Books I Read in 2010
(Ratings out of 10 - consider 6 to be the minimum of what I expect a published book to be.)
Keeping It Real
by Justina Robson
Finished book on: Dec 24, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 8
Dragon Heart
by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett
Finished book on: Dec 4, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 5.5
Enjoyability: 5.5
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
by N. K. Jemison
Finished book on: Nov 28, 2010
Quality of writing: 7.5
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 7.5
The Secret History of Moscow
by Ekaterina Sedia
Finished book on: Nov 13, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 5.5
Enjoyability: 6
Nation
by Terry Pratchett
Finished book on: Nov 10, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 7.5
Enjoyability: 8
The Third Claw of God
by Adam-Troy Castro
Finished book on: Nov 5, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 7.5
Side Jobs (Anthology)
by Jim Butcher
Finished book on: Oct 31, 2010
Quality of writing: 7.5
Quality of stories: 8
Enjoyability: 8.5
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
Finished book on: Oct 26, 2010
Quality of writing: 7.5
Quality of story: 7.5
Enjoyability: 7.5
Comment: Apparently, I am a freak with no taste.
A Wild Light
by Marjorie M. Lui
Finished book on: Oct 24, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 7.5
Under Heaven
by Guy Gavriel Kay
Finished book on: Aug 23, 2010
Quality of writing: 9
Quality of story: 9
Enjoyability: 9
Dead As a Doornail
by Charlaine Harris
Finished book on: Aug 10, 2010
Quality of writing: 7
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 7.5
Dead To the World
by Charlaine Harris
Finished book on: Aug 8, 2010
Quality of writing: 7
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 7.5
Feet of Clay
by Terry Pratchett
Finished book on: July 20, 2010
This was a re-read, so I won't rate it. I loves me some Pratchett!
Who Dares Wins
by Bob Mayer
Finished book on: July 15, 2010
Quality of advice: 7.5
Comment: This is an atypical, and thus valuable, writing book. Mr. Mayer has some smart, practical techniques for achieving success and some eye-opening insights into what gets in your way. I think this is worth reading more for the opportunity to shift your paradigm than for specific advice on how to be a writer.
Midwinter
by Matthew Sturges
Finished book on: July 11, 2010
Quality of writing: 7.5
Quality of story: 6.5
Enjoyability: 7
Spook Country
by William Gibson
Finished book on: July 2, 2010
Quality of writing: 8.5
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 8
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
by Susanna Clarke
Finished book on: June 24, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 8
Enjoyability: 8
God's Demon
by Wayne Barlowe
Finished book on: June 2o, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 7.5
The Fire in Fiction
by Donald Maass
Finished book on: June 6, 2010
Quality of advice: 6
Comment: The book didn't seem specific enough to really be useful, but that's a criticism I have for many writing books. The workshop Mr. Maass gave at SiWC 2010 covering this material struck me as a better way to learn the techniques.
Magickeepers: The Eternal Hourglass
by Erica Kirov
Finished book on: June 2, 2010
Quality of writing: 7
Quality of story: 4
Enjoyability: 5
The White Road
by Lynn Flewelling
Finished book on: May 30, 2010
Quality of writing: 7.5
Quality of story: 6
Enjoyability: 6.5
Unholy Ghosts
by Stacia Kane
Finished book on: May 28, 2010
Quality of writing: 7.5
Quality of story: 7.5
Enjoyability: 7.5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by J. K. Rowling
Finished book on: May 26, 2010
This was a re-read, so I won't rate it. I loves me some Rowling!
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J. K. Rowling
Finished book on: May 24, 2010
This was a re-read, so I won't rate it.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J. K. Rowling
Finished book on: May 20, 2010
This was a re-read, so I won't rate it.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by J. K. Rowling
Finished book on: May 17, 2010
This was a re-read, so I won't rate it.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson
Finished book on: May 1, 2010
Quality of writing: 7.5
Quality of story: 8
Enjoyability: 8
The Gaslight Dogs
by Karin Lowachee
Finished book on: Apr 24, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 7.5
Enjoyability: 7.5
Divine Misfortune
by A. Lee Martinez
Finished book on: Apr 23, 2010
Quality of writing: 7
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 8
The 1987 Annual World's Best SF
Edited by Donald A. Wollheim
Finished book on: Apr 19, 2010
Quality of writing: 7
Quality of story: 6.5
Enjoyability: 6
Magic Street
by Orson Scott Card
Finished book on: Apr 17, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 8
Enjoyability: 8
Envious Gods
by Geoff Gillan
Finished book on: Apr 15, 2010
Quality of writing: 9
Quality of story: 9
Enjoyability: 9
Comment: This book is delightful! A fantastic first novel.
Running With the Demon
by Terry Brooks
Finished book on: Apr 11, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 7.5
Changes
by Jim Butcher
Finished book on: Apr 7, 2010
Quality of writing: 7.5
Quality of story: 9
Enjoyability: 9
Thirteen
by Richard K. Morgan
Finished book on: Mar 12, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 7.5
Black Jade
by David Zindell
Finished book on: Mar 7, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 7.5
The Edge of Reason
by Melinda Snodgrass
Finished book on: Feb 27 2010
Quality of writing: 7
Quality of story: 6.5
Enjoyability: 7.5
The Steel Remains
by Richard Morgan
Finished book on: Feb 18, 2010
Quality of writing: 9
Quality of story: 9
Enjoyability: 9
Comment: Fantastic book! Starts slow, but I highly recommend it as a rip-snorting, very masculine adventure tale with a hugely imaginative inclusion of classic faery mythology in it. To enjoy this book, you do need to be able to handle foul language, violence, and a wee dollop of same-sex erotica.
Darkness Calls
by Marjorie M. Liu
Finished book on: Feb 10, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 8
Enjoyability: 8
First Lord's Fury
by Jim Butcher
Finished book on: Feb 7, 2010
Quality of writing: 7
Quality of story: 8.5
Enjoyability: 8.5
The Iron Hunt
by Marjorie M. Liu
Finished book on: Feb 3, 2010
Quality of writing: 8.5
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 8
Emissaries From the Dead
by Adam-Troy Castro
Finished book on: Jan 31, 2010
Quality of writing: 9
Quality of story: 9
Enjoyability: 9
Comment: Awesome first novel! Of course, the author is not new to writing, given he has already been nominated for Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker awards...
Club Dead
by Charlaine Harris
Finished book on: Jan 29, 2010
Quality of writing: 6
Quality of story: 5.5
Enjoyability: 5.5
Living Dead In Dallas
by Charlaine Harris
Finished book on: Jan 28, 2010
Quality of writing: 7
Quality of story: 7.5
Enjoyability: 7
Dead Until Dark
by Charlaine Harris
Finished book on: Jan 27, 2010
Quality of writing: 7
Quality of story: 7
Enjoyability: 7
Cognitive Therapy Of Personality Disorders
by Aaron T. Beck, Arthur Freeman & Associates
Finished book on: Jan 26, 2010
Non-fiction, so I won't rate it.
The Unseen Academicals
by Terry Pratchett
Finished book on: Jan 11, 2010
This was a re-read, so I won't rate it. I loves me some Pratchett!
Thud!
by Terry Pratchett
Finished book on: Jan 6, 2010
This was a re-read, so I won't rate it.
Acacia
by David Anthony Durham
Finished book on: Jan 4, 2010
Quality of writing: 8
Quality of story: 7.5
Enjoyability: 7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Books I Didn't Finish
Selling Out
by Justina Robson
Stopped reading: Page 203; December 25, 2010
Reason: This was really good, but I had to return the book to its owner before I finished!
Twelve
by Jasper Kent
Stopped reading: Page 24; December-ish, 2010
Reason: I found it very dry and the plot showed no signs of kicking in. This may be due to my having low interest in historical novels; the promise of vampires wasn't enough to draw me on.
The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack
by Mark Hodder
Stopped reading: Page 19; December-ish, 2010
Reason: Fun, but I wasn't getting pulled into the story. Other readers would like this.
Tathea
by Anne Perry
Stopped reading: Page 9; July 22, 2010
Reason: I wasn't buying the protagonist's emotional situation and then a different scenario I also didn't find believable cropped up on top of that.
The Angel of Pain
by Brian Stableford
Stopped reading: Page 41; July 10-ish, 2010
Reason: Well-written prose, but the flashbacks and dream sequences got in the way of the narrative.
Catch-22
by Joseph Heller
Stopped reading: Page 40; June 6, 2010
Reason: Couldn't get into it. It's amusing, but there's no narrative.
Cartomancy
by Mary Gentle
Stopped reading: ~Page 10-ish; Apr ~15, 2010
Reason: Plot wasn't grabbing me.
Thief With No Shadow
by Emily Gee
Stopped reading: Page 38; Feb 20, 2010
Reason: Writing was only okay-ish, and the plotting was a bit too simple.
Trick of the Light
by Rob Thurman
Stopped reading: Page 41; Feb 19, 2010
Reason: I was really disliking the protagonist, and there was too much "telling" (always a danger with first person POV.)
