Category: Year End Round-up

2022 Books

Posted on by Greig
  1. Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest rated B+
  2. Record Play Pause by Stephen Morris rated A-
  3. Fast Forward by Stephen Morris rated A-
  4. Battle of the Linguist Mages by Scotto Moore rated B
  5. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman rated B+
  6. Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron rated B
  7. The Rhesus Chart by Charles Stross rated B
  8. Book Lovers by Emily Henry rated B+
  9. Gimme Some Sugar by Molly Harper rated B-
  10. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir rated A
  11. Harrow The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir rated A-
  12. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care rated B
  13. Be The Serpent by Seanan McGuire rated B+
  14. The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman rated B+
  15. Fringe: Beyond The Fringe by Joshua Jackson etc. rated B-
  16. You And Me On Vacation by Emily Henry rated b+
  17. Nona The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir rated A-
  18. Fangirl (The Manga) Volume 1 by Sam Maggs rated B
  19. The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik rated A
  20. Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis rated B-
  21. The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis rated B
  22. Lucky In Love by Jill Shalvis rated B
  23. Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis rated B
  24. Justice Calling by Annie Bellet rated B
  25. Christmas at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson rated B
  26. Coming Home to the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson rated B
  27. Sunshine at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson rated B
  28. A Gift From the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson rated B
  29. Murder of Crows by Annie Bellet rated B

2021 Books

Posted on by Greig

This was a decent year for reading admittedly boosted by re-reads of low quality romances and fantasies.
My favourite book of the year was Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie but that was an audiobook.
Of the books I physically read I would say it was A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik.

  1. The World of Critical Role by Liz Marsham, rated B+
  2. Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel, rated B+
  3. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn, rated B+
  4. Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire, rated A-
  5. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, rated B+
  6. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, rated B+
  7. Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo, rated B+
  8. Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots, rated A-
  9. The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie, rated B
  10. The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi, rated B+
  11. The Last Emperox by John Scalzi, rated B+
  12. Love To Hate You by Anna Premoli, rated B-
  13. Until Love Do Us Part by Anna Premoli, rated C+
  14. You Drive Me Crazy by Anna Premoli, rated C+
  15. Mad About You by Anna Premoli, rated C-
  16. A Killing Frost by Seanan McGuire, rated A-
  17. When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire, rated A-
  18. The Accidental Footballer by Pat Nevin, rated B
  19. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, rated A-
  20. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings, rated C+
  21. Queen Of Sorcery by David Eddings, rated C+
  22. Magician’s Gambit by David Eddings, rated C+
  23. Castle Of Wizardry by David Eddings, rated C+
  24. Enchanter’s End Game by David Eddings, rated C+
  25. The Diamond Throne by David Eddings, rated C+
  26. The Ruby Knight by David Eddings, rated C+
  27. The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings, rated C+
  28. The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik, rated A-
  29. The Truth of the Divine by Lindsay Ellis, rated A-
  30. Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie, rated A-

2021 Audiobooks

Posted on by Greig

It was another strong year for listening to audiobooks thanks to my commitment to getting out for a walk every day.
Ancillary Justice was my favourite book of the year and the performance by Adjoa Andoh was extraordinary.

  1. Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor by Steven Moffat, read by Nicholas Briggs
  2. The Truth by Terry Pratchett read by Stephen Briggs
  3. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, read by Rebecca Lowman
  4. What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, read by Julia Gibson
  5. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, read by Gabrielle Kruger
  6. Gateway by Frederik Pohl, read by Oliver Wyman
  7. Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie, read by Sandra Burr
  8. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie, read by Deanna Hurst
  9. Welcome To Temptation by Jennifer Crusie, read by Aasne Vigasaa
  10. Faking It by Jennifer Crusie, read by Aasne Vigasaa
  11. Carrying The Fire by Michael Collins read by David Colacci
  12. Isaac Steele and The Forever Man by Daniel Rigby, read by Daniel Rigby
  13. The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton
  14. The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton
  15. The Last Emperox by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton
  16. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, read by Lauren Fortgang
  17. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, read by Anisha Dadia
  18. The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik, read by Anisha Dadia
  19. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, read by Adjoa Andoh
  20. Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett, read by Nigel Planer
  21. Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie, read by Adjoa Andoh

2020 Audiobooks

Posted on by Greig

The only thing to note here is that I planned to listen to all the Discworld Guards books and got stuck at the final hurdle. The audiobook of Snuff is an unfortunate dud and I had to stop listening. I may try again some day.

  1. Faking It by Jennifer Crusie read by Aasne Vigesaa
  2. New York Actually by Sarah Morgan read by Jennifer Woodward
  3. Bellwether by Connie Willis read by Kate Reading
  4. Hold Me by Courtney Milan read by Xe Sands & Sean Crisden
  5. What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips read by Julia Gibson
  6. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline read by Wil Wheaton
  7. Armada by Ernest Cline read by Wil Wheaton
  8. Redshirts by John Scalzi read by Wil Wheaton
  9. The Rook by Daniel O’Malley read by Katy Carmichael
  10. True Love At The Lonely Hearts Bookshop by Annie Darling, read by Laura Kirman
  11. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, read by Kristin Atherton
  12. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour by Hank Green, read by Kristin Sieh et. al.
  13. The Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett, read Stephen Briggs
  14. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
  15. Making Money by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
  16. The Truth by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
  17. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, read by Nigel Planer
  18. Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett, read by Nigel Planer
  19. Jingo by Terry Pratchett, read by Nigel Planer
  20. The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
  21. The Night Watch by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
  22. Thud! by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
  23. Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire, read by Amy Finegan
  24. Microserfs by Douglas Coupland, read by Graham Rowat

2020 Books

Posted on by Greig

I had big plans to make good use of my local public library on a regular basis this year and find new stuff to read. Then lockdown happened and closed the libraries.
The news (pandemic and political) and working from home compromised my ability to stay focused all the way to the end of a book. Way too many titles where I got a few chapters in and then my attention wandered never to return.
I did better with audiobooks but even then it was always listening to books I had already read in the past.

  1. Sensation by Nick Mamatas, rated B
  2. Holiday in the Hamptons by Sarah Morgan, rated B
  3. A City Dreaming by Daniel Polansky, rated B
  4. Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi, rated B+
  5. The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke, rated B
  6. Almost Just Friends by Jill Shalvis, rated B
  7. The Eternals by Neil Gaiman et al, rated B+
  8. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes, rated A-
  9. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour by Hank Green, rated A
  10. Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones, rated A-
  11. The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones, rated A-
  12. Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis, rated A-
  13. A Winter Kiss on Rochester Mews by Annie Darling, rated B
  14. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, rated A-
  15. The Summer Deal by Jill Shalvis, rated B
  16. The Memory of You by Jamie Beck, rated B
  17. The Promise of Us by Jamie Beck, rated B-
  18. Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn, rated B+

2019 Books

Posted on by Greig

While I would have like to have read more this year I’m actually pretty happy I managed to to get my total up to 26 or a book every two weeks with a late spurt in December. Add that to the pretty huge number of audiobooks I’ve listened to this year though and I’m very happy with my ‘reading’ total.

I read a lot of so-so to middling escapist fiction this year – which I do not regret for a second as I like a good escape. That did mean that there were only two books that really stood out.
Tell Me How You Really Feel hit my sweet spot in terms of a Romance and after the initial read I’ve gone back over a few sections several times. I’d love there to be an audiobook of this.
The Fantastic Beasts of Eld belongs to a type of Fantasy that I almost never read any more but I borrowed it from the library on a whim and I just really enjoyed it. I’ve highly recommended it to friends of mine who love Fantasy books.

  1. Fear of Music by Garry Mulholland, rated B
  2. Gentlemen by Bob Gendron, rated B
  3. The Ruby Knight by David Eddings, rated C+
  4. The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings, rated C+
  5. Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi, Rated A-
  6. Traveller In Black by John Brunner, rated B+
  7. In At The Deep End by Kate Davies, rated B
  8. Accidentally on Purpose by Jill Shalvis, rated B
  9. The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis, rated B
  10. Chasing Christmas Eve by Jill Shalvis, rated B-
  11. Domes of Fire by David Eddings, rated C+
  12. The Shining Ones by David Eddings, rated C+
  13. The Hidden City by David Eddings, rated C+
  14. Just Married? by Natasha West, rated B
  15. The Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis, rated B
  16. Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett, rated B+
  17. The Prenup by Lauren Layne, rated B
  18. Don’t Panic by Neil Gaiman, rated B+
  19. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia A. McKillip, rated A-
  20. 99% Mine by Sally Thorne, rated C
  21. A Red-Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire, rated B
  22. This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone, rated A-
  23. Night And Silence by Seanan McGuire, rated B+
  24. The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire, rated B+
  25. The Human Division by John Scalzi, rated B+
  26. The End of All Things by John Scalzi, rated B+

2019 Audiobooks

Posted on by Greig

As you can see I listened to a lot of audiobooks this year. In fact this marks the first year that I have listened to more books than I physically read. This was mainly because I spent a lot of time walking in the past twelve months. It also became a good excuse to revisit some beloved works/authors (including ELEVEN books from the Toby Daye series!).
This list is actually smaller than it could have been – there are at least another five books I’m a third of the way into that I’m sure I’ll be returning to in the future.

  1. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien read by Rob Inglis
  2. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien read by Rob Inglis
  3. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien read by Rob Inglis
  4. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett read by Martin Jarvis
  5. Mockingbird by Walter Tevis, read by Robert Fass and Nicole Poole
  6. The Rook by Daniel O’Malley, read by Katy Carmichael
  7. Strata by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
  8. Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley, read by Maggie Mash
  9. Agent To The Stars by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton
  10. Eric by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
  11. The Diamond Throne by David Eddings, read by Greg Abby
  12. Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, read by Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse
  13. Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
  14. Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett, read by Nigel Planer
  15. The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi, read by Wil Wheaton
  16. The Day of the Doctor by Steven Moffat, read by Nicholas Briggs
  17. The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs
  18. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire, read by Mary Robinette Kowal
  19. A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire, read by Mary Robinette Kowal
  20. An Artificial Light by Seanan McGuire, read by Mary Robinette Kowal
  21. We Are Legion by Dennis E Taylor read by Ray Porter
  22. For We Are Many by Dennis E Taylor read by Ray Porter
  23. All These Worlds by Dennis E Taylor read by Ray Porter
  24. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire, read by Mary Robinette Kowal
  25. One Salt Sea by Seanan McGuire, read by Mary Robinette Kowal
  26. Ashes of Honor by Seanan McGuire, read by Mary Robinette Kowal
  27. Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire, read by Mary Robinette Kowal
  28. The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire, read by Mary Robinette Kowal
  29. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie, read by Deanna Hurst
  30. Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie, read by Sandra Burr
  31. Once Broken Faith by Seanan McGuire, read by Mary Robinette Kowal
  32. The Brightest Fell by Seanan McGuire, read by Mary Robinette Kowal
  33. Night And Silence by Seanan McGuire, read by Mary Robinette Kowal
  34. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan read by Michael Kramer & Kate Reading
  35. Welcome To Temptation by Jennifer Crusie read by Aasne Vigesaa
  36. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne read by Katie Schorr