Books You've Read in 2013 (1 Viewer)

After not having read a single book since 2011, I got back into the habit of reading again.

And maybe it's just me, but I find myself reading 3 or 4 books at a time. I know, really crazy to read more than one at a time, which I have not done since high school, when I had to read one book for English class and read another for fun.

I was surprised to see no thread for 2013 so far this year, so I'll start one here.

Books I've read so far in 2013:
1. Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark - Ridley Pearson
2. The Apostle - Brad Thor
3. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
4. Naked Heat - Richard Castle
5. The Partner - John Grisham
6. Foreign Influence - Brad Thor
7. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly - Anthony Bourdain
8. Heat Rises - Richard Castle
9. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
10. The Iliad - Homer (translation by Robert Fagles)
11. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
12. The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company - David A. Price

Phillipp Meyer's The Son, a novel about a Texas dynasty that examines how violence has shaped American history over the past 150 years. The Noir Forties, a nonfiction history of how postwar America in represented in films noir.

Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson
The first of the Kingdom Keepers series, which are a set of young adult books that takes place in Disney World. This book was mainly about 5 teenagers who were transported in hologram form, to the Magic Kingdom, after the park closes. The theme park comes alive, and the 5 teens have to save it from the evil forces. Basically, it's the "Da Vinci Code" for young people, with some supernatural element thrown in there. The book was good, but not great, and I thought it dragged a bit. Worth checking out if you are a fan of the Disney theme parks.

The Apostle by Brad Thor
The 8th book of the Scot Harvath series, which I enjoy very much. This time, ex-Secret Service agent, Harvath has to go to Afghanistan to rescue a doctor from terrorists there. Will he make it out alive? Do you really have to ask? But seriously, it was not on par with the earlier books, storywise. But it was interesting enough to give a feel of what it is like in Afghanistan, and how tough it is for the people and the troops stationed there. I was not a fan of the DC subplot, which dragged the story a bit. But overall, I enjoyed the book.

Thanks for starting the thread. If I'm not back in a day or two, remind me

The Good Suicides, Antonio Hill, 2013, Spanish noir. Some John D. MacDonald. Alan Brennert's Palisades Park.

I finally signed up for a library card here in the Berkshires, having moved about 3 years ago...So I picked up a really interesting nonfiction book on the cold war submarine espianage called "Blind Man's Bluff" by Sherry Suntag, Christopher Drew, et al.

A pretty fascinating read on the Navy's program of secret sub missions in the atlantic and pacific to monitor Russian subs and learn about their nuclear program during the cold war. Pretty much done with the book, sort of reading the epilogue right now... high interesting stuff if you like military nonfiction, I was recommended this by some ex-subarminers so figured it had to be good.

Jay

So far this year I have read:

The Devil's Candy (the making of The Bonfire of the Vanities)
The Perks of Being A Wallflower
Black Sunday (by Thomas "Silence of the Lambs" Harris--his first novel)
A Game of Thrones

And I am 80 percent through A Clash of Kings.

Earlier this year, I finished reading the entire collected works of Robert Heinlein. I then started on the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Currently, I'm 40% through reading A Dance With Dragons.

Currently, I'm re-reading "The Passage", Justin Cronin.
I'm listening to "Ringworld", Larry Niven
My wife and I are reading aloud "Alphabet Dreams"

I have the sequel to "The Name of the Wind", but I've not been able to get past a few pages it. It's a book that needs space, and time, to be settled into. And I've not had that for reading lately. I really enjoyed the first, and the second starts well. But I need to carve off time for it.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The first of the Katinass Everdeen (what I prefer to call it) trilogy. This is a story told by a teenage girl taking part in the annual Hunger Games, where kids fight to the death, in the post-apocalyptic world. I wanted to read this first before watching the movie. The book can be intense with the subject matter and with some scenes, considering it’s a YA book. I don’t want to say anymore to avoid spoilers, but thought it was well worth the read.

Naked Heat by Richard Castle
The second Nikki Heat book, based on the few episodes of the TV show “Castle”. The actual author is a mystery. As for the story, this one is about a gossip columnist who has been murdered, and it’s up to Nikki Heat to solve the case. Basically it’s based on the few episodes of the show, like one part based on the 3rd season opener. Seeing the names of the other characters in the book, it’s not hard to connect the dots to the TV show. Worth checking out if you are a fan of the TV show.

Just finished "Wolf of Wall Street". It's one of those books where you shouldn't laugh, but damnit, it's hard not to laugh at how ridiculous the situation is.. and since it's a true story, the fact real characters you can look up later on Wikipedia or through NASDAQ/NYSE make this just a romp. I eagerly await the film version now, as this made me smile.. often.

On holiday in April I read the Go-between by L.P.Hartley which I had been meaning to do for some time. Even if you haven't read it you will probably be familiar with the famous first line:

" The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there"

Great novel. I am still waiting for a US release of a Go-Between dvd.

Another novel which has a similar structure to the Go-between and which I much prefer (and highly recommend) is Spies by Michael Frayn.

I read the first six Dragonlance novels, which I have read several times since childhood. For the first time, I followed it up with The Second Generation, which I've had for years. Found out it's mainly a compilation of short stories I had in other forms, though it was designed to get people geared up for the next books in line. I'm now about finished with the first of those, Dragons of Summer Flame. Spoilers for that book:

Can't remember the ones from earlier this year -- can look at my log later. (I've kept a log of every book read since elementary school.)

Based on a 4**** scale:

Dead of Night by Jonathan Maberry *** (Maberry does zombies! I particularly love his Joe Ledger series. Couldn't really get into the Benny Imura series as I found Rot and Ruin a little too young adult.)
Spiral by Koji Suzuki **
Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston **
The Killing Kind by John Connolly ***1/2 (Love this series. Reading them in order. . .slowly. I think I read the first 7 years ago and this is the third.)
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz *1/2 (Enjoyed the first Odd Thomas novel, but this one was claustrophobic and boring. I think that's it for me and Odd Thomas.)
Silence by Thomas Perry **1/2
The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler **
Dead Simple by Peter James ***1/2 (Interesting premise, quite suspenseful.)

Currently reading: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

Off the top of my head...

1.) The Quantum Universe
2.) Parallel Worlds
3.) The Hobbit (Again)
4.) Selected Short Stories Philip K. Dick

Tough to read with three little kids, but I do get a chance during plane flights for business travel and after 9:00 at night once they all pass out.

Just finished A Song of Ice and Fire Book Two: A Clash of Kings. i'll read The Other by Thomas Tryon next.

Just finished Earth Unaware. Very unsatisfying conclusion.