Books You've Read 2020 (1 Viewer)

[Yee-Ming]

I re-read the entire Foundation series (in publication order), ahead of the TV series that is due in 2021. Think it made a lot more sense the second time around. For purists who say that one should only read the first three, the TV series obviously covers (and indeed will start with) the prequel books, so...

Will have to find some time to re-read Dune too, ahead of the release of the new movie.

 

[Carlo_M]

I'm reading Philip K Dick stories right now. Just finished We Can Remember It For You Wholesale and The Minority Report. Started The Man in The High Castle. I do like his writing style!

 

[DaveF]

Books You’ve Read 2021

 

[DaveF]

Some more books from 2020

I finished Dune just before the year ended. This has been on my list to re-read for a couple of years now. I read it original in high school, 30-some years ago. I remembered very little of it save some opening details that were reinforced in the '80s movie that I probably saw back then. The audiobook is mostly excellent (with one particularly bad production decision in switching between narrators in the middle that really confused me). The book itself: I know Dune is beloved and considered a masterwork in science fiction, but I was left feeling lukewarm towards it. It's great writing, and tremendous world building. But I wasn't drawn to the characters. Paul Atreides remains a cipher throughout most of the book. There's no real "hero" to root for, or a strong anti-hero to get behind. The characters are real people, unlike the wooden stand-ins that Asimov writes. And, I'd forgotten Dune isn't a complete story. It's the introduction or prologue to a much larger series to follow. So decades later, as a one-off, it doesn't stand exceptionally well for me. And I don't know if I want to continue the series.

Dune

Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, and Charlotte Rampling. Set on th...

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The Minuteman was a surprisingly interesting mini-history of the Jewish gangs fighting American Nazis during Prohibition. Highly recommended.

The Minuteman

Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Declaring war on homegrown Nazis…in Newark, New Jersey. Join writer and documentary producer Greg Donahue as he explores the history of domestic Nazis on the brink of World War II and the Jewish mobsters who stood up to them in this gripping, true...

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A modern interpretation of Peter Pan. Very good.

Peter Pan

Check out this great listen on Audible.com. This Audible Original Drama of Peter Pan takes listeners on a magical adventure with Peter, Wendy, Michael and John as they arrive in Neverland and take on Captain Hook with the help of Tiger Lilly and Tinker Bell. The story begins at home in London...

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Everyone was reading Gaiman's Norse Mythology back in 2017. I finally got to it in 2020. It's Gaiman reading Gaiman. That alone is worth the price of admission. I kinda wish I'd read it back in 2017, when I was finishing Kevin Hearne's The Iron Druid series, as it leans heavily on the Norse gods. In any case, this is exactly what it says it is: a collection of mythological tales told in a somewhat more modern voice to be not terribly dry. But it is still solely Norse mythology. No more, no less. Good if that's what you want. If you're hoping it's secretly a new story by Gaiman, it's not.

Norse Mythology

Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Introducing an instant classic - master storyteller Neil Gaiman presents a dazzling version of the great Norse myths. Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attent...

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Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Fantastic large-cast reading of classic that holds up great. The first time I've heard the original, and I really enjoyed it.

Treasure Island

Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Audible Originals takes to the high seas to bring to life this timeless tale of pirates, lost treasure maps and mutiny, starring Catherine Tate (BAFTA-nominated, The Catherine Tate Show, The Office, Doctor Who), Philip Glenister (Outcast, Life On...

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The Harbinger Series. I'm not sure when I read these. I think I was listneing in 2019 and 2020. I've listened to the four books published so far. They're not amazing, but I find them quite enjoyable. Partly, they have a different voice: the protaginist and a young woman (14-ish and ages through the series), and the primary characters are largely women. It's an interested world with a fun and developing science-magic system.

Prism Cloud

Check out this great listen on Audible.com. Friendship is strained to its breaking point in this Wall Street Journal bestseller by Jeff Wheeler. When the emperor is assassinated, Sera Fitzempress is the noble most eligible to inherit the empire. Her upcoming marriage to the prince would cement...

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[Keith Cobby]

Just tell me when to cry - Richard Fleischer. Well written but didn't cover all of his best films (probably needed to be 3 volumes).

Memoirs of a Professional Cad - George Sanders. One of my favourite actors.

 

[cinemel1]

Stephen C. Smith biography of Max Steiner is a great read. Good combination of his personal life and career accomplishments.

 

[ChristopherG]

Well I finished exactly one book in 2020 - Dr. Sleep. Started it in January got through everything but the last 100 pages and let it sit until December where I vowed to finish it before the year's end. Just made it. Now I can watch the film....

 

[TonyD]

Watch the extended cut.