One of the features of this blog has been short “book reviews”, notes on books I have read. Most, but not all of the books were recently published, purchased or checked out of my local library.
I managed to post one or more short note every week since 2014! That’s more than 500 books reviewed! Wow!
I should note several points I am proud of. First, I have 100% editorial control, selecting what to read, and what to write. Second, I have a firm policy that I must actually read the book before I write about it. (OK, there were a handful of cases where I just couldn’t finish the damn thing. : – ( )
And third, I generally only write about books that I think are worth reading. Only a handful of my reviews were negative. Basically, If I don’t like it, I say nothing about it. Or write about something else that refutes it. Or something.
Flaming something seems fun, but usually is a lot more work, at least for me. If I eant to pan something, I have to explain what is wrong, why I hate it, or whatever. With facts and logic. Gack. Too much work, and who cares about my opinions anyway?
If I had time, I might review by book reviews, maybe select some high and low points.
But, who has the energy?
Part of the point of blogging is that the information is indexed and available online. So, if you want to see all the book reviews, here is a link:
Let’s be content with a review of 2023.
Books Reviewed This Year
Over the whole year, I reviewed 52 books, 13 non-fiction, 49 fiction.
Best and worst? I can’t really choose.
This quarter I reviewed 17 books, 3 Non-fiction, 14 Fiction.
Here’s the list:
Q4
Non- Fiction
On Savage Shores by Caroline Dodds Pennock
Hunting the Falcon by John Guy and Julia Fox
Monsters by Claire Dederer
Fiction
Winter’s Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch
Viviana Valentine and the Ticking Clock by Emily J. Edwards
Like Thunder by Nnedi Okorafor
Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor
The Glow by Jessie Gaynor
America Fantastica by Tim O’Brien
The Witch of Maracoor by Gregory Maguire
The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse by Tom HoltThe Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard KadreyAssistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao
The Fraud by Zadie SmithThe Secret Hours by Mick HerronNot Forever But For Now by Chuck Palahniuk
From earlier in the year:
Q3
Non-Fiction
Fossil Legends of the First Americans by Adrienne Mayor
The Peking Express by James M. Zimmerman
Fancy Bear Goes Phishing by Scott J. Shapiro
Fiction
Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrot
The Stolen Coast by Dwyer Murphy
Girlfriend on Mars by Deborah Willis
The Book of Eve by Carmen Boullosa
The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl by Theodora Goss
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe by Emma Tõrzs
Viviana Valentine Goes Up The River by Emily J. Edwards
The Road To Roswell by Connie Willis
Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway
Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
Q2
Fiction
Give Unto Others by Donna Leon
So Shall You Reap by Donna Leon
The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett
Confidence by Rafael Frumkin
Hopeland by Ian McDonald
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Sea Change by Gina Chung
Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Someone in Time: Tales of Time Crossed Romance edited by Jonathan Strahan
Swamp Story by Dave Barry
The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
Season of Skulls by Charles Stross
Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini
White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link
Non-Fiction
The Wandering Mind by Jamie Kreiner
The Status Revolution by Chuck Thompson
People of the Ecotone By Robert Michael Morrissey
On the Origin of Time by Thomas Hertog
Q1
Non-Fiction
American Inheritanceby Edward J. Larson
Inventing the World by Meredith F. Small
Meade at Gettysburg by Kent Masterson Brown
Fiction
Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes
Eversion by Alastair Reynolds
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
The Last Voice You Hear by Mick Herron
Standing By The Wall by Mick Herron
Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron
Blitz by Daniel O’Malley
Dr. No by Percival Everett
Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Babel by R. F Kuang
The Maltese Iguana by Tim Dorsey
After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz
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