What I Read (2018)

BOOK LOG 2018

January 3: The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde. “Great fun. Clever, original, not to be missed.”

January 7: The 13-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths. “Kids book. I thought it was lazy and poorly written, but my son loved it.”

January 20: Pet Sematary by Stephen King. “Classic and still holds up well.”

January 20: The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. “Interesting history about how an asylum inmate was a key contributor to the OED.”

March 3, 2018: Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub. “Nice try, but just doesn’t work.”

March 10, 2018: Queen of Thorns by Dave Gross. “Varian and Radovan in Kyonin. Awesome first 3/4, then average finale.”

March 22, 2018: Guide to the River Kingdoms by Various. “Eclectic collection of kingdoms in a part of the Pathfinder world.”

April 1, 2018: Darwin edited by Philip Appleman. “Norton edition.”

April 2, 2018: Kitty Raises Hell by Carrie Vaughn. “An ifrit demon menaces Kitty. The cast keeps expanding, but it’s still solid if unspectacular genre fiction.”

April 3, 2018: Night Swimming by Steph Bowe. “Fantastic book set in a small-town with two girls in love. Upbeat, avoids cliches, and sweet.”

April 4, 2018: It Devours! by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. “Second Welcome to Nightvale book. Good, but not as good as the first one.”

April 6, 2018: A Darkling Plain by Philip Reeve. “A fitting and beautiful end to the Mortal Engines quartet.”

April 8, 2018: Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza. “Great YA novel about a girl who’s received a heart transplant trying to fit back into a normal life.”

April 2018: Jimmy Cook Discovers Third Grade by Kate and Jol Temple. “Kids book that’s hilarious for adults too.”

April 27, 2018: Towns of the Inner Sea by Various. “Six towns are given full maps and write-ups. Really well-done, with serving as great campaign bases.”

May 3, 2018: In the Earth Abides the Flame by Russell Kirkpatrick. “Second long novel in trilogy. Okay, but not great.”

May 12, 2018: Scythe by Neal Shusterman. “Really interesting novel about a utopian future where death has to be inflicted intentionally by a chosen group.”

May 15, 2018: Anatomy of a Seance: A History of Spirit Communication in Central Canada by Stan McMullin. “Limited but useful.”

May 21, 2018: Starfinder Core Rulebook by Various. “Solid RPG adapting Pathfinder system for space-fantasy.”

May 23, 2018: Called to Darkness by Richard Lee Byers. “Pathfinder book featuring a descent into the Underdark. Patchy, but ultimately worth reading.”

June 13, 2018: Lost Kingdoms by Various. “Details of six ancient empires in Golarion. Great!”

June 15, 2018: Les optimistes meurent en premier by Susin Nielsen.  “Fantastic YA book on love, guilt, and moving on.”

June 16, 2018: In the Dark Spaces by Cally Black. “YA SF book about family and community. Really good.”

June 20, 2018: Spiritualism and British society between the wars by Jenny Hazelgrove. “Thought-provoking.”

June 26, 2018: Ghosts of Futures Past: Spiritualism and the Cultural Politics of Nineteenth-Century America by Molly McGarry. “Essays on gender, sexuality, and more.”

July 29, 2018: Legend of Drizzt Anthology by R.A. Salvatore. “Short stories. Author’s introductions are nice.”

June 30, 2018: On Liberty by John Stuart Mill. “So formative in my life.”

July 2, 2018: Dance of the Damned by Alan Bligh. “Fantastic first book in an Arkham Horror trilogy—captures the feel perfectly!”

July 2, 2018: The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde. “Clever continuation of the series.”

July 7, 2018: Utopia by Thomas More.  “Interesting picture of a perfect society.”

July 12, 2018: Adnan’s Story by Rabia Chaudry. “Of Serial fame. After trial is most interesting bits.”

September 1, 2018: A Banquet of Consequences by Elizabeth George. “Poisoner gets tracked down with a wrongful arrest! Solid novel.”

September 11, 2018: Tyrant’s Test by Michael Kube-McDowell. “Third book in Black Fleet trilogy. Hurried ending to war.”

September 29, 2018: Liar’s Blade by Tim Pratt. “Really fun Pathfinder novel about a conman and his intelligent sword.”

September 30, 2018: The Lies of Solace by John French. “Arkam Horror novel. Pretty average frankly.”

October 4, 2018: Paper Towns by John Green. “Part mystery, part high school coming of age tale, part meditation on life. So funny it made me cry twice.”

October 5, 2018: Libriomancer by Jim C. Hines. “Surprisingly fun, clever genre SF book about wizard who can pull items out of books. Will read sequel.”

October 15, 2018: GameMastery Guide by Various. “Surprisingly useful in so many ways!”

October 21, 2018: Thinner by Stephen King. “Barebones plot but still a good read.”

November 3, 2018: The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George. “Latest Lynley novel. Solid. And for the first time ever, I’m up to date!”

November 19, 2018: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. “Clever premise, but not deep or insightful enough to be satisfying.”

November 20, 2018: The Hungering God by Alan Bligh and John French. “Conclusion to an Arkham Horror trilogy. Okay.”

November 21, 2018: The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. “Clear, readable, classic summary of “everything happens for a reason’ bullshit.”

November 23, 2018: The Autobiography of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper by Mark Frost. “No huge revelations, but does add some depth to the character.”

November 24, 2018: Nexo Knights: Graduation Day by Tracey West. “Fun kids book.”

26 November 2018: Looking for Alaska by John Green. “Sort of coming of age tale that is candid about teenage life.”

27 November 2018: Briarpatch by Tim Pratt. “Great standalone urban fantasy.”

November 28, 2018: Almuric by Robert E. Howard. “Hits all the beats of classic sword and sorcery.”

December 3, 2018: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. “Norton edition. History of Congo very interesting, and lots of critical essays with contrasting interpretations of the story.”

December 8, 2018: True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray by James Renner “Intriguing mystery, good narrative.”

December 12, 2018: Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin. “Gothic novel with annoying structure, turgid plot, and memorable protagonist.”

December 15, 2018: The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. “Fantastic novel—I have to see if there are sequels.”

December 16, 2018: Justice in Political Philosophy Volume 1, edited by Will Kymlick. “Huge collection of essays and book chapters, with a lot on or by Locke, Rawls, etc.”

December 18, 2018: Alien Archive by various. “Starfinder bestiary. Great artwork and lots of description, though book is fairly thin.”

December 18, 2018: Pirate’s Honour by Chris A. Jackson. “Great Pathfinder novel about a pirate crew. Real nautical knowledge on display and fully-realised characters.”

December 26, 2018: Inner Sea World Guide by Various. “Pathfinder campaign setting book. Really useful encyclopaedia.”

December 28, 2018: Ben Jonson and the Cavalier Poets edited by Hugh Maclean. “Norton edition. Rough reading for poetry-avoiders like me.”