MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - The 2015 Annual Reading Challenge List Thread

pdurrant · 12-07-2014, 12:51 PM

My goals for 2015:

To read my 54 unread ebooks from 2005 and 2006.
To spend no more than £25/month on ebooks on average over the year.
To reduce my TBR list in calibre to below 700.

I start 2015 with my TBR at 750. Down 50 on the start of 2014!

Books read in 2015

December 31st, 2014: The Forever Girl by Alexander McCall Smith - £1.09 - 2/5 - 272pp
Not really my kind of story.
January 2nd: Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson - Free - 5/5 - 52pp
An excellent short follow up to Steelheart
January 2nd: The Second Trip by Robert Silverberg - £1.47 - 3/5 - 161pp
Very 1970s. And two impossible things. Just above a 2.
January 4th: Lightspeed Magazine #56 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.36 - 4/5 - 240pp
An enjoyable mix of SF and Fantasy
January 6th: Catweazle by Richard Carpenter - Gift - 4/5 - 191pp
Catweazle is a splendid character. A good novelisation of the TV series
January 6th: Grantville Gazette #57 edited by Paula Goodlett - £2.75 - 4/5 - 185pp
Most enjoyable. Only 4* because of the incomprehensible Virginia deMarco story.
January 8th: Mission to Minerva by James P. Hogan - £2.50 - 2/5 - 399pp
Too much info dump and preaching about bad science
January 12th: Bernado's House by James Patrick Kelly - Free - 4/5 - 24pp
A very nice AI story
January 12th: F&SF, January 2015 edited by Gordon van Gelder - £1.98 - 5/5 - 256pp
An excellent issue. I liked every single story and one was a continuation of a previous story, which I especially enjoyed.
January 13th: The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker - £1.49 - 5/5 - 656pp
An excellent fantasy novel. Highly recommended.
January 15th: Asimov's SF, February 2015, edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 4/5 - 174pp
A good issue, but nothing outstanding
January 18th: Imperium by Keith Laumer - £2.50 - 3/5 - 459pp
Interesting cross-time fun
January 22nd: Analog SFF, March 2015, edited by Trevor Quachi - £1.99 - 4/5 - 188pp
A good issue. I enjoyed all the stories.
January 23rd: The Julian Katz Collection by Dave Zeltserman - £0.99 - 4/5 - 214pp
Enjoyable take on great detective with an AI sidekick
January 25th: The Time of Troubles I by Harry Turtledove - £2.50 - 3/5 - 670pp
A good enough war epic, but not enough fantasy element for me.
January 29th: The Omega Egg by Mike Resnick et al. - £5.10 - 2/5 - 182pp
[ABANDONED. A round robin is just not what I want to read at the moment.]
January 31st: 1636: The Barbie Consortium by Gorg Huff et al. - £1.31 - 4/5 - 318pp
A very enjoyable read, but no story arc
February 1st: Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman - £1.97 - 4/5 - 184pp
A most enjoyable murder mystery, although a very quick conclusion.
February 2nd: Sly Mongoose by Tobias Buckell - £0.94 - 4/5 - 300pp
Enjoying this series, but in need of a re-read at some point.
February 4th: Death Turns a Trick by Julie Smith - Free - 3/5 - 156pp
OK, but nothing special
February 4th: Saint Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters - £0.99 - 4/5 - 200pp
An enjoyable mediaeval mystery
February 6th: Skyclimber by Raymond Z. Gallun - £2.09 - 2/5 - 429pp
Interesting story, poorly told
February 8th: Shadow Worlds by Darrell Bain and Barbara M. Hodges - £2.51 - 3/5 - 388pp
An OK-ish parallel words story, but the drama seemed artificial
February 9th: Lightspeed Magazine #57 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.36 - 4/5 - 240pp
A very good issue of the magazine. Some lovely stories.
February 11th: Asimov's SF, March 2015, edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 4/5 - 164pp
Also a very good issue. A most enjoyable set of stories.
February 12th: How Lovely Are Thy Branches by Diane Duane - £1.16 - 4/5 - 95pp
A good little holiday story.
February 13th: Rogues edited by GRR Martin and Gardener Dozois - £1.19 - 5/5 - 681pp
An excellent collection of stories. Very much recommended.
February 18th: Higher Education by Charles Sheffield and Jerry Pournelle - £2.22 - 3/5 - 193pp
An OK coming of age story. I find I've read it before
February 18th: Time Rider by Rick Mallory - £2.97 - 2/5 - 220pp
Time-travel romance with not a lot to recommend it.
February 19th: Analog SFF, April 2015, edited by Trevor Quachi - £1.99 - 4/5 - 181pp
An very good issue, as usual.
February 22nd: Dream Killer Stephen Crane Davidson - £1.06 - 2/5 - 168pp
Poor.
February 23rd: The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate by Ted Chiang - £0.95 - 5/5 - 33pp
An excellent time travel tale.
February 24th: Inside Job by Connie Willis - £0.95 - 3/5 - 70pp
An enjoyable tale of debunkers and psychics
February 24th: Jacaranda by Cherie Priest - £0.96 - 2/5 - 104pp
A rather prosaic horror tale. Not my kind of thing.
February 25th: The Ape's Wife and Other Stories by Caitlin R. Kiernan - 0.96 - 2/5 - 264pp
The writing style and the kind of short story weren't to my taste
February 27th: The Slice of No.1 Celebration Storybook by Alexander McCall Smith - Free - 4/5 - 25pp
Two pleasant short stories about Mma Ramotswe
February 27th: Hell's Bells by M. C. Beaton - Free - 3/5 - 10pp
OK, but not really long enough to see whether I'll like Beaton's writing
February 27th: Saturday The Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemelman - £1.45 - 5/5 - 223pp
A wonderful little murder mystery
March 1st: The Phaeton Condition by Douglas R. Mason - £1.48 - 2/5 - 160pp
Poor early 1970s future environmental apocalypse novel
March 3rd: GrantVille Gazette #58 - £2.75 - 4/5 - 239pp
A most enjoyable dose of the minutiae of the 1632 universe.
March 4th: Nobody's Home by Tim Powers - £0.95 - 3/5 - 34pp
An intriguing introduction to his Annubis Gates universe.
March 4th: Lightspeed Magazine #58 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.36 - 3/5 - 267pp
Some I liked. Some I didn't. I'd already red the excellent novella.
March 6th: The Apocalypse Ocean by Tobias Buckell - £0.37 - 4/5 - 213pp
Excellent story, wish there were more.
March 8th: The Paladin by C J Cherryh - £2.50 - 3/5 - 285pp
OK, but no overt fantasy elements, and not really memorable.
March 10th: F&SF, March/April 2015 edited by Gordon van Gelder - £1.98 - 3/5 - 239pp
Some I really liked, some I didn't
March 12th: The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox by Barry Hughart - £0.96 - 4/5 - 697pp
Three splendid fantasy ancient China tales
March 15th: The Horseman by Kristina O'Donnelly - Free - 2/5 - 569pp
[ABANDONED] Not really my sort of thing.
March 16th: Monitors by Darrell Bain - £1.88 - 2/5 - 362pp
[ABANDONED] Silly.
March 16th: The Land of Ingary Trilogy by Diana Wynne Jones - £1.20 - 5/5 - 589ppp
Excellent trilogy of three stand-alone fantasy stories
March 17th: Analog SFF, May 2015, edited by Trevor Quachi - £1.99 - 4/5 - 184pp
A very good issue, as usual.
March 18th: Asimov's SF, April-May 2015, edited by Sheila Williams - £3.98 - 3/5 - 288pp
An OK issue
March 20th: Bloom County, vol.1 - £0.70 - 2/5 - 378pp
[ABANDONED - Just not interesting to me]
March 20th: An Audience for Einstein by Mark Wakely - £1.88 - 3/5 - 427pp
An OK look at life extension, but only OK.
March 21st: The Darwath Series by Barbara Hambley - £3.49 - 5/5 - 512pp
A most enjoyable fantasy trilogy
March 24th: Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie - £0.20 - 4/5 - 180pp
A rather nice spy/adventure novel
March 25th: The Time Trap by Henry Kuttner- Free - 2/5 - 107pp
An early super science/time travel/adventure story, with no depth
March 26th: MindWar by Darrell Bain - £3.39 - 3/5 - 491pp
OK, but nothing special and a rather ridiculous premise
March 27th: Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey - free - 3/5 - 471pp
Would have been more except for the science/technology slip-ups
March 28th: Full Fathom Five by Max Gladstone - £1.62 - 5/5 - 415pp
A splendid fantasy
March 29th: The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith - £3.66 - 3/5 - 188pp
Perhaps more philosophising than usual.
March 30th: The Merchant's Mark by Pat McIntosh - £0.84 - 4/5 - 234pp
Another interesting mediaeval murder mystery
March 31st: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie - £4.24 - 4/5 - 302pp
Very good - a new author to watch
April 2nd: Lightspeed Magazine #59 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.36 - 2/5 - 246pp
A disappointing issue for me. I didn't really like any of the stories.
April 3rd: The Fellowship of the Ring by J R R Tolkien - £0.99 - 5/5 - 464pp
A pleasant re-read.
April 10th: Deeds of Honor by Elizabeth Moon - £0.40 - 5/5 - 122pp
A most enjoyable return to Paksenarrion's universe
April 12th: The Leper of St Giles by Ellis Peters - £0.99 - 5/5 - 221pp
A splendid story, although the villain is a bit obvious
April 13th: Bloodchild by Octavia Butler - Free - 4/5 - 27pp
A very interesting short story, well told
April 14th: Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 289pp
An excellent historical miltary fiction. I'm looking forward to the rest!
April 15th: Lady in Waiting by Sarah Gross - £3.17 - 2/5 - 184pp
A rather poor time travel story. And I find I've read it before.
April 15th: Sharpe's Triumph by Bernard Cornwell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 283pp
Splendid historical military fiction set around Wellington's first big battle
April 17th: Sharpe's Fortress by Bernard Cornwell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 283pp
Wow, splendid books. Love them.
April 18th: To the Vaninshing Point by Alan Dean Foster - £2.75 - 3/5 - 320pp
A fun but not memorable fantasy road trip to save the multiverse
April 20th: Asimov's SF, June2015, edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 5/5 - 172pp
An excellent issue. A wide variety of interesting and well-written stories.
April 21st: Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reeves - £0.99 - 4/5 - 168pp
A very good YA set in an interesting multiverse
April 22nd: Analog SFF, June 2015, edited by Trevor Quachi - £1.99 - 4/5 - 189pp
Another good issue, with some interesting stuff about it being the 1000th issue.
April 22nd: Grantville Gazette VII, edited by Eric Flint - £0.75 - 4/5 - 382pp
An excellent selection from the E-Gazettes 10-20 and an original short story by Eric.
April 23rd: The Bridge of the Separator by Harry Turtledove - £2.00 - 4/5 - 478pp
It all makes sense now I know it's a prequel to the Videssos series as a whole.
April 24th: Castaway Planet by Eric Flint and Ryk E Spoor - £0.74 - 4/5 - 284pp
Swiss Family Robinson in space.
April 26th: Coming Out Atheist by Greta Christina - £3.33 - 4/5 - 390pp
Interesting, but not much was applicable to me
April 27th: Catastrophes, Chaos and Convolutions by James P Hogan - £2.00 - 2/5 - 326pp
Stories, OK, and some articles were OK, but his hobby horse of wacky 'science' turns me off his work.
April 28th: The Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters - £0.84 - 5/5 - 272pp
Splendid fun.
April 30th: Borrower of the Night by Elizabeth Peters - £0.84 - 4/5 - 182pp
I think I prefer Amelia Peabody, but still a fun read
May 1st: Grantville Gazette #59 edited by Paul Goodlett - £3.00 - 3/5 - 159pp
An Average issue of the Grantville Gazette
May 1st: A Brother's Price by Wen Spencer - £1.19 - 5/5 - 248pp Re-read
I remembered the world but had forgotten the story. Brilliant.
May 2nd: The Billion Dollar Boy by Charles Sheffield - £2.22 - 3/5 - 178pp
Kipling's Captains Courageous in the future and in space.
May 3rd: The Mallet of Loving Correction by John Scalzi - £0.37 - 4/5 - 424pp
A funny and insightful collection of blog posts - in alphabetical order!
May 5th: Lightspeed Magazine #60 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.36 - 4/5 - 256pp
A good issue
May 6th: Cure for the Morning After by Darrell Bain - £1.06 - 3/5 - 22pp
May 6th: Unforseen Reward by Darrell Bain - £1.13 - 3/5 - 29pp
May 6th: Samantha by Darrell Bain - £0.96 - 3/5 - 30pp
Three entertaining short stories, but nothing special
May 8th: The Pet Plague Trilogy by Darrel Bain - £9.05 - 2/5 - 1078pp
Premise implausible, characters thin and plot poor.
May 11th: The Owl Service by Alan Garner - £0.99 - 4/5 - 138pp
A splendid supernatural story.
May 12th: They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer- £1.20 - 4/5 - 209pp
A very good murder mystery
May 13th: The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters- £0.99 - 4/5 - 200pp
Another excellent mediaeval mystery
May 14th: Demon's Gate by Steve White - £2.00 - 4/5 - 252pp
An enjoyable bronze-age fantasy
May 16th: The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain - Free - 3/5 - 60pp
OK, but certainly not the best of 1901-1910
May 17th: Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - Free - 5/5 - 238pp
A very well told story indeed
May 18th: Before Adam by Jack London - Free - 3/5 - 90pp
OK, but certainly not the best of 1901-1910
May 18th: The Virginian by Owen Wister - Free - 4/5 - 350pp
Another good story well told.
May 20th: The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers - Free - 3/5 - 304pp
A good mystery/adventure, but a bit slow for my taste.
May 22nd: The Golden Bowl by Henry James - Free - 2/5 - 538pp
[ABANDONED] After 50 pages - not to my taste in prose style
May 23rd: The Wings of the Dove by Henry James - Free - 2/5 - 538pp
[ABANDONED] After 30 pages - definitely not to my taste in prose style
May 24th: The Handome Man's De Luxe Café by Alexander McCall Smith - £2.99 - 4/5 - 182pp
Another enjoyable visit to Mma Ramotswe's Botswana
May 25th: A Passage to India by E. M. Forster - Free - 2/5 - 233pp
[ABANDONED]Not as bad as the Henry James, but still not for me.
May 27th: Analog SF/F, July/August 2015 edited by Trevor Quachi - £3.98 - 4/5 - 329pp
A very good set of stories. And a serial, which I will only read when complete.
May 28th: Asimov's SF, July 2015 edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 4/5 - 158pp
Another good issue.
May 29th?: F&SF, May/June 2015 eedited by Sheila Williams - £1.98 - 3/5 - 248pp
I forgot to note this at the time. Clearly an average issue.
May 30th: The Fortress of Glass by David Drake - £2.00 - 4/5 - 393pp
Very good fantasy. I'm looking forward to the other two in this trilogy.
June 1st: Moon Base by E. C. Tubb - £3.96 - 3/5 - 116pp
OK, but nothing special
June 2nd: The Nightmare People by Lawrence Watt-Evans - £3.96 - 4/5 - 250pp
A very good Fantasy Horror
June 3rd: Lightspeed Magazine #61 edited by JJ Adams - £0.86 - 4/5 - 501pp
A very good collection of SF stories
June 4th: Mirror of Worlds by David Drake - £4.00 - 3/5 - 335pp
Fun, but a little more arbitrary than usual
June 6th: Denner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans - £4.39 - 4/5 - 205pp
A good story, although rather too kind to the 'Powers'
June 7th: Stardeath by E. C. Tubb - £3.96 - 2/5 - 147pp
OK, but dated in attitudes.
June 8th: Dauntless by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 252pp
Enjoyable space opera
June 9th: The Lizard War by John Dalmas - £2.00 - 3/5 - 266pp
An OK longish-time-post-apocalyptic & aliens story.
June 10th: Fantasy Magazine #1 - £0.31 - 3/5 - 193pp
An OK collection. Some were a bit more 'literary' than I like.
June 12th: Fearless by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 256pp
June 13th: The Two Moons by James P. Hogan - £2.50 - 2/5 - 431pp
[ABANDONED]
June 14th: Courageous by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 251pp
Fun.
June 15th: Valiant by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 250pp
Still fun, but some of the physics seems dodgy.
June 15th: The Multiplex Man by James P Hogan - £2.50 - 3/5 - 381pp
OK. I was a bit unhappy with some aspects, but an OK book overall.
June 16th: Relentless by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 253pp
Still fun space opera
June 17th: Victorious by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 260pp
A satisfying conclusion
June 19th: Warp Point by Darrell Bain - £2.37 - 2/5 - 685pp
Space opera, but the plot's got enormous holes.
June 20th: Star Quest by Stuart J Byrne - £2.12 - 1/5 - 621pp
[ABANDONED - dreadful sub-Star Trek poor writing ugh.]
June 21st: Born-Again by K. D. Wentworth - Free - 3/5 - 14pp
An amusing little story about Jesus clones
June 21st: A First Glimpse and other stories by Raymond Z. Gallun - £2.28 - 4/5 - 262pp
A splendid collection of early SF. Let down a little by the title story.
June 24th: The Gods Return by David Drake - £4.08 - 4/5 - 359pp
An excellent conclusion to the series
25th June: Pyramid Power by Eric Flint and Dave Freer - £2.50 - 4/5 - 365pp
Fun with Myths and Aliens
28th June: Fantasy Magazine #2 edited by Sean Wallace and Paul G. Tremblay - £0.31 - 3/5 - 174pp
A mixed bag. Some I liked a lot, others weren't to my taste.
June 29th: Sharp's Trafalgar by Bernard Cornwall - £0.99 - 4/5 - 273pp
An excellent novel in the series.
June 30th: The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein - £0.67 - 4/5 - 228pp
An intriguing story world and good characters. I'm looking forward to the others.
July 3rd: Grantville Gazette #60 edited by Paula Goodlett - £3.00 - 3/5 - 171pp
The usal mix of short stories set in the 1632 universe. Fun.
July 4th: Outskirter's Secret by Rosemary Kirstein - £1.14 - 4/5 - 406pp
Excellent second novel in her Steerswoman series.
July 5th: Chicks and Balances edited by Esther Friesner - £2.54 - 4/5 - 291pp
Good fun as expected
July 7th: 1636: The Cardinal Virtues by Eric Flint & Walter H Hunt - £2.02 - 4/5 - 369pp
A very eventful book in the main line of the series.
July 8th: Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold - £2.99 - 5/5 - 100pp
An Excellent Novella in her Five Gods universe
July 9th: The Lost Steersman by Rosemary Kirstein - £1.13 - 5/5 - 438pp
Excellent world building with a genuinely alien environment.
July 11th: Dragon in Exile by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller - £2.02 - 5/5 - 369pp
Excellent - really looking forward to the next one.
July 12th: Timebound by Rysa Walker - £1.00 - 3/5 - 301pp
An interesting take on time travel, but not good enough to make me get any more.
July 14th: Into the Maelstrom by David Drake and John Lambshead - £0.74 - 4/5 - 383pp
An enjoyable sequel to Into the Hinterlands
July 16th: High Wizardry by Diane Duane - £1.83 - 5/5 - 223pp
Excellent.
July 16th: The World of Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse - £1.99 - 5/5 - 557pp
A simply splendid collection of the Jeeves & Wooster short stories.
July 17th: Analog SF, Sep 2015 edited by Trevor Quachri - £1.99 - 3/5 - 187pp
An average issue.
July 19th: Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer - £1.20 - 3/5 - 199pp
A fun murder mystery, but the murderer was obvious from at least half way.
July 21st: Trail of Evil by Travis S. Taylor - £1.87 - 3.5 - 346pp
OK-ish. I'm not sure I'll get the next one.
July 22nd: Asimov's SF edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 4/5 - 166pp
Some good stories
July 23rd: A Braver Thing by Charles Sheffield - £0.36 - 3/5 - 32pp
Interesting story
July 24th: Putting Up Roots by Charles Sheffield - £2.22 - 3/5 - 200pp
OK, but obvious and implausible
July 24th: F&SF, July/August 2015 edited by C. C. Finlay - £1.98 - 5/5 - 252pp
An absolutely excellent issue. Best for some time!
July 27th: Alternate Generals I edited by Harry Turtledove - £2.50 - 3/5 - 254pp
OK, but not really my kind of thing
July 28th: Anathem by Neal Stephenson - £1.19 - 4/5 - 809pp
Excellent world building and interesting ideas. Long!
August 4th: Poldark by Winston Graham - £1.19 - 5/5 - 464pp
Excellent Historical Drama
August 6th: The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince - £0.99 - 4/5 - 80pp
Very good back story of later events
August 7th: Dodger by Terry Pratchett - £3.66 - 5/5 - 373pp
A most enjoyable fantasy victorian London
August 8th: A Wizard Abroad by Diane Duane - £1.83 - 4/5 - 223pp
Excellent story, but some typos and dubious updating
August 11th: Analog SFF, Oct 2015 edited by Trevor Quachri - £1.99 - 3/5 - 184pp
Average issue. Nothing I especially liked, but all enjoyable
August 12th: Asimov's SF, Sep 2015 edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 3/5 - 165pp
Ditto
August 13th: Lightspeed Magazine, July 2015 edited by J J Adams - £0.31 - 3/5 - 262
pp
Ditto
August 15th: Demelza by Winston Graham - £1.19 - 5/5 - 400pp
An excellent novel in the series. I'm looking forward to the next one.
August 18th: Breakfast in the Ruins by Barry Malzburg - £2.50 - 1/5 - 433pp
[ABANDONED]Essays on SF, and not cheerful ones. Ugh.
August 18th: I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett - £2.48 - 5/5 - 300pp
What's to say? Wonderful.
August 19th: The Two Faces of Tomorrow by James P. Hogan - £2.50 - 2/5 - 392pp
[ABANDONED. Info dumps and explanations of the mundane]
August 20th: Echoes of an Alien Sky by James P. Hogan - £2.50 - 2/5 - 336pp
[ABANDONED. The errors of the other one, plus his loony science]
August 20th: Liaden Universe Constellation 3 by Lee and Miller - £2.18 - 5/5 - 297pp
Excellent, as expected.
August 24th: No Exit by Larry Niven and Jean Marie Stine - £1.67 - 3/5 - 26pp
An OK short story, which an interesting anecdote about how it came to be written.
August 24th: Trinity on Tylos by Pamela J. Dodd - £3.39 - 2/5 - 554pp
Silly alien contact.romance story. Read previously.
August 25th: Seas of Ernathe by Jeffrey A Carver - £2.43 - 3/5 - 397pp
It got a bit better as it went on, but (IMO) the Andre Norton influence is clear.
August 28th: The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch - £1.99 - 5/5 - 571pp
Excellent. Although I think the epilogue was unnecessary.
August 31st: Lightspeed Magazine #63 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.31 - 3/5 - 230pp
Only average. I really didn't like one of the stories, but the novella saved it
September 6th: Grantville Gazeete #61 edited by Walt Boyes - £3.00 - 4/5 - 171pp
The expected enjoyable read.
September 9th: The Language of Power by Rosemary Kirstein - £1.13 - 4/5 - 297pp
An enjoyable continuation of the story. A shame the next two aren't written yet.
September 11th: F&SF, September/October2015 edited by C. C. Finlay - £1.98 - 4/5 - 250pp
Another very enjoyable edition. Good for C. C. Finlay!
September 16th: Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham - £1.19 - 5/5 - 267pp
Excellent drama set at the end of the 18th century.
September 17th: Lightspeed Magazine #64 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.31 - 3/5 - 242pp
A good issue. I enjoyed it more than last month's.
September 20th: A Call to Arms by David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope - £2.04 - 4/5 - 331pp
Satisfying Space Opera
September 21st: Dying for a Living by Kory Shrum - Free - 2/5 - 230pp
Too many impossible things introduced to the story.
September 23rd: Star Rigger's Way by Jeffrey Carver - £2.81 - 3/5 - 386pp
An enjoyable adventure although the psionics dates it.
September 24th: Twice in Time by Manley Wade Wellman - £2.03 - 3/5 - 191pp
Nice detail and a good time travel device
September 28th: Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch - £0.99 - 5/5 - 281pp
An excellent new series of a contemporary magical London
September 30th: It's Up To Charlie Hardin by Dead Ing - £2.04 - 2/5 - 205pp
Not SF/Fantasy at all. Pure wartime childhood fiction. OK, but only OK.
October 1st: Dark Watcher by Lillith Saintcrow - £2.50 - 3/5 - 388pp
paranormal romance with the emphasis on the romance
October 2nd: Asimov's SF October/November 2015 edited by Sheila Williams - £3.98 - 3/5 - 288pp
OK, but rather more fantasy than I'd expect in Asimov's
October 7th: The Long Mars by Stephen Baxter and Terry Pratchett - £3.29 - 3/5 - 327pp
A bit disappointing.
October 12th: [Onward, Drake!] edited by Mark van Name - £2.04 - 4/5 - 254pp
Mostly very good
October 16th: Methuselah's Virus by Raspal Chima - £2.89 - 2/5 - 560pp
Sub-Michael Crichton. I didn't care about the characters. I thought the resolution was very poor.
October 17th: The Cyborg and the Cemetry by Nancy Fulda - Free - 4/5 - 16pp
Brief, but interesting and well-told.
October 17th: Analog SFF, Nov 2015 edited by Trevor Quachri - £1.99 - 3/5 - 181pp
An OK issue.
October 19th: Analog SFF, Dec 2015 edited by Trevor Quachri - £1.99 - 4/5 - 182pp
A good issue.
October 21st: The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters - £0.99 - 4/5 - 231pp
A good tale
October 22nd: Crosstime by Andre Norton - £2.50 - 3/5 - 328pp
OK, but not enough exploration of the idea for my liking.
October 26th: The Devil's Novice by Ellis Peters - £0.99 - 4/5 - 228pp
Another fun quick read
October 28th: Lightspeed Magazine #65 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.31 - 3/5 - 252pp
An average issue.
October 29nd: Asimov's SF December 2015 edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 2/5 - 171pp
Too much fantasy edging into literary fantasy
October 30th: Sharpe's Prey by Bernhard Cornwell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 243pp
An excellent story. Poor old Sharpe!
October 31st: Dominion by Fred Saberhagen - £2.02 - 3/5 - 270pp
A fun book, adding in another legendary figure.
November 2nd: The Mind Monsters by Larry Maddock - £2.49 - 2/5 - 309pp
Disappointing.
November 4th: Grantville Gazette #62 edited by Walt Boyes and Bjorn Hasseler- £3.00 - 4/5 - 169pp
Very good, as usual.
November 5th: Jihad by Mercedes Lackey - £0.63 - 3/5 - 37pp
God is real short. OKish
November 5th: F&SF, November/December 2015 edited by C. C. Finlay - £1.98 - 3/5 - 250pp
I liked about half the stories.
November 8th: A Matter of Taste by Fred Sabergagen - £1.55 - 4/5 - 213pp
'current day' and flashbacks. Fun stuff.
November 9th: Lightspeed Magazine #66 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.31 - 2/5 - 238pp
Much too much towars the 'literary' end of things for me
November 11th: The Lantern of God by John Dalmas - £2.50 - - 427pp
A bit of a slow start, but OK in the end.
November 13th: Dead Man's Ransom by Ellis Peters - £0.99 - 3.5 - 227pp
A bit too obvious, and with an unsatisactory ending. Still a quick, fun read.
November 14th: The New Hugo Winners-Volume IV edited by Martin H Greenberg - £2.50 - 4/5 - 436pp
Excellent stories, although I find I had read them all before.
November 17th: Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch - £0.99 - 5/5 - 254pp
Excellent. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this urban magic series
November 20th: Dreadnaught by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 290pp
A very good start to a new series
November 22nd: The Pilgrim of Hate by Ellis Peters - £0.99 - 5/5 - 224pp
A most enjoyable mystery.
November 23rd: Invincible (Beyond the Frontier #2) by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 290pp
I love his depiction of aliens
November 25th: Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home by Harry Kemelman - £1.45 - 5/5 - 229pp
An excellent depition of community live, with a murder mystery too.
November 26th: The Cyborg from Earth by Charles Sheffield - £2.22 - 3/5 - 229pp
Pretty good.
November 27th: The Wizard's Dilemma by Diane Duane - £1.83 - 5/5 - 264pp
Excellent story of loss and change
November 30th: Earthblood and Other Stories by Keith Laumer et al. - £2.50 - 3/5 - 467pp
Nothing special.
December 4th: Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie - £2.99 - 4/5 - 189pp
Hercule Poirot doing his bit. Not the best of her work, but still very readable.
December 5th: Analog SFF, January/February 2016 edited by Trevor Quachri - £3.98 - 4/5 - 314pp
A very good collection of stories.
December 6th: [I]Red Tide by Larry Niven et al. - Free - 3/5 - 181pp
Interesting, but not brilliant
December 8th: Out of the World by Lawrence Watt-Evans - £1.98 - 4/5 - 265pp
An interesting start to a rather more gritty trilogy than I'd expected.
December 9th: The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler - 1.69 - 5/5 - 969pp
A Splendid collection of Christmas Mysteries.
December 18th: [I]Guardian (Beyond the Frontier #3) by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 313pp
I do like his writing, his aliens and his universe
December 21st:The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer - £1.20 - 5/5 - 193pp
A splendid romance
December 22nd:Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 258pp
Another excellent adventure.
December 22nd:Sharpe's Havoc by Bernard Cornwell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 261pp
And another. Great fun.
December 25th: The Abduction of Ebenezer Scrooge by Lawrence Watt-Evans - Free - 4/5 - 5pp
Fun short short
December 26th: Asimov's SF January 2016 edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 3/5 - 178pp
Average. Some I liked, some I didn't
December 28th: Steadfast by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 300pp
Most Enjoyable

Books added to TBR in 2015

Freebies (9)
Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson (Sainsbury voucher)
Bernado's House by James Patrick Kelly (Amazon Freebie)
Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2013 by various authors (Tor.com freebie)
Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2014 by various authors (Tor.com freebie)
Death Turns a Trick by Julie Smith (Amazon/Kobo freebie)
Wool by Hugh Howey (Kobo freebie in June 2014, but only moved to TBR now)
The Slice of No.1 Celebration Storybook by Alexander McCall Smith (Sainsbury Voucher)
Hell's Bells by M C Beaton (freebie from 2013)
Dying for a Living by Kory M. Shrum (Deals thread recommendation)
The Cyborg and the Cemetery by Nancy Fulda
Red Tide by Larry Niven et al.
The Abduction of Ebenezer Scrooge by Lawrence Watt-Evans

Gifts (5)
Catweazle, The Tomorrow Girl, What If, A Slip of the Keyboard, Information is Beautiful

Loans

Bought

January (8/£13.31): F&SF January 2015, Lightspeed January 2015, Grantville Gazette #57, The Darwath Trilogy, The Golem and the Djinni, The Julian Katz Collection, Sly Mongoose, 1636: The Barbie Consortium
February (15/£18.34): Lightspeed February 2015, The Once and Future King, Lamentation, Analog SFF April 2015, Asimov's SF March 2015, Rogues, How Lovely Are Thy Branches, Humble Bundle (Inside Job, Jacaranda, The Merchant and the Alchamist's Gate, The Jack Vance Treasury, Nobody's Home, The Ape's Wife, The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox), The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke
March (12/£19.29) Lightspeed March 2015, Grantville Gazette #58, F&SF March 2015, Bloom Country vols. 1-4, Analog SF May 2015, Asimov's SFF April/May 2015, Full Fathom Five, The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon, Ancillary Justice
April (12/£15.15): Lightspeed April 2015, Deeds of Honor, Analog SFF June 2015, Asimov's SF June 2015, Interworld, Castaway Plant, Grantville Gazette VII, Into the Maelstrom, Coming out Atheist, Firefall, The Art Whisperer, Trail of Evil
May (15/£26.40): Grantville Gazette #59, F&SF May 2015, Lightspeed May 2015, The Gods Return, The Owl Service, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Mysteries, Lost Fleet 2-6, The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café, Analog SFF July/August 2015, Asimov's July 2015,
June (65/£26.77): Lightspeed June 2014 Special: Queers Destroy SF, Cobra Outlaw, Dauntless (Lost Fleet 1), The Steerswoman, 57 back issues of Fantasy Magazine, Timebound, How To Bake, One Small Step, Dragon in Exile
July (30/£52.65): 1636: Cardinal Virtues, Chicks and Balances, Grantville Gazette #60, F&SF July 2015, Lightspeed July 2015, The Outskirter's Secret, The Lost Steersman, The Language of Power, Asimov's SFF August 2014, Analog SFF September 2014, Penric's Demon, Starship Troopers, The World of Jeeves, Moriarty, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, A Kingdom Besieged, Dragon Haven, The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince, Ship of Magic, The Emperor's Soul, Dodger, The Long Mars, First seven Poldark novels, Anathem
August (15/£24.07): Lightspeed August 2015, Analog SFF October 2015, Asimov's SF September 2015, A Liaden Universe Constellation 3, I Shall Wear Midnight, Shaman's Crossing, The Republic of Thieves, Farenheit 451, Shogun, The King's Hounds, Oathbreaker, A question of Time, A Sharpness on the Neck, A Matter of Taste, Dominion
September (37/£44.25): Grantville Gazette #61, F&SF September 2015, Lightspeed September 2015, Séance for a Vampire, Baen October 2015 (A Call to Arms, Onward Drake!, It's up to Charlie Hardin, Raising Caine, Collision, Twice in Time), Neil Gaiman Humble Bundle (20 books), First five Rivers of London books, Analog SFF November 2015, Asimov's SF October/November 2015
October (15/£16.67): Lightspeed October 2015, The Crystal Cave, Tai-pan, The Hollow Hills, 8 x Lost Fleet (Dreadnaught, Invincible, Guardian, Steadfast, Leviathan; Tarnished Knight, Perilous Shield, Imperfect Sword), Analog SFF December 2015, Asimov's SF December 2015, A Wizard of Earthsea
November (15/£22.32): Grantville Gazette #62, F&SF November 2015, Lightspeed November 2015, Stark's War, Stark's Command, A Just Determination, The Mage Winds, Mage Storms, The Heralds of Valdemar, Interim Errantry, Legion: Skin Deep, A Presumption of Death, Stark's Crusade, Lock In, The End of All Things
December (15/£20.72): Lightspeed December 2015, Fantasy Magazine December 2015 Queers Destroy Fantasy Special Issue, Analog SFF January/February 2016, Asimov's SF January 2016, The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, F&SF January 2016, Watership Down, The Monogram Murders, Flashman, Guiness Book of World Records 2016, The Day of the Triffids, The Shield of Time, Against all Enemies, Burden of Proof
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
Wishlist books (when on offer)
Soldiers out of Time
The Sword of the South
Hell's Foundations Quiver
Ancillary Sword
Ancillary Mercy
Dumarest Novels
The Shepherd's Crown
Harper Hall trilogy
Chronicles of Amber
Earthsea books
The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine (Alexander McCall Smith)

Analysis
TBR: 787
Books read: 226 (including 22 freebies, 1 gift, 0 loans, 1 re-read, 8 not on TBR)
Books otherwise removed from TBR pile: 14 (2 previously read, 11 discarded, 1 duplicate)

Books removed from TBR pile: 232
Books added to TBR pile: 269 (including 13 freebies, 5 gifts)
Removed/Added: 0.88
Net reduction for 2015: -37

Non-free books read: 194 (including 8 abandoned, 1 re-read)
Total cost of books read: £371.90
Average cost of books read: £1.92

Non-free books bought: 254 (including 3 not added to TBR)
Total cost of books bought: £299.94 (under budget: £300)
Average cost of books bought: £1.18

Already allocated to future purchases: £0
Unallocated budget: £0.06

Rating System:
1: Bad.
2: Poor. (Or just not to my taste.)
3: Satisfactory.
4: Good.
5: Excellent.

Pages are as given by the ADE algorithm in Calibre.

12-07-2014, 12:51 PM	#6
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 74,015 Karma: 315160596 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	To read my 54 unread ebooks bought in 2005 and 2006 My goals for 2015: To read my 54 unread ebooks from 2005 and 2006. To spend no more than £25/month on ebooks on average over the year. To reduce my TBR list in calibre to below 700. I start 2015 with my TBR at 750. Down 50 on the start of 2014! Books read in 2015 December 31st, 2014: The Forever Girl by Alexander McCall Smith - £1.09 - 2/5 - 272pp Not really my kind of story. January 2nd: Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson - Free - 5/5 - 52pp An excellent short follow up to Steelheart January 2nd: The Second Trip by Robert Silverberg - £1.47 - 3/5 - 161pp Very 1970s. And two impossible things. Just above a 2. January 4th: Lightspeed Magazine #56 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.36 - 4/5 - 240pp An enjoyable mix of SF and Fantasy January 6th: Catweazle by Richard Carpenter - Gift - 4/5 - 191pp Catweazle is a splendid character. A good novelisation of the TV series January 6th: Grantville Gazette #57 edited by Paula Goodlett - £2.75 - 4/5 - 185pp Most enjoyable. Only 4* because of the incomprehensible Virginia deMarco story. January 8th: Mission to Minerva by James P. Hogan - £2.50 - 2/5 - 399pp Too much info dump and preaching about bad science January 12th: Bernado's House by James Patrick Kelly - Free - 4/5 - 24pp A very nice AI story January 12th: F&SF, January 2015 edited by Gordon van Gelder - £1.98 - 5/5 - 256pp An excellent issue. I liked every single story and one was a continuation of a previous story, which I especially enjoyed. January 13th: The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker - £1.49 - 5/5 - 656pp An excellent fantasy novel. Highly recommended. January 15th: Asimov's SF, February 2015, edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 4/5 - 174pp A good issue, but nothing outstanding January 18th: Imperium by Keith Laumer - £2.50 - 3/5 - 459pp Interesting cross-time fun January 22nd: Analog SFF, March 2015, edited by Trevor Quachi - £1.99 - 4/5 - 188pp A good issue. I enjoyed all the stories. January 23rd: The Julian Katz Collection by Dave Zeltserman - £0.99 - 4/5 - 214pp Enjoyable take on great detective with an AI sidekick January 25th: The Time of Troubles I by Harry Turtledove - £2.50 - 3/5 - 670pp A good enough war epic, but not enough fantasy element for me. January 29th: The Omega Egg by Mike Resnick et al. - £5.10 - 2/5 - 182pp [ABANDONED. A round robin is just not what I want to read at the moment.] January 31st: 1636: The Barbie Consortium by Gorg Huff et al. - £1.31 - 4/5 - 318pp A very enjoyable read, but no story arc February 1st: Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman - £1.97 - 4/5 - 184pp A most enjoyable murder mystery, although a very quick conclusion. February 2nd: Sly Mongoose by Tobias Buckell - £0.94 - 4/5 - 300pp Enjoying this series, but in need of a re-read at some point. February 4th: Death Turns a Trick by Julie Smith - Free - 3/5 - 156pp OK, but nothing special February 4th: Saint Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters - £0.99 - 4/5 - 200pp An enjoyable mediaeval mystery February 6th: Skyclimber by Raymond Z. Gallun - £2.09 - 2/5 - 429pp Interesting story, poorly told February 8th: Shadow Worlds by Darrell Bain and Barbara M. Hodges - £2.51 - 3/5 - 388pp An OK-ish parallel words story, but the drama seemed artificial February 9th: Lightspeed Magazine #57 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.36 - 4/5 - 240pp A very good issue of the magazine. Some lovely stories. February 11th: Asimov's SF, March 2015, edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 4/5 - 164pp Also a very good issue. A most enjoyable set of stories. February 12th: How Lovely Are Thy Branches by Diane Duane - £1.16 - 4/5 - 95pp A good little holiday story. February 13th: Rogues edited by GRR Martin and Gardener Dozois - £1.19 - 5/5 - 681pp An excellent collection of stories. Very much recommended. February 18th: Higher Education by Charles Sheffield and Jerry Pournelle - £2.22 - 3/5 - 193pp An OK coming of age story. I find I've read it before February 18th: Time Rider by Rick Mallory - £2.97 - 2/5 - 220pp Time-travel romance with not a lot to recommend it. February 19th: Analog SFF, April 2015, edited by Trevor Quachi - £1.99 - 4/5 - 181pp An very good issue, as usual. February 22nd: Dream Killer Stephen Crane Davidson - £1.06 - 2/5 - 168pp Poor. February 23rd: The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate by Ted Chiang - £0.95 - 5/5 - 33pp An excellent time travel tale. February 24th: Inside Job by Connie Willis - £0.95 - 3/5 - 70pp An enjoyable tale of debunkers and psychics February 24th: Jacaranda by Cherie Priest - £0.96 - 2/5 - 104pp A rather prosaic horror tale. Not my kind of thing. February 25th: The Ape's Wife and Other Stories by Caitlin R. Kiernan - 0.96 - 2/5 - 264pp The writing style and the kind of short story weren't to my taste February 27th: The Slice of No.1 Celebration Storybook by Alexander McCall Smith - Free - 4/5 - 25pp Two pleasant short stories about Mma Ramotswe February 27th: Hell's Bells by M. C. Beaton - Free - 3/5 - 10pp OK, but not really long enough to see whether I'll like Beaton's writing February 27th: Saturday The Rabbi Went Hungry by Harry Kemelman - £1.45 - 5/5 - 223pp A wonderful little murder mystery March 1st: The Phaeton Condition by Douglas R. Mason - £1.48 - 2/5 - 160pp Poor early 1970s future environmental apocalypse novel March 3rd: GrantVille Gazette #58 - £2.75 - 4/5 - 239pp A most enjoyable dose of the minutiae of the 1632 universe. March 4th: Nobody's Home by Tim Powers - £0.95 - 3/5 - 34pp An intriguing introduction to his Annubis Gates universe. March 4th: Lightspeed Magazine #58 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.36 - 3/5 - 267pp Some I liked. Some I didn't. I'd already red the excellent novella. March 6th: The Apocalypse Ocean by Tobias Buckell - £0.37 - 4/5 - 213pp Excellent story, wish there were more. March 8th: The Paladin by C J Cherryh - £2.50 - 3/5 - 285pp OK, but no overt fantasy elements, and not really memorable. March 10th: F&SF, March/April 2015 edited by Gordon van Gelder - £1.98 - 3/5 - 239pp Some I really liked, some I didn't March 12th: The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox by Barry Hughart - £0.96 - 4/5 - 697pp Three splendid fantasy ancient China tales March 15th: The Horseman by Kristina O'Donnelly - Free - 2/5 - 569pp [ABANDONED] Not really my sort of thing. March 16th: Monitors by Darrell Bain - £1.88 - 2/5 - 362pp [ABANDONED] Silly. March 16th: The Land of Ingary Trilogy by Diana Wynne Jones - £1.20 - 5/5 - 589ppp Excellent trilogy of three stand-alone fantasy stories March 17th: Analog SFF, May 2015, edited by Trevor Quachi - £1.99 - 4/5 - 184pp A very good issue, as usual. March 18th: Asimov's SF, April-May 2015, edited by Sheila Williams - £3.98 - 3/5 - 288pp An OK issue March 20th: Bloom County, vol.1 - £0.70 - 2/5 - 378pp [ABANDONED - Just not interesting to me] March 20th: An Audience for Einstein by Mark Wakely - £1.88 - 3/5 - 427pp An OK look at life extension, but only OK. March 21st: The Darwath Series by Barbara Hambley - £3.49 - 5/5 - 512pp A most enjoyable fantasy trilogy March 24th: Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie - £0.20 - 4/5 - 180pp A rather nice spy/adventure novel March 25th: The Time Trap by Henry Kuttner- Free - 2/5 - 107pp An early super science/time travel/adventure story, with no depth March 26th: MindWar by Darrell Bain - £3.39 - 3/5 - 491pp OK, but nothing special and a rather ridiculous premise March 27th: Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey - free - 3/5 - 471pp Would have been more except for the science/technology slip-ups March 28th: Full Fathom Five by Max Gladstone - £1.62 - 5/5 - 415pp A splendid fantasy March 29th: The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith - £3.66 - 3/5 - 188pp Perhaps more philosophising than usual. March 30th: The Merchant's Mark by Pat McIntosh - £0.84 - 4/5 - 234pp Another interesting mediaeval murder mystery March 31st: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie - £4.24 - 4/5 - 302pp Very good - a new author to watch April 2nd: Lightspeed Magazine #59 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.36 - 2/5 - 246pp A disappointing issue for me. I didn't really like any of the stories. April 3rd: The Fellowship of the Ring by J R R Tolkien - £0.99 - 5/5 - 464pp A pleasant re-read. April 10th: Deeds of Honor by Elizabeth Moon - £0.40 - 5/5 - 122pp A most enjoyable return to Paksenarrion's universe April 12th: The Leper of St Giles by Ellis Peters - £0.99 - 5/5 - 221pp A splendid story, although the villain is a bit obvious April 13th: Bloodchild by Octavia Butler - Free - 4/5 - 27pp A very interesting short story, well told April 14th: Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 289pp An excellent historical miltary fiction. I'm looking forward to the rest! April 15th: Lady in Waiting by Sarah Gross - £3.17 - 2/5 - 184pp A rather poor time travel story. And I find I've read it before. April 15th: Sharpe's Triumph by Bernard Cornwell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 283pp Splendid historical military fiction set around Wellington's first big battle April 17th: Sharpe's Fortress by Bernard Cornwell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 283pp Wow, splendid books. Love them. April 18th: To the Vaninshing Point by Alan Dean Foster - £2.75 - 3/5 - 320pp A fun but not memorable fantasy road trip to save the multiverse April 20th: Asimov's SF, June2015, edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 5/5 - 172pp An excellent issue. A wide variety of interesting and well-written stories. April 21st: Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reeves - £0.99 - 4/5 - 168pp A very good YA set in an interesting multiverse April 22nd: Analog SFF, June 2015, edited by Trevor Quachi - £1.99 - 4/5 - 189pp Another good issue, with some interesting stuff about it being the 1000th issue. April 22nd: Grantville Gazette VII, edited by Eric Flint - £0.75 - 4/5 - 382pp An excellent selection from the E-Gazettes 10-20 and an original short story by Eric. April 23rd: The Bridge of the Separator by Harry Turtledove - £2.00 - 4/5 - 478pp It all makes sense now I know it's a prequel to the Videssos series as a whole. April 24th: Castaway Planet by Eric Flint and Ryk E Spoor - £0.74 - 4/5 - 284pp Swiss Family Robinson in space. April 26th: Coming Out Atheist by Greta Christina - £3.33 - 4/5 - 390pp Interesting, but not much was applicable to me April 27th: Catastrophes, Chaos and Convolutions by James P Hogan - £2.00 - 2/5 - 326pp Stories, OK, and some articles were OK, but his hobby horse of wacky 'science' turns me off his work. April 28th: The Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters - £0.84 - 5/5 - 272pp Splendid fun. April 30th: Borrower of the Night by Elizabeth Peters - £0.84 - 4/5 - 182pp I think I prefer Amelia Peabody, but still a fun read May 1st: Grantville Gazette #59 edited by Paul Goodlett - £3.00 - 3/5 - 159pp An Average issue of the Grantville Gazette May 1st: A Brother's Price by Wen Spencer - £1.19 - 5/5 - 248pp Re-read I remembered the world but had forgotten the story. Brilliant. May 2nd: The Billion Dollar Boy by Charles Sheffield - £2.22 - 3/5 - 178pp Kipling's Captains Courageous in the future and in space. May 3rd: The Mallet of Loving Correction by John Scalzi - £0.37 - 4/5 - 424pp A funny and insightful collection of blog posts - in alphabetical order! May 5th: Lightspeed Magazine #60 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.36 - 4/5 - 256pp A good issue May 6th: Cure for the Morning After by Darrell Bain - £1.06 - 3/5 - 22pp May 6th: Unforseen Reward by Darrell Bain - £1.13 - 3/5 - 29pp May 6th: Samantha by Darrell Bain - £0.96 - 3/5 - 30pp Three entertaining short stories, but nothing special May 8th: The Pet Plague Trilogy by Darrel Bain - £9.05 - 2/5 - 1078pp Premise implausible, characters thin and plot poor. May 11th: The Owl Service by Alan Garner - £0.99 - 4/5 - 138pp A splendid supernatural story. May 12th: They Found Him Dead by Georgette Heyer- £1.20 - 4/5 - 209pp A very good murder mystery May 13th: The Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters- £0.99 - 4/5 - 200pp Another excellent mediaeval mystery May 14th: Demon's Gate by Steve White - £2.00 - 4/5 - 252pp An enjoyable bronze-age fantasy May 16th: The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain - Free - 3/5 - 60pp OK, but certainly not the best of 1901-1910 May 17th: Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery - Free - 5/5 - 238pp A very well told story indeed May 18th: Before Adam by Jack London - Free - 3/5 - 90pp OK, but certainly not the best of 1901-1910 May 18th: The Virginian by Owen Wister - Free - 4/5 - 350pp Another good story well told. May 20th: The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers - Free - 3/5 - 304pp A good mystery/adventure, but a bit slow for my taste. May 22nd: The Golden Bowl by Henry James - Free - 2/5 - 538pp [ABANDONED] After 50 pages - not to my taste in prose style May 23rd: The Wings of the Dove by Henry James - Free - 2/5 - 538pp [ABANDONED] After 30 pages - definitely not to my taste in prose style May 24th: The Handome Man's De Luxe Café by Alexander McCall Smith - £2.99 - 4/5 - 182pp Another enjoyable visit to Mma Ramotswe's Botswana May 25th: A Passage to India by E. M. Forster - Free - 2/5 - 233pp [ABANDONED]Not as bad as the Henry James, but still not for me. May 27th: Analog SF/F, July/August 2015 edited by Trevor Quachi - £3.98 - 4/5 - 329pp A very good set of stories. And a serial, which I will only read when complete. May 28th: Asimov's SF, July 2015 edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 4/5 - 158pp Another good issue. May 29th?: F&SF, May/June 2015 eedited by Sheila Williams - £1.98 - 3/5 - 248pp I forgot to note this at the time. Clearly an average issue. May 30th: The Fortress of Glass by David Drake - £2.00 - 4/5 - 393pp Very good fantasy. I'm looking forward to the other two in this trilogy. June 1st: Moon Base by E. C. Tubb - £3.96 - 3/5 - 116pp OK, but nothing special June 2nd: The Nightmare People by Lawrence Watt-Evans - £3.96 - 4/5 - 250pp A very good Fantasy Horror June 3rd: Lightspeed Magazine #61 edited by JJ Adams - £0.86 - 4/5 - 501pp A very good collection of SF stories June 4th: Mirror of Worlds by David Drake - £4.00 - 3/5 - 335pp Fun, but a little more arbitrary than usual June 6th: Denner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans - £4.39 - 4/5 - 205pp A good story, although rather too kind to the 'Powers' June 7th: Stardeath by E. C. Tubb - £3.96 - 2/5 - 147pp OK, but dated in attitudes. June 8th: Dauntless by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 252pp Enjoyable space opera June 9th: The Lizard War by John Dalmas - £2.00 - 3/5 - 266pp An OK longish-time-post-apocalyptic & aliens story. June 10th: Fantasy Magazine #1 - £0.31 - 3/5 - 193pp An OK collection. Some were a bit more 'literary' than I like. June 12th: Fearless by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 256pp June 13th: The Two Moons by James P. Hogan - £2.50 - 2/5 - 431pp [ABANDONED] June 14th: Courageous by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 251pp Fun. June 15th: Valiant by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 250pp Still fun, but some of the physics seems dodgy. June 15th: The Multiplex Man by James P Hogan - £2.50 - 3/5 - 381pp OK. I was a bit unhappy with some aspects, but an OK book overall. June 16th: Relentless by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 253pp Still fun space opera June 17th: Victorious by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 260pp A satisfying conclusion June 19th: Warp Point by Darrell Bain - £2.37 - 2/5 - 685pp Space opera, but the plot's got enormous holes. June 20th: Star Quest by Stuart J Byrne - £2.12 - 1/5 - 621pp [ABANDONED - dreadful sub-Star Trek poor writing ugh.] June 21st: Born-Again by K. D. Wentworth - Free - 3/5 - 14pp An amusing little story about Jesus clones June 21st: A First Glimpse and other stories by Raymond Z. Gallun - £2.28 - 4/5 - 262pp A splendid collection of early SF. Let down a little by the title story. June 24th: The Gods Return by David Drake - £4.08 - 4/5 - 359pp An excellent conclusion to the series 25th June: Pyramid Power by Eric Flint and Dave Freer - £2.50 - 4/5 - 365pp Fun with Myths and Aliens 28th June: Fantasy Magazine #2 edited by Sean Wallace and Paul G. Tremblay - £0.31 - 3/5 - 174pp A mixed bag. Some I liked a lot, others weren't to my taste. June 29th: Sharp's Trafalgar by Bernard Cornwall - £0.99 - 4/5 - 273pp An excellent novel in the series. June 30th: The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein - £0.67 - 4/5 - 228pp An intriguing story world and good characters. I'm looking forward to the others. July 3rd: Grantville Gazette #60 edited by Paula Goodlett - £3.00 - 3/5 - 171pp The usal mix of short stories set in the 1632 universe. Fun. July 4th: Outskirter's Secret by Rosemary Kirstein - £1.14 - 4/5 - 406pp Excellent second novel in her Steerswoman series. July 5th: Chicks and Balances edited by Esther Friesner - £2.54 - 4/5 - 291pp Good fun as expected July 7th: 1636: The Cardinal Virtues by Eric Flint & Walter H Hunt - £2.02 - 4/5 - 369pp A very eventful book in the main line of the series. July 8th: Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold - £2.99 - 5/5 - 100pp An Excellent Novella in her Five Gods universe July 9th: The Lost Steersman by Rosemary Kirstein - £1.13 - 5/5 - 438pp Excellent world building with a genuinely alien environment. July 11th: Dragon in Exile by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller - £2.02 - 5/5 - 369pp Excellent - really looking forward to the next one. July 12th: Timebound by Rysa Walker - £1.00 - 3/5 - 301pp An interesting take on time travel, but not good enough to make me get any more. July 14th: Into the Maelstrom by David Drake and John Lambshead - £0.74 - 4/5 - 383pp An enjoyable sequel to Into the Hinterlands July 16th: High Wizardry by Diane Duane - £1.83 - 5/5 - 223pp Excellent. July 16th: The World of Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse - £1.99 - 5/5 - 557pp A simply splendid collection of the Jeeves & Wooster short stories. July 17th: Analog SF, Sep 2015 edited by Trevor Quachri - £1.99 - 3/5 - 187pp An average issue. July 19th: Blunt Instrument by Georgette Heyer - £1.20 - 3/5 - 199pp A fun murder mystery, but the murderer was obvious from at least half way. July 21st: Trail of Evil by Travis S. Taylor - £1.87 - 3.5 - 346pp OK-ish. I'm not sure I'll get the next one. July 22nd: Asimov's SF edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 4/5 - 166pp Some good stories July 23rd: A Braver Thing by Charles Sheffield - £0.36 - 3/5 - 32pp Interesting story July 24th: Putting Up Roots by Charles Sheffield - £2.22 - 3/5 - 200pp OK, but obvious and implausible July 24th: F&SF, July/August 2015 edited by C. C. Finlay - £1.98 - 5/5 - 252pp An absolutely excellent issue. Best for some time! July 27th: Alternate Generals I edited by Harry Turtledove - £2.50 - 3/5 - 254pp OK, but not really my kind of thing July 28th: Anathem by Neal Stephenson - £1.19 - 4/5 - 809pp Excellent world building and interesting ideas. Long! August 4th: Poldark by Winston Graham - £1.19 - 5/5 - 464pp Excellent Historical Drama August 6th: The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince - £0.99 - 4/5 - 80pp Very good back story of later events August 7th: Dodger by Terry Pratchett - £3.66 - 5/5 - 373pp A most enjoyable fantasy victorian London August 8th: A Wizard Abroad by Diane Duane - £1.83 - 4/5 - 223pp Excellent story, but some typos and dubious updating August 11th: Analog SFF, Oct 2015 edited by Trevor Quachri - £1.99 - 3/5 - 184pp Average issue. Nothing I especially liked, but all enjoyable August 12th: Asimov's SF, Sep 2015 edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 3/5 - 165pp Ditto August 13th: Lightspeed Magazine, July 2015 edited by J J Adams - £0.31 - 3/5 - 262 pp Ditto August 15th: Demelza by Winston Graham - £1.19 - 5/5 - 400pp An excellent novel in the series. I'm looking forward to the next one. August 18th: Breakfast in the Ruins by Barry Malzburg - £2.50 - 1/5 - 433pp [ABANDONED]Essays on SF, and not cheerful ones. Ugh. August 18th: I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett - £2.48 - 5/5 - 300pp What's to say? Wonderful. August 19th: The Two Faces of Tomorrow by James P. Hogan - £2.50 - 2/5 - 392pp [ABANDONED. Info dumps and explanations of the mundane] August 20th: Echoes of an Alien Sky by James P. Hogan - £2.50 - 2/5 - 336pp [ABANDONED. The errors of the other one, plus his loony science] August 20th: Liaden Universe Constellation 3 by Lee and Miller - £2.18 - 5/5 - 297pp Excellent, as expected. August 24th: No Exit by Larry Niven and Jean Marie Stine - £1.67 - 3/5 - 26pp An OK short story, which an interesting anecdote about how it came to be written. August 24th: Trinity on Tylos by Pamela J. Dodd - £3.39 - 2/5 - 554pp Silly alien contact.romance story. Read previously. August 25th: Seas of Ernathe by Jeffrey A Carver - £2.43 - 3/5 - 397pp It got a bit better as it went on, but (IMO) the Andre Norton influence is clear. August 28th: The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch - £1.99 - 5/5 - 571pp Excellent. Although I think the epilogue was unnecessary. August 31st: Lightspeed Magazine #63 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.31 - 3/5 - 230pp Only average. I really didn't like one of the stories, but the novella saved it September 6th: Grantville Gazeete #61 edited by Walt Boyes - £3.00 - 4/5 - 171pp The expected enjoyable read. September 9th: The Language of Power by Rosemary Kirstein - £1.13 - 4/5 - 297pp An enjoyable continuation of the story. A shame the next two aren't written yet. September 11th: F&SF, September/October2015 edited by C. C. Finlay - £1.98 - 4/5 - 250pp Another very enjoyable edition. Good for C. C. Finlay! September 16th: Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham - £1.19 - 5/5 - 267pp Excellent drama set at the end of the 18th century. September 17th: Lightspeed Magazine #64 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.31 - 3/5 - 242pp A good issue. I enjoyed it more than last month's. September 20th: A Call to Arms by David Weber, Timothy Zahn and Thomas Pope - £2.04 - 4/5 - 331pp Satisfying Space Opera September 21st: Dying for a Living by Kory Shrum - Free - 2/5 - 230pp Too many impossible things introduced to the story. September 23rd: Star Rigger's Way by Jeffrey Carver - £2.81 - 3/5 - 386pp An enjoyable adventure although the psionics dates it. September 24th: Twice in Time by Manley Wade Wellman - £2.03 - 3/5 - 191pp Nice detail and a good time travel device September 28th: Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch - £0.99 - 5/5 - 281pp An excellent new series of a contemporary magical London September 30th: It's Up To Charlie Hardin by Dead Ing - £2.04 - 2/5 - 205pp Not SF/Fantasy at all. Pure wartime childhood fiction. OK, but only OK. October 1st: Dark Watcher by Lillith Saintcrow - £2.50 - 3/5 - 388pp paranormal romance with the emphasis on the romance October 2nd: Asimov's SF October/November 2015 edited by Sheila Williams - £3.98 - 3/5 - 288pp OK, but rather more fantasy than I'd expect in Asimov's October 7th: The Long Mars by Stephen Baxter and Terry Pratchett - £3.29 - 3/5 - 327pp A bit disappointing. October 12th: [Onward, Drake!] edited by Mark van Name - £2.04 - 4/5 - 254pp Mostly very good October 16th: Methuselah's Virus by Raspal Chima - £2.89 - 2/5 - 560pp Sub-Michael Crichton. I didn't care about the characters. I thought the resolution was very poor. October 17th: The Cyborg and the Cemetry by Nancy Fulda - Free - 4/5 - 16pp Brief, but interesting and well-told. October 17th: Analog SFF, Nov 2015 edited by Trevor Quachri - £1.99 - 3/5 - 181pp An OK issue. October 19th: Analog SFF, Dec 2015 edited by Trevor Quachri - £1.99 - 4/5 - 182pp A good issue. October 21st: The Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters - £0.99 - 4/5 - 231pp A good tale October 22nd: Crosstime by Andre Norton - £2.50 - 3/5 - 328pp OK, but not enough exploration of the idea for my liking. October 26th: The Devil's Novice by Ellis Peters - £0.99 - 4/5 - 228pp Another fun quick read October 28th: Lightspeed Magazine #65 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.31 - 3/5 - 252pp An average issue. October 29nd: Asimov's SF December 2015 edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 2/5 - 171pp Too much fantasy edging into literary fantasy October 30th: Sharpe's Prey by Bernhard Cornwell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 243pp An excellent story. Poor old Sharpe! October 31st: Dominion by Fred Saberhagen - £2.02 - 3/5 - 270pp A fun book, adding in another legendary figure. November 2nd: The Mind Monsters by Larry Maddock - £2.49 - 2/5 - 309pp Disappointing. November 4th: Grantville Gazette #62 edited by Walt Boyes and Bjorn Hasseler- £3.00 - 4/5 - 169pp Very good, as usual. November 5th: Jihad by Mercedes Lackey - £0.63 - 3/5 - 37pp God is real short. OKish November 5th: F&SF, November/December 2015 edited by C. C. Finlay - £1.98 - 3/5 - 250pp I liked about half the stories. November 8th: A Matter of Taste by Fred Sabergagen - £1.55 - 4/5 - 213pp 'current day' and flashbacks. Fun stuff. November 9th: Lightspeed Magazine #66 edited by John Joseph Adams - £0.31 - 2/5 - 238pp Much too much towars the 'literary' end of things for me November 11th: The Lantern of God by John Dalmas - £2.50 - - 427pp A bit of a slow start, but OK in the end. November 13th: Dead Man's Ransom by Ellis Peters - £0.99 - 3.5 - 227pp A bit too obvious, and with an unsatisactory ending. Still a quick, fun read. November 14th: The New Hugo Winners-Volume IV edited by Martin H Greenberg - £2.50 - 4/5 - 436pp Excellent stories, although I find I had read them all before. November 17th: Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch - £0.99 - 5/5 - 254pp Excellent. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this urban magic series November 20th: Dreadnaught by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 290pp A very good start to a new series November 22nd: The Pilgrim of Hate by Ellis Peters - £0.99 - 5/5 - 224pp A most enjoyable mystery. November 23rd: Invincible (Beyond the Frontier #2) by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 4/5 - 290pp I love his depiction of aliens November 25th: Sunday the Rabbi Stayed Home by Harry Kemelman - £1.45 - 5/5 - 229pp An excellent depition of community live, with a murder mystery too. November 26th: The Cyborg from Earth by Charles Sheffield - £2.22 - 3/5 - 229pp Pretty good. November 27th: The Wizard's Dilemma by Diane Duane - £1.83 - 5/5 - 264pp Excellent story of loss and change November 30th: Earthblood and Other Stories by Keith Laumer et al. - £2.50 - 3/5 - 467pp Nothing special. December 4th: Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie - £2.99 - 4/5 - 189pp Hercule Poirot doing his bit. Not the best of her work, but still very readable. December 5th: Analog SFF, January/February 2016 edited by Trevor Quachri - £3.98 - 4/5 - 314pp A very good collection of stories. December 6th: [I]Red Tide by Larry Niven et al. - Free - 3/5 - 181pp Interesting, but not brilliant December 8th: Out of the World by Lawrence Watt-Evans - £1.98 - 4/5 - 265pp An interesting start to a rather more gritty trilogy than I'd expected. December 9th: The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler - 1.69 - 5/5 - 969pp A Splendid collection of Christmas Mysteries. December 18th: [I]Guardian (Beyond the Frontier #3) by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 313pp I do like his writing, his aliens and his universe December 21st:The Corinthian by Georgette Heyer - £1.20 - 5/5 - 193pp A splendid romance December 22nd:Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 258pp Another excellent adventure. December 22nd:Sharpe's Havoc by Bernard Cornwell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 261pp And another. Great fun. December 25th: The Abduction of Ebenezer Scrooge by Lawrence Watt-Evans - Free - 4/5 - 5pp Fun short short December 26th: Asimov's SF January 2016 edited by Sheila Williams - £1.99 - 3/5 - 178pp Average. Some I liked, some I didn't December 28th: Steadfast by Jack Campbell - £0.99 - 5/5 - 300pp Most Enjoyable Books added to TBR in 2015 Freebies (9) Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson (Sainsbury voucher) Bernado's House by James Patrick Kelly (Amazon Freebie) Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2013 by various authors (Tor.com freebie) Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2014 by various authors (Tor.com freebie) Death Turns a Trick by Julie Smith (Amazon/Kobo freebie) Wool by Hugh Howey (Kobo freebie in June 2014, but only moved to TBR now) The Slice of No.1 Celebration Storybook by Alexander McCall Smith (Sainsbury Voucher) Hell's Bells by M C Beaton (freebie from 2013) Dying for a Living by Kory M. Shrum (Deals thread recommendation) The Cyborg and the Cemetery by Nancy Fulda Red Tide by Larry Niven et al. The Abduction of Ebenezer Scrooge by Lawrence Watt-Evans Gifts (5) Catweazle, The Tomorrow Girl, What If, A Slip of the Keyboard, Information is Beautiful Loans Bought January (8/£13.31): F&SF January 2015, Lightspeed January 2015, Grantville Gazette #57, The Darwath Trilogy, The Golem and the Djinni, The Julian Katz Collection, Sly Mongoose, 1636: The Barbie Consortium February (15/£18.34): Lightspeed February 2015, The Once and Future King, Lamentation, Analog SFF April 2015, Asimov's SF March 2015, Rogues, How Lovely Are Thy Branches, Humble Bundle (Inside Job, Jacaranda, The Merchant and the Alchamist's Gate, The Jack Vance Treasury, Nobody's Home, The Ape's Wife, The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox), The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke March (12/£19.29) Lightspeed March 2015, Grantville Gazette #58, F&SF March 2015, Bloom Country vols. 1-4, Analog SF May 2015, Asimov's SFF April/May 2015, Full Fathom Five, The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon, Ancillary Justice April (12/£15.15): Lightspeed April 2015, Deeds of Honor, Analog SFF June 2015, Asimov's SF June 2015, Interworld, Castaway Plant, Grantville Gazette VII, Into the Maelstrom, Coming out Atheist, Firefall, The Art Whisperer, Trail of Evil May (15/£26.40): Grantville Gazette #59, F&SF May 2015, Lightspeed May 2015, The Gods Return, The Owl Service, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Mysteries, Lost Fleet 2-6, The Handsome Man's De Luxe Café, Analog SFF July/August 2015, Asimov's July 2015, June (65/£26.77): Lightspeed June 2014 Special: Queers Destroy SF, Cobra Outlaw, Dauntless (Lost Fleet 1), The Steerswoman, 57 back issues of Fantasy Magazine, Timebound, How To Bake, One Small Step, Dragon in Exile July (30/£52.65): 1636: Cardinal Virtues, Chicks and Balances, Grantville Gazette #60, F&SF July 2015, Lightspeed July 2015, The Outskirter's Secret, The Lost Steersman, The Language of Power, Asimov's SFF August 2014, Analog SFF September 2014, Penric's Demon, Starship Troopers, The World of Jeeves, Moriarty, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, A Kingdom Besieged, Dragon Haven, The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince, Ship of Magic, The Emperor's Soul, Dodger, The Long Mars, First seven Poldark novels, Anathem August (15/£24.07): Lightspeed August 2015, Analog SFF October 2015, Asimov's SF September 2015, A Liaden Universe Constellation 3, I Shall Wear Midnight, Shaman's Crossing, The Republic of Thieves, Farenheit 451, Shogun, The King's Hounds, Oathbreaker, A question of Time, A Sharpness on the Neck, A Matter of Taste, Dominion September (37/£44.25): Grantville Gazette #61, F&SF September 2015, Lightspeed September 2015, Séance for a Vampire, Baen October 2015 (A Call to Arms, Onward Drake!, It's up to Charlie Hardin, Raising Caine, Collision, Twice in Time), Neil Gaiman Humble Bundle (20 books), First five Rivers of London books, Analog SFF November 2015, Asimov's SF October/November 2015 October (15/£16.67): Lightspeed October 2015, The Crystal Cave, Tai-pan, The Hollow Hills, 8 x Lost Fleet (Dreadnaught, Invincible, Guardian, Steadfast, Leviathan; Tarnished Knight, Perilous Shield, Imperfect Sword), Analog SFF December 2015, Asimov's SF December 2015, A Wizard of Earthsea November (15/£22.32): Grantville Gazette #62, F&SF November 2015, Lightspeed November 2015, Stark's War, Stark's Command, A Just Determination, The Mage Winds, Mage Storms, The Heralds of Valdemar, Interim Errantry, Legion: Skin Deep, A Presumption of Death, Stark's Crusade, Lock In, The End of All Things December (15/£20.72): Lightspeed December 2015, Fantasy Magazine December 2015 Queers Destroy Fantasy Special Issue, Analog SFF January/February 2016, Asimov's SF January 2016, The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, F&SF January 2016, Watership Down, The Monogram Murders, Flashman, Guiness Book of World Records 2016, The Day of the Triffids, The Shield of Time, Against all Enemies, Burden of Proof Spoiler: Spoiler: Wishlist books (when on offer) Soldiers out of Time The Sword of the South Hell's Foundations Quiver Ancillary Sword Ancillary Mercy Dumarest Novels The Shepherd's Crown Harper Hall trilogy Chronicles of Amber Earthsea books The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine (Alexander McCall Smith) Analysis TBR: 787 Books read: 226 (including 22 freebies, 1 gift, 0 loans, 1 re-read, 8 not on TBR) Books otherwise removed from TBR pile: 14 (2 previously read, 11 discarded, 1 duplicate) Books removed from TBR pile: 232 Books added to TBR pile: 269 (including 13 freebies, 5 gifts) Removed/Added: 0.88 Net reduction for 2015: -37 Non-free books read: 194 (including 8 abandoned, 1 re-read) Total cost of books read: £371.90 Average cost of books read: £1.92 Non-free books bought: 254 (including 3 not added to TBR) Total cost of books bought: £299.94 (under budget: £300) Average cost of books bought: £1.18 Already allocated to future purchases: £0 Unallocated budget: £0.06 Rating System: 1: Bad. 2: Poor. (Or just not to my taste.) 3: Satisfactory. 4: Good. 5: Excellent. Pages are as given by the ADE algorithm in Calibre. Last edited by pdurrant; 01-01-2016 at 04:08 AM.