2017 Reading List Retrospective

2017-12-31

Another year of reading. I easily beat my official goal of 50 with 84 books (finished the last one) a few hours before the end of the year). Unfortunately, it still feels like something of a failure, down from my original 100 book year and last year’s 91. Yes, I’m just crazy enough that 84 books in a year feels like a failure. 😄

A few stats:

The shortest book I read this year was The Eleventh Metal at 14 pages
The longest was Beyond the Shadows at 689 pages
My overall average was 338 pages per book and 77 per day
My average rating was 4.5 with 14 three stars and 18 four stars (the rest were fives)¹
I listened to 21 books on audiobook (all Discworld novels, so that’s almost my most by a single author or in a single series)
I borrowed a good number of them from our local library system; Overdrive is wonderful

Boundary Born Boundary Magic #3

2017-12-31

And now that you know this, are you any different than you were yesterday?” he asked. Pragmatic, as usual. “Nothing has changed, Lex. You haven’t changed. You just know something that you didn’t know before, that’s all.

The third time around, we have two new plot threads: someone has poisoned Maven and tehre is a new evil on the hunt.

Jingo Discworld #21 Discworld - City Watch #4

2017-12-28

Always be wary of any helpful item that weighs less than its operating manual.

Such is modern life.

Feet of Clay Discworld #19 Discworld - City Watch #3

2017-12-20

Feet of Clay’s central story tackles one key idea: What makes a person a person?

In this case, the idea is personified by the golems–a constructed race of humanoids made of clay, animated by a religious text stored inside of their head, and bound to service (inspired by Jewish folklore). According to just about everyone, golems aren’t alive. They are nothing more than tools.

Boundary Lines Boundary Magic #2

2017-12-17

After getting tossed into the world of the supernatural in Boundary Crossed, Lex is back and starting to learn just why everyone seems to be out to get her in Boundary Lines.

Someone is stirring up local magic, brining back magical beasties from an age long gone and driving the (semi-)local werewolf mad. We get a good amount of world building, learning a fair bit more about the werewolves and finally seeing a second boundary mage–even if she died a long time ago. We get a bit more characterization of the other witches and vampires, a bit more on the local politics and tensions between the various supernatural factions. Neat worldbuilding all around and a few decent plot twists.

Men at Arms Discworld #15 Discworld - City Watch #2

2017-12-13

Continuing the story of Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms follows all of my favorite characters from that former on a grand new adventure (of sorts).

We have Corporal Carrot:

Revisionary Magic Ex Libris #4

2017-12-08

For security reasons, no books will be permitted in the chamber during your testimony.

Revisionary is a fascinating work. It takes the world building of the first three [Magic Ex Libris](https://www.goodreads.com/series/67567-magic-ex- libris) books and explores what happens when magic comes out in the modern world. It’s probably the best example I’ve seen of this, right up there with the [Mercy Thompson books](https://www.goodreads.com/series/40932-mercy- thompson) (and honestly does a better job of showing the changes from the point of view of humans dragged into a new world).

Boundary Crossed Boundary Magic #1

2017-11-27

The third time I died was early on a Monday morning, a week after Labor Day.

That’s one heck of a first line.

Hungry Ghosts Eric Carter #3

2017-11-26

(language warning)

“Damn right I don’t deserve it. Nobody fucking deserves it. I’m in the middle of a cosmic threesome I didn’t want to have and I’m the one getting fucked.”

Broken Souls Eric Carter #2

2017-11-25

I’ve been lied to a lot, lately. And some of it’s been with the truth.

Broken Souls follows up the craziness that was Dead Things and turns the dial up yet again. We get some fascinating worldbuilding, expanding both the series’ view of necromancy and the dead and the Aztec side of Santa Muerte.