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balioc · 2 years ago

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BALIOC’S READING LIST, 2022 EDITION

With one exception, this list counts only published books, consumed in published-book format, that I read for the first time and finished. (There was one serious-seeming book that, as far as I know, exists only in free-floating PDF form.) No rereads, nothing abandoned halfway through, no Internet detritus of any kind apart from the aforementioned, etc. Also no children’s picture books.

1. The Blue Castle, Lucy Maude Montgomery

2. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, Priya Parker

3. The Girl and the Mountain, Mark Lawrence

4. There Is No Antimemetics Division, qntm

5. Dreamsnake, Vonda N. McIntyre

6. War and State Building in Medieval Japan, Various (ed. John A. Ferejohn and Frances McCall Rosenbluth)

7. Legal Systems Very Different From Ours, David Friedman, Peter T. Leeson, and David Skarbek

8. The Revolutions, Felix Gilman

9. Age of Ash, Daniel Abraham

10. When the Sea Turned to Silver, Grace Lin

11. Summer in Orcus, T. Kingfisher

12. The Thousand Eyes, A. K. Larkwood

13. Kingfall, David Estes

14. Surrogation, Suspended Reason

15. The Hands of the Emperor, Victoria Goddard

16. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro

17. Hakkenden -- Part 1: "An Ill-Considered Jest," Kyokutei Bakin

18. Claws of the Cat, Susan Spann

19. Blade of the Samurai, Susan Spann

20. Flask of the Drunken Master, Susan Spann

21. The Ninja's Daughter, Susan Spann

22. Betrayal at Iga, Susan Spann

23. Trial at Mount Koya, Susan Spann

24. Ghost of the Bamboo Road, Susan Spann

25. Fires of Edo, Susan Spann

26. The Discord of Gods, Jenn Lyons

27. All the Seas of the World, Guy Gavriel Kay

28. Don Rodriguez: Chronicles of Shadow Valley, Edward Plunkett, Lord Dunsany

29. Streets of Gold: America's Untold Story of Immigrant Success, Ran Abramitzky and Leah Bousyan

30. Harrow the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir

31. Perhaps the Stars, Ada Palmer

32. Dreadgod, Will Wight

33. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore

34. Manfred, George Gordon, Lord Byron

35. Friend to Mankind: Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499), Various (ed. Michael Shepherd)

36. Locklands, Robert Jackson Bennett

37. The Jade Setter of Janloon, Fonda Lee

38. Spring Snow, Yukio Mishima

39. Against All Gods, Miles Cameron

40. Nona the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir

41. Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century, J. Bradford DeLong

42. The Golden Enclaves, Naomi Novik

43. The Rise of the Dragon: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Vol. I, George R. R. Martin, Elio M. Garcia Jr., and Linda Antonsson

44. A Garter as a Lesser Gift, Aster Glenn Gray

45. The Night-Bird's Feather, Jenna Moran

46. Absolution by Murder, Peter Tremayne

47. The Lost Metal, Brandon Sanderson

48. Shroud for the Archbishop, Peter Tremayne

49. Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter, Richard Parks

50. Yamada Monogatari: To Break the Demon Gate, Richard Parks

51. Yamada Monogatari: The War God's Son, Richard Parks

52. Yamada Monogatari: The Emperor in Shadow, Richard Parks

53. Pulling the Wings off Angels, K. J. Parker

54. Laurus, Eugene Vodolazkin

55. The Ogre's Wife: Fairy Tales for Grownups, Richard Parks

56. The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, Fyodor Dostoevsky

Plausible works of improving nonfiction consumed in 2021: 7

[“plausible” and “improving” are being defined very liberally here]

Works written by women consumed in 2021: 23

Works written by men consumed in 2021: 29

Works written by both men and women consumed in 2021: 4

Balioc’s Choice Award, Fiction Division: The Remains of the Day

>>>> Honorable Mention: Laurus

Balioc’s Choice Award, Nonfiction Division: Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century

>>>> Honorable Mention: War and State Building in Medieval Japan

Series Award for: A Deeply Flawed Work of Luminescent Genius, No Really, This Thing is Artistically and Intellectually Important and Its Flaws Only Make It More So, Dear God What Were They Thinking Not Giving It the Hugo -- the Terra Ignora books, by Ada Palmer

Series Award for: I Cannot Begin to Articulate How Mad I Am That These Books of All Books Have Become Cultural Touchstones of My Local Social and Artistic Circle -- the Locked Tomb books, by Tamsyn Muir

Series Award for: I Must Give Credit to a Brave Author Who Makes Unexpected Moves and Tries New Things with Every Book, Even if Everything She Tries is Terrible -- the Locked Tomb books, by Tamsyn Muir

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Fiction-wise, this was actually a better year than you'd think from just eyeballing the list. The overall numbers are still below par, and there's too much shlocky formulaic mystery-series-type stuff; but there was a lot of real quality in there. I had real trouble deciding on my top two, and I ended up not giving either prize to a book by Jenna Moran writing at her normal level of quality, so that says something. There were a number of books that disappointed by not being amazing but that I'm still glad to have read (e.g. Summer in Orcus, The Hands of the Emperor). Even the shlocky formulaic stuff had more merit than you might expect, in many cases.

Serious contemplatively-emotional litfic is real good, at its best. Turns out.

Non-fiction-wise, this was a shitshow of unparalleled proportions. I read almost nothing, and what I read was uninspiring. (I started s number of things that I failed to finish, which didn't help.) I seriously considered making this a "no award" year. I am once again asking for your recommendations for really good, deeply-informative, blow-your-mind-open non-fiction.

#yearly reading list

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thepoisonedmartini · 5 years ago

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Welcome to Part Two of 15 Years of Mysteries! The first full year of hosting a Mystery Book Club at my local library included a variety of titles in the mystery genre, including cozies and private investigators.

In 2004, I began a book discussion group focused on the mystery genre. In the 15 years since the group first met, the Mystery Book Club has read more than 150 mysteries, suspense thrillers, and a few true crime tales. Follow along as I take you through the years in a look back at “15 Years of Mysteries.”

The first book of 2005 took readers back to the turn of the last century.

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January 2005 selection

City of Light by Lauren Belfer

Synopsis: “The year is 1901. Buffalo, New York, is poised for glory. With its booming industry and newly electrified streets, Buffalo is a model for the century just beginning.” Louisa Barrett, headmistress of a prestigious school, discovers evidence of a murder linked to the newfangled power plant at Niagara Falls.

Thoughts: I loved this one. So much so that I revisited it for an early appearing review on The Poisoned Martini. Learning more about Buffalo’s rich history was as fascinating and interesting as unraveling the crime. It’s not a fast read, but it holds your interest.

February 2005 selection

Murphy’s Law by Rhys Bowen

Synopsis: This first book in Bowen’s Molly Murphy was the winner of the 2001 Agatha Award. After killing a man in self-defense, Molly immigrates to America and becomes embroiled in a murder of a man on Ellis Island.

Thoughts: This was a solid, entertaining read. Molly is a very likeable protagonist.

March 2005 selection

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thompson

Synopsis: Four Princeton seniors work together to solve a mystery contained within a mysterious book published in Venice, Italy in 1499.

Thoughts: The success of The Da Vinci Code in 2003 spawned similar thrillers in its wake, and this one fits that mold. It’s definitely one of the better fictitious works dealing with mysterious coded manuscripts and characters with sinister motives.

April 2005 selection

A Catered Murder by Isis Crawford

Synopsis: Bernadette Simmons leaves behind a cheating boyfriend in L.A. to join her sister’s catering business in New York. Their first job together, a high school reunion, ends with a murder, and it’s up to them to solve it.

Thoughts: I found this one kitschy, but in a good way. However, the mystery plot isn’t really solvable for the reader as a vital clue is revealed moments before the killer is.

May 2005 selection

Rottweiler by Ruth Rendell

A killer dubbed The Rottweiler strangles his victims and removes a personal item from each. A local shopkeeper is drawn into the case when these items start showing up in her shop.

Thoughts: I’d previously read Rendell’s The Crocodile Bird for a college class and thought it would be a great idea to read another of her psychological thrillers for the Mystery Book Club. Unfortunately, I didn’t care for this one. The Crocodile Bird was a far superior read.

June 2005 selection

The Last Prophecy by Jon Land

Synopsis: Members of a medical unit that uncovered a secret while liberating a concentration camp in 1945 are being systematically murdered years later because of their discovery. A Palestinian-American detective and an Israeli agent join together to investigate.

Thoughts: What starts off as a political spy thriller devolves into an ages old conspiracy (ala The Da Vinci Code) tied to lost prophecies of Nostradamus. There were also more than a fair number of Deus Ex Machina moments. While parts of it were entertaining, it’s all a bit too farfetched.

July 2005 selection

Shadow Play by David Cole

Synopsis: PI Laura Winslow looks into the murder-suicide of a reclusive Navajo and his female companion; deaths that may have a connection to a local gambling palace.

Thoughts: Cole, a local author who lives part of the year in Tucson, Arizona, once spoke at my local library. This fifth and final book featuring PI Laura Winslow had a slow start, but the setting and characters were interesting.

August 2005 selection

Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs

Synopsis: Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan examines the bones of three young women unearthed in the basement of a pizza parlor and discovers their deaths are more recent that the police believed.

Thoughts: As my first foray into Reichs’ books and the world of forensic anthropology, I found it fascinating. The only drawback was starting in the middle of the series.

September 2005 selection

The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith

Synopsis: An Edinburgh woman witnesses the death of a young man and sets out to find out what really happened.

Thoughts: Though not quite as good as The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, philosopher Isabel Dalhousie’s series debut is a charming, cozy read to while away an afternoon.

October 2005 selection

The Twelfth Card by Jeffrey Deaver

Synopsis: A Harlem high school girl’s life is in danger, and Lincoln Rhyme sees a connection between the girl’s research into her ancestor, a former slave and civil rights activist in the 1860s and the tarot card, The Hanged Man, left behind by the would-be killer.

Thoughts: With its mix of past and present, The Twelfth Card is a contemporary and historical mystery rolled into one. Add in quadriplegic Lincoln Rhyme, a former crime scene unit investigator, and you have an extremely compelling read.

November 2005 selection

Bookman’s Wake by John Dunning

Synopsis: Bookdealer Cliff Janeway, a former Denver cop, becomes involved in the case of a fugitive bail jumper who may have been involved in the theft of a priceless edition of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven.

Thoughts: I had previously read Arturo Perez-Reverte’s The Club Dumas which involves the world of rare book dealing and was curious to embark on another foray into this realm. While The Club Dumas borders on the fantastic, Bookman’s Wake is firmly grounded in a very plausible plot.

December 2005 selection

School Days by Robert B. Parker

Synopsis: A society matron hires Boston PI Spenser to prove her grandson innocent of a school shooting.

Thoughts: I knew of the TV series, Spencer: For Hire,” starring Robert Urich, but I’d never watched many episodes of it. I was more of Hunter fan. However, Parker was a very prolific writer, and I chose his – at the time – latest Spenser novel for the Mystery Book Club. It was a very brisk read, though not particularly memorable in spite of the topical subject of school shootings. Considering this was the 33rd novel in the series, I find that I miss the progression and context of the characters that add to the enjoyment of a series by jumping in the middle of it.

***

And those were the selections for 2005. It was certainly a potpourri of mystery titles without any particular rhyme or reason to the choices. I think our goal for that year was to read a variety, and we definitely did! But this is just the beginning. Stay tuned for part three as I continue to look back at the more than 150 books read in 15 years of mysteries.

15 Years of Mysteries: Part Two Welcome to Part Two of 15 Years of Mysteries! The first full year of hosting a Mystery Book Club at my local library included a variety of titles in the mystery genre, including cozies and private investigators.

#Book Discussion #Books #Fiction

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