My virtual bookshelf
I've always been a big reader, but I found that I was forgetting what I'd read by the end of the year. I'd see books and remember reading them, and a bit of the plot, but I'd always forget if they were any good.
It's made worse given the fact that a lot of reading takes place on my Kindle. It's even easier to lose good books in the piles of virtual advertising garbage that Amazon throws at you to persuade you to buy new books.
So I stole a great idea and have been keeping a record on my blog for a while now. Below you can see what I've been reading in 2024, and you can find more years by clicking on the links.
Virtual Bookshelf 2024
November
A Spy Among Friends
Quite fantastic story - all true - about how one man pulled the wool over the eyes of both British and US intelligence services throughout the Cold War.
Oathbringer
More fun with the Starlight Archive! Took me a while, especially as I got distracted by the Save the Cat book again.
October
Save the Cat!
I'm well into a new Sanderson novel, but I've been picking up bits of this as well to help me pace and work through a screenplay.
September
Children of Ruin
I also read Slow Productivity (Cal Newport) again! (see March 2024)
Moon Over Soho
August
East Anglia Tales of Murder and Mystery
H. Mills West
Four Thousand Weeks
July
Rivers of London
Super Sad True Love Story
June
Exhalation
Another something different - but still a good whack of sci-fi. I'm not usually a short story person, but I motored through these. I like how Chiang takes high-concept ideas and somehow humanises them, with real characters that you care about, even with little in common. My favourite in the collection was The Lifecycle of Software Objects.
May
Pine
It's time to try something different again. A gothic horror set in Scotland, this was well-written and atmospheric. However, it is a bit of a slow burner (although I appreciate the genre does that a lot). It did make me want to pick up another book like this.
The Last Wish
The Witcher again. I felt this was more of a novel than the last book, and although it's a little like another group of stories is pushed together, there's a clear storyline beneath them.
April
The Clockwork Boys / The Wonder Engine
Only now do I realise the pace I tore through these books. While not my favourite fantasy book of the last year, these are right up there with the strongest characterisations. Each character is perfectly formed and just a massive muddle of emotions, contradictions and angst.
Can you guess why I grouped these covers together?
Save the Cat
I've already written a blog post on this one - very energetic and persuasive, with a real passion for movies (and making money from them) that leaps off the page. There are some clear points and actions that I'll be taking away and applying to my writing.
The Book That Wouldn't Burn
Continuing my fantasy book quest, I decided to pick this up on Kindle and was very impressed. Massive scope and very clear and strong characters. The story was very long, though, and although I know that's how the genre operates, I could have done with it a little shorter. Still, a great example of world-building and one I learnt a lot from.
March
The Silent Death
I wanted a change of pace so I decided to pick up this sequel. Reading crime always takes me a while to get into, and this book is a masterful slow burn. Things set themselves up and resolve slowly, but methodically, which works in contrast to the 'roaring 20's' setting. Enjoyable, but you've got to be willing to put the work in, at least at the start.
Slow Productivity
If you've listened to any productivity podcast you'll have probably seen Cal Newport pop up in March. I pre-ordered this book and very much enjoyed it. His style of writing is very accessible, and the topics he touches on are incredibly interesting to debate. I'm currently trying to work through how/if I can bring them into my work and writing.
February
Nettle and Bone
As I expected from a Hugo winner, this was a great fantasy book. Themes of control, family and expectations, with clear and interesting characters. Some of the imaginative twists and situations were inspired, and the author's ability to take a chance on something was an inspiration. Highly recommended.
The Malevolent Seven
An interesting mix of violence, magic systems and humour. The more I read this the more I realised this is a perfect entry-level fantasy book - excellent world-building and mystical powers, but with enough smut and swearing built in to entice the casual reader.
Hidden Potential
I'm a big fan of Adam Grant's approach to workplaces and people. Through some inspiring examples, Grant shows how different approaches could help workplaces across the world recruit and identify the best people they can. What I liked here was the acknowledgement that both the individual and the organisations have room to change to improve - too often these kinds of books are focused on what "you" can do.
January
Godkiller
This is a great, fast-paced fantasy story. It's a lot more focused and personal than some of the other fantasies I've been reading, but there's a strong cast of characters who have something very clear to overcome in the first book. The world and the 'magic' rules are set out excellently in the first couple of chapters. It'll be interesting to see how the arc develops in the later books in the series.
Almanack of Naval Ravikant
This guy seems to be the Silicon Valley guru that everyone knows about but me. As this is a collection of tweets and interviews, some of the information is difficult to digest and occasionally seems contradictory, but there's no doubt there's a very intelligent, thoughtful person behind it all. Worth picking up and skimming through.
Show your work
Although Kleon's books are very short, they are perfect for a burst of inspiration. Each chapter has actionable ideas (that I'm currently using for this site) and lots of examples of how to make the most of my work. A keeper, and one I'll keep referring back to over the years.
The Lost Metal
As you may have guessed, I’m a big fan, so I enjoyed this one. As ever, well written and had strong characterisations, which seemed to focus a little more tightly than other novels in the series. The only thing I was unsure about was how this expanded to Sanderson’s wider “Cosmere" as this started to lose some of the immediacy of the story for me. There's always a bigger bad guy...
