The Sword and Laser discussion
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Favorite Books you read in 2020
No 5 stars this year, but a few 4 stars that could have been 5 if it hadn't been for some itty-bitty thing that annoyed me or simply just lacked that little bit extra that would have made it a 5 star book.My favorite books this year were:
The Girl in The Tower
The Winter of the Witch
The Body Electric
Heated Rivalry
Loose Cannon
The Last Emperox
I only rated 2 books 5 stars this year. I may finish Rhythm of War before the year is out but I don't think it will be 5 stars for me, probably 4. At least, that's where I am now.The two 5 star reads for me were:
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl (I finished this in about a day while being on shift for some testing we were doing in January)
The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal (I cried. I laughed. I almost puked)
As for club picks, I skipped Parable of the Sower (though I plan to get to it sometime. I just can't get there now) and some of the early ones. But of the ones I read, I rated a few club picks 4 stars:
Howl's Moving Castle
Magician: Apprentice
The Ten Thousand Doors of January
A Memory Called Empire
My biggest surprise this year was enjoying A Memory Called Empire as much as I did. I didn't think I'd dig it, based on the initial description, but I had a lot of fun with it.
Phil wrote: "Since I won't finish another book before year's end I'll start this.What were your favorite/5 star books you read in 2020?"
It’s awesome to see Dragon's Egg on your list. I love that book.
terpkristin wrote: "I only rated 2 books 5 stars this year. I may finish Rhythm of War before the year is out but I don't think it will be 5 stars for me, probably 4. At least, that's where I am now.."
I thought the Reichl book was terrific. It’s one of those true stories no one would buy if you made it up. It be a terrific movie, and I’d cast Julianna Marguiles as Ruth.
My faves of the year:Sword:
Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom - this duology is awesome, but the heists and twists of CK really put it over the top for me; one of the best examples of character and plot working together and affecting each other. I have a new author to explore in 2021
Laser:
Network Effect - Murderbot!
YA:
The House in the Cerulean Sea - a pleasant antidote to 2020
Feed - teens on the moon, but it speaks directly to our present day, despite being written years before smartphones existed or T**** become President
The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom - silly fun starring the various incompetent and goofy Princes Charming from folktales who team up to win their ladies back; get the audiobook read by Bronson Pinchot
Non-Fiction:
Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World - lessons we should’ve learned
How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States - everything including the kitchen sink; so good
Graphic Novel:
Immortal Hulk, Volume 1: Or is he Both? - this whole series is great, some really effective body horror
All-New Wolverine, Volume 1: The Four Sisters - fun like superhero comics should be
Crowded, Vol. 1 and Crowded, Vol. 2: Glitter Dystopia - sci-fi satire that really leans into the insanity of the gig economy
Star Wars, Vol. 3: Rebel Jail - this whole series is a masterclass in how to find empty areas in existing canon to tell stories
Art:
The Art of Cuphead - videogame art that’s a true throwback to classic cartoons of the ‘30s and ‘40s
Spectrum 27: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art
I think my only 5-star read in the SF/F genre this year was:
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
although I also gave 5 stars to this historical fiction/horror mashup by an author known for his SF:
The Terror by Dan Simmons
and my non-SF/F 5 star reads included:
Moneyball by Michael Lewis
The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins
Books of Blood: Volumes One to Three by Clive Barker
As for the Hall of Shame, the worst read of the year for me was the execrable:
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
Rereads:Salsa Nocturna: Stories
The Dispatcher
All Systems Red
Artificial Condition
Rogue Protocol
Exit Strategy
Shorts:
Interview with the Robot
Slow Burner
Buried
Murder by Other Means
Genre:
Junkyard Cats
Mr. Mercedes
Non Fiction:
Challenge Accepted!
S&L Picks:
The Light Brigade
Parable of the Sower
Is there some way to sort by rating _and_ date read? Seems like a lot of trouble otherwise to figure out 5 star books of this year.I re-read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell this year, one of my favorites of all-time, so that is my best read of the year.
I made a tag for year read then sort by rating within that group
Geoff wrote: "Is there some way to sort by rating _and_ date read? Seems like a lot of trouble otherwise to figure out 5 star books of this year...."
Leesa wrote: "I made a tag for year read then sort by rating within that group"
Same.
Sword:A Deadly Education
The Hollow Places
The Midnight Bargain
Piranesi
Laser:
Network Effect
Nonfiction:
Unbelievable
On the other end of the scale no 1-star books this year and only three 1½-star ones!
Geoff wrote: "Is there some way to sort by rating _and_ date read? Seems like a lot of trouble otherwise to figure out 5 star books of this year."There is already a year by year break down, that you can then order by rating.
Looks like you only rated 7 books 5-stars this year. ;-)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Geoff wrote: "Is there some way to sort by rating _and_ date read? Seems like a lot of trouble otherwise to figure out 5 star books of this year.https://www.goodreads.com/review/stat... gives statistics for each year, and there is a link for filtering by rating and date. Unfortunately, the link does not work… ;-) I ended up opening links for each 5-star book in a separate tab.
Mod
I'll cheat by listing 2 books at number 2. I read the series back to back.
The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
Parable of the Sower/Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
Autonomous by Annalee Newitz
Network Effect by Martha Wells
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
I didn't realise that my list had no male authors until I'd finished it. 4 female authors and 1 non-binary author.
Might get in one more this year if I read some Jim Butcher or something next, but for now my favourite reads of the year are:The Trouble with Peace
Nemesis Games
The Green Pearl
Young Miles
Changes
Luck of the Wheels
Tassie Dave wrote: "I didn't realise that my list had no male authors until I'd finished it. 4 female authors and 1 non-binary author."I haven’t kept track of gender but about halfway through the year I did wonder about non-Caucasian authors so I started keeping track. I have 69 of 246 so far, about 28%. I didn’t seek it out intentionally, but that’s a pretty decent percentage.
Geoff wrote: "Is there some way to sort by rating _and_ date read? Seems like a lot of trouble otherwise to figure out 5 star books of this year?..."There is also a stats option listed near the top of My Books that shows you info by year. You can look at details for the year to see books by rating.
A small handful of 5 star reads this year, excluding a couple of re-reads.Children of Ruin
Lies Sleeping (Rivers of London)
Nemesis Games (The Expanse)
For S&L specifically, a few solid 4 star books - but I was a bit selective and skipped some that didn't look like they were for me. Stand outs?
Gideon the Ninth
The Light Brigade
A Memory Called Empire
No 5 stars this year (I am very parsimonious with the top rating). A lot of 4 star books. In my top 6 are:
SF A Memory Called Empire
SF/F Gideon the Ninth
GN Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening
F Howl's Moving Castle
Science Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
F Black Leopard, Red Wolf
A good year in all...
Finishing the year off with Network Effect so may have another high entry
You guys are amazing! I now have 3 different ways to do something I couldn't figure out myself.New SFF 5 star books for me were:
* Piranesi - I'll wait another 13 years for her next book if I have to.
* Exit Strategy - I really enjoyed the whole Murderbot series.
* To Be Taught, If Fortunate - I like "thoughtful" Becky Chambers even more that "actiony" Becky Chambers.
Three 5 stars in sci-fi/fantasy this year if I exclude re-reads and the third is french only and not exactly a recent publication- The Stone Sky
- The Once and Future Witches
- L'Ange de l'abîme
However I have 2 5 stars outside of the genre which is a first for me :
- The Cartel
- The Border
Good 4 stars that deserve mentioning :
- The Saints of Salvation
- The Burning God
- The Ten Thousand Doors of January
- Ninth House
- A Memory Called Empire
-
You can see my full list of 5-star reads for 2020 here (that's Dec 1 2019- Nov 30 2020) but I will list my swords and lasers, bearing in mind that I read plenty of solid, even good books that were 3-4 stars so aren't listed.[ETA: add book/author does not appear to be working at the moment!]
Science Fiction and Fantasy
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (can't believe this was in 2020)
Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger (novella with f/f romance)
Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (YA fantasy with Persian folktale elements)
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth (such fun)
How Long 'Til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin (short story collection)
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice, narrated by Billy Merasty (apocalypse with indigenous/rural setting)
Homesick by Nino Cipri (science fiction short stories, very creative)
Plus one adjacent horror novel - The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.
I had a lot of 5 of 5 star books, and some of those were by authors who released two books in one year. M.R. Carey The Book of Koli & The Trials of Koli were both 5 stars for the book and the narration by Theo Solomon.
Michael J. Sullivan Age of Death and Age of Empyre were both 5 stars and the narration by Tim Gerard Reynolds.
Battle Ground and Peace Talks I count as as one book in my head, so 5 stars for the overall effect of the books plus the narration by James Marsters .
Joe Abercrombie The Trouble with Peace continues the great First Law Series Part 2.
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang nailed the landing.
Heaven's River just continued my favorite fun Sci Fi series. The Bobiverse Series is my answer to anyone who likes Douglas Adams books and wants something like that .
Lisa Cassidy self published series A Tale of Stars and Shadow: The Complete Series is a 5 star series for me . Checked off all the boxes for me . Characters. Plot, Worldbuilding and Pace were pitch perfect.
The Last Emperox is another 5 star book that finished a series in style. .
Legacy of Ghosts continued the promise of Blood of Heirs in Alicia Wanstall-Burke self published series The Coradic Saga .
A Time of Courage by John Gwynne finish his Truth and Courage series. If you know of a person that loves David Eddings recommend John Gwynne books. They will thank you.
Trike wrote: "I thought the Reichl book was terrific. It’s one of those true stories no one would buy if you made it up. It be a terrific movie, and I’d cast Julianna Marguiles as Ruth."You said this in some other thread, too, and it's what encouraged me to pick up the book. I loved it.
terpkristin wrote: "Trike wrote: "I thought the Reichl book was terrific. It’s one of those true stories no one would buy if you made it up. It be a terrific movie, and I’d cast Julianna Marguiles as Ruth."You said this in some other thread, too, and it's what encouraged me to pick up the book. I loved it. ..."
*flex*
😁
Seems like I have to amend my previous post since Resurrection was a 5 star read. I love this series.
Iain wrote: "No 5 stars this year (I am very parsimonious with the top rating). A lot of 4 star books. In my top 6 are:
SF A Memory Called Empire
SF/F Gideon the Ninth
So I finished Network Effect and A Memory Called Empire is still the best SF book of the year.
To my favorite Science Fiction list I’m adding Mexican Gothic.I know what you’re thinking, “Trike, you’re a stickler for genre boundaries and that looks like a throwback Horror story!” It *IS* a throwback horror story... and it’s also SF. Trust me on this.
It’s also creepy as hell.
My favorite sf/f book of the year was Myke Cole’s Sixteenth Watch. The revelations about his personal conduct were a real let down. I also liked William Gibson’s Agency.
Mod
2) Peace Talks - 5 Stars - (My Review)
3) The Relentless Moon - 4.5 Stars - (My Review)
4) Wintersteel - 4.5 Stars - (My Review)
5) Rhythm of War - 4 Stars - (My Review)
6) Network Effect - 4 Stars - (My Review)
Full stats/review of 2020 for anyone interested: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read 81 books in 2020. I had a lot of five stars in myriad genres. I will start with swords, followed by lasers, and then list the others. Swords:
1. Tarzan at Earths Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs
2. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Lasers:
1. 1984 by George Orwell
2. The Second Variety by Philip K. Dick
3. Line to Tomorrow by Lewis Padgett
4. Who Goes There by John W. Campbell Jr.
5. Star Trek 6 by James Blish
War/Military:
1. White Water Red Hot Lead by Dan Daly
2. The Dirty Dozen by E.M. Nathanson
3. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
4. Battle Leadership by Adolf Von Schell
Memoirs/Autobiographies/Biographies/Travelogues:
1. Bear in the Backseat I and II By Carolyn Jordan
2. The Last Plainsmen by Zane Grey
3. Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmond O’Hanlon
4. The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant
Religion:
1. Cepher Bible by Cepher
2. Cabalistic Keys to the Lord’s Prayer by Manly P. Hall
Historical Fiction:
1. Wood Rangers or The Trappers of Sonora by Mayne Thomas Reid
Adventure:
1. Hatchet by Gary Paulson
Horror/Terror/Thrillers:
1. Cujo by Stephen King
True Crime:
1. To Kill and Kill Again by John Coston
Conspiracy:
1. None Dare Call It Conspiracy by Gary Allen
2. Secret Societies of the Middle Ages by Thomas Keightey
3. The Dark Path by Isaac Weishaupt
Westerns:
1. Conagher by Louis L’Amour
2. To Tame a Land by Louis L’Amour
3. The Night-Born by Jack London
Science:
1. Insects and Diseases by Renny Wilbur Doane
Brain Food:
1. Riddles Boutique by Eran Cohen
Jerimy wrote: "I read 81 books in 2020. I had a lot of five stars in myriad genres. I will start with swords, followed by lasers, and then list the others. Swords:
1. Tarzan at Earths Core by Edgar Rice Burroug..."
I admire your commitment to the classics.
If it were good enough for granpapaw, then by gum it’s good enough for us! 😁
Woo! Nice to see someone else reading Cradle series. It was one of my 'Yay' finds in 2019.
I only had two 5 star reads this year, which is pretty low for me. These were Gideon the Ninth (I can’t believe that was still in 2020, it seems like I read it so long ago!), and The Only Harmless Great Thing.The science fiction and fantasy books I awarded 4 stars this year include: The Last Unicorn, The Strange Bird: A Borne Story, Children of Time, Emergency Skin, Howl's Moving Castle, Elysium, Summer Frost, Harrow the Ninth, Piranesi, and all of the Murderbot books except for the first one (which I read before 2020).
Trike wrote: "To my favorite Science Fiction list I’m adding Mexican Gothic.I know what you’re thinking, “Trike, you’re a stickler for genre boundaries and that looks like a throwback Horror st..."
Mexican Gothic is a favorite 2020 read for me as well. It creeped me out and kept me reading late into the night!
My 5 Star Laser reads for this year:
Dark Matter
Artificial Condition
All Systems Red
Parable of the Sower
The Space Between Worlds
A Princess of Mars
The Time Machine
Revan
The Testaments
5 Star Swords
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Howl's Moving Castle
Sword of Destiny
Stardust
The Last Wish
Mod
yeah. It's a really fun series. I found it in 2018, so I've been reading the new releases as they've come out for the last few books. It's always a drop what you're doing and read book for me now.
Trike wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "I read 81 books in 2020. I had a lot of five stars in myriad genres. I will start with swords, followed by lasers, and then list the others. Swords:
1. Tarzan at Earths Core by Edg..."
Thank's Trike. I'm practically a classic myself. There's a good reason classics are classics, that's because they're good. Most great ideas these days were inspired by classic books. Movies are still being produced such as I Frankenstein, John Carter, Dracula, Of Mice and Men, The Thing, and so many more that all have their roots formed in classic literature. Our grandparents knew quality when they read it. Have you read many of the classics? (Graphic novels count). Who are your favorite authors? I'm partial to Robert Jordan, Stephen R. Lawhead, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Robert E. Howard, G.A. Henty, H.P. Lovecraft, Algernon Blackwood, Bram Stoker, Jack London, Zane Grey, Louis L'Amour, and Bernard Cornwell.
Happy reading
Mod
Trike has passed the Classic and Vintage stage. He's now an antique 😜
Tassie Dave wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "Thank's Trike. I'm practically a classic myself."Trike has passed the Classic and Vintage stage. He's now an antique 😜"
Looking forward to “decrepit”. What’s it like, old timer? 😎
Trike wrote: "Tassie Dave wrote: "Jerimy wrote: "Thank's Trike. I'm practically a classic myself."Trike has passed the Classic and Vintage stage. He's now an antique 😜"
Looking forward to “decrepit”. What’s i..."
Well, I'm starting to learn why books are so fun to read because it's easier than exercise, and the recovery time after reading a novel is less than a minute. ;)
^ I've read all of the Tarzans, all of the Barsoom books by ERB (skipped the one by his son), Count of Monte Cristo, all of the Three Musketeers books, the Cthulhu stories by Lovecraft, and the popular classics by HG Wells and Jules Verne, plus a handful of the less popular ones. Not into Westerns but L'Amour indulged fantasy once so I've read The Haunted Mesa. Dracula, Frankenstein, Mice and Men, Grapes of Wrath, Picture of Dorian Gray, read and enjoyed. Treasure Island, forced myself to finish.It's funny to think that we as far away from the publication date of the Foundation Trilogy (and other classics) than we were from The Time Machine when I read it as a young'un. What constitutes a classic? I've seen people call Ringworld one, same for Dragonflight. For me those are still current. Depends on the point of view.
Jerimy wrote: "Have you read many of the classics?"I have, but like Signor Taloni, many of them weren’t yet classics when I read them. :p
Look, Ringworld was published 50 years ago. Pretty fair calling that a classic of SF.
Mod
Like an old wine I'm matured 😉
I'm not worried about getting old.
I've still got 516 days 9 hours and 37 minutes before I turn 60
No, not worried at all 😟
Tassie Dave wrote: "I'm not worried about getting old.
I've still got 516 days 9 hours and 37 minutes before..."
Meh. You young kids. MOW MY LAWN!
(I"m 62. And it still freaks me out to type that. )
Like a Vonnegut character, I've become unstuck in time. I'm just a few years behind Tassie Dave, but when I think about events that are crystal clear in my memory I have to stop and think how far back it was. Often it's decades, but feels like last week. Someone showed a Walt Simonson Fantastic Four cover in one of his appreciation groups the other day and I thought, "oh yeah, I remember getting that at Golden Apple when I used to live near Melrose. That was (ponders) thirty years ago..."
Rick wrote: "Tassie Dave wrote: "I'm not worried about getting old.
I've still got 516 days 9 hours and 37 minutes before..."
Meh. You young kids. MOW MY LAWN!
(I"m 62. And it still freaks me out to type t..."
Ooh, what was Mary Shelley like?
Trike wrote: "Ooh, what was Mary Shelley like ..."
Big on the absinthe
Jerimy wrote: "Thank's Trike. I'm practically a classic myself. There's a good reason classics are classics, that's because they're good. Most great ideas these days were inspired by classic books. Movies are still being produced such as I Frankenstein, John Carter, Dracula, Of Mice and Men, The Thing, and so many more that all have their roots."I'm with you too. I have read books by all that you mention except G.A. Henty and Algernon Blackwood. Sounds like two authors I need to seek out in 2021.
My 2020 5 star reads/listens presented in the order I experienced them:Tiamat's Wrath
Sword of Destiny
The Light Brigade
This Is How You Lose the Time War
Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Allegiance Single issues from House of Secrets
The Rise of Skywalker
Guardians of the Galaxy/All-New X-Men: The Trial of Jean Grey on Hoopla
Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft Hoopla
House of M Hoopla
Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre
Changes The Dresden Files #12
Exit Strategy The Murderbot Diaries #4 (I gave Network Effect 4 stars)
Ghost Story The Dresden Files #13 Read by John Glover (I just started Cold Days tonight)
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again read by Andy Serkis - my only hindsight read in 2020
Locke & Key, Vol. 2: Head Games Hoopla
The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep Made my want to read more Dickens (I've only read A Christmas Carol).
The Sword and Laser
Books mentioned in this topic
The Tropic of Serpents (other topics)Finder (other topics)
For We Are Many (other topics)
The Ten Thousand Doors of January (other topics)
This Is How You Lose the Time War (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Michael J. Sullivan (other topics)M.R. Carey (other topics)
David Eddings (other topics)
R.F. Kuang (other topics)
Douglas Adams (other topics)
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What were your favorite/5 star books you read in 2020?
Mine were:
Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neil Stephenson
Don't Panic: The Official Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Companion by Neil Gaiman
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
Doorways in the Sand by Roger Zelazny
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore
Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward
Shakespeare for Squirrels by Christopher Moore
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
It seems I read a lot of second books in a series this year.
I didn't read any club picks this year so I can't speak to that although I did add 2 or 3 to my TBR list.