I read eight books for fun this year, which isn’t bad considering I edit books for a living and I tend to gravitate toward video games in my spare time between editing projects. I thought it would be fun to share this list of personal reads, so if you’d like a chance to get to know your editor a bit better, read on.
“Control Freak” by Cliff Bleszinski. You’ll quickly notice that my obsession with video games extends to reading about them and their creators. Cliff is a bit of a rockstar in the video game industry, and reading about his journey to that status was one of my most enjoyable reading experiences of the year. More game developers should write books.
“Gallant” by V. E. Schwab. Fantasy is my favorite genre both to edit and to read for fun, and in recent years V. E. Schwab has become probably my favorite modern writer. I got into her through her “Shades of Magic” series a few years ago, and last Christmas my wife surprised me with this standalone book of hers, which did not disappoint.
“The Legend of Final Fantasy IX” by Third Editions. Final Fantasy IX is my second favorite video game of all time, so obviously an entire book dedicated to its development, lore, and themes was something I devoured wholeheartedly. I am now a big fan of Third Editions and look forward to getting more of their books.
“Big Jack Is Dead” by Harvey Smith. Dishonored is one of my favorite video game series of all time (I’m still waiting for Dishonored 3!), so I was eager to read a book written by its designer. Honestly, I didn’t end up liking it as much as I’d hoped, but that’s on me and not Harvey. I think in my head I wanted something closer to his video game work, and that’s definitely not what this is. I am still glad I read it and was able to help support Harvey. Hopefully he’ll write another book one day that appeals to me more… or better yet just make Dishonored 3.
“Significant Zero” by Walt Williams. Another book by someone in the video game industry, and this time a writer! Certainly a different perspective on things compared to Bleszinski’s book, but I honestly enjoyed this one just as much if not more. Attention, people making video games: if you write a book about your experience, I will buy it.
“A Movie Making Nerd” by James Rolfe. James Rolfe, aka The Angry Video Game Nerd, is the “YouTube personality” I’ve been following the longest. He was doing his thing a year before YouTube even launched. Outside of his viral videos, he’s also a filmmaker, and I very much enjoyed learning more about him in his book.
“A Conjuring of Light” by V. E. Schwab. I finally finished the trilogy that got me into Schwab a few years ago. The first book is still my favorite, but I cannot get enough of her writing style. I hope to start another of her series next year.
“Japan from Anime to Zen” by David Watts Barton. I love Japan and its culture, and my wife got me this wonderful book for my birthday that delves into various facets of it. I learned something in every section, and it absolutely expanded my appreciation of the country. There are lots of books on Japan, and this is one I’d recommend.
That’s all eight! I enjoyed tracking these books this year and sharing brief thoughts on them. I would very much like this to become a new tradition each December, and hopefully next year I’ll have read even more than eight. (I’m already halfway through a sci-fi novel right now.)
Happy December, and happy reading!
Timothy