It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
#17 Pedon syleily (Finnish title) by Ilkka Remes
#18 Pääkallokehrääjä by Ilkka Remes
#19 When the Eagle Hunts by Simon Scarrow
Lately I mostly finished Dutch non-fiction books about Dutch topics that I didn't feel like mentioning, as I would not only have to translate the title, but to explain what they're about I had to tell in English things about Dutch history and geography that I only know the Dutch words for.

This week I finished a book that's more in line with what most people read here:

Sojourn, by R.A. Salvatore, the last part of the trilogy that deals with Drizzt's origins, taking place just before The Crystal Shard, Salvatore's first written book about Drizzt.

Most interesting book I'm currently involved in is Sleepwalkers by Christoper Clark, about what political constellations caused the First World War and a book about foreign country journalism and the question if reliable journalism is possible from dictatorial ruled countries and conflict zones. Very interesting. It's called "Het maakbare nieuws" (makeable news) and is a reaction to "Het zijn net mensen" by Joris Luyendijk.
A few more to add to the list:

Love Factually: 10 Proven Steps from I Wish to I Do / by Duana Welch
Considers the scientific research of relations between the sexes. Interesting even though I'm already married.

Tremendous Trifles / G.K. Chesterton
Collection of articles considering great issues through small incidents. Insightful as always.

The Slumbering Masses / Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer
A social and philosophical work about sleep as practiced in American culture. Includes such issues as why sleep patterns changed in the early 19th century (and why we think our current practice of 8 consolidated hours is normal even if it is relatively recent), how social and institutional demands determine such a private practice, how use of pharmaceuticals reinforce the idea that people are more flexible than institutions, and how medical and psychological disorders of sleep are determined more by social and institutional concerns than by concerns of health. Interesting not only for it's subject matter, but as a way to consider any negotiation of private matters and social/institutional obligation.

Full list here.
Finished two more.

The Ball and the Cross / by G.K. Chesterton
Not as successful as some of his better novels, but he is always thought-provoking.

How to Live on 24 Hours a Day / Arnold Bennett
Stop wasting time reading the newspaper and playing bridge; use your brain and make something of yourself. Actually it's a short, good self-help book from 1908, written in an engagingly humorous style.

Full list here.
Promis of Blood - Brian McCellan
Crimson Campaign - Brian McCellan
Game of Thrones - George RR Martin
Tanith First and Only - Dan Abnett
Night and the Enemy - Harlan Ellison
Propoganda Cartoons of WW2 - Tony Husband
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - Harlan Ellison
Berserk (All volumes available in english) - Kentaro Miura
Gunsmith Cats (including Burst) - Keichi Sonada

and half of Joe Halderman's Forever War (I just couldn't dig it)

Bit dissapointed at this years progress. I quit smoking which threw my game wayyyyy off.
It has been a long time since I updated this list, but that doesn't mean I managed to read a lot of books. Since last time, I finished A Crown of Swords (Robert Jordan), Baptism of Fire (Andrzej Sapkowski) and The Path of Daggers (Robert Jordan). I either don't remember a book or I broke my rule that I shouldn't read two books of the Wheel of Time series one after another. Anyway, as I'm over halfway now, I hope to finish the Wheel of Time somewhere in 2016. So far, it has been an interesting and enjoyable journey.

List so far:
#0: What if?, Randall Munroe
#1: The Shadow Rising, Robert Jordan
#2: The Time of contempt, Andrzej Sapkowski
#3: Mee met morgen
#4: The Fires of Heaven, Robert Jordan
#5: The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier
#6: Lords of Chaos, Robert Jordan
#7: A Crown of Swords, Robert Jordan
#8: Baptism of Fire, Andrzej Sapkowski
#9: The Path of Daggers, Robert Jordan
Wolf's Head, by Steven McKay
It's actually a trilogy and it's an alternate telling of the Robin Hood story. I'm about to the middle of the second one and so far, so good.
only ones that come to mind is the destroyermen series by Taylor Anderson. very good series in my opinion.
Haven't updated in quite some time, so here's a few more, although I'm not sure if I'm remembering them all. Anyway...

The Historian - by Elizabeth Kostova. I believe this was a first novel and very impressive if so. She can certainly write and has a way of describing places that make it very easy to see them in your mind's eye. Basically, another telling of the Dracula story, but well done and worth the read.

11/22/63 - by Stephen King. I've been a King fan for decades and finally got around to reading this one (which has been on my shelf since it was released). A 'what if' tale that takes the main character back in time where he stops the Kennedy assassination via the use of a time portal discovered in a friend's diner. I liked this one, even though it has the predictable plot of 'Yeah, if you could change things, the outcome isn't what you think it will be'.

Quicksilver - by Neal Stephenson. I do love this guy's writing and this book is no exception. Reminds me though, that I have to get back and complete this trilogy, as this was only book 1.

Firestarter - by Stephen King. Read it before several times but had a hankering to read it again. So I did. For some reason I've always really liked this book even though it's really not that great.

Dead Mountain - by Donnie Eichar. An investigative look at - and possible explanation for - the mysterious events of the Dyatlov Pass incident in 1959. A very plausible explanation, actually and one I feel is likely what happened. I read this one after seeing it discussed here on the forums and am glad I did. Well written.

Dune - by Frank Herbert. I've read this many times and tend to re-reda it every couple years or so. Had the desire to do so again, so just finished this one. On to the next books in the series now.

Full List.
I'll post another time the full list, but I just finished "The Martian"... and it's brilliant!
Not since Dune I experienced an author this intelligent. He's astronaut material.
And two final books to round out the year:

William Blake / G.K. Chesterton
Alarms and Discursions / G.K. Chesterton

Full list here.
I have finished one last book before 2015 was over, so it belongs here: Wat (w)eten we, a Dutch (there's a pun in the title, so it's untranslatable) about the food industry, and everything, from main production up to the distribution, that goes wrong. It's quite nuanced, and also offers a lot of good examples, so it was a nice read to finish 2015 with.

List:
#0: What if?, Randall Munroe
#1: The Shadow Rising, Robert Jordan
#2: The Time of contempt, Andrzej Sapkowski
#3: Mee met morgen
#4: The Fires of Heaven, Robert Jordan
#5: The Chocolate War, Robert Cormier
#6: Lords of Chaos, Robert Jordan
#7: A Crown of Swords, Robert Jordan
#8: Baptism of Fire, Andrzej Sapkowski
#9: The Path of Daggers, Robert Jordan
#10: Wat (w)eten we, Laurens de Meyer

That makes 10 (11?) books in total, which, considering the size of some and everything else I do, is still quite good, though I'd like to finish more. I'll see what 2016 brings.
Full list, links to reviews (two of them much more thorough than the rest):

- Feb 10-14: Pirates of the Poesasian (grabbed for free, worth about as much as I paid for it...)
- Mar 28-Apr 2: Fevre Dream (early, non-ASoIaF Martin; not bad at all)
- Apr 4-6: Baptism of Fire (possibly best in the series so far, building upon the rest)
- Apr 22-26: Blood of Tyrants (series picking back up after the low point)
- May 18-30: The Name of the Wind (simply awesome; atmosphere, emotional impact, even wisdom)
- May 31-Jun 20: The Wise Man's Fear (for more than half, too slow and confined; still awesome once it finally picks up)
- Jun 29-Jul 3: Winnetou's Heirs (eh, needed to add something cheap to get free shipping; did its job)
- Jul 20-25: Prince Lestat (better than I expected, in truth - full review there)
- Sep 28-Oct 2: Oryx and Crake (valuable, if not necessarily that good in other ways)
- Oct 3-5: 24 Bones (not bad, but would be better as a movie)
- Oct 20-23: Epic Unearthed (great idea, bad writing)
- Dec 14-23: Heiress of Magic (great story, awesome writing, tore me apart; unsafe to read if you respond strongly to emotional impact - full review there)

Previous years:

2014:

- Jan 21-30: Prophecies Awakening (full review)
- Mar 24-30: Heiress of Healing (ARC, full review)
- Apr 29-May 1: Crucible of Gold
- Jun 9-15: The Time of Contempt

2013:

- Jan 22-25: Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit
- Feb 19-21: Never Mind the Balkans, Here's Romania
- Feb 22-25: A Girl's Tale
- Apr 1-13: Hawkwood and the Kings
- Apr 15-28: Century of the Soldier
- Aug 6-11: Starliner
- Aug 18-30: Sorabol

2012:

- ?-May 30: The Born Queen
- ?-Jul 6: The Eternity Artifact
- ?-Aug 25: Victory of Eagles
- ?-Nov 11: Tongues of Serpents
- ?-Nov 22: The Last Wish
- ?-Nov 26: Blood of Elves
- ?-Dec 30: The Creators

2011:

- ?-Dec 15: No Future in It

2010:

- ?-Jan 10: The Blood Knight
- ?-May 11: Web of Everywhere
- ?-Aug 15: The Children of Hurin
- ?-Oct 3: A Calculus of Angels
- ?-Nov 14: Empire of Unreason
- ?-Nov 27: The Shadows of God

To go further back, check my read shelf on Goodreads (doesn't seem to allow resorting if not logged on though? and defaults to sorting by date added instead of date read, which is a mess). List is also less complete the farther back you go.
Post edited January 04, 2021 by Cavalary