 2019: Blackout by Connie Willis. “Time travel to the Blitz. Starts great but peters out.”