Favorite Reading of 2010

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I just saw Syp do a post on his top 10 books of 2010 and thought I would do something similar.  Not to steal his thunder, but just because I love to read and I don't write about it on this blog as much as I would like to.  So here are my favorite books that I read in the past year.

Old Man's War by John Scalzi
An amazing take on space marines and unlike most of the science fiction I've read before.  Reading this and then immediately going back to read Starship Troopers (one of my Heinlein favorites) showed me how the same topic can be covered in completely different ways.  Scalzi is one of my new favorites and his sarcasm keeps me coming back for more.


The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks
This gritty take on an assassin's world is simply amazing.  Parts of The Night Angel Trilogy are brutal and actually made me cringe or have to take a break from reading which is a new experience for me.  The lows experienced by the characters and the harsh realities that happen to them make the highs that much better.  I had never heard of Brent Weeks before reading this series but he now holds a treasured place on my bookshelf.

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
A fabulous start to a new series by the same authors as The Night Angel Trilogy.  I love the magic system the author introduces and I'm excited to see where it leads in the next book.

Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
The pacing in the Mistborn Trilogy is sometimes a little bit off but the world building that Sanderson does is phenomenal.  The Mistborn Trilogy will do a lot for you if you're tired of cliche fantasy worlds so often found in the genre.


Changes by Jim Butcher
Butcher has fast become my favorite author of all time.  Changes is the latest entry in The Dresden Files series and by the end of the book almost everything I had come to expect from the series had been turned on it's head.  Pick this up if you're a Dresden fan. 

If you've never heard of The Dresden Files I highly endorse it and would suggest starting with the first book, Storm Front.  The entire series is about a wizard in modern day Chicago dealing with the paranormal in a world where people no longer believe in it.  As a private investigator and police consultant he gets ample opportunity to use his abilities as a wizard, but that's just a part of who he is, it doesn't necessarily define him.  I really enjoy the modern setting and the characters that Butcher brings to life.


Fate of the Jedi Series
All geeks know of Star Wars but one of my secrets is that I've read almost every Star Wars book written.  I guess it's not a secret now that it's on my blog, but so be it.  Anyway, Fate of the Jedi is the latest series in the Star Wars universe and I've had a great time reading it.  It deals with the Jedi trying to find a place for themselves in a galaxy that doesn't really want them.  Luke Skywalker takes a break from being head of the order and travels the galaxy with his son while seeking out new ways of looking at the force.  The series starts with Outcast and different books in the series are written by different authors.


Hopefully I've inspired you to read something you've never heard of before.  I always like getting people hooked on books.  Drop me a line in the comments if you have any favorite books that you think I should check out.

Comments

  1. AndrewJanuary 5, 2011 at 10:52 PM

    If you haven't read Tad Williams' 'The Otherland' series, then it's a must read.

    Or, for some really interesting (sort of Inception-like) sci-fi, try 'Stamping Butterflies' by Jon Courtney Grimwood.

    ReplyDelete

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