Book rundown, 2024

Right, so, I only read 19 books for pleasure this year, the lowest count since I started tracking my reading more than twenty years ago. I edited 22 books, but that’s work reading, not pleasure reading.

In my defense: I had to move, again, this time from Wisconsin to Minnesota. Moving is such a drain on time and energy. And here in Minnesota I don’t have a long country road to amble down with my dog, one of us listening to audiobooks, the other chasing deer.

Also in my defense, after I moved to the Twin Cities, I took up dance as a hobby. When I say dance I mean burlesque and pole dance. In November I danced on a stage, taking my clothes off for money.

Please note, my stage name is conveniently the same as my editing business: Blue Legend. Hire me for all your editing and/or erotic dance needs.

Somehow, some way, I’m going to make more time for pleasure reading this year. Pleasure writing, too. I’m itching to write a book. I resolve to find time for editing books, reading books, writing books, and stripping my clothes off.

Total books read:
19

Age levels:
All adult. No YA or children’s books this year.

Books that were published in 2024:
The Hunter, by Tana French

Total books read:
Nonfiction: 4
Fiction: 15

Genres (as some books have more than one genre, total exceeds 19):

Nonfiction

• Ecology – 1
• Feminism – 1
• History – 2
• Science – 1

Fiction

• Crime – 1
• Fantasy – 8
• Horror – 2
• Literary fiction – 3
• Romance – 1
• Science fiction – 5

Annual Russian novel:
The Death of Ivan Ilyich, by Leo Tolstoy
 
K. J. Parker: Is he still the best?
A thousand times yes. I love his writing so much. Normally, when I have a favorite writer, it’s because of their skill with character development and emotional resonance. With Parker, it’s a style thing. His prose is what I aspire to write.

Re-reads:
The Blacktongue Thief, by Christopher Buehlman
The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova
The Color of Magic, by Terry Pratchett
 
 Best book of the year (two-way tie):

The Daughters’ War, by Christopher Buehlman, a prequel to The Blacktongue Thief. Buehlman is my favorite contemporary horror writer, though I believe this title was marketed as fantasy. The goblins have come again. They’re calling this the daughters’ war, because most of the men were killed or maimed in the earlier war. We follow the story through the eyes of Galva, a noble daughter who has signed on with an experimental fighting unit that matches soldiers with giant war corvids.

Buehlman’s prose craft is miles beyond most other writers. He’s got the world building, the character development, and the storytelling to keep you turning pages. Or to not hit pause on the audiobook. Narrator Nikki Garcia does a terrific job with the narration.

Rosewater, by Tade Thompson, a story of alien invasion in a future Nigeria. It’s science fiction plus thriller plus horror plus adventure. One scene features a carnivorous floating alien, and it was so terrifying I went back and listened again, immediately, something I have not done since reading the basement scene in The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Narrator Bayo Gbadamosi was a pleasure to listen to.

Best audiobook narrator:
Christopher Buehlman. After reading The Daughters’ War, I headed immediately to reread its sequel, The Blacktongue Thief, both written and narrated by Buehlman. He was a stage performer for many years before shifting to writing, and his voice acting chops are superb. It’s unfair that one person can be so talented as a writer and actor too.

All the books I read, sorted by genre:

Nonfiction

Feminism
hooks, bell. Ain't I a Woman?, 1981

History
Cronon, William. Changes in the Land, 1983
Katz, William Loren. Black Indians, 1986

Science
Denworth, Lydia. Friendship, 2020

Fiction

Crime
French, Tana. The Hunter, 2024

Fantasy
Buehlman, Christopher. The Daughters’ War, 2021
Buehlman, Christopher. The Blacktongue Thief, 2024
King, Stephen. Fairy Tale, 2002
Parker, K. J. A Practical Guide to Conquering the World, 2022
Pratchett, Terry. The Color of Magic, 1983

Horror
Kostova, Elizabeth. The Historian, 2005

Literary fiction
North, Claire. Ithaca, 2022
Saunders, George. Pastoralia, 2000
Tolstoy, Leo. The Death of Ivan Ilyich, 1886

Science fiction
Butler, Octavia. Bloodchild and Other Stories, 1995
Klune, TJ. In the Lives of Puppets, 2023
Ravn, Olga. The Employees, 2022
Tchaikovsky, Adrian. Elder Race, 2021
Thompson, Tade. Rosewater, 2018