Grant's Reading Log

Since I posted the list of books I read in 2008, I figured I should track down the only other list I kept, those read in 1998.

I just finished reading Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami. I had written him off after finishing 1Q84, but when visions of that novel continued to surface I figured I’d see what more Murakami had to offer. I chose this book because there was a cat on the cover. Little did I know this […]

I just finished reading Jingo, by Terry Pratchett. While the Watch series is my favorite, the main plot of war and xenophobia didn’t hit for me. That said, the novel was packed with amusing sub-plots. Vimes’ daily planner, Carrot’s penchant for football, 71-hour Achmed’s backstory, Vetinari drafting Colon and Nobby for his mission, Nobby unexpectedly […]

I just finished reading Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett. This one leans more into the “rampant imagination” category than “well-developed narrative.” The concept of Death standing in for Santa Claus is a great start, but the tooth-fairy tie-in didn’t work that well for me. The oh god had me feeling nauseous just remembering similar experiences. The […]

I finished reading Arrows of the Queen, by Mercedes Lackey. I originally discovered this book at the Baldwinsville Public Library when I was in 7th grade. I was on a mission to read every fantasy novel in the Young Adult section, and I fell in love with Valdemar immediately and read all that had been […]

I just finished reading The Devils, by Joe Abercrombie. An imposing 560 pages, the novel starts off exquisitely with Brother Diaz pounding through the scenic hallways of the Celestial Palace unexpectedly on-time for his meeting with the Pope. The description of the scene renders a cinemagraph as clear as day, infusing the reader with the […]

I just finished reading Feet of Clay, by Terry Pratchett. The novel gets off to an excellent start with a mysterious golem sale that ends up at the heart of a coup attempt. The novel features a burgeoning cast of characters that are finally being given a modicum of depth along with social commentary on […]

I just finished reading Maskerade, by Terry Pratchett. This is the fastest I’ve finished any of the Discworld novels so far, which I credit to Pratchett’s inclusion of multiple story lines at the outset. Each storyline weaves quickly into the others and some, like Nanny Ogg’s overdue compensation, are resolved relatively quickly, but there was […]

I found this list of books I read in 2008. Even including a lot of very short books, this is a breakneck pace. I think maybe I was trying to see how many I could read, but the memory is hazy. Some really great books on this list. The Privilege of the Sword, by Ellen […]

I just finished reading Interesting Times, by Terry Pratchett. I thought I had read this one before, but nothing really felt familiar. This novel had two distinct parts. During the first part, Cohen and the Silver Horde were on the way to some great unknown heist while Rincewind was being drawn into a communist revolution. […]

I just finished Another Fine Myth, by Robert Apsrin. The Myth series was an important part of my reading journey growing up, so I’ll give a little backstory. In Schenectady, then Onondaga Hill, then Manlius we lived close enough that I was able to walk or ride my bike to the local library. But when […]

I just finished reading Soul Music, by Terry Pratchett. I had started it last year, but was unable to maintain interest. Every joke and angle was beaten until thoroughly dead. Death’s motorcycle ride was shoehorned in randomly when it might have been interesting with proper setup. I remember enjoying this novel when I was younger. […]

I just finished reading Semiosis, by Sue Burke, recommended by Jason Parkis. The novels starts off a little rough, with the author’s writing skills lacking. Descriptions and phrasings left me rolling my eyes until I got far enough into the story to find it engaging. Ultimately it was quite engaging – although it never really […]

I finished 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami a while ago. The story is quickly engaging before lapsing into a boring slog as was watch the characters alternately living in a safe house or doing stake-outs for months on end. The author’s relationship with sex, seen through the lens of his choices in this novel, is disturbing. […]

I just finished reading Men at Arms, by Terry Pratchett. In this novel, the Watch begins to take form with additional recruits. The wealth of new characters give the reader plenty to love, while the main plot regarding the gonne held perhaps a little less mystery and interest than the amount of time it took […]

I just finished reading Lords and Ladies, by Terry Pratchett. This novel was a difficult read for me. The depiction of elves as wild animals with glamour magic is initially interesting, but you can basically see where this story is going very early and then you have to slog through hundreds of pages to get […]

I just finished reading A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, by T. Kingfisher. I found this book while attempting to organize my thoughts to begin writing a novel. My hope would be to find inspiration to write a story with little to no violence, so I searched the internet for “cozy” fantasy. It’s not something […]

I just finished reading Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett. It took a while to really get into it. The story starts off interesting enough, but does become a bit tedious due to the predictable plot. As usual, the humour carries you through. Spoilers – at the end, I realized just before Om attempted to get […]

I just finished reading Witches Abroad, by Terry Pratchett. I have only marginally enjoyed the witch characters in previous novels, and I’ve wondered if that opinion represents a bit of innate sexism on my part. That may be the case, but this time around I fully enjoyed them as they bounced between fairy-tale parodies. I […]

I just finished reading The Dying Earth, by Jack Vance. It’s the first of four Dying Earth novels. The book caught my eye on my bookshelf the other day and lately I’ve, amazingly, had the attention span to read again. I wasn’t sure how long I’ve had the book or if I’d bought it myself […]

I finished reading Reaper Man, by Terry Pratchett. The main story line was an interesting exploration of the Death character. I particularly enjoyed the time dedicated to Miss Flitworth (both by Death and by Pratchett) at the end, a kind gesture nearly enough to move me to tears. The secondary story line with the sentient […]

I finished reading Moving Pictures, by Terry Pratchett. The Discworld series continues moving into a territory where I can wholeheartedly recommend it. A fully realized narrative combines with an upgrade in the quality of humour. The story leans heavily on Hollywood tropes, but this can be forgiven as they pay off time and again. Favourite […]

I finished reading Eric, by Terry Pratchett. I was surprised by how short the novel was, but this was perhaps a consequence of reading it on the Kindle and not looking at the length. The story whipped past at breakneck pace, although it still manages to grow stale in the middle while the reader remains […]

I just finished Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. The novel represents a noticeable increase in narrative quality. Perhaps as the world shapes around him, Pratchett finds himself working within the confines he’s already established, providing the opportunity to flesh out characters and storylines.

Finished Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir. It was a lot of fun as an adventure novel. As sci-fi all of the plot items portrayed as clever seemed obvious and the miraculous usefulness of Astrophage strains disbelief. Either way, I enjoyed it!

Finished Pyramids, by Terry Pratchett. Dios had the right idea, everyone’s in such a hurry. Why not take it slow and just flare off the extra time?

finished Wyrd Sisters, by Terry Pratchett. Those Witches’ power levels sure seem to fluctuate wildly. There were a few good laughs as the story reached its conclusion.

Finished Sourcery, by Terry Pratchett. It was stuffed to the seams with imagination and jokes, but ultimately failed to deliver an enthralling narrative.

Finished Mort, by Terry Pratchett. I felt like Death’s behavior was out of character at times. And Albert is a treacherous old bastard

Finished Equal Rites, by Terry Pratchett. The novel begins to display significant improvements in his writing craft to go with his limitless wit and creativity. I’m suddenly curious to know what it feels like to have balconies.

Finished The Light Fantastic, by Terry Pratchett. His early works are rough around the edges, but display an unparalleled fountain of creativity that makes it clear how he was able to write so many highly regarded Discworld novels.

Finished Sharp Ends, by Joe Abercrombie. I enjoyed getting a closer look at some previously visited characters… But that last story was a bit unsettling!

Finished Early Riser, by Jasper Fforde. An interesting story packed with heavy-handed exposition, action, and unexpected yet well-considered plot.

Finished Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman. It was a wonderful, magical story that dodged expectations when it counted most.

Finished A Guile of Dragons, by James Enge. A cluttered, skillfully woven tale. Felt like an old classic Swords & Sorcery novel.

Finished Lord of Light, by Roger Zelazny. I enjoyed the well-crafted mythology.

Finished The Wolf Age, by James Enge. It was intricate and interesting.

Finished Wizard’s First Rule, by Terry Goodkind. It was poorly written.

Finished This Crooked Way, by James Enge.

Finished Blood of Ambrose, by James Enge.

Finished Red Country, by Joe Abercrombie.

Finished The Fires Of Heaven, by Robert Jordan

Finished The Shadow Rising, by Robert Jordan.

Finished The Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan.

Finished The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan.

Finished The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan.

Finished The Night of the Long Knives by Fritz Leiber.