Last December I made a post about all the books I read for fun throughout the year.
The total count was eight, and I said something to the extent of “I hope to top that next year.” That didn’t end up happening. In fact, I barely managed to exceed half of that number, ending up at five books.
I edit and proofread manuscripts for a living, so I don’t always feel like reading even more in my downtime (my go-to is video games). Speaking of which, I tend to read a lot of books about video games, but this year didn’t see that happen either. I’ve already promised myself that won’t be the case next year (I actually have one on my Christmas list that will be my very first read in the new year).
This year ended up being the best I’ve ever had in terms of editing and proofreading work, so the lack of leisurely reading (and playing video games) can be attributed to a good reason.
Here’s what I read for fun this year.
“Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card. A great sci-fi tale with a great twist I’m glad wasn’t spoiled for me considering I was so late to the party. The only thing that kept “bugging” me was the fact that the alien force is called “buggers.” A silly thing, I know, but I couldn’t get the image of those blue ants from Jet Force Gemini out of my head. I love when a sci-fi universe has cool names for its aliens. Halo’s got the Covenant; Alien’s got the Xenomorphs; you get the gist. Maybe part of it is because most of the main characters are kids, I don’t know. A fun book nonetheless.
“Enter Night” by Mick Wall. I love books about bands, and this biography of Metallica is among the most in-depth I’ve read. Not much to say here except that this is a must-read for fans of the heavy-metal giants.
“The Eye of the World” by Robert Jordan. This is what ended up taking over the majority of my reading-for-fun time this year. It’s a brick of a book… and it’s only part one of like FOURTEEN installments. Daunting indeed, but I love fantasy and spend much of my professional life working in the genre, so it was great to finally see what this series is all about. The Tolkien fan in me found a lot to enjoy, though it will honestly be a while before I feel like tackling the next volume.
“Where Are Your Boys Tonight?” by Chris Payne. My favorite book I read all year; I couldn’t put it down. I love, love, love 2000s emo music, and this book had so much information that I’d never heard before, straight from many of my favorite bands. It’s direct quote after direct quote from people interviewed for the book. The brilliant thing is that it reads as a conversation between all these people even though that didn’t happen. Once a particular topic is broached by someone, you then hear what the next person has to say about it, and it flows seamlessly. I’m not doing a very good job of describing it, but I enjoyed this book so much.
“The Near Witch” by V. E. Schwab. Schwab is currently my favorite author, and her first published novel was an excellent book to read for the Halloween season. It’s not my favorite of hers, but I still very much enjoyed experiencing the first major thing she put out into the world.
That’s my list for this year!
Timothy