Book Log 2018 : The Year in Review

Books read in 2004: 21
Books read in 2005: 28
Books read in 2006: 40
Books read in 2007: 30
Books read in 2008: 41
Books read in 2009: 22
Books read in 2010: 44
Books read in 2011: 28
Books read in 2012: 31
Books read in 2013: 8
Books read in 2014: 13
Books read in 2015: 18
Books read in 2016: 52
Books read in 2017: ~24
Books read in 2018: ~28

Also failed to track books this year at all. Below is what I can piece together by looking at my bookshelf and scrolling through my book orders at Amazon.

Big thanks to my Facebook friends who recommended most of these when I was staring 50 hours of planes, trains and automobiles in the face this past summer.

1. A History of Video Games in 64 Objects [Colorado book store?] by World Video Game Hall of Fame (Author)
A chapter on each of 64 Objects in Video Game history, like the Pong arcade cabinet or the first Playstation. Total nerdfest, filled with interesting tidbits about how things got made, or became popular.

2. The Power by Naomi Alderman [bought in Colorado]
Awesome. Recommended by Barack Obama, and me. A fantastic what-if story of an evolutionary jump by women that gives them a special power, turning the tables on the gender dynamic.

3. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah [Kindle]
Worth a read. He had a hard act to follow with John Stewart, and I never got hooked on his version of The Daily Show. But, he’s lived a life worth reading about, and I’ve got a better appreciation for him now.

4. Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
The Ghost Brigades (Old Man’s War Book 2) by John Scalzi
Pretty good sci-fi about old people recruited to fight a space war, and given new high-tech bodies to fight it with.

5. Programming the Raspberry Pi, Second Edition: Getting Started with Python
Simon Monk
Raspberry Pi 3 Cookbook for Python Programmers: Unleash the potential of Raspberry Pi 3 with over 100 recipes, 3rd Edition
Tim Cox, Dr. Steven Lawrence Fernandes
These are okay references for learning some Python tricks. Needed it for work.

6. The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency Book 1) by John Scalzi
Really good sci-fi epic of a space empire facing complete disintegration due to potential disruptions in space transport.

7. Trash: A Love Story by M.H. Van Keuren
A good read but will make you feel guilty… in a good way, though. Some riveting The Martian-like survival aspects, and generally page-turning storytelling.

8. Life After Life: A Novel by Kate Atkinson
Great novel about a life lived multiple times, to greater and greater success.

9. All Our Wrong Todays: A Novel by Elan Mastai
I love a good twist on time travel, and this one is fresh and exciting. Highly recommended to time travel afficianados.

10. Carter Beats the Devil by Glen Gold
Very well written historical fiction, centering around an ambitious magician in the age of Houdini.

11. Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
Heartwarming young adult fiction about a transgender girl and her friend.

12. Lots of Encyclopedia Browns by various
Read most of the books with my daughter. Fun to revisit my childhood. I solved more of the mysteries this time through. Though some were just dumb.

13. Fight and Flight (Magic 2.0 Book 4) by Scott Meyer
My least favorite of this series. I’ve enjoyed the other three a lot, this was ok.

14. The Great Brain series by various
My favorite series as a kid about growing up in turn of the 18th/19th century Utah.
While not as enraptured as I was, my daughter liked them way more than I expected.

15. Sex and the Constitution: Sex, Religion, and Law from America’s Origins to the Twenty-First Century by Geoffrey R. Stone
I wish I’d made notes about this one when I read it way back when, but I do remember it being fascinating and a good read.

16. Unaccompanied Minor by Hollis Gillespie
We Will Be Crashing Shortly by Hollis Gillespie
I’ve enjoyed her non-fiction essays, and these fictional romps are just as fun.

17. The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye: A Lisbeth Salander novel, continuing Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Series (Millennium Series Book 5) by David Lagercrantz
This posthumous continuation of the series by a new author is… okay. Not quite as good as the originator, but I’m glad somebody is going to try to finish the story arcs. Better than nothing.

18. The Art of Loish: A Look Behind the Scenes by Lois van Baarle
I love this woman’s digital painting. See her stuff at loish.net.

19. Scythe (Arc of the Scythe Book 1) by Neal Shusterman
20. Thunderhead (Arc of the Scythe Book 2) by Neal Shusterman
Recommended by my son, this is a dystopian-utopia novel centering on an organization of official assassins. It is uncomfortable to get on board with following the “good guy” murderers, but nonetheless it is an impressive piece of worldbuilding.

21. Naked Economics : Undressing the Dismal Science by Charles Wheelan
Very enjoyable description of economics that gives much to think about.

22. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan
Fun ride about an ancient secret society meets Google employees.

23. Sourdough: A Novel by Robin Sloan
Set in the same universe as Mr. Penumbra’s (but completely unrelated story wise), I enjoyed this story about a computer programmer that learns to make sourdough bread. Also, really made me crave some sourdough bread.

24. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: A Novel by Hank Green
A delightful young adult novel about an invasion of robots that don’t move, and the girl who knows them best.

25. The 7.5 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Recommended to me by my good friend Christy, this is a great sort-of time travel mystery. Very sharp.

26. The Ghost Brigades (Old Man’s War Book 2) by John Scalzi
A fine follow-up to the first Old Man’s War book, but I lost the taste for the premise in general, and probably won’t continue.

27. The Consuming Fire (The Interdependency Book 2) by John Scalzi
Great follow-up to the first book. I’m hooked, looking forward to the next installment.

28. Less: A Novel by Andrew Sean Greer
An amusing story following a sad-sack washed up writer as he embarques on a desperate world tour. Pulitzer prize winning!

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