15 May 2021

The John Newbery Medal

This is an update to the list in Newbery Medal books, which I posted on 11 August 2009. I've read all of these up through the 2012 recipient, plus the one for 2014.

As could be expected, there were some I liked and others I disliked. My favourites (in order of publication) were:
Rabbit Hill (1945, Robert Lawson)
Miracles on Maple Hill (1957, Virginia Sorensen)
Onion John (1960, Joseph Krumgold)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler (1968, E L Konigsburg)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1977, Mildred D Taylor)
The Westing Game (1979, Ellen Raskin)
Dicey's Song (1983, Cynthia Voigt)
Number the Stars (1990, Lois Lowry)
Maniac Magee (1991, Jerry Spinelli)
Walk Two Moons (1995, Sharon Creech)
The Graveyard Book (2009, Neil Gaiman)
When You Reach Me (2010, Rebecca Stead)
When You Reach Me is my single, number-one favourite, closely followed by Dicey's Song — I enjoyed Dicey and its prequel, Homecoming, so much that I went on to read three other books in the series — and Frankweiler, which I've read several times through the years....

The complete list:
1922: The Story of Mankind, by Hendrik Willem van Loon
1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting
1924: The Dark Frigate, by Charles Hawes
1925: Tales from Silver Lands, by Charles J Finger
1926: Shen of the Sea, by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse, by Will James
1928: Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon, by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow, by Eric P. Kelly
1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field
1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven, by Elizabeth Coatsworth
1932: Waterless Mountain, by Laura Adams Armer
1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze, by Elizabeth Lewis
1934: Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women, by Cornelia Meigs
1935: Dobry, by Monica Shannon
1936: Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink
1937: Roller Skates, by Ruth Sawyer
1938: The White Stag, by Kate Seredy
1939: Thimble Summer, by Elizabeth Enright
1940: Daniel Boone, by James Daugherty
1941: Call It Courage, by Armstrong Sperry
1942: The Matchlock Gun, by Walter Edmonds
1943: Adam of the Road, by Elizabeth Janet Gray
1944: Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
1945: Rabbit Hill, by Robert Lawson
1946: Strawberry Girl, by Lois Lenski
1947: Miss Hickory, by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
1948: The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pène du Bois
1949: King of the Wind, by Marguerite Henry
1950: The Door in the Wall, by Marguerite de Angeli
1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man, by Elizabeth Yates
1952: Ginger Pye, by Eleanor Estes
1953: Secret of the Andes, by Ann Nolan Clark
1954: ...And Now Miguel, by Joseph Krumgold
1955: The Wheel on the School, by Meindert DeJong
1956: Carry On, Mr Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham
1957: Miracles on Maple Hill, by Virginia Sorensen
1958: Rifles for Watie, by Harold Keith
1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare
1960: Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold
1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell
1962: The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare
1963: A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle
1964: It's Like This, Cat, by Emily Neville
1965: Shadow of a Bull, by Maia Wojciechowska
1966: I, Juan de Pareja, by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
1967: Up a Road Slowly, by Irene Hunt
1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler, by E L Konigsburg
1969: The High King, by Lloyd Alexander
1970: Sounder, by William H Armstrong
1971: The Summer of the Swans, by Betsy Byars
1972: Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C O'Brien
1973: Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
1974: The Slave Dancer, by Paula Fox
1975: M C Higgins, the Great, by Virginia Hamilton
1976: The Grey King, by Susan Cooper
1977: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D Taylor
1978: Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
1979: The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin
1980: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832, by Joan W Blos
1981: Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson
1982: A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers, by Nancy Willard
1983: Dicey's Song, by Cynthia Voigt
1984: Dear Mr Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary
1985: The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley
1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan
1987: The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman
1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography, by Russell Freedman
1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, by Paul Fleischman
1990: Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry
1991: Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli
1992: Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
1993: Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant
1994: The Giver, by Lois Lowry
1995: Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
1996: The Midwife's Apprentice, by Karen Cushman
1997: The View from Saturday, by E L Konigsburg
1998: Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse
1999: Holes, by Louis Sachar
2000: Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis
2001: A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck
2002: A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park
2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead, by Avi
2004: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread, by Kate DiCamillo
2005: Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata
2006: Criss Cross, by Lynne Rae Perkins
2007: The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron, illustrated by Matt Phelan
2008: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village, by Laura Amy Schlitz
2009: The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
2010: When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead
2011: Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool
2012: Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos
2013: The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate
2014: Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, by Kate DiCamillo
2015: The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander
2016: Last Stop on Market Street, by Matt de la Peña
2017: The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill
2018: Hello, Universe, by Erin Entrada Kelly
2019: Merci Suárez Changes Gears, by Meg Medina
2020: New Kid, by Jerry Craft
2021: When You Trap a Tiger, by Tae Keller
As you can see, a few fortunate writers have won the medal twice: Joseph Krumgold (1954 and 1960), Elizabeth George Speare (1959, 1962), E L Konigsburg (1968, 1997), Katherine Paterson (1978, 1981) and Lois Lowry (1990, 1994), Kate DiCamillo (2004, 2014). Sharon Creech was the first author to receive both the Newbery Medal (1995) and its British equivalent, the Carnegie Medal (2002, for Ruby Holler); Neil Gaiman did her one better by receiving both awards for the same book, The Graveyard Book (Newbery 2009, Carnegie 2010).

As far as I know, all of these are still in print and available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble (although I recommend buying them through an independent bookseller instead) except Daniel Boone, which is much too racist for modern sensitivities.

03 April 2021

Book List - Jan-Mar 2021

Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America -- history, by John M Barry
The Apocalypse Troll -- SF, by David Weber
Dead Doubles: The Extraordinary Worldwide Hunt for One of the Cold War's Most Notorious Spy Rings -- history, by Trevor Barnes
Dead Aim -- thriller, by Thomas Perry
Stone Spring -- AH, by Stephen Baxter
Bronze Summer -- AH, by Stephen Baxter
Iron Winter -- AH, by Stephen Baxter
How the Girl Guides Won the War -- history, by Janie Hampton
Pulling Through -- postapocalyptic fiction, by Dean Ing
Siva! (aka The Lost Millenium) -- SF, by Walt and Leigh Richmond *
"Where I Wasn't Going" -- SF, by Walt and Leigh Richmond
Tarzan: The Lost Adventure -- adventure, by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Joe R Lansdale *
Castle Hangnail -- children's fantasy, by Ursula Vernon
A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Ingenious Young Women Whose Secret Board Game Helped Win World War II -- WW II, by Simon Parkin
Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy -- WW II, by Larry Loftis
1634: The Galileo Affair -- 1632, by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis
1634: The Bavarian Crisis -- 1632, by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce *
Ring of Fire II -- 1632 (short stories), edited by Eric Flint
1635: The Cannon Law -- 1632, by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen -- SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold
1632 -- 1632, by Eric Flint *
1633 -- 1632, by David Weber and Eric Flint *
1634: The Baltic War -- 1632, by Eric Flint and David Weber *
Grantville Gazette II -- 1632 (short stories), edited by Eric Flint *
Ring of Fire -- 1632 (short stories), edited by Eric Flint
Grantville Gazette -- 1632 (short stories), edited by Eric Flint
Grantville Gazette III -- 1632 (short stories), edited by Eric Flint *
1634: The Ram Rebellion -- 1632, by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce *
The Danish Scheme -- 1632, by Herbert Sakalaucks *
1635: The Dreeson Incident -- 1632, by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce
Grantville Gazette IV -- 1632 (short stories), edited by Eric Flint *


31 books this time round, 11 of them rereads (marked by asterisks).  Technically speaking, Siva! wasn't a reread -- what I read back in the '60s was The Lost Millenium, the original version; no idea what differences there might be between the two.

I set out to read all of the "1632" books I hadn't read yet (or at least as many as I could get my hands on -- the public library here has most of the books published by Baen, but none of the Ring of Fire Press books.  However, it had been eight and a half years since I read the first few books in the series, so I decided to just (re)read all of them.  (Wiki lists a total of 68 published thus far, assuming I counted correctly, with two more to be published in April and May.)  This, of course, has made Flint the most-read author and AH the most-read subject of the quarter, not to mention the remainder of the year.


Edited 17 May 21 to change the category of the 1632 books from "AH" to "1632".

04 January 2021

Book List - 2020


And here they are - the 166 books I read in 2020, numbered in the order I completed them:

Adult Fiction (116)
3. The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall -- SF (short stories), by Anne McCaffrey *
4. Turn Coat -- urban fantasy (Dresden #11), by Jim Butcher
6. Going Postal -- fantasy, by Terry Pratchett
8. Making Money -- fantasy, by Terry Pratchett
9. Directive 51 -- SF, by John Barnes
11. Dragonsdawn -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *
14. Dragonseye -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *
16. The Dolphins of Pern -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *
18. The Skies of Pern -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *
19. Dragon's Code -- SF, by Gigi McCaffrey
21. The Renegades of Pern -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *
22. A Gift of Dragons -- SF (short stories), by Anne McCaffrey
23. Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern -- SF, by Anne McCaffrey *
24. Dragonheart -- SF, by Todd McCaffrey
25. Dragongirl -- SF, by Todd McCaffrey
26. Dragon's Time -- SF, by Anne and Todd McCaffrey
28. Sky Dragons -- SF, by Anne and Todd McCaffrey
29. Dragonsblood -- SF, by Todd McCaffrey *
30. Strip -- thriller, by Thomas Perry
31. Track of the Cat -- mystery (Pigeon #1), by Nevada Barr *
32. A Superior Death -- mystery (Pigeon #2), by Nevada Barr
33. Ill Wind -- mystery (Pigeon #3), by Nevada Barr
34. The Burglar -- thriller, by Thomas Perry
35. Firestorm -- mystery (Pigeon #4), by Nevada Barr
37. Endangered Species -- mystery (Pigeon #5), by Nevada Barr
38. Blind Descent -- mystery (Pigeon #6), by Nevada Barr
39. Fidelity -- thriller, by Thomas Perry
40. Liberty Falling -- mystery (Pigeon #7), by Nevada Barr *
41. Deep South -- mystery (Pigeon #8), by Nevada Barr *
42. Forty Thieves -- thriller, by Thomas Perry
43. Hit List -- thriller, by Lawrence Block
44. Blood Lure -- mystery (Pigeon #9), by Nevada Barr *
45. Hunting Season -- mystery (Pigeon #10), by Nevada Barr
46. The Old Man -- thriller, by Thomas Perry
47. Flashback -- mystery (Pigeon #11), by Nevada Barr
48. High Country -- mystery (Pigeon #12), by Nevada Barr
49. Hit Parade -- thriller (short stories), by Lawrence Block
50. Hard Truth -- mystery (Pigeon #13), by Nevada Barr
51. Pursuit -- thriller, by Thomas Perry
52. Winter Study -- mystery (Pigeon #14), by Nevada Barr
53. Borderline -- mystery (Pigeon #15), by Nevada Barr
55. Hit and Run -- thriller, by Lawrence Block
56. Silence -- thriller, by Thomas Perry
57. Burn -- mystery (Pigeon #16), by Nevada Barr
59. The Rope -- mystery (Pigeon #0), by Nevada Barr
60. Nightlife -- thriller, by Thomas Perry
61. Destroyer Angel -- mystery (Pigeon #17), by Nevada Barr
62. Boar Island -- mystery (Pigeon #18), by Nevada Barr
63. The Boyfriend -- thriller, by Thomas Perry
64. A Flock of Ships -- WWII fiction, by Brian Callison *
65. Metzger's Dog -- thriller, by Thomas Perry *
67. Grave Importance -- urban fantasy, by Vivian Shaw
71. Jan of the Jungle -- adventure, by Otis Adelbert Kline
73. A Skeleton in the House -- mystery, by Leigh Perry
74. The Skeleton Takes a Bow -- mystery, by Leigh Perry
75. The Skeleton Haunts a House -- mystery, by Leigh Perry
76. Conquistador -- AH, by S M Stirling *
77. The Coming of the Quantum Cats -- AH, by Frederick Pohl
78. The Dancer from Atlantis -- time travel, by Poul Anderson *
79. Swords and Deviltry -- fantasy, by Fritz Leiber
81. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance -- SF, by Lois McMaster Bujold
83. The Big Black Mark -- SF, by A Bertram Chandler *
85. The Long Skeleton -- mystery (North #22), by Frances and Richard Lockridge
88. Isaac Asimov Presents the Great SF Stories 2 (1940) -- SF (short stories), edited by Isaac Asimov and Martin H Greenberg
89. Out of Order -- mystery (Mayo #9), by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
90. Knight Fall (aka Murder at the War) -- mystery, by Mary Monica Pulver *
91. Janissaries -- SF, by Jerry Pournelle *
92. Birds of Prey -- SF, by David Drake *
93. The Time Trap Gambit -- time travel, by Larry Maddock *
94. Voyage Into Violence -- mystery (North #21), by Richard and Frances Lockridge
95. The Fantastic World War II: The War That Wasn't -- WWII fantasy, edited by Frank McSherry Jr
96. Thunderball -- thriller, by Ian Fleming
97. Masters of the Fist -- apocalyptic fiction (short stories), by Edward P Hughes
98. High Justice -- SF (short stories), by Jerry Pournelle
99. Zarsthor's Bane -- fantasy, by Andre Norton
100. Rocheworld -- SF, by Robert L Forward
101. The Colour of Magic -- fantasy, by Terry Pratchett
102. A Malady of Magicks -- fantasy, by Craig Shaw Gardner
103. Prince of Sparta -- SF, by Jerry Pournelle and S M Stirling *
105. No Enemy But Time -- time travel, by Michael Bishop
107. The Maker of Universes -- SF, by Philip Jose Farmer *
108. The Outlaw of Torn -- historical fiction, by Edgar Rice Burroughs *
109. Taylor's Ark -- SF, by Jody Lynn Nye
110. Random Death -- mystery (Varallo #11), by Lesley Egan *
111. Crime for Christmas -- mystery (Varallo #12), by Lesley Egan *
113. The Planet of Peril -- planetary adventure, by Otis Adelbert Kline
118. Mysterium -- SF, by Robert Charles Wilson
120. Marie -- historical fiction, by H Rider Haggard
122. A Study in Sable -- historical urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey
127. A Scandal in Battersea -- historical urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey
129. The Bartered Brides -- historical urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey
131. The Wizard of London -- historical urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey
132. The Case of the Spellbound Child -- historical urban fantasy, by Mercedes Lackey
134. Stars Uncharted -- SF, by S K Dunstall
137. Stars Beyond -- SF, by S K Dunstall
138. 1636: The Atlantic Encounter -- AH, by Eric Flint and Walter H Hunt
140. The Legacy of Heorot -- SF, by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes *
141. Beowulf's Children -- SF, by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes
143. Starborn and Godsons -- SF, by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes
144. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August -- SF, by Claire North
145. Peace Talks -- urban fantasy (Dresden #16), by Jim Butcher
146. The Pursuit of the Pankera -- SF, by Robert A Heinlein
149. Except the Dying -- mystery (Murdoch #1), by Maureen Jennings
150. Raven Black -- mystery (Perez #1), by Ann Cleeves
151. Blue Lightning -- mystery (Perez #4), by Ann Cleeves
152. Under the Dragon's Tail -- mystery (Murdoch #2), by Maureen Jennings
153. Poor Tom Is Cold -- mystery (Murdoch #3), by Maureen Jennings
154. Season of Darkness -- mystery (Tyler #1), by Maureen Jennings
155. Night's Child -- mystery (Murdoch #5), by Maureen Jennings
156. Battle Ground -- urban fantasy (Dresden #17), by Jim Butcher
157. A Journeyman to Grief -- mystery (Murdoch #7), by Maureen Jennings
159. No Known Grave -- mystery (Tyler #3), by Maureen Jennings
160. Let Darkness Bury the Dead -- mystery
 (Murdoch #8), by Maureen Jennings
161. 1637: No Peace Beyond the Line -- AH, by Eric Flint and Charles E Gannon
162. The Falcon Always Wings Twice -- mystery (Langslow #27), by Donna Andrews
165. The Gift of the Magpie -- mystery (Langslow #28), by Donna Andrews

Juvenile/YA Fiction (12)
69. The Penderwicks in Spring -- children's, by Jeanne Birdsall
72. The Boy Scouts on a Submarine -- YA, by Captain John Blaine
114. The Penderwicks at Last -- children's, by Jeanne Birdsall
115. Smugglers' Reef -- YA thriller (Brant #7), by John Blaine
116. The Caves of Fear -- YA thriller (Brant #8), by John Blaine
117. The Mystery of the Iron Box -- YA thriller, by Bruce Campbell
123. The Golden Skull -- YA thriller (Brant #10), by John Blaine
124. The Wailing Octopus -- YA thriller (Brant #11), by John Blaine
125. The Electronic Mind Reader -- YA thriller (Brant #12), by John Blaine
126. The Scarlet Lake Mystery -- YA thriller (Brant #13), by John Blaine
163. Nation -- YA fiction, by Terry Pratchett
164. Dodger -- YA fiction, by Terry Pratchett

Non-Fiction (38)
1. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus -- history, by Charles C Mann
2. 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created -- history, by Charles C Mann
5. Death from the Skies!: The Science Behind the End of the World -- astronomy, by Philip Plait PhD
7. Princes at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII -- WW II, by Deborah Cadbury
10. Until the Final Hour: Hitler's Last Secretary -- WWII memoir, by Traudl Junge, Melissa Müller (editor)
12. The Queen's Bed: An Intimate History of Elizabeth's Court -- history, by Anna Whitelock 
13. A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History -- anthropology, by Nicholas Wade
15. In the Footsteps of Eve: The Mystery of Human Origins -- palaeoanthropology, by Lee R Berger PhD with Brett Hilton-Barber
17. Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors -- anthropology, by Nicholas Wade
20. When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt -- history, by Kara Cooney
27. Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain -- travel/archaeology, by Charlotte Higgins
36. The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked & Found -- children's history/archaeology, by Martin W Sandler 
54. Five Days That Shocked the World: Eyewitness Accounts from Europe at the End of World War II -- WW II, by Nicholas Best
58. Inside Hitler's Bunker: The Last Days of the Third Reich -- WW II, by Joachim Fest
66. Ravensbrück: Life and Death in Hitler's Concentration Camp for Women -- WW II, by Sarah Helm
68. Empire of Secrets: British Intelligence, the Cold War, and the Twilight of Empire -- history, by Calder Walton
70. A Life in Secrets: Vera Atkins and the Missing Agents of WWII -- biography, by Sarah Helm
80. In Search of the Neanderthals: Solving the Puzzle of Human Origins -- palaeoanthropology, by Christopher Stringer and Clive Gamble
82. Hitler's Teutonic Knights: SS Panzers in Action -- WW II, by Bruce Quarrie
84. The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall -- history, by Christopher Hibbert
86. Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History -- palaeontology, by Xiaoming Wang and Richard H Tedford
87. The Velvet Claw: A Natural History of the Carnivores -- zoology, by David Macdonald
104. The Scottish Highlanders: A Personal View -- history, by Charles MacKinnon of Dunakin
106. The Devil's Birthday: The Bridges to Arnhem, 1944 -- WW II, by Geoffrey Powell
112. Tin Cans and Greyhounds: The Destroyers That Won Two World Wars -- naval history, by Clint Johnson
119. The Secret Rescue: An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines -- WW II, by Cate Lineberry
121. The Man Called Brown Condor: The Forgotten History of an African American Fighter Pilot -- biography, by Thomas E Simmons
128. Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times -- memoir, by Jennifer Worth
130. Women of Valor: The Rochambelles on the WWII Front -- WW II, by Ellen Hampton
133. Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence -- US history, by Joseph J Ellis
135. The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789 -- US history, by Joseph J Ellis
136. Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence -- US history, by Carol Berkin
139. Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields --  WW II, by Wendy Lower
142. Victorian London: The Tale of a City 1840-1870 -- history, by Liza Picard
147. Mayday 1971: A White House at War, a Revolt in the Streets, and the Untold History of America's Biggest Mass Arrest -- history, by Lawrence Roberts
148. We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey back to the Battlefields of Vietnam -- memoir, by LTG Harold G Moore and Joseph L Galloway 
158. By Hook or by Crook: A Journey in Search of English -- language, by David Crystal
166. Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield -- military history, by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon


Retirement has done good things for my reading.  Books?  40 mysteries, 39 SF/AH/time travel, 38 non-fiction, 21 thrillers, 16 fantasy of various kinds. And only 27 rereads (marked by asterisks).  Authors?  19 by Nevada Barr, 10 each by Anne McCaffrey (with or without her son Todd) and Thomas Perry, 8 by Maureen Jennings, 7 by John Blaine, 6 by Terry Pratchett.

Top three books of the year were A Study in Sable, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, and Ashley's War.

So many books, so little time....

02 January 2021

Book list -- Oct-Dec 2020

Mayday 1971: A White House at War, a Revolt in the Streets, and the Untold History of America's Biggest Mass Arrest -- history, by Lawrence Roberts
We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey back to the Battlefields of Vietnam -- memoir, by LTG Harold G Moore and Joseph L Galloway 
Except the Dying
 -- mystery (Murdoch #1), by Maureen Jennings
Raven Black -- mystery (Perez #1), by Ann Cleeves
Blue Lightning -- mystery (Perez #4), by Ann Cleeves
Under the Dragon's Tail -- mystery (Murdoch #2), by Maureen Jennings
Poor Tom Is Cold -- mystery (Murdoch #3), by Maureen Jennings
Season of Darkness -- mystery (Tyler #1), by Maureen Jennings
Night's Child -- mystery (Murdoch #5), by Maureen Jennings
Battle Ground -- urban fantasy (Dresden #17), by Jim Butcher
A Journeyman to Grief -- mystery (Murdoch #7), by Maureen Jennings
By Hook or by Crook: A Journey in Search of English -- language, by David Crystal
No Known Grave -- mystery (Tyler #3), by Maureen Jennings
Let Darkness Bury the Dead -- mystery
(Murdoch #8), by Maureen Jennings
1637: No Peace Beyond the Line -- AH, by Eric Flint and Charles E Gannon
The Falcon Always Wings Twice -- mystery (Langslow #27), by Donna Andrews
Nation -- fiction, by Terry Pratchett
Dodger -- fiction, by Terry Pratchett
The Gift of the Magpie -- mystery (Langslow #28), by Donna Andrews
Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield -- military history, by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon





20 books this time round, none of them rereads.  Rather heavy on mysteries this year....

I'd say Nation and Ashley's War were the best books of the quarter.