Recommended Reading List – 2011

One of my New Years resolutions is to let people know what I’ve been reading and enjoying. Here is a list of the books, short stories, and novellas I’ve enjoyed in 2011. I’m hoping to make this a monthly post in 2012!

Novels

Two of my most loved novels this year has been Pock’s World, by Dave Duncan. It’s a wonderful science fiction novel where the hourglass ticks against time. Even the chapters countdown to the Event. Strange and wonderful, and awe-inspiring. On the other extreme end is J.W. Schnarr’s Alice and Dorothy, a gritty horror that haunted my thoughts for weeks. Yet, I could not put the book down.

The latest Harry Dresden book, Ghost Story, came out this summer. I took a vacation day so that I could buy the ebook at midnight and stayed up all night reading it. It wasn’t my favourite of the Dresden series, but it was a necessary book that changed the series. It was about the consequences of one’s actions. I’m a huge fan of the Dresden series so I can’t wait for the next one.

Short Fiction

Douglas Smith’s Chimerascope remains my favourite short fiction collection of the year. It was a collection of speculative fiction shorts, most having been nominated for awards and some having even won some. In reading the collection, it was clear why. They were outstanding. I’d also recommend the collection for authors looking to write science fiction and fantasy short fiction. This is a great group of stories to study.

Brent Knowles’ Digital Rights remains a favourite for the year. There are books that make a reader think, “I could have written that.” Then, there are books like these that make a reader sigh and say, “I wish I’d written that.” This is the latter. Very smart and intelligent, but accessible for those of us who sometimes struggle with hard science fiction.

Beyond Reach by Rebecca Senese brings some darkness to the space opera, which is a nice change of pace.  No surprise, since Rebecca is known for her horror. I’m looking forward to more science fiction from her, though

Stuff my friends wrote

I don’t often review my friends’ books because I’ve often beta reader the stories back when it lacked a plot or before it completely rewritten. It’s hard for me to look at the current versions and forget the previous ones. However, here are a couple suggestions that I think you might like:

Princess for Hire by Jamie Grey. Seriously, this is the best title ever. It’s a shorter story, and great for when you’re sick to death of the doom and gloom.

Chrystalla Thoma moved into science fiction this year with Rex Rising, the first of a series.

 

Happy reading!