Books - second half of 2015
Jan. 6th, 2016 10:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rich_jackoThe Carpet People, The Bromeliad, Nation, A Slip of the Keyboard, Dodger, A Blink of the Screen (Terry Pratchett) - I finished my Discworld marathon (although I'm still waiting for the last one in paperback) but carried on with my "read at least one Pratchett book a month" habit. I adored The Bromeliad and Nation, both of which are up there with the very best of Discworld and have a lot to say about human nature. The others were good reads too.
Terminal World (Alistair Reynolds) - Recommended by Ed, a sci-fi / steampunk novel set on a dystopian future world where different levels of technology only work in certain zones. A good excuse for zeppelin-related madness.
Serenity graphic novels (Joss and Zack Whedon and others) - A pitch-perfect continuation of the TV series which gets all the characters right. I deliberated for ages whether to read volume 3 ("The Shepherd's Tale") - It was a satisfying back-story, well-told and with a lot of twists as it flashes further and further back through time, but I did rather like Book's background remaining a mystery.
The Martian (Andy Weir) - A hugely entertaining page-turner about an astronaut stranded on Mars. My favourite book of the year. Full review here.
More Fool Me (Stephen Fry) - Volume 3 of Fry's autobiography. A very enjoyable fist half, along the same lines as his earlier The Fry Chronicles, but a disappointing second half consisting solely of his old diary entries with the occasional footnote.
Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) - Recommended by just about everybody. Like the cover says, it's Willy Wonka meets The Matrix. A marvelous and loving ode to old video games and '80s pop culture.
Foxglove Summer (Ben Aaronovitch) - The latest in the Peter Grant series, and a welcome break from London with a mystery in rural Herefordshire, close to my home patch, and some very scary unicorns. As good as ever. I still can't help comparing it to The Dresden Files though, and the end feels rather sudden - the climax comes just at the point where a Dresden book would be ramping up for the final act.
A Million Years in A Day (Gregg Jenner) - The history of our everyday routines, from morning until bedtime. I picked up a signed copy after attending Jenner's talk at Off The Shelf and it's a fun and informative read - imagine Horrible Histories for adults (unsurprisingly, as Jenner works on the TV show).
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Rachel Joyce) - A pensioner leaves the house one day and walks the length of England on a whim, to visit an old friend with terminal cancer. Not the type of story I'd normally read, but I picked it up on offer and enjoyed it. It had a whimsical feel, but with a killer twist towards the end (which I'm kicking myself for not seeing coming).
Star Wars: Choices of One (Timothy Zahn) - I felt the need for a random Star Wars read in the run-up to the new film, and Zahn is usually a good choice. A cracking adventure set between Episodes IV and V, featuring all the main cast of the original trilogy and many of Zahn's expanded universe regulars. I could have done with reading Allegiance, which it seems to be a sequel to, but it wasn't essential before reading this.
How the Marquis Got His Coat Back (Neil Gaiman) - A short (50 pages, 2 quid in Waterstones) sequel to Neverwhere which does exactly what it says on the cover. Hurrah for the Marquis de Carabas!
Terminal World (Alistair Reynolds) - Recommended by Ed, a sci-fi / steampunk novel set on a dystopian future world where different levels of technology only work in certain zones. A good excuse for zeppelin-related madness.
Serenity graphic novels (Joss and Zack Whedon and others) - A pitch-perfect continuation of the TV series which gets all the characters right. I deliberated for ages whether to read volume 3 ("The Shepherd's Tale") - It was a satisfying back-story, well-told and with a lot of twists as it flashes further and further back through time, but I did rather like Book's background remaining a mystery.
The Martian (Andy Weir) - A hugely entertaining page-turner about an astronaut stranded on Mars. My favourite book of the year. Full review here.
More Fool Me (Stephen Fry) - Volume 3 of Fry's autobiography. A very enjoyable fist half, along the same lines as his earlier The Fry Chronicles, but a disappointing second half consisting solely of his old diary entries with the occasional footnote.
Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) - Recommended by just about everybody. Like the cover says, it's Willy Wonka meets The Matrix. A marvelous and loving ode to old video games and '80s pop culture.
Foxglove Summer (Ben Aaronovitch) - The latest in the Peter Grant series, and a welcome break from London with a mystery in rural Herefordshire, close to my home patch, and some very scary unicorns. As good as ever. I still can't help comparing it to The Dresden Files though, and the end feels rather sudden - the climax comes just at the point where a Dresden book would be ramping up for the final act.
A Million Years in A Day (Gregg Jenner) - The history of our everyday routines, from morning until bedtime. I picked up a signed copy after attending Jenner's talk at Off The Shelf and it's a fun and informative read - imagine Horrible Histories for adults (unsurprisingly, as Jenner works on the TV show).
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Rachel Joyce) - A pensioner leaves the house one day and walks the length of England on a whim, to visit an old friend with terminal cancer. Not the type of story I'd normally read, but I picked it up on offer and enjoyed it. It had a whimsical feel, but with a killer twist towards the end (which I'm kicking myself for not seeing coming).
Star Wars: Choices of One (Timothy Zahn) - I felt the need for a random Star Wars read in the run-up to the new film, and Zahn is usually a good choice. A cracking adventure set between Episodes IV and V, featuring all the main cast of the original trilogy and many of Zahn's expanded universe regulars. I could have done with reading Allegiance, which it seems to be a sequel to, but it wasn't essential before reading this.
How the Marquis Got His Coat Back (Neil Gaiman) - A short (50 pages, 2 quid in Waterstones) sequel to Neverwhere which does exactly what it says on the cover. Hurrah for the Marquis de Carabas!
