...On to 2015! Not as prolific a year, and in review, a mixed bag in terms of quality. So let's organize this year's reads with that in mind:
Definitely Read This Because...
The City & the City, China Mieville ...it's a totally gripping mind-bending mystery.
Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett ... it's never too late to get into his hilarious but loving fantasy satire.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke ...it's a very different type of satire, long but fun.
Kindred, Octavia Butler ...it's more serious fantasy(-ish), but good insight into race relations across very different eras.
Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott ...it's a classic, but the humor holds up surprisingly well (outside of the Jewish caricature).
I Liked It, and You Might Too If...
The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett ...you want more Discworld!
Complications, Atul Gawande ...you want to learn more about the medical field (if not policy as much).
Leviathan Wakes, James S.A. Corey ...you're into medium-future sci-fi, or want to get ahead of The Expanse.
Cover Her Face, P.D. James ...you want to read a solid, classic mystery.
The Lost Books of the Odyssey, Zachary Mason ...you're into The Iliad and The Odyssey and would enjoy a bunch of different spins on the legends.
Birthday Stories, Haruki Murakami ...it's safe to say there's something in there you'll like.
The Elements of Style, Strunk & White ...you want some practical tips on becoming a better writer.
The Web Content Strategist's Bible, Richard Sheffield ...you might want to get into web content strategy.
I Maybe Had More Reservations, but Still Worth It If...
But Beautiful, Geoff Dyer ...you're into jazz (and maybe want to put together a soundtrack for your reading).
Fever Pitch, Nick Hornsby ...you want to get into the head of a diehard soccer fan (i.e., the rest of the world) and don't mind hearing lots of names and references you don't get.
Soccernomics, Kuper & Szymanski ...you want a more systematic approach to soccer (but don't mind if it's not perfectly scientific).
10:04, Ben Lerner ...you don't mind kind of insufferable hipster navel gazing.
Dharma Bums, Jack Kerouac ...you're into the Beats and/or Zen.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt ...you want more modern Southern society insights.
Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote ...you want to understand what the fuss is all about.
Our Town, Thornton Wilder ...same as above, you've heard about it but don't know what theater people are really talking about.
The Secret Place, Tana French ...you want a modern mystery and don't mind some girl power themes (also it's in Ireland, which is nice).
Warchild, Karin Lowachee ...you won't mind that it's no Ender's Game.
The Boglehead's Guide to Investing, Taylor Larimore et al ...you're interested in somewhat more involved but still straightforward investing advice.
The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, James Martin ...you're seeking spiritual guidance.
The Western Way of War, Victor David Hanson ...you want to understand what it was like to be the typical Greek citizen at war, and can draw your own conclusions about how it influences today.
Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, Rebecca West ...you're up for a very long, involved read about a specific part of the world (the Balkans).
Babel-17, Samuel Delany ...you're up for tackling a very complex vision of the future and plot for the story.
How to Lie with Statistics, Darrell Huff ...you want a very basic starting point for understanding statistical manipulation.
I Was Confused Because...
The Children's Hospital, Chris Adrian ...lots of reasons, but a big one was that I didn't realize we were hearing from two angels.
Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison ...I was expecting more universal racial commentary.
Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah, Jeremy Cowan ...it was less about craft brewing and more about marketing (and Jewish humor).
Didn't Like It and Wouldn't Recommend It Because...
I, Claudius, Robert Graves ...some intriguing Roman politics gave way to a real shitshow.
To Save Everything, Click Here, Evgeny Morozov ...it's a bit too contrarian even though I'm equally put off by some tech solutionism.
Spent, Geoffrey Miller ...it's pop science - just because we find something attractive doesn't mean it's genetic.
The Element, Ken Robinson ...it's vapid motivational cliches with interchangeable examples.
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