It's time for my annual compilation of books read during the past year.
- Total books: 85
- Fiction: 66
- Non-fiction: 19
- Months with most books: a tie between July and September (12)
- Month with fewest books: April (2)
- Most frequent authors: Randall Garrett (19), Lois Lenski (16), Tony Hillerman (10), Brandon Sanderson (7). Hillerman is the only author to make the top four both last year and this, as his excellent Leaphorn & Chee books spanned the two years. Garrett and Lenski made such a strong showing because they were each the subject of a particular focus, and their books are generally short. Sanderson, on the other hand, though he's only represented by seven books, is the runaway leader in number of pages.
Here's the list, grouped by author; links are to reviews. The different colors only reflect whether or not you've followed a hyperlink. The ratings (★) and warnings (☢) are on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest/mildest. Warnings, like the ratings, are highly subjective and reflect context, perceived intended audience, and my own biases. Nor are they completely consistent. They may be for sexual content, language, violence, worldview, or anything else that I find objectionable. Your mileage may vary.
| Title | Author | Rating/Warning |
| Matthew Wolfe 2: The Adventures Begin | Blair Bancroft (Grace Kone) | ★★★ ☢ |
| Matthew Wolfe 3: Revelations | Blair Bancroft (Grace Kone) | ★★★ |
| The Art of Evil | Blair Bancroft (Grace Kone) | ★★★★ ☢ |
| Mistborn 1: The Final Empire | Brandon Sanderson | ★★★ |
| Mistborn 2: The Well of Ascension | Brandon Sanderson | ★★★ |
| Mistborn 3: The Hero of Ages | Brandon Sanderson | ★★★ |
| Stormlight 1: The Way of Kings | Brandon Sanderson | ★★★ |
| Stormlight 2: Words of Radiance | Brandon Sanderson | ★★★★ |
| Stormlight 2.5: Edgedancer | Brandon Sanderson | ★★★★★ |
| Warbreaker | Brandon Sanderson | ★★★★ |
| Deep Work | Cal Newport | ★★★★★ |
| So Good They Can't Ignore You | Cal Newport | ★★★★★ |
| Rosefire | Carolyn Clare Givens | ★★★ |
| A Child's History of England | Charles Dickens | ★★★ ☢ |
| The Light in the Forest | Conrad Richter | ★★ |
| Just David (aka North to Freedom) | Eleanor Porter | ★★★★ |
| Just David (read a second time to check for differences between the original and the modern editions) | Eleanor Porter | ★★★★ |
| Brian's Saga 1: Hatchet | Gary Paulsen | ★★★ ☢ |
| Brian's Saga 2: The River | Gary Paulsen | ★★★ ☢ |
| Brian's Saga 3: Brian's Winter | Gary Paulsen | ★★★ ☢ |
| Brian's Saga 4: Brian's Hunt | Gary Paulsen | ★★ ☢☢ |
| Brian's Saga 4: Brian's Return | Gary Paulsen | ★★ ☢ |
| Why Good Arguments Often Fail | James W. Sire | ★★★★ |
| Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual | Jocko Willink | ★ |
| Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook | Joetta Handrich Schlabach | ★★ |
| Greenglass House | Kate Milford | ★★★ |
| Kisses from Katie | Katie Davis with Beth Clark | ★★★ |
| Bayou Suzette | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Blue Ridge Billy | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Boom Town Boy | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Coal Camp Girl | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Corn Farm Boy | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Deer Valley Girl | Lois Lenski | ★★★ |
| Flood Friday | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Houseboat Girl | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Indian Captive | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Judy's Journey | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Mama Hattie's Girl | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Prairie School | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| San Francisco Boy | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Shoo-Fly Girl | Lois Lenski | ★★★ |
| Strawberry Girl | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Texas Tomboy | Lois Lenski | ★★★★ |
| Out of This World | Lowell Thomas, Jr. | ★★★★ |
| Talking to Strangers | Malcolm Gladwell | ★★★★ |
| Humble Pi | Matt Parker | ★★★★ |
| In the Heart of the Sea | Nathaniel Philbrick | ★★★ ☢ |
| The Wild Robot | Peter Brown | ★★★★ |
| The Wild Robot Escapes | Peter Brown | ★★★★ |
| A Spaceship Named McGuire | Randall Garrett | ★★★ |
| Anything You Can Do | Randall Garrett | ★★★ |
| But, I Don't Think | Randall Garrett | ★ |
| By Proxy | Randall Garrett | ★★★ |
| Cum Grano Salis | Randall Garrett | ★★★★ |
| Damned If You Don't | Randall Garrett | ★★★ |
| Despoilers of the Golden Empire | Randall Garrett | ★★★ |
| His Master's Voice | Randall Garrett | ★★★ |
| Nor Iron Bars a Cage | Randall Garrett | ★★★ |
| Or Your Money Back | Randall Garrett | ★★★ |
| Pagan Passions | Randall Garrett | ★★ ☢☢ |
| Psi-Power 1: Brain Twister | Randall Garrett | ★★★ |
| Psi-Power 2: The Impossibles | Randall Garrett | ★★★ |
| Psi-Power 3: Supermind | Randall Garrett | ★★ |
| Quest of the Golden Ape | Randall Garrett | ★★ |
| The Eyes Have It | Randall Garrett | ★★★★ |
| The Foreign Hand-Tie | Randall Garrett | ★★★ |
| The Highest Treason | Randall Garrett | ★★★ |
| The Penal Cluster | Randall Garrett | ★★ |
| Loserthink | Scott Adams | ★★★ |
| Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra 0 with Physics | Stanley F. Schmidt | ★★★★ |
| Life of Fred: Australia | Stanley F. Schmidt | ★★★★ |
| Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra 2 with Economics | Stanley F. Schmidt | ★★★★ |
| Life of Fred: Trigonometry Expanded Edition | Stanley F. Schmidt | ★★★★ |
| Coyote Waits | Tony Hillerman | ★★★ |
| Hunting Badger | Tony Hillerman | ★★★ |
| Sacred Clowns | Tony Hillerman | ★★★ |
| Skeleton Man | Tony Hillerman | ★★★ |
| Skinwalkers | Tony Hillerman | ★★★ |
| The Dark Wind | Tony Hillerman | ★★★ |
| The Ghostway | Tony Hillerman | ★★★ |
| The People of Darkness | Tony Hillerman | ★★★ |
| The Shape Shifter | Tony Hillerman | ★★★ |
| The Wailing Wind | Tony Hillerman | ★★★ |
| The Bible (English Standard Version, canonical) | ★★★★★ | |
| The New Testament (King James Version, canonical) | ★★★★★ |
Is this the same Randall Garrett who wrote the Lord Darcy stories?
Yes, indeed, it is. Amazon has "Randall Garrett: Ultimate Collection" for Kindle for 99 cents, and I couldn't pass it up.
I would say that "ultimate" in the title is a grave misnomer, as it doesn't include the Lord Darcy books themselves, though at least part of one appears in short story form. The length of the stories varies, as does the quality. I would say that nothing approaches the Lord Darcy books, but almost all that I've read so far have been interesting as science fiction, though the fact that so many involve magic, ESP, telekinesis, or the like puts it more in the line of fantasy (which people have long mixed with science fiction). Like the Lord Darcy books, it's very scientific in its fantasy, if that makes sense.
Very impressive, or wicked impressive as we used to say. When will you do a "best of" list? I'm interested in new sci fi (just read "Station Eleven", very different from TV series) and loved it. Be interested to know your top 2 or 3 recs.
Particularly impressive given the predictive power of the title. :-)
I had to read it twice to get what you meant, Stephan. I'm about to correct it, so I'll record here that the title originally said, "Books Read in 2121."
Maybe I'll take it as good news, because most days I feel I need another hundred years to tackle my to-do list.
Eric, my apologies for being so slow to respond. Your question sent me down a rabbit hole of a "highest recommended books" overall. But for new science fiction, I'll have to recommend Brandon Sanderson's books, which you've seen mentioned here before. It's not hard-science fiction (which I used to call "not really science fiction at all") but nonetheless pretty amazing stuff. My "gateway book" was The Rithmatist followed by Legion. Now I'm on to Mistborn and Stormlight.
Thanks, Linda! Lots to investigate. Much appreciated!
