gamerdonkey

Books I've Read

This isn't a complete list. Not to brag, but I've been reading since I was like 7 years old. I only recently came up with the idea to keep track of books I've read and to jot down my feelings (50 words or fewer) about them. I say I came up with the idea, but really I stole it from elly.town.

These may contain extemely mild spoilers, but I won't go heavy into the plot.

Stars

Putting a star rating on each "review" just felt right. I'm not going to go crazy with it, though. Below is the explanation of my 3-star system. I will make no effort to balance or normalize my ratings.

2024

This is the first year I started writing down my thoughts, so from here on out the opinions are at their freshest.

  1. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells - Murderbot Diaries #5. Murderbot and a murder mystery? Be still my beating heart! This is a great entry in the series. I love our main character being out of its element and how it handles relationships with new humans. This might be my favorite Murderbot book. ★★★

  2. Animorphs: The Invasion by K. A. Applegate - I never read The Animorphs when I was young, though I always wanted to. As an adult, the first book definitely kept me reading, though it definitely is for younger audiences. Still, it hits on some heavy themes and has some real shining moments. ★★★

  3. Animorphs: The Vistor by K. A. Applegate - I immediately wanted to continue the series. They're short, digestible page-turners, and this second book does not disappoint. I like that we get a new protagonist and I enjoyed more time with animals and with the aliens. Also, this installment definitley cranks up the tension. ★★★

  4. Johnny Mnemonic by William Gibson - Just the short story, but I'm counting it. I found the story very engaging, especially compared to the movie (which I do like). Gibson is great at descriptions, and all the old-future tech is just wonderful. ★★★

  5. Neuromancer by William Gibson - A re-read, after 15 years. I'd forgotten much, including how good the writing is. It's a very cool vision of a future that could have been. The characters are engaging and realistic in their way. Intriguing commentary on AI that also highlights the distance from what we now call AI. ★★★

  6. Count Zero by William Gibson - My first time reading the sequel to Neuromancer. I think I liked this story better. I enjoyed how the characters could have their own interests that I wasn't into, but I could appreciate their appreciation. Also, it has one of my favorite quotes about rich people. ★★★

  7. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - I was amazed by how relevant many of the points are, though written literal millenia ago. Not every lesson has aged well, and I won't incorporate them all into my personal philosophy. But I actually highlighted several sections, and I'm keeping them in mind to ease my modern anxiety. ★★★

  8. System Collapse by Martha Wells - Murderbot Diaries #6. A really great personal plot where we get to watch our favorite cybernetic protagonist grow through the aftermath of Network Effects. The action is a little more sparse than other entries, but that's not a bad thing. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to keep turning pages. ★★★

  9. Animorphs: The Encounter by K. A. Applegate - I really liked getting more of Tobias' perspective. This book was lighter on the overarching series plot, but it related the personal struggles of the characters to normal adolescent struggles in a way that I found fascinating. Some good surprises, but not as stressful as the last book. ★★★

  10. Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie - I noticed in this book how Christie writes with a reverence to the stuffy, uptight society of the time but simultaneously uses the character of Poirot, a foreigner, as a wedge to pry at the edges of those manners and traditions, pointing out how silly it can be. Good mystery. ★★

  11. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - [Audiobook] I've read pieces before and I knew the overall plot, but I've never read it all the way through. It's a very good story, and I have a new respect for Bilbo now that I've heard it to the end. And the way Tolkien writes is simply infectious. ★★★

  12. The Last Human by Zack Jordan - The beginning hooked me. Something about the thoughts of a lethal alien in the throes of motherhood really resonated. Really, it's a very personal story in a space opera that reached consequences I did not expect. It left me thinking. Maybe not the deepest thoughts, but thoughts nonetheless. ★★★

  13. Knots by R.D. Laing - A 1970's book of poems about relationships by a psychiatrist. It was a difficult read at times, partially because of its abstract nature and partially due to some heavy subject matters. It has put to words some feelings I've experienced and gave me perspective on scenarios I've never seen. ★★

  14. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien - [Audiobook] Tough at times, especially as an audiobook. Descriptions of geography and lineages kind of went in one ear and out the other. Wonderful lore, though. I especially enjoyed some of the more personal tales. And Tolkien's way of writing is just infectious. If you think you'll like it, you will. ★★★

  15. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare - [Audiobook] Classic, like so many of his plays, and I enjoyed this one in high school. I had forgotten many parts of the plot, and of course there are some parts that didn't age well. The language is fun and flowery, and the ending has a message about telling tales sincerely. ★★

2023

I decided to go back over my 2023 reading so that I would have a solid foundation to work from. These are based on my memory.

  1. Pests by Bethany Brookshire - This was a very interesting book. I learned a lot from it. While it wasn't always nice to hear about what happens to animals we deem pests, I think it's something important for us to learn about if we're going to share this world with them. ★★★

  2. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells - Murderbot #4. I am definitively not advising anyone to pass on a Murderbot installment, but this is the one I remember the least. Still, it has wonderful moments, important relationship developments, and catches up with some old characters. ★★★

  3. Artemis by Andy Weir - I love love loved The Martian. This is a pretty good follow-up. Cool setting and realistic science-fiction. Some of the events felt more contrived in this setting than in the dire position of its predecessor. That's a small criticism on an overall good plot, though. ★★

  4. We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor - A friend gifted me this book. The concepts of conciousness and space exploration really carried the whole read for me. The very beginning needed another editing pass, and some of the story felt lacking. But I enjoyed it. I hear there are more in the series now. ★★

  5. Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - The second book in the series, this one cranks up the weird and queer from Gideon. I was happy to learn more about the emperor and of how immortal beings can still be human. Great twists, still funny. I learned so many words for bones. ★★★

  6. The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow by Cory Doctorow - I think this might be considered a short story. It's kind of a weird vision of the future that hits some high concepts. The story is not really happy, and is honestly uncomfortable in some ways. ★★

  7. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick - I picked this up from the library stacks because I knew the title. The bit I read while standing there captivated me. It's a strange, post-WWII alternate history. Some parts have definitely aged, and I distinctly remember realizing one of the perspectives is not a good person. ★★★

  8. Persephone Station by Stina Leicht - Found on the "staff picks" shelf at my library. It has so many characters. The story is fun and fanciful, and I really liked the sci-fi elements. I also cared about what happened to those characters. In the end, I was left wanting but happy. ★★★

  9. Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie - I adore Poirot. My grandma watched the PBS series when I was young, so that how I picture him when I read. The books are certainly of their time, so be ready for outdated terminology and ideas. This one is a good mystery with satisfyng moments. ★★

  10. Network Effect by Martha Wells - The Murderbot Diaries novel. Big surprise, I loved it. Page-turning action, characteristically-good humor, and interpersonal drama the likes of which I never thought would keep my interest. I empathize so much with Murderbot (don't read into that statement unless you've read the books). And there was a good space twist. ★★★

  11. Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi - Another random library find. I picked it up because I've always liked Godzilla and other giant monsters. It's a fun book, definitely rooted in a certain recent historical era, and there sure is some drama. But I mostly enjoyed just escaping into the world it created. ★★★

2022

While going through my 2023 list, I realized that I started two kind of major-to-me book series in 2022. So I feel like I should do that year, too.

  1. Sourcery by Sir Terry Pratchett - My third read in the Discworld series. Pratchett's writing is just so fun. No other author makes me stop and re-read something just because it's so funny. Even though I don't usually like "powerful child" storylines, I got into this one. I want start the Death storyline next. ★★

  2. How To by Randall Munroe - I'd enjoyed XKCD and the associated "What If?" blog for probably a decade before I read this book. Still, the first "What If?" book was transformative for me. This book had a similar effect, if just a slight step down. Still really fun and educational. ★★

  3. All Systems Red by Martha Wells - Murderbot Diaries #1. A killing machine goes rogue but doesn't kill everyone. It just wants to watch its soaps and be left alone. I read this on a recommendation from a friend, and it was spot-on. I adore this book. The humor, action, and novella-length are perfect for me. ★★★

  4. Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - A heavier undertaking recommended by the same friend. Described to me as, "Lesbian, sword-fighting necromancers in space." It took work to get into, but I'm glad I put in the effort. Dark, weird, funny, and queer, in all the best ways. It blew my mind and expanded my anatomical knowledge. ★★★

  5. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells - The second book of the Murderbot series. I almost wrote that parts of this book were forgettable, then I remembered what actually happens. This entry is a great expansion on what was becoming my favorite literary character and introduces some key concepts of the universe around it. And it's funny. ★★★

  6. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells - Murderbot #3. I was speeding through this at this point. Relatively, at least. I'm a slow reader. I feel like this book did more universe-building, but there are also crucial moments for our protagonist. ★★★