2010: My Year in Books

[daddytodd]

I started keeping a log of my reading in 2009. It really kicked into high gear when I got an iPad in April. Thanks to the iPad, I read more in 2010 than in any year for a couple decades.

I had intended to load up the new iPad with Star Trek novels and catch up in Sint Maarten during my annual two weeks vacation in May. Instead, I found myself back on Darkover for my first protracted stay since the mid-'80's, after testing the iBooks app by buying the latest posthumous Darkover book by MZB & Deborah J Ross. Hastur Lord wasn't the best way to get back into Darkover, but it was good enough to start me on 7 or 8 months of reading (or re-reading) Darkover and Marion Zimmer Bradley.

 

During that time, I read all MZB's Darkover titles except Thendara House, City of Sorcery and The Heirs of Hammerfell. I also read all Deborah J Ross's Darkover books except Zandru's Forge and A Flame in Hali, and 2 of Adreinne Martine-Barnes titles – The Shadow Matrix defeated me for the third time (I just can't seem to get past the first 50 or so pages of that book).

I also read a bunch of Marion's other stuff, including EVERY short story she ever published except for one or two small pieces that managed to elude me – I've now got ancient pulps with MZB stories going back to 1948. I  also read the first couple "Friends of Darkover" anthologies.

 

I intend to finish the rest of the Darkover novels and anthologies in 2011. I wish more of them were available as e-books!

I never did get around to reading any more Trek in 2010. Maybe in 2011?

Marion Zimmer Bradley and/or Darkover Novels & Short Stories (with date read):

Hastur Lord          04/25/2010
Star of Danger    05/05/2010
Traitor's Sun         05/12/2010
The Alton Gift        05/22/2010
The Bloody Sun (Revised)    05/24/2010
The Winds of Darkover    05/29/2010
Thr Planet Savers    05/31/2010
The Waterfall    05/31/2010
The Sword of Aldones    06/07/2010
Sharra's Exile    06/14/2010
The Door Through Space    06/18/2010
A Darkover Retrospective    06/20/2010
The Ballad of Hastur and Cassilda    06/23/2010
Blood Will Tell    06/24/2010
Bride Price    06/25/2010
The Legend of Lady Bruna    06/25/2010
The World Wreckers    06/26/2010
The Word of a Hastur    06/26/2010
Ten Minutes or So    06/28/2010
Survey Ship    06/28/2010
The Heritage of Hastur    06/30/2010
To Keep The Oath    06/30/2010
Amazon Fragment (Bonds of Sisterhood)    07/01/2010
House Rules    07/02/2010
Knives    07/02/2010
Firetrap    07/02/2010
The Keeper's Price    07/02/2010
The Malice of the Demon    07/03/2010
The Jewel of Arwen    07/03/2010
The Lesson of the Inn    07/05/2010
Hilary's Homecoming    07/05/2010
Hilary's Wedding    07/05/2010
Playfellow    07/05/2010
Everything But Freedom    07/06/2010
Rediscovery    07/06/2010
Oathbreaker    07/07/2010
The Hawkmaster's Son     07/07/2010
A Man Of Impulse    07/07/2010
The Shadow    07/08/2010
The Walker Behind    07/10/2010
Bitch    07/10/2010
Here There Be Dragons?    07/10/2010
Chalice Of Tears    07/10/2010
The Secret of the Blue Star    07/11/2010
Looking for Satan    07/12/2010
The Incompetent Magician    07/12/2010
Seven from the Stars    07/27/2010
Somebody Else's Magic    07/27/2010
Sea Wrack    07/29/2010
The Wandering Lute    07/30/2010
The Gratitude of Kings    07/31/2010
A Sword of Chaos    07/31/2010
The Dark Intruder    08/01/2010
Jackie Sees a Star    08/01/2010
Exiles of Tomorrow    08/01/2010
Death Between the Stars    08/01/2010
The Crime Therapist    08/01/2010
The Stars are Waiting    08/01/2010
Black & White    08/01/2010
Jamie    08/02/2010
Fools' Fire    08/04/2010
Hello Daddy, This is Margaret    08/04/2010
Centaurus Changeling    08/04/2010
Genuine Old Master    08/05/2010
Conquering Hero    08/05/2010
Final Bet    08/05/2010
The Wuzzles    08/07/2010
North to Northwander    08/07/2010
The Climbing Wave    08/08/2010
To Err is Inhuman    08/08/2010
Another Rib    08/08/2010
Bird of Prey    08/08/2010
Green Thumb    08/09/2010
To Kill the Undead    08/09/2010
Outpost    08/09/2010
The Wind People    08/09/2010
The Wild One    08/10/2010
Treason of the Blood    08/10/2010
The Day of the Butterflies    08/10/2010
Hero's Moon    08/10/2010
The Engine    08/10/2010
Elbow Room    08/10/2010
Keyhole    08/11/2010
Women Only    08/11/2010
Collector's Item    08/11/2010
Phoenix    08/11/2010
Toe Heaven    08/12/2010
Falcons of Narabedla    08/14/2010
Footsteps    08/19/2010
The Colors of Space    08/19/2010
The Brass Dragon    08/21/2010
Darkover Landfall    08/22/2010
The Spell Sword    08/26/2010
The Shattered Chain    09/03/2010
The Other Side of the Mirror    09/04/2010
Blood Hunt    09/05/2010
The Planet Savers (v 2)    09/06/2010
Well Met by Moonlight    09/07/2010
Vai Dom    09/08/2010
The Forest    09/09/2010
There Is Always an Alternative     09/09/2010
The Tale of Durraman's Donkey     09/09/2010
The Heart of the Hill     09/10/2010
The Parting of Arwen     09/10/2010
The Fires of Her Vengeance     09/10/2010
The Alton Gift (sf)     09/10/2010
The Bloody Sun    09/11/2010
The Rescue     09/13/2010
The Answer     09/13/2010
Circle of Light     09/13/2010
A Simple Dream     09/14/2010
Ambassador to Corresanti     09/15/2010
A View from the Reconstruction     09/15/2010
Una Paloma Blanca     09/15/2010
The Forbidden Tower     09/21/2010
Two to Conquer    09/29/2010
The Fall of Neskaya    10/16/2010
Stormqueen!     11/21/2010
Hawkmistress!     11/27/2010

 

This was the year I finally got down to reading Matthew Hughes, starting with his Dying Earth story. Damn fine stuff!

Grolion of Almery     02/18/2010
The Gist Hunter and Other Stories     02/21/2010
The Commons     03/01/2010
Majestrum     03/12/2010
The Spiral Labyrinth     03/18/2010
Hespira     03/27/2010
Black Brillion     03/29/2010
Template     04/07/2010
Fool's Errand    05/04/2010
Fool Me Twice     05/07/2010
Quartet & Triptych    08/09/2010

 

I started the year (almost) finishing up a re-read of Julian May's Intervention/Galactic Milieu/Pliocene Exile series (read in that order) begun in 2009:

The Nonborn King     01/25/2010
The Adversary     (02/01/2010 - I bogged down about 150 pages in. I'll get back to it some day).
A Pliocene Companion     02/01/2010

 

Other books:

Star Trek: Inception     02/10/2010 (only Star Trek title read in 2010, and it wasn't particularly good)
Sex at Dawn    07/23/2010

Conan and the Sorcerer    08/07/2010
Conan the Mercenary    08/08/2010
Tied In    08/30/2010
Crusade: What the Hell Happened? Vol. 1    09/03/2010
Love & Rockets New Stories 3    09/16/2010
Fade-In    09/22/2010
Little Fuzzy     10/31/2010
Fuzzy Sapiens    11/06/2010
Fuzzies and Other People    11/14/2010
Mary Ann in Autumn    11/28/2010
Space: 1999: Earthfall    12/27/2010
Space: 1999: Earthbound    12/31/2010

In 2011, I'm planning on reading the Powys Media Space: 1999 books, finishing Darkover and some other MZB titles (The Atlantis/Avalon/"Light" interconnected series) and getting back to Star Trek.

 

I've also decided to limit my book buying. I have to read 5 books for every new title I buy. That should cut down my "To Be Read" pile.