12 for '12 – Things I want to read
The idea for this came from Andrew when I was talking to him the other day, and I tweaked it a bit, and then went overboard for a few items. So this is the first of three posts – another two are coming for things I want to paint and watch in 2012.
Also, because this is my blog, I'm pointing out these are some goals for 2012, but in no way are they actual resolutions. I also reserve the right to change these with little to no notice, claim I never wrote these, and refuse point blank to admit to the existence of this blog if things go bad.
So these are twelve things I want to read in 2012. Not all of these are single novels, and not all of them are things I haven't started reading already. But these are 12 things that at the end of 2012 I want to be able to say 'I have read'.
The Court of the Air – Stephen Hunt
A friend from work lent this to me a while ago, and I'm about 100 pages in. So far, it's a fun sci-fi/fantasy/steampunk story. I'm enjoying it, but am still having trouble finding time to get a chance to read it. So I do want to finish it. I'm also aware that there are some follow ups to the book, and the world seems rather larger than one book can encompass, so I would be interested to see where it leads.
The Stand – Stephen King
Again, another book I have yet to finish. I've been reading this for a few years on and off. It's taking me forever to get through, and while I really enjoy the story, the book itself is huge, and it's written in a style I seem to have a hard time reading through in a quick manner. It's not written in a bad way, it's just there are books that I find I can read really quickly, and others that drag on and on (The Foundation books is one I really think is a good example of this). At the moment, I have about 300 pages remaining in the book, I just have to knuckle down and finish it.
A Game of Thrones – George RR Martin
Again, this is another book I have started. Having said that, I only got about one chapter in, so when it comes time to read it, I'll start from the start again just to try to do it all in one hit. I've heard that the series is fantastic, and the show is meant to be great, but I want to read the books (Or at least the relevant ones) before I get to the show, so I want to get this out of the way early in the year.
The Drawing of the Three – Stephen King
Yay! Another King book! I want to read this to follow up The Gunslinger, as I really liked that book, and considering that a lot of people say it is the boring book in the series, I want to see what happens next. The first book itself was a strange one in that not much really happens, but it is written in a way that the tension keeps building to the point that you MUST KEEP READING because you want to see what the tension is building to.
Snuff – Terry Pratchett
I own the book. I got it the week it came out. I need to read it still. People who have read it told me it was good. They also berate me for not reading it yet. And I've been waiting for it. When I started reading the Discworld books, I wanted to see Rincewind in every story. However the more books I read, the more I see that Pratchett has managed to create a world where everything fits together, but he can still do several different genres within the one world. Admittedly, Sam Vimes was not my favourite character when I read the first book with him in it, but I've grown to really enjoy his character. The last book I read with him in it was Thud, and after the change he goes through in terms of character development, I'm looking forward to seeing how his character arc pans out.
Dexter is Delicious/Double Dexter – Jeff Lindsay
Another series I love is the Dexter series. I realised when I bought the last book, that I still hadn't read the previous book. So I have to get through both of these next year. And I can read them fairly quickly I have found, so I think I need to attack them in the middle of the year when things tend to pick up the pace, and I need quick breaks now and again.
Inheritance – Christopher Paolini
This is the final book in the Inheritance cycle. I enjoyed the previous three books (I hated the movie in terms of it only being good if you read the books to understand what was happening, and alienating those who didn't [As a side note, Jeremy Irons should be kept far away from films involving dragons...]). But this book is HUGE! Yes, it's large print, but it is still an intimidating prospect to get through, and can't travel easily, so it's a bit difficult to carry to work and things like that.
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
I heard this was a good book and bought it not long after seeing the trailer for the film coming out later this year, and I want to read it before seeing the film. I'm a fan of Battle Royale, and this book captures a lot of spirit of that in terms of 'the future is messed up, and kids are going to have to kill each other' (Yeah, I'm messed up...). The thing that does confuse me is that the quote on the front is from Stephanie Meyer, who people that read a lot tend to target as an icon of hate, but the one on the back is from Stephen King, who so many people respect as a literary reviewer in terms of making Good Decisions. I really question marketing sometimes...
Another Three Pratchett Books – Terry Pratchett, obviously
A few years ago, my sister bought me the Discworld Folklore book as a present, which I had already had bought. The following year, to avoid this happening again (As, let's face it, buying me books is something I appreciate, and buying me a Pratchett book was aiming for a series I liked that also had a large gap of 'not yet owned' elements to it) I gave her a list of what I did not own. This got passed around my family, and my Pratchett collection inflated to near complete. So I am slowly going through reading the books I haven't read in the order they were published, as well as reading the new ones that come out. So I need to get through a few more this year to get closer to reading the whole series. Yes, I know how big that series is...
Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves – Matthew Reilly
I've been reading Matthew Reilly books since Ice Station first came out, after reading of this book that was written as an action movie. I'll say that his books aren't exactly known for deep plot elements or their believability, but they are great fun books, and if you like action films, they are a great read. Things blow up, people get killed, and there are always the action hero lines that pop up every few chapters. A good fun book, and I really want to see what happens with Scarecrow and his team in this book.
Stardust – Neil Gaiman
I loved the movie, and am a fan of Gaiman's writing, but never read much of his work (Apart from American Gods, over and over again). I have a signed copy of Stardust, and realised that I have not read it yet, so I want to read it to see how different it is to the screen version.
Diaries 1969 – 1979: The Python Years – Michael Palin
I'm a huge Python fan, and have had this book for a few years, but have only read it in bits and pieces. I've probably read the whole thing, but never in one go, so I want to read it all in the right order to see what I have surely missed and get some background information to what was happening during the Python years.
Other things:
OK, there are a few others I want to read at various points, but not as specifically as the ones above. They are:
Some more Asimov (If I'm struggling with The Stand, I may as well struggle few another few Foundation books as well.
The Illuminatus Trilogy (I heard the Audio books which were fantastic, and it's a great giant yarn about conspiracy theories which appeals to me, but I want to read the books as well to keep the character's voices from the audio books in my mind)
HP Lovecraft (Nothing in particular, but every time I read even part of one of his stories something scary happens. I'd like to get through something and note have anything happen for once)
Leviathan (Another Steampunk novel that seems similar to the Court of the Air story, but I know it is the first part of an interesting sounding trilogy, so I want to see what it is like, and wouldn't mind comparing the two stories)
Also, because this is my blog, I'm pointing out these are some goals for 2012, but in no way are they actual resolutions. I also reserve the right to change these with little to no notice, claim I never wrote these, and refuse point blank to admit to the existence of this blog if things go bad.
So these are twelve things I want to read in 2012. Not all of these are single novels, and not all of them are things I haven't started reading already. But these are 12 things that at the end of 2012 I want to be able to say 'I have read'.
The Court of the Air – Stephen Hunt
A friend from work lent this to me a while ago, and I'm about 100 pages in. So far, it's a fun sci-fi/fantasy/steampunk story. I'm enjoying it, but am still having trouble finding time to get a chance to read it. So I do want to finish it. I'm also aware that there are some follow ups to the book, and the world seems rather larger than one book can encompass, so I would be interested to see where it leads.
The Stand – Stephen King
Again, another book I have yet to finish. I've been reading this for a few years on and off. It's taking me forever to get through, and while I really enjoy the story, the book itself is huge, and it's written in a style I seem to have a hard time reading through in a quick manner. It's not written in a bad way, it's just there are books that I find I can read really quickly, and others that drag on and on (The Foundation books is one I really think is a good example of this). At the moment, I have about 300 pages remaining in the book, I just have to knuckle down and finish it.
A Game of Thrones – George RR Martin
Again, this is another book I have started. Having said that, I only got about one chapter in, so when it comes time to read it, I'll start from the start again just to try to do it all in one hit. I've heard that the series is fantastic, and the show is meant to be great, but I want to read the books (Or at least the relevant ones) before I get to the show, so I want to get this out of the way early in the year.
The Drawing of the Three – Stephen King
Yay! Another King book! I want to read this to follow up The Gunslinger, as I really liked that book, and considering that a lot of people say it is the boring book in the series, I want to see what happens next. The first book itself was a strange one in that not much really happens, but it is written in a way that the tension keeps building to the point that you MUST KEEP READING because you want to see what the tension is building to.
Snuff – Terry Pratchett
I own the book. I got it the week it came out. I need to read it still. People who have read it told me it was good. They also berate me for not reading it yet. And I've been waiting for it. When I started reading the Discworld books, I wanted to see Rincewind in every story. However the more books I read, the more I see that Pratchett has managed to create a world where everything fits together, but he can still do several different genres within the one world. Admittedly, Sam Vimes was not my favourite character when I read the first book with him in it, but I've grown to really enjoy his character. The last book I read with him in it was Thud, and after the change he goes through in terms of character development, I'm looking forward to seeing how his character arc pans out.
Dexter is Delicious/Double Dexter – Jeff Lindsay
Another series I love is the Dexter series. I realised when I bought the last book, that I still hadn't read the previous book. So I have to get through both of these next year. And I can read them fairly quickly I have found, so I think I need to attack them in the middle of the year when things tend to pick up the pace, and I need quick breaks now and again.
Inheritance – Christopher Paolini
This is the final book in the Inheritance cycle. I enjoyed the previous three books (I hated the movie in terms of it only being good if you read the books to understand what was happening, and alienating those who didn't [As a side note, Jeremy Irons should be kept far away from films involving dragons...]). But this book is HUGE! Yes, it's large print, but it is still an intimidating prospect to get through, and can't travel easily, so it's a bit difficult to carry to work and things like that.
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
I heard this was a good book and bought it not long after seeing the trailer for the film coming out later this year, and I want to read it before seeing the film. I'm a fan of Battle Royale, and this book captures a lot of spirit of that in terms of 'the future is messed up, and kids are going to have to kill each other' (Yeah, I'm messed up...). The thing that does confuse me is that the quote on the front is from Stephanie Meyer, who people that read a lot tend to target as an icon of hate, but the one on the back is from Stephen King, who so many people respect as a literary reviewer in terms of making Good Decisions. I really question marketing sometimes...
Another Three Pratchett Books – Terry Pratchett, obviously
A few years ago, my sister bought me the Discworld Folklore book as a present, which I had already had bought. The following year, to avoid this happening again (As, let's face it, buying me books is something I appreciate, and buying me a Pratchett book was aiming for a series I liked that also had a large gap of 'not yet owned' elements to it) I gave her a list of what I did not own. This got passed around my family, and my Pratchett collection inflated to near complete. So I am slowly going through reading the books I haven't read in the order they were published, as well as reading the new ones that come out. So I need to get through a few more this year to get closer to reading the whole series. Yes, I know how big that series is...
Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves – Matthew Reilly
I've been reading Matthew Reilly books since Ice Station first came out, after reading of this book that was written as an action movie. I'll say that his books aren't exactly known for deep plot elements or their believability, but they are great fun books, and if you like action films, they are a great read. Things blow up, people get killed, and there are always the action hero lines that pop up every few chapters. A good fun book, and I really want to see what happens with Scarecrow and his team in this book.
Stardust – Neil Gaiman
I loved the movie, and am a fan of Gaiman's writing, but never read much of his work (Apart from American Gods, over and over again). I have a signed copy of Stardust, and realised that I have not read it yet, so I want to read it to see how different it is to the screen version.
Diaries 1969 – 1979: The Python Years – Michael Palin
I'm a huge Python fan, and have had this book for a few years, but have only read it in bits and pieces. I've probably read the whole thing, but never in one go, so I want to read it all in the right order to see what I have surely missed and get some background information to what was happening during the Python years.
Other things:
OK, there are a few others I want to read at various points, but not as specifically as the ones above. They are:
Some more Asimov (If I'm struggling with The Stand, I may as well struggle few another few Foundation books as well.
The Illuminatus Trilogy (I heard the Audio books which were fantastic, and it's a great giant yarn about conspiracy theories which appeals to me, but I want to read the books as well to keep the character's voices from the audio books in my mind)
HP Lovecraft (Nothing in particular, but every time I read even part of one of his stories something scary happens. I'd like to get through something and note have anything happen for once)
Leviathan (Another Steampunk novel that seems similar to the Court of the Air story, but I know it is the first part of an interesting sounding trilogy, so I want to see what it is like, and wouldn't mind comparing the two stories)
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