2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2021
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Randy's Ridiculously Realistic Goal - 52 in 2021
GENERAL FICTION/CLASSICS IN 2021:This category has been very good for me in the last few years and I hope to continue that tradition this year.
Here are some of the books I hope to finish or at least start reading in 2021:
The Time Regulation Institute by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar
I am currently reading this classic of Turkish literature but it is too early for me to have developed a strong opinion yet.
By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho
Coelho isn't an author that I love, but this book is the third in a omnibus collection I own so I will finish it and decide if I want to read any more of his books. Two of his books, both follow-ups of a sort to this book, are listed on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list.
Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey
Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest might be my all-time favorite book and I've been wanting to read more Kesey for a long time.
A Column of Fire by Ken Follett
Third in the Kingsbridge series, usually fun and immersive.
This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson
I'm not sure I'll be able to get to this one in 2021 but I've heard so many good things that I'm excited to finally get around to it.
lol I love the caveat against friend-requests :D As per usual of the last two years, I'll definitely be following what's going on here throughout the year. Looking forward to seeing what you'll be reading and your opinions on them.
Happy reading, Randy. Have a great 2021.
Lisa wrote: "lol I love the caveat against friend-requests :D As per usual of the last two years, I'll definitely be following what's going on here throughout the year. Looking forward to seeing what you'll b..."
Thank you Lisa! Here's to a great 2021!
NON-FICTION IN 2021Another category of reading that has been pretty good to me in the last few years. For the coming year I hope to finish or at least start reading the following:
War by Sebastian Junger
This book about the War in Afghanistan also spawned the documentary Restrepo, which I may need to re-watch once I finish the book.
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
This book traces the origin of Al Qaeda leading up to the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York. I understand it inspired a Hulu miniseries which I have not seen.
D-Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II by Stephen E. Ambrose
After reading Ambrose's Band of Brothers last year, I felt inspired to read more WWII history. Ambrose isn't a great writer per se but he did get some very good first-hand accounts in Band of Brothers so I'm hoping for more of the same in this one.
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
Hey! Finally a book not about war!
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
Since I was apparently the only person on planet Earth who didn't read this book a few years ago when the movie came out, I figured it's time to rectify that oversight.
SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS/ANTHOLOGIES IN 2021I used to read mostly genre short stories, especially Sci-Fi and Fantasy. But since expanding my tastes I've found lots of great short stories out there waiting to be read. Here are some of the Collections or Anthologies that I hope to finish or at least start reading in 2021:
The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe
I'm currently reading this collection, which includes many of the most well known of Poe's stories, including his novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket and Related Tales.
Books of Blood, Volumes 4-6 by Clive Barker
Barker's work is graphically violent and not for everyone, but the bounds of his imagination are staggering and his stories are well written.
The Best American Mystery Stories 2019 edited by Jonathan Lethem and Otto Penzler
I didn't get to this annual anthology last year, but I'll get to it in early 2021, and hopefully I'll get to the 2020 collection soon as well.
Old Venus edited by George R.R. Martin
I don't have high hopes for this anthology after reading a couple of the selections a couple years ago. But it's been sitting on my shelf half-read for too long, so this year I will finish it off.
The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor
Last year I read part of this collection (A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories and this year I will read the rest of the stories, including those collected in Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories as well as a few others, I believe.
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
I'm not sure I'll get to this one but it's been on my radar for a while now.
The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe
Another one I'm not sure I'll get to in 2021 but it makes sense to finish this off after I complete The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales.
MYSTERY IN 2021My favorite genre! Last year I read 19 books in this category, not including short stories. I won't try to guess all of the mystery books I'll read in 2021 but here are the first few I hope to get to:
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
I'm reading this one now and should be done in a few days. I had been ducking it for a while because I had heard it was Flynn's weakest book, but having almost finished it I am starting to think it might be her best.
Die Trying by Lee Child
Second in the Jack Reacher series. The first one was fun.
Big Trouble by Dave Barry
I love me some Dave Barry, but usually I read his non-fiction humor columns.
Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
I've read all of Crichton's fiction from when he was alive (except for the John Lange books), but this one was published posthumously.
The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth
Forsyth's The Odessa File was one of the first "grown up" novels I ever read, way back in high school.
The Kings of Cool by Don Winslow
The prequel to Savages.
Also on the way...Agatha Christie, Patricia Highsmith, Megan Abbott, and much much more!
FANTASY IN 2021This is a favorite genre of mine, but right now I'm finishing up some series and they aren't all gems. I expect my Conan and Discworld series to continue for several years (because I'm in no hurry), but I'm getting close to wrapping up some other series.
Here's what I'll be finishing or starting or hoping to start in 2021:
Blood of Amber, Sign of Chaos, Knight of Shadows, and Prince of Chaos by Roger Zelazny, the final four books in The Great Book of Amber.
I finished the first book in the second Chronicles of Amber in 2020, and I should finish the series in 2021. I do have some Amber short stories in a collection from NESFA (The Road to Amber) but those will probably have to wait until 2022.
The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard
This collection contains the final Conan stories by original author Howard. I'm reading this collection now, interwoven with the Amber books (above). Once I'm done with the original Conan stories, I intend to start the large body of Conan work written by other authors.
Sourcery by Terry Pratchett
The Discworld read continues...
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Will this story focus on the Russian folklore critters or the teen angst romance? The second book wasn't up to par with the still over-rated first book, but hopefully things will improve in this conclusion.
Momo by Michael Ende
This critically-acclaimed stand-alone fantasy novel by the author of (everyone sing along!) The Neverending Story will be a treat I give myself for finishing Arden's Winternight Trilogy.
The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft
The third book in the Senlin Ascends series about a make-believe steampunk Tower of Babel. Unfortunately, the fourth book is not yet published....
HORROR IN 2021Last year was a really good year for the Horror genre for me, and hopefully that continues into 2021! I'm still working on the Books of Blood (see: short stories, above) but after I finish those here are some of the books I hope to finish or at least start in 2021:
The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
I'm not a huge vampire fan, and Rice's prose - though immaculate - is a bit wordy for my tastes. But the world and history she has managed to create for her vampire anti-heroes is fascinating.
The Shining by Stephen King
The Kubrick film with Jack Nicholson is one of my all-time favorites, so it's high time I read the novel that inspired it.
Psycho by Robert Bloch
I hear they made a movie version of this book also?
SCIENCE-FICTION IN 2021My once-favorite genre has become the genre I struggle through. Hopefully cleaning house on some of the series I am midway through will help me find some good stuff again.
Here are the books I am hoping to finish or at least start reading in the Science-Fiction category in 2021:
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams
I hated the first book in this series, and I was never a big Hitchhikers' fan either. In fact, the only book of Adams's that I enjoyed was Last Chance to See. But this book is on the 1001 Books You MUST Read Before You Kick the Bucket, and I already had a copy on my shelf, so I guess I MUST read it. Pray for me.
All Clear by Connie Willis
This is the second part of the story that was started in Blackout, which was my SF Book of the Year last year, despite really only earning 3.5 stars (rounded up).
Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honour of Jack Vance edited by George R.R. Martin
Can some Dying Earth stories improve my Sci-Fi reading? We'll see...
The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson
Don't let the cover fool you. Michael Crichton had nothing to do with this sequel to his The Andromeda Strain. But I'm going to read it anyway.
The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter
Baxter's authorized sequel to The Time Machine by H.G. Wells picked up some awards and nominations. It will be the first book I've read by Baxter, who also wrote the Manifold and Xeelee series.
I hope you go beyond your 52 book resolution! Best of Luck!
PS. I might have to read some of these books this year!
Blagica wrote: "I hope you go beyond your 52 book resolution! Best of Luck!PS. I might have to read some of these books this year!"
Thanks Blagica!
My first completed book of 2021 is...
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Die Trying by Lee Child
#2 in 2021:I finished:
Books of Blood: Volume IV by Clive Barker
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Books of Blood: Volume V by Clive Barker
#3 in 2021: I finished:
The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
The Best American Mystery Stories 2019 edited by Jonathan Lethem and Otto Penzler
#4 and #5 in 2021: I finished:
Die Trying by Lee Child
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
War by Sebastian Junger
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
The Hot Spot by Charles Williams
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
#6 in 2021:I finished the second book in the Second Chronicles of Amber:
Blood of Amber by Roger Zelazny
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Next I'm going to read another selection from
The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard
before starting on the third book in the Second Chronicles of Amber:
Sign of Chaos by Roger Zelazny
#7 and #8 in 2021:I finished:
Books of Blood: Volume 5 by Clive Barker
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Hot Spot by Charles Williams
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Books of Blood: Volume VI by Clive Barker
Big Trouble by Dave Barry
#9 in 2021:I finished:
Big Trouble by Dave Barry
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
#10 in 2021: I finished:
Books of Blood: Volume VI by Clive Barker
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
which is the final volume in this omnibus collection:
Books of Blood, Volumes 4-6 by Clive Barker
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
#11 in 2021:I finished:
Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth
#12 in 2021: I finished:
The Time Regulation Institute by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho
#13 in 2021 - I'm 25% of the way done! I finished:
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
All Clear by Connie Willis
Zeejane (Sara) wrote: "Great job on your progress so far!"Thank you!
#14 in 2021: I finished the 8th book in the Amber series (the 3rd book in the Second Chronicles of Amber):
Sign of Chaos by Roger Zelazny
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I'm going to read another story in:
The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard
before I get on to the 9th Amber book (4th book in the Second Chronicles):
Knight of Shadows by Roger Zelazny
#15 in 2021: I finished:
The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
The Kings of Cool by Don Winslow, which is a prequel to Savages
I also started reading, for the Pulp Fiction book club, the roman noir classic:
Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham which certainly deserves its stellar reputation.
#16 in 2021:I finished:
By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
which is part of this collection:
The Alchemist / The Pilgrimage / By The River Piedra I Sat Down And Wept by Paulo Coelho
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading a book I've had my eye on for a long time:
Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey
#17 in 2021: I finished this roman noir classic (a new film version of which is coming to theaters this December):
Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#18 in 2021: I finished a stunning Pulitzer-Prize winning non-fiction book about the birth and rise of Islamic fundamentalism:
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
D-Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II by Stephen E. Ambrose
because I'm a male over the age of 50 so genetically this is the time in my life where I become fascinated with WWII.
#19 and #20 in 2021: I finished two books yesterday:
The Best American Mystery Stories 2019 edited by Jonathan Lethem and Otto Penzler, the annual mystery/crime anthology series which isn't quite as good as usual in this edition
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Kings of Cool by Don Winslow - the prequel to Savages, the film version of which was directed by Oliver Stone
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, her first novel and the first appearance of Hercule Poirot
Old Venus edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, a follow-up of sorts to their anthology Old Mars, containing stories styled after the Golden-Age idea of the solar system (little green men, etc.)
RJ I am so thrilled to see that you have made such a dent in your reading! Are there any books you think I should add to my list?
Blagica wrote: "RJ I am so thrilled to see that you have made such a dent in your reading! Are there any books you think I should add to my list?"Thanks for asking Blagica. I looked at some of your reads using the Goodreads "Compare Books" and Compatibility tools, and it seems like we overlap in a few areas. You like some mystery/thriller books, classics, and historical fiction. Based on that, the books I've read this year that I think you might enjoy are:
Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
and you might also try the Oxford Time Travel series by Connie Willis. I'm reading All Clear right now which is the fourth book in the series and the second part of the duology started with Blackout. Although it is "science fiction" (in perhaps the loosest sense of the term) there's not much emphasis on science - it's really just historical fiction with protagonists who have a modern viewpoint and of course a sense of how everything is going to turn out. Start with Doomsday Book or To Say Nothing of the Dog (the first is a bit more serious, the second is funnier, especially if you've read Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome).
And if you haven't read any Agatha Christie you might enjoy her Hercule Poirot series, the first of which - The Mysterious Affair at Styles - I am reading now.
#21 in 2021:I finished
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie - Christie's first novel, Hercule Poirot's first appearance...
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith - book 2 of "The Ripliad" (or, the sequel to The Talented Mr. Ripley if you prefer)
#22 in 2021: I finished the penultimate book in the Amber series (which is also the fourth book in the Second Chronicles of Amber):
Knight of Shadows by Roger Zelazny
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I am going to read a story from
The Conquering Sword of Conan by Robert E. Howard
before I get started on the FINAL book in the Amber series:
Prince of Chaos by Roger Zelazny
#23 in 2021: I finished the second book in the "Ripliad" - the sequel to The Talented Mr. Ripley:
Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the first book in another series (as part of a group read for the Mystery, Crime and Thriller group here on Goodreads):
The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
#24 in 2021:I finished the third book in the Vampire Chronicles:
The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Psycho by Robert Bloch
...which I heard they made a movie out of a few years back?
#25 in 2021: I finished reading the first in the Inspector Montalbano series:
The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott
I also started reading, for the Evolution of Science Fiction group read:
Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon
HALFWAY DONE: #26 in 2021:
I finished:
Venus Plus X by Theodore Sturgeon
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
#27 in 2021:I finished
You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
Choke Hold by Christa Faust
#28 in 2021:I finished reading:
Psycho by Robert Bloch - yeah, the book that was the basis for the movie. Mother?
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading:
The Shining by Stephen King - All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy....
#29 in 2021:I finished reading
Choke Hold by Christa Faust - the second installment in the exploits of Angel Dare
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
Hungry Men by Edward Anderson - the author of noted depression-era crime novel Thieves Like Us
#30 in 2021: I finished
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson - the first in the Jackson Brodie series
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
Dawn by Octavia E. Butler - the science fiction classice, first in the Xenogenesis series (also called Lilith's Brood)
#31 in 2021: I finished what is easily my favorite book of the year so far
Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey
Rating: 5 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
A Column of Fire by Ken Follett
#32 in 2021: I just finished the "other novel" by the author of Thieves Like Us
Hungry Men by Edward Anderson
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading another Depression-era classic
Little Caesar by W.R. Burnett
#33 and #34 in 2021: I finished a couple Science-Fiction/Fantasy books:
Prince of Chaos by Roger Zelazny
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dawn by Octavia E. Butler.
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading a mystery/suspense book from Down Undah:
Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
#35 in 2021: I finished the original gangster novel:
Little Caesar by W.R. Burnett
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading the second Mike Hammer novel:
My Gun Is Quick by Mickey Spillane
#36 in 2021: I finished the "Planetary Sci-Fi" anthology
Old Venus edited by George R.R. Martin and the late Gardner Dozois
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading
Everything That Rises Must Converge: Stories by Flannery O'Connor
#37 in 2021: I finished the second Mike Hammer book
My Gun Is Quick by Mickey Spillane
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started reading a Cold War thriller
Ice Station Zebra by Alistair MacLean
#38 in 2021:I finished
The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
and I started
Wool by Hugh Howey
#39 in 2021: I finished the Aussie crime thriller
Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
Rating: 2 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It started off pretty good but fell apart towards the end.
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Cosmos (other topics)The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (other topics)
The Winter of the Witch (other topics)
By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept (other topics)
The Wrecking Crew (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
William Lindsay Gresham (other topics)Charles Williams (other topics)
Lawrence Wright (other topics)
Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar (other topics)
Andrea Camilleri (other topics)
More...
To be clear, I don't count:
- short stories
- comic books/graphic novels
- audio books
Other people count those, and there's no problem with that, but I don't count them for my goal.
Watch this space over the next few days for some thoughts on which books I'll be reading in the coming year.
Best to all on your 2021 challenges! If you're looking for more Goodreads friends, I always accept friend requests (as long as you correctly answer my challenge question).