In 2008, I started keeping a log of every book I read, and an assigned an immediate gut-level rating to each book as I finished it. Here are some stats from my 2008 reading list:
Number of books (not including the ones I read to my toddler): 73
43 Science Fiction or Fantasy
26 Fiction (mostly "Thrillers" like David Baldacci and Greg Iles)
4 Non-Fiction
Average Rating by Genre:
SF/F = 3.89 (ranged from 2 to 5)
F = 3.35 (ranged from 3 to 4)
NF = 3.5 (ranged from 2 to 5)
Most-Read Authors:
Lois McMaster Bujold = 9 (I got on a mid-year re-reading kick)
David Baldacci = 8
Jim Butcher = 5
[2008 was my year for reading "B" authors, it seems...!]
Books that I rated as "5"s, in no particular order:
Mars Life, by Ben Bova--This is a continuation of the story that began with 1992's Mars and 1999's Return to Mars, and was the only book I read by this author in 2008. I became a fan of Mr. Bova in, I believe, the year 2000. I bid on and won his desk copy of the manuscript for the not-yet-published Jupiter in a literacy-benefit auction, and missed most of a convention while I huddled over it in my hotel room and devoured the book at a rapid pace. Toward the end of the weekend, I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Bova, and wryly explained how he'd both "ruined" and made the convention for me. He included a heartfelt apology with his signature on the manuscript. Mars, like most of Bova's books, is well-written, classic science fiction--good stuff. Rating: 5/5
Captain's Fury and Princep's Fury, both by Jim Butcher--The 4th & 5th books in the Codex Alera series, which just keeps getting better and better. I read five books by Mr. Butcher in 2008, and rated each of them as a 4 or 5. The Codex Alera is high fantasy with a Roman twist, and is one of those series I'm always reluctant to put down--I'm anxiously awaiting the series finale, First Lord's Fury. There's an anecdote out there about how this series came to be, but I don't know the veracity of it; supposedly, Mr. Butcher was inspired by a friend who bet that he couldn't write a novel combining Pokemon and the Roman Empire. If it's true, he certainly won that bet! Ratings for both: 5/5
Quantico, by Greg Bear--This near-future FBI thriller kept me engaged and interested. It's more of a thriller than science fiction when you boil it all down, but had enough hard science to satisfy my SF cravings. I read one other book by this author in 2008, and rated it a 4; I occasionally get bogged down in the politics of his books, but the two I read in 2008 were great. Rating: 5/5
Falling Free, by Lois McMaster Bujold--Part of the Vorkosigan Saga, and set a couple hundred years before the saga's main character, Miles, is born. In my opinion, this is the best-written book of an incredibly well-written series. Original, consistent, engaging, intriguing, and very satisfying. I read nine books by this author in 2008, many of them for the second or third time, and although one earned a rating of 3, most were 4s & 5s. Rating 5/5
Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold--The first in a trilogy, and just as well written as the books of the Vorkosigan Saga. This book's characters are fully-fleshed out, most are flawed in obvious ways, and all of them are fascinating. From the first scene, I was fully engaged with the people and the world. While I also enjoyed books two and three of this series, this one is the best of the three. Rating 5/5
The Sharing Knife: Beguilement and The Sharing Knife: Passage, both by Lois McMaster Bujold--The 1st and 3rd books of the Sharing Knife series, which is set in a fantasy version of pioneer-era North America. The series is a combination of adventure and romance, and features a wide range of characters in both the "pioneer" and "native" categories. I liked the 2nd book as well, but only gave it a rating of 4. Ratings for both: 5/5
The Outlaw Demon Wails, by Kim Harrison--ODW is the 6th book in Harrison's Hollows series, and is the best one yet. I've enjoyed this series from the beginning, and the author's skill and finesse as a writer has visibly improved over the series. This book pays off some outstanding debts from earlier in the series, and opens up many things that will undoubtedly pay off later. I also read the 5th Hollows book in 2008, but only rated it a 3 (can't remember why...). Rating: 5/5
Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell--Outliers, like the first two books by this author, made me look at things in a new way. It's not science fiction at all, but it's a mind-bending book. There's not much to say about the book that hasn't already been said by others, so I'll just say that it's worth every minute. Good stuff. Rating: 5/5
The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester--This is one of the most original and gripping books I've read in a long time, and I heartily recommend it. It's dark and gritty, and holds up remarkably well after all these years. Rating: 5/5
Books that I rated as "2"s:
The New Strong-Willed Child, by James Dobson--My daughter's pediatrician loaned me this book after a 2-year checkup, insisting that we'd have to take it to heart to be able to successfully raise such a precocious little critter. I found it condescending, preachy, and far too overtly religious for my taste. There were a couple of good bits of advice here and there, but nothing that I hadn't already gotten from other sources. Rating: 2/5
X-Rated Blood Suckers, by Mario Acevedo--I picked this one up because the author is a Coloradoan, and I kept reading it because some of the characters were mildly amusing. Overall, the tone and style of Acevedo's writing didn't do it for me. Too bad, as some of his ideas were pretty interesting. Rating: 2/5
Whispering Nickel Idols, by Glen Cook--I started this one a decade or so ago, and never got through it. I gave it another shot in 2008, but still found it hard to finish. I've enjoyed many of this author's books over the years, but for some reason I just couldn't connect with this one. Rating: 2/5
Spellbinder, by Melanie Rawn--Ms. Rawn is another author I've really enjoyed over the years, so I gave this book a shot. Unfortunately, this book's characters and plot weren't as consistent as I've come to expect from her work, and her move to the supernatural romance (with an emphasis on the romance) sub-genre may alienate fans like me who are more interested in harder science fiction and fantasy. Rating: 2/5
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