Reading Log – Oct-Dec 2020

Somehow, I managed to finish 99 books in this quarter, bringing my total for the year to 268! A few of them were even audiobooks – I had eye surgery on December 14th and couldn’t manage to read, so audiobooks were the next best option. I picked books that I’d already read before, so that it wasn’t a big deal if I zoned out here & there. Even at 1.5 speed, narrators can’t read as fast as my brain does, and it often becomes unintelligible at a greater speed than that. So as you can imagine, I’m not usually an audiobook fan.

As for genres, I still leaned heavily into fiction, particularly escapist sci-fi/fantasy/speculative types. In the Year of COVID, real life holds little appeal. I did squeeze in some thrillers, however, particularly by marathoning some Patricia Cornwell while visiting my mum. I used to love the Scarpetta series… but this re-read did not endear me. I felt very strongly the generational gap between the character of Kay Scarpetta/the writer Patricia Cornwell and myself.

I found a romance writer that I enjoy – Jessie Mihalik. Her books are sci-fi romances, and they felt real & engaging. I also finally purchased four of Ben Aaronovitch’s “Peter Grant” series that begins with Rivers of London, and loved them. I finished the year with a cute cozy murder mystery series by Jessica Ellicott set in an English village in the 1920s & it had a strong Agatha Christie vibe (in a good way). All things considered, I’m pretty happy with my diversity and depth of reading, and have enjoyed getting out of my head (in a legal & safe way!) via escapist fiction.

October

Midnight’s Twins by Holly Race
The Butcher Shop by Jean Devanny
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Serpent Sea by Martha Wells
The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene
The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley
The Siren Depths by Martha Wells
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Edge of Worlds by Martha Wells
Killing Gravity by Corey J. White
The Last Family in England by Matt Haig
Survival Lessons by Alice Hoffman
Honor Lost by Rachel Caine
Network Effect by Martha Wells
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
A Pale Light in the Black by K. B. Wagers
The 49th Mystic by Ted Dekker
Void Black Shadow by Corey J. White
Static Ruin by Corey J. White
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
Zodiac by Romina Russell
The Darkest Time of Night by Jeremy Finley
The Freeze-Frame Revolution by Peter Watts
The Flight of the Silvers by Daniel Price
Medusa Uploaded by Emily Devenport
Tracing Your London Ancestors by Jonathan Oates
Middlesex Murders by Linda Stratmann
London: A Travel Guide Through Time by Matthew Green
Compete by Vera Nazarian
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Priestess by Julie Parker
The Dragon Republic by R. F. Kuang
2010 by Arthur C. Clarke
Wandering Star by Romina Russell
Black Moon by Romina Russell
Thirteen Rising by Romina Russell
Letters From Berlin by Tania Blanchard

November

Umbrella Academy Vol. 2 by Gerard Way
Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
The Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell
From Potter’s Field by Patricia Cornwell
Point of Origin by Patricia Cornwell
Black Notice by Patricia Cornwell
The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell
Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell
She Has Her Mother’s Laugh by Carl Zimmer
Light is the New Black by Rebecca Campbell
Reverie by Ryan La Sala
The Harbours of the Sun by Martha Wells
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay
Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Boundless by Peter Newman
Win by Vera Nazarian
Survive by Vera Nazarian
The Coroner by M. R. Hall
The Tally Stick by Carl Nixon
The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White
The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce
The Celtic Goddess by Trevor Greenfield
A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton
A Lick of Frost by Laurell K. Hamilton
Seduced by Moonlight by Laurell K. Hamilton
A Stroke of Midnight by Laurell K. Hamilton
Mistral’s Kiss by Laurell K. Hamilton

December

The Shadow Effect by Deepak Chopra
Shakti Rising by Kavitha M. Chinnaiyan
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint
Under My Hat by Jonathan Strahan
Locke & Key: Small World by Joe Hill
Locke & Key: Heaven & Earth by Joe Hill
Locke & Key: Dog Days by Joe Hill
The Spinoff Book by Toby Manhire
The Hollow Ones by Guillermo Del Toro
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton
Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton
Chaos Reigning by Jessie Mihalik
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
Greenwitch by Susan Cooper
Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch
Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch
The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch
A Country House Christmas by Phyllis Elinor Sandeman
Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker
Aurora Blazing by Jessie Mihalik
Divine Misdemeanors by Laurell K. Hamilton
Murder in an English Village by Jessica Ellicott
Murder Flies the Coop by Jessica Ellicott
Murder Cuts the Mustard by Jessica Ellicott

99 in total for the quarter; 268 in total for the year!

Reading Log – Jul-Sep 2020

I have a few books to recommend this quarter: Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell, which was recommended to me by my brother & a very enjoyable read; The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold, a thoroughly researched and well written refutation of the idea that all of the Ripper’s victims were prostitutes; Recursion by Blake Crouch, scifi at it’s best; The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, blurring the lines between poetry & prose in an absolutely beautiful, dreamy way; and The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are by Libby Copeland for a look at some of the realities of taking a DNA test.

I also finally read something by Piers Anthony – the first Xanth novel. Anthony was a prolific scifi/fantasy writer & often features on recommended lists… but he won’t be appearing on mine. Hard pass! Sexist AF, and super creepy to boot. After finishing the book, I googled him and turns out he has published some truly horrific stuff, basically pedophilia. So, um, yeah. No thanks. And the Xanth novels are supposed to be funny fantasy, but they really aren’t. Give your kids/teens something by Terry Pratchett instead, please.

July

Diggers, Hatters & Whores by Stevan Eldred-Grigg
Saint Odd by Dean Koontz
Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox
Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin
The Midnight Mayor by Kate Griffin
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibran X. Kendi
The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte

August

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Tracing Your Canal Ancestors by Sue Wilkes
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Year’s Best Aotearoa New Zealand Science Fiction & Fantasy ed. by Marie Hodgkinson
The Deathless by Peter Newman
The Radleys by Matt Haig
The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
Is 5 by e.e. cummings
Recursion by Blake Crouch
Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco
La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron
Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows
Beasts Made of Night by Tochi Onyebuchi
The Black God’s Drums by P. Djeli Clark
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Oats in the North, Wheat from the South by Rgula Ysewijn
Qualify by Vera Nazarian
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab
Paging the Dead by Brynn Bonner
Dead in a Flash by Brynn Bonner
Picture Them Dead by Brynn Bonner
Wolf Speaker by Tamora Pierce
As She Ascends by Jodi Meadows
When She Reigns by Jodi Meadows

September

The Ruthless by Peter Newman
All His Pretty Girls by Charly Cox
The Asylum by Nathan Dylan Goodwin
What Lies Beneath by Elspeth Sandys
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
You Are Destined to Be Together Forever by Dean Koontz
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells
Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre
Honor Bound by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre
The Disasters by M. K. England
A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Meet Me in the Future by Kameron Hurley
Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman
Rise Sister Rise by Rebecca Campbell
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
Umbrella Academy Vol. 1 by Gerard Way
Stop Surviving Start Fighting by Jazz Thornton
The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte
Who Do You Think You Are? Encyclopedia of Genealogy by Nick Barratt
Getting Started: Who Do You Think You Are by Laura Berry
Creating Sanctuary by Jessi Bloom
Captain Marvel Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick
Bitch Planet Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick
The Lost Family by Libby Copeland
The Stranger in My Genes by Bill Griffeth
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

75 in total.

Reading Log – Apr-Jun 2020

I read a lot of fantasy & horror this quarter, matched only by the amount of non-fic history that I also consumed. After watching Locke & Key on Netflix, I decided to revisit the graphic novels, and enjoyed them even more. With regards to history, I particularly enjoyed England’s Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton by Kate Williams and Bedlam: London’s Hospital for the Mad by Paul Chambers. On a Kiwi note, Madeleine Chapman’s biography Jacinda Ardern was an excellent, balanced read about a very relevant politician right now.

April

Spark Joy by Marie Kondo
England’s Mistress by Kate Williams
Driven: My Story by Hayden Paddon
Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
Domes of Fire by David Eddings
The Shining Ones by David Eddings
The Hidden City by David Eddings
Regina’s Song by David Eddings
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan
Things Could Be Worse by Lily Brett
The Novice by Trudi Canavan
The High Lord by Trudi Canavan
Young Logan Campbell by R.C.J. Stone
Bedlam by Paul Chambers
Writing Your Family History by Deborah Cass
Locke & Key Vol. 1 by Joe Hill
Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake
The Lord Bishop’s Clerk by Sarah Hawkswood
One Dark, Two Light by Ruth Mancini
House on Fire by Joseph Finder
Locke & Key Vol. 2 by Joe Hill
Locke & Key Vol. 3 by Joe Hill

May

CBT Made Simple by Nina Josefowitz
CBT Skills Workbook by Barry Gregory
In Therapy by Susie Orbach
What Went Right by Eileen Bailey
Jacinda Ardern by Madeleine Chapman
Locke & Key Vol. 4 by Joe Hill
Locke & Key Vol. 5 by Joe Hill
A Viking in the Family by Keith Gregson
Poldark’s Cornwall by Winston Graham
Tracing Your West Country Ancestors by Kirsty Gray
Inheritance by Dani Shapiro
Dunedin by Christine Johnston
Unfortunate Folk by Barbara Brookes
Behold the Moon by Peter Entwhistle

June

The Archives by V.E. Schwab
The Unbound by V.E. Schwab
Stepping Into Ourselves by Anne Key
Locke & Key Vol. 6 by Joe Hill
Interworld by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Mortmain Hall by Martin Edwards
Sinless by Sarah Tarkoff
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
Brother Odd by Dean Koontz
Odd Hours by Dean Koontz
Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz
The Silver Dream by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves
Eternity’s Wheel by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves
Deeply Odd by Dean Koontz
Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier
Wanderers by Chuck Wendig
Dream On by Kerstin Gier
Just Dreaming by Kerstin Gier

57 in total.

Reading Log – Jan-Mar 2020

Lots of my usual genres in the first quarter of the year: history, murder mystery, poetry, sci-fi and fantasy. I highly recommend Ed West’s histories of England as they’re both comprehensive and comprehensible! And I really enjoyed reading R.C.J. Stone’s work, and look forward to finding more.

January

Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue by Hugh Howey
Under Glass by Gregory Kan
The Red Mother by Jeremy Haun
Logan Campbell’s Auckland by R.C.J. Stone
Juno of Taris by Fleur Beale
This Paper Boat by Gregory Kan
Solid Air by David Stavanger
Young Knowledge by Michele Leggott
Jacinda Adern by Michelle Duff
One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
Central Station by Lavie Tidhar
Unholy Land by Lavie Tidhar
The Affair by Lee Child

February

Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake
Genealogy Online by Elizabeth Powell Crowe
Nightwise by R.S. Belcher
The Night Dahlia by R.S. Belcher
The Brotherhood of the Wheel by R.S. Belcher
Tracing Your Kent Ancestors by David Wright
1066 and Before All That by Ed West
1215 and All That by Ed West

March

A Short History of England by Simon Jenkins
Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries 1-3 by Dorothy L. Sayers
The King Arthur Trilogy by Rosemary Sutcliff
Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
The Best Crime Stories Ever Told ed. by Dorothy L. Sayers
Becoming Queen by Kate Williams
The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield
The Miller’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent
Skin Deep by Liz Nugent
The Detective’s Daughter by Lesley Thomson
Ghost Girl by Lesley Thomson
Little Women & Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott
Tracing Your Pauper Ancestors by Robert Burlison

37 in total.