Reading List

Here’s where I keep track of all the books I have been reading lately. This is mostly for my own personal benefit so that I don’t forget what I have read. You can also view this list arranged alphabetically and by rating.

2012

Sourcery by Terry Pratchett

7/10
I enjoyed the first half of the book in which the Discworld is introduced to the first all-powerful sorcerer... more

Mort by Terry Pratchett

8/10
So, I’m now four books into the Discworld series and I think I will keep going with it (only 33 more... more

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer

7/10
I am not usually a non-fiction reader outside of the occasional political tome, but I bought this after it... more

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

9/10
The third Discworld novel starts a completely new storyline with no crossover with the first two books. I actually... more

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein

2/10
This sci-fi classic starts off interestingly enough: in an authoritarian society on the Moon, an engineer befriends a self-aware... more

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

8/10
The story picks up right where The Colour of Magic with our heroes tumbling off the edge of the world. Book... more

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett

8/10
I’m continuously on the lookout for a new fantasy series to fill my Kingkiller Chronicles/Song of Fire and Ice void. I’ve... more

We the Living by Ayn Rand

6/10
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m one of those nuts who actually likes The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. It has been years since... more

2011

Pictures of the Socialistic Future by Eugene Richter

7/10
An incredibly prescient book from the 19th century that basically lays out everything that is wrong with the practical... more

Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

7/10
The final book of the First Law trilogy was a sort of step backwards from the previous book. In... more

The Declaration of Independents by Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch

8/10
This was a nice manifesto of sorts that hits all the right marks in terms of what it means... more

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

8/10
Although I was disappointed by The Blade Itself, I decided to continue on with the series to see if all... more

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H. P. Lovecraft

7/10
Sometime during my late teens I started reading a bunch of H. P. Lovecraft books. His style never fully... more

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

6/10
Catching up on a classic I missed in high school. I thought it was okay, but not the sort... more

The Price of Everything: A Parable of Possibility and Prosperity by Russell Roberts

8/10
This book is really an economics lesson presented in layman’s terms. The plot and characters are merely a device... more

The Bible of Unspeakable Truths by Greg Gutfeld

7/10
I think I would have liked this book better if I had listened to the audiobook version instead. As... more

A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin

9/10
I was late to the whole A Game of Thrones thang (but, for the record, I was like totally in to... more

The Future and its Enemies by Virginia Postrel

8/10
Postrel makes the case for decentralized, dynamic systems. The obvious application of this is in free-market versus command-style economies,... more

Empire of Lies by Andrew Klaven

7/10
I like Andrew Klaven. His Klaven on the Culture videos are good natured and entertaining little bits of political satire that... more

The Cult of the Presidency: America’s Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power by Gene Healy

6/10
This book analyzes America’s proclivity towards an ever expansive and powerful executive branch—admittedly not the most exciting read. As... more

Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

9/10
Book two in this excellent series is just about as good as the first. The story picks up right... more

Where Keynes Went Wrong: And Why World Governments Keep Creating Inflation, Bubbles, and Busts by Hunter Lewis

7/10
That title is quite a mouthful, ain’t it? I am continuing my recent excursion into econ-type books that are... more

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

7/10
This is a science fiction tale based on the premise that, sometime in the distant future, our planetary defense... more

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

9/10
The Hero of Ages picks up a year or so after the events of The Well of Ascension. This final volume... more

2010

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

9/10
Book two in the Mistborn series continues this the storyline directly after the climactic events of the first novel. This... more

Racing the Beam by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost

9/10
Racing the Beam is a fairly accessible look at the technology behind the Atari 2600 video game console. Apparently the... more

In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks by Adam Carolla

8/10
I decided to try this one out on a whim. I like Adam Carolla and his humor translated pretty... more

Devil Born Without Horns by Michael A. Lucas

9/10
Michael Lucas is best known as the schtick-loving bassist of The Phantom Surfers. This book was self-published under his... more

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

6/10
Once again, I am off in search of fantasy books to match the greatness of the A Song of Fire... more

Financial Fiasco by Johan Norberg

7/10
This book presents a history of the current financial crisis thingy in a way that tries to be as... more

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

9/10
My post-Game of Thrones decent into pure phantasy nerdom continues with the Mistborn trilogy. This first book in the series... more

Rock Stardom for Dumbshits by Phantom Surfers, The

8/10
Leave it to The Phantom Surfers to release an instrumental surf record without any music, singing, talking or audio... more

When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish by Martin Gardner

5/10
Martin Gardner died around the time this book was released. Like many of his books, it compiles articles and... more

Orphans of the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein

5/10
Another old sci-fi novel by Heinlein that cares more about the concept than the story. Even at 120 some... more

A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin

6/10
After the first three rousing volumes of the Song of Fire and Ice series, this book is a huge disappointment. I... more

A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin

10/10
I had thought that this was the conclusion of the entire Song of Fire and Ice series, but aparently this is... more

A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

9/10
Not quite as gripping as the first book in the series, but Martin maintains much of the same level... more

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

10/10
After finishing The Name of the Wind, I wanted to continue my fantasy novel kick. A Game of Thrones is a similar... more

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

10/10
An extremely well written fantasy novel that steers clear of most of your standard fantasy fiction clichés. Sure, there... more

Lovers and Madmen by Barry Devlin

7/10
Above average 50’s pulp trash. See my Bent Pages recap.

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem

10/10
It has been a while since I’ve read a contemporary novel that I liked this much. Motherless Brooklyn is a pretty... more

Barbarella by Jean-Claude Forest

7/10
The French comic upon which the movie was based. Stunning 60’s stylized artwork, but the story is just a... more

Aliens Omnibus by Various Authors

4/10
This is a collection of the Aliens comics that were released by Dark Horse in the late eighties. These came out... more

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

8/10
A bit of speculative fiction showing how the world would deal with a zombie apocalypse. The book is written... more

2009

Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies by C. S. Forrester

6/10
I was disappointed when I came to the realization that this was more of a collection of short stories... more

Lord Hornblower by C. S. Forrester

7/10
Starts out nicely with Hornblower sent off to deal with a mutinous crew and keeps up the pace for... more

Commodore Hornblower by C. S. Forrester

6/10
A disappointing follow-up to the last Hornblower novel. This one has Hornblower in Russia helping out during the siege... more

Time for the Stars by Robert A. Heinlein

7/10
A fairly good sci-fi novel about a pair of telepathic twins separated when one goes off to survey new... more

Flying Colours by C.S. Forester

9/10
Another great Hornblower tale. The action picks up right at the end of the previous book and keeps going... more

Ship of the Line by C. S. Forester

9/10
Another exciting Hornblower sea tale. This one was a much better read than the last, although, outside of the... more

Tunnel in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein

8/10
A well-paced survival story about a bunch of teenagers abandoned on a desolate planet. There is some delving into... more

Twisty Little Passages – An Approach to Interactive Fiction by Nick Montfort

9/10
A very good read that is a critical analysis and brief history of text adventures. The first half gets... more

Groucho And Me by Groucho Marx

5/10
This autobiography was pretty uninformative. Reads more like a compilation of unrelated essays about with a little bit of... more

The Happy Return (aka Beat to Quarters) by C. F. Forester

8/10
Thought I’d give this series a try after finishing the Aubry/Maturn series. Hornblower is definately a simpler read, and... more

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

4/10
Starts out pretty good, but decends into the idiotic by the end.

Blue at the Mizzen by Patrick O'Brian

7/10
Not the strongest book in the series. It doesn’t help that many of the regular characters are gone in... more

Gods’ Man: A Novel in Woodcuts by Lynd Ward

8/10
Beautiful wood engravings are the reason to “read” this.

King Jesus: A Novel by Robert Graves

4/10
I loved I, Claudius but was utterly bored by this. Maybe I would have appreciated more if I had... more

2008

The Bottoms by Joe. R. Lansdale

9/10
To Kill a Mockingbird with a serial killer.

The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth

8/10
I vaguely recall reading this.

Peril at End House by Agatha Christie

8/10
I couldn’t be bothered to write a review.

The Hundred Days by Patrick O'Brian

9/10
I’d recommend any book in this series. They have their highs and lows, but all-in-all I think this is... more

Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt

9/10
A straightforward and methodical look at the economic principal of accounting for both the seen, and unseen effects of... more

Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy by Thomas Sowell

6/10
Not bad, but I was expecting a more basic econ textbook rather than, what more often than not, feels... more

The Yellow Admiral by Patrick O'Brian

8/10
No review written.

Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie

6/10
I never wrote a review for this one.

The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie

8/10
Nothing to see here.

The Commodore by Patrick O'Brian

8/10
Ending is pretty anti-climactic, but the meat of the story is very interesting.

The Wine-Dark Sea by Patrick O'Brian

9/10
Apparently, I liked this one.

The Truelove by Patrick O'Brian

6/10
Sorry, no review.

The Nutmeg of Consolation by Patrick O'Brian

8/10
The Nutmeg of Consolation

Ringworld by Larry Niven

5/10
Rather boring and pointless.

2007

Remainder by Tom McCarthy

6/10
Mildly amusing tale of a guy who choses to recreate memories down to exacting detail. Reminded me of how... more

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

10/10
A satisfying ending to a wonderful series of books. The rating reflects my opinion of the series more than... more

The Thirteen Gun Salute by Patrick O'Brian

7/10
A hu-hum offering in the series. I accidently skipped a book… didn’t seem to matter.

The Reverse of the Medal by Patrick O'Brian

9/10
A very well done Aubry/Maturin story. More Maturin centric than usual, which is refreshing.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

7/10
The ending was spoiled for me, but a clever twist indeed.

On the Far Side of the World by Patrick O'Brian

8/10
Another nice entry in the Aubry Maturin series.

Prisoner’s Base by Rex Stout

7/10
Decent mystery. A nice change of pace from A. Christie.

The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold

6/10
Interesting with a nice ending, but lacks any real plot complications to hook me in.

2006

Treason’s Harbor by Patrick O'Brian

8/10
This book in the Aubry/Maturin series benefits from a clear plot line of espionage.

Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie

4/10
The first third is intriguing then it just jumps ship.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

7/10
Pretty good mystery.

The Ionian Mission by Patrick O'Brian

8/10
Listened to it as a book on tape. Good but lacked an over arching plot.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

10/10
Great page turner.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

6/10
More of a character study of a completely unappealing character than a plot-driven novel. Not my thing.

The Shroud of the Twacker by Chris Elliott

7/10
Loses steam about 150 pages into the book.

The Surgeon’s Mate by Patrick O'Brian

6/10
I gave it a 6 and I don’t remember why.

The Fortune of War by Patrick O'Brian

9/10
Another Aubry/Maturin book. This one has both sea and espionage elements.

I Am Jackie Chan by Jackie Chan

5/10
Mildly amusing but poorly written memoir.

Desolation Island by Patrick O'Brian

9/10
The books keep getting better.

The Mauritius Command by Patrick O'Brian

8/10
Much better than the last book in the series.

Black Hole by Charles Burns

7/10
Decent and weird graphic novel. Lots on indy comic cliche.

H.M.S. Surprise by Patrick O'Brian

6/10
Weakest of the first 3 Aubry Maturin books.

2005

Mysterious Stranger by David Blaine

5/10
Some interesting magic history, a few neat tricks and lots of David Blaine’s self-hating magic style-endurance artist crap.

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

3/10
Starts out with some amusing short stories but never amounts to much. The main plot line is barely existent... more

Zardoz by John Boorman

4/10
Yeah that’s right, a novelization of Zardoz. It’s just as inexplicable as the movie.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

10/10
It was a good read even though it’s about wizards and other nerdy things.