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Best books read in 2010
Jan. 2nd, 2011 12:02 amStarting at the tail end of 2008 I began keeping track of what I read, which has been interesting. Keeping a list encourages me to read more, as I have an average to maintain, and I've also been trying to vary what I read more than I might if left on auto-pilot. Here's some of the stuff this last year that's worth commenting on.
Karl Schroeder's Virga books (Sun of Suns, Queen of Candesce, Pirate Sun, The Sunless Countries) - steampunky swashbuckling airships in a hollow artificial planet. Nice fast fun reads; the ones involving Venera being ruthless and kicking ass are the best. I guess the science works, but I just care about zero gravity airships.
Georgette Heyer, These Old Shades - I think this was on my list after Ellen Kushner mentioned it at WisCon 32(?). You need Georgian romance? I got your Georgian romance right here! Girls disguised as boys, lost heirs, scoundrels with hearts of gold, and a romantic pairing that was obvious from the beginning because that's how these things work.
Naoki Urasawa , Pluto - a retelling/expansion of one of Osamu Tezuka's most popular Astro Boy/Mighty Atom stories. Not much to add to all the critical acclaim this received, but it's a pretty good manga.
Alexandre Dumas, Georges - often described as a proto Count of Monte Cristo, this is one of the few times Dumas wrote about race and racism. While dated & problematic in some ways it's an enjoyable revenge story and I can imagine Dumas had some people in mind when he came up with the idea of a mixed race hero returning home to kick some ass.
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Beautiful Struggle - Coates memoir about growing up with his brother in Baltimore is equal parts hip hop, Black Nationalism, and Dungeons & Dragons. Bits reminded me of school in San Diego; the rhythms and rituals of city public schools were recognizably of the same genus that I knew, if not the same species.
Nnedi Okorafor, Who Fears Death - Not sure I can say anything that hasn't already been said about this. I think this could be a hard read for some people (not sure if it would have been for me, I had already heard mention of everything that could have been upsetting ahead of time). Great book.
Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle - a dark, sad, interesting book about sisters, murder, and small town hatreds. I wish it were longer, but suspect it's exactly as long as it needs to be.
Total read in 2010: 34. Comics/manga series are counted as 1 work.
Best month: Feb with 6 books (some fast paced reads and a novella)
Karl Schroeder's Virga books (Sun of Suns, Queen of Candesce, Pirate Sun, The Sunless Countries) - steampunky swashbuckling airships in a hollow artificial planet. Nice fast fun reads; the ones involving Venera being ruthless and kicking ass are the best. I guess the science works, but I just care about zero gravity airships.
Georgette Heyer, These Old Shades - I think this was on my list after Ellen Kushner mentioned it at WisCon 32(?). You need Georgian romance? I got your Georgian romance right here! Girls disguised as boys, lost heirs, scoundrels with hearts of gold, and a romantic pairing that was obvious from the beginning because that's how these things work.
Naoki Urasawa , Pluto - a retelling/expansion of one of Osamu Tezuka's most popular Astro Boy/Mighty Atom stories. Not much to add to all the critical acclaim this received, but it's a pretty good manga.
Alexandre Dumas, Georges - often described as a proto Count of Monte Cristo, this is one of the few times Dumas wrote about race and racism. While dated & problematic in some ways it's an enjoyable revenge story and I can imagine Dumas had some people in mind when he came up with the idea of a mixed race hero returning home to kick some ass.
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Beautiful Struggle - Coates memoir about growing up with his brother in Baltimore is equal parts hip hop, Black Nationalism, and Dungeons & Dragons. Bits reminded me of school in San Diego; the rhythms and rituals of city public schools were recognizably of the same genus that I knew, if not the same species.
Nnedi Okorafor, Who Fears Death - Not sure I can say anything that hasn't already been said about this. I think this could be a hard read for some people (not sure if it would have been for me, I had already heard mention of everything that could have been upsetting ahead of time). Great book.
Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle - a dark, sad, interesting book about sisters, murder, and small town hatreds. I wish it were longer, but suspect it's exactly as long as it needs to be.
Total read in 2010: 34. Comics/manga series are counted as 1 work.
Best month: Feb with 6 books (some fast paced reads and a novella)
