{"id":14841,"date":"2022-01-01T09:30:37","date_gmt":"2022-01-01T16:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/?p=14841"},"modified":"2022-01-01T11:14:42","modified_gmt":"2022-01-01T18:14:42","slug":"books-2021-the-last-year-of-the-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/?p=14841","title":{"rendered":"Books 2021\u2014The Last Year of the Covid"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Year 10<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-14845 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-count-copy-150x99.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"99\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-count-copy-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-count-copy-400x263.jpg 400w, https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-count-copy-1024x674.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-count-copy-768x506.jpg 768w, https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/the-count-copy.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>What&#8217;s that about? 10 years? For all my mumbling I should stop, it seems I am addicted to counting. Could it be I am The Count&#8217;s illegitimate love child? His twin brother who for years was trapped in a foam mask? His doppelg\u00e4nger recently unfrozen from the Antarctic ice?<\/p>\n<p>Well&#8230;maybe not. With no further silliness, I present <em>Year of the Covid: Part II \u2014 The Readening&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h4>January (11)<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>The Sundering<\/em><\/strong> Walter Jon Williams (2003)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Dread Empire&#8217;s Fall<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Praxis<\/em><\/strong> Walter Jon Williams (2002)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Dread Empire&#8217;s Fall<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Conventions of War<\/em><\/strong> Walter Jon Williams (2005)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>Dread Empire&#8217;s Fall<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Burning God<\/em><\/strong> R. F. Kuang (2020)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>The Poppy War<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Plague Ship<\/em><\/strong> Andre Norton (1956)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Solar Queen<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>A Sky Beyond the Storm<\/em><\/strong> Sabaa Tahir (2020)<br \/>\nBook 4 of <em>An Ember in the Ashes<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Investments<\/em><\/strong> Walter Jon Williams (2012)<br \/>\nBook 3.5 of <em>Dread Empire&#8217;s Fall<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Impersonations<\/em><\/strong> Walter Jon Williams (2016)<br \/>\nBook 3.5 of <em>Dread Empire&#8217;s Fall<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Silver in the Wood<\/em><\/strong> Emily Tesh (2019)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Blood and Circuses<\/em><\/strong> Kerry Greenwood (1994)<br \/>\nBook 6 of <em>Phryne Fisher Mysteries<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Hive Monkey<\/em><\/strong> Gareth L. Powell (2014)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Ack-Ack Macaque<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>February (11)<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Machine<\/em><\/strong> Elizabeth Bear (2020)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>White Space<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Three Cheers for Me<\/em><\/strong> Donald Jack (1973)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>The Bandy Papers<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>That\u2019s Me in the Middle<\/em><\/strong> Donald Jack (1973)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>The Bandy Papers<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Uneasy Money<\/em><\/strong> P.G. Wodehouse (1916)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>A School For Scandal<\/em><\/strong> Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1777)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>It\u2019s Me Again<\/em><\/strong> Donald Jack (1975)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>The Bandy Papers<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Me Bandy, You Cissie<\/em><\/strong> Donald Jack (1979)<br \/>\nBook 4 of <em>The Bandy Papers<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Accidental War<\/em><\/strong> Walter Jon Williams (2018)<br \/>\nBook 4 of <em>Dread Empire&#8217;s Fall<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Fleet Elements<\/em><\/strong> Walter Jon Williams (2020)<br \/>\nBook 5 of <em>Dread Empire&#8217;s Fall<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Range of Ghosts<\/em><\/strong> Elizabeth Bear (2012)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>The Eternal Sky<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Shattered Pillars<\/em><\/strong> Elizabeth Bear (2013)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>The Eternal Sky<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>March (9)<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Steles of the Sky<\/em><\/strong> Elizabeth Bear (2014)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>The Eternal Sky<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Ruddy Gore<\/em><\/strong> Kerry Greenwood (1995)<br \/>\nBook 7 of <em>Phryne Fisher Mysteries<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>An Apprentice to Elves<\/em><\/strong> Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear (2015)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>Iskryne<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Women and Economics<\/em><\/strong> Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1898)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Unwind<\/em><\/strong> Neal Shusterman (2007)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>The Unwind dystology<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Black Tide Rising<\/em><\/strong> John Ringo &amp; Gary Poole (2016)<br \/>\nBook 4.5 of <em>Black Tide Rising<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Tigana<\/em><\/strong> Guy Gavriel Kay (1990)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Four-Day Planet<\/em><\/strong> H. Beam Piper (1961)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The House in the Cerulean Sea<\/em><\/strong> TJ Klune (2020)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>April (11)<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Foundation<\/em><\/strong> Isaac Asimov (1951)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Foundation<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Foundation and Empire<\/em><\/strong> Isaac Asimov (1952)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Foundation<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Second Foundation<\/em><\/strong> Isaac Asimov (1953)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>Foundation<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Life of Buffalo Bill<\/em><\/strong> William F Cody (1879)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Forever Peace<\/em><\/strong> Joe Haldeman (1998)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Lions of Al-Rassan<\/em><\/strong> Guy Gavriel Kay (1995)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Witchmark<\/em><\/strong> C. L. Polk (2018)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Kingston Cycle<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Stormsong<\/em><\/strong> C. L. Polk (2020)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Kingston Cycle<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Life of Olaudah Equiano<\/em><\/strong> Olaudah Equiano (1789)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>City of Lies<\/em><\/strong> Sam Hawke (2018)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Poison Wars<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Curse of Chalion<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2001)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Chalion<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>May (11)<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Paladin of Souls<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2003)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Chalion<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Urn Burial<\/em><\/strong> Kerry Greenwood (1996)<br \/>\nBook 8 of <em>Phryne Fisher Mysteries<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Soulstar<\/em><\/strong> C. L. Polk (2021)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>Kingston Cycle<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<br \/>\n<strong><em>On the Trail of the Space Pirates<\/em><\/strong> Carey Rockwell (1953)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>Tom Corbett<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>A Brightness Long Ago<\/em><\/strong> Guy Gavriel Kay (2019)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Hollow Empire<\/em><\/strong> Sam Hawke (2020)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Poison Wars<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<br \/>\n<strong><em>The Dispatcher<\/em><\/strong> John Scalzi (2017)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>The Dispatcher<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<br \/>\n<strong><em>The Dispatcher: Murder by Other Means<\/em><\/strong> John Scalzi (2021)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>The Dispatcher<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>In Fury Born<\/em><\/strong> David Weber (2005)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Shadows in Flight<\/em><\/strong> Orson Scott Card (2012)<br \/>\nBook 5 of <em>Ender\u2019s Shadow<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Stars Are Legion<\/em><\/strong> Kameron Hurley (2017)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>June (8)<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>The Chrysalids<\/em><\/strong> John Wyndham (1955)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>A Desolation Called Peace<\/em><\/strong> Arkady Martine (2021)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Teixcalaan<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Assassins of Thasalon<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2021)<br \/>\nBook 10 of <em>Penric &amp; Desdemona<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Fugitive Telemetry<\/em><\/strong> Martha Wells (2021)<br \/>\nBook 6 of <em>The Murderbot Diaries<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Baron of Magister Valley<\/em><\/strong> Steven Brust (2020)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Star Rebel<\/em><\/strong> F.M.Busby (1984)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Hulzein<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Rebel\u2019s Quest<\/em><\/strong> F.M.Busby (1985)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Hulzein<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Zelde M\u2019Tana<\/em><\/strong> F.M.Busby (1980)<br \/>\nBook 4 of <em>Rissa Kerguelen<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>July (14)<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Me Too<\/em><\/strong> Donald Jack (1983)<br \/>\nBook 5 of <em>The Bandy Papers<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>This One\u2019s On Me<\/em><\/strong> Donald Jack (1987)<br \/>\nBook 6 of <em>The Bandy Papers<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Short Stories<\/em><\/strong> P. G. Wodehouse (1901 ff)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Rissa and Tregare<\/em><\/strong> F.M.Busby (1979)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Rissa Kerguelen<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Long View<\/em><\/strong> F.M.Busby (1976)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>Rissa Kerguelen<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Goblin Emperor<\/em><\/strong> Katherine Addison (2014)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Tartuffe<\/em><\/strong> Moli\u00e8re (1664)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Me So Far<\/em><\/strong> Donald Jack (1989)<br \/>\nBook 7 of <em>The Bandy Papers<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Jew of Malta<\/em><\/strong> Christopher Marlowe (1589)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Alien Debt<\/em><\/strong> F.M.Busby (1984)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>Hulzein<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Systemic Shock<\/em><\/strong> Dean Ing (1981)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Quantrill<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Single Combat<\/em><\/strong> Dean Ing (1983)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Quantrill<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Country Wife<\/em><\/strong> William Wycherley (1675)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Wild Country<\/em><\/strong> Dean Ing (1985)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>Quantrill<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>August (8)<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Hitler vs Me<\/em><\/strong> Donald Jack (1997)<br \/>\nBook 8 of <em>The Bandy Papers<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Stalin vs Me<\/em><\/strong> Donald Jack (2005)<br \/>\nBook 9 of <em>The Bandy Papers<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Velocity Weapon<\/em><\/strong> Megan E. O\u2019Keefe (2019)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Protectorate<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Chaos Vector<\/em><\/strong> Megan E. O\u2019Keefe (2020)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Protectorate<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Catalyst Gate<\/em><\/strong> Megan E. O\u2019Keefe (2021)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>Protectorate<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Witness for the Dead<\/em><\/strong> Katherine Addison (2021)<br \/>\nBook 2.0 of <em>Goblin Emperor<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Raisins and Almonds<\/em><\/strong> Kerry Greenwood (1997)<br \/>\nBook 9 of <em>Phryne Fisher Mysteries<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Rebels\u2019 Seed<\/em><\/strong> F.M.Busby (1986)<br \/>\nBook 4 of <em>Hulzein<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>September (8)<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Architects of Memory<\/em><\/strong> Karen Osborne (2020)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>The Memory War<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Engines of Oblivion<\/em><\/strong> Karen Osborne (2021)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>The Memory War<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Oath of Swords<\/em><\/strong> David Weber (1995)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Bahnakson<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The War God&#8217;s Own<\/em><\/strong> David Weber (1998)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Bahnakson<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Wind Rider&#8217;s Oath<\/em><\/strong> David Weber (2004)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>Bahnakson<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>A Summoning of Demons<\/em><\/strong> Cate Glass (2021)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>Chimera<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>War Maid&#8217;s Choice<\/em><\/strong> David Weber (2012)<br \/>\nBook 4 of <em>Bahnakson<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Paladin<\/em><\/strong> C.J. Cherryh (1998)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>October (11)<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Guardians of Porthaven<\/em><\/strong> Shane Arbuthnott (2021)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Her Majesty&#8217;s Wizard<\/em><\/strong> Christopher Stasheff (1986)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>A Wizard in Rhyme<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Element of Fire<\/em><\/strong> Martha Wells (1993)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Ile-Rien<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Sheepfarmer&#8217;s Daughter<\/em><\/strong> Elizabeth Moon (1988)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>The Deed of Paksenarrion<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Divided Allegiance<\/em><\/strong> Elizabeth Moon (1988)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>The Deed of Paksenarrion<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Oath of Gold<\/em><\/strong> Elizabeth Moon (1989)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>The Deed of Paksenarrion<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Victories Greater Than Death<\/em><\/strong> Charlie Jane Anders (2021)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Cultivar<\/em><\/strong> Sharon Lee &amp; Steve Miller (2017)<br \/>\nBook 25 of <em>Liaden Adventures<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Death of the Necromancer<\/em><\/strong> Martha Wells (1998)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Ile-Rien<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Witches of Karres<\/em><\/strong> James H. Schmitz (1966)<br \/>\n\u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>A Deadly Education<\/em><\/strong> Naomi Novik (2020)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Scholomance<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>November (8)<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>The Last Graduate<\/em><\/strong> Naomi Novik (2021)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Scholomance<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Finder<\/em><\/strong> Suzanne Palmer (2019)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>The Finder Chronicles<\/em> \u2013 ebook<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Driving the Deep<\/em><\/strong> Suzanne Palmer (2020)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>The Finder Chronicles<\/em> \u2013 ebook<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Scavenger Door<\/em><\/strong> Suzanne Palmer (2021)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>The Finder Chronicles<\/em> \u2013 ebook<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Oathbound Wizard<\/em><\/strong> Christopher Stasheff (1993)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>A Wizard in Rhyme<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Last Watch<\/em><\/strong> J. S. Dewes (2021)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>The Divide<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Penric&#8217;s Demon<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2015)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Penric &amp; Desdemona<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Penric and the Shaman<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2017)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Penric &amp; Desdemona<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>December (14)<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Penric&#8217;s Fox<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2018)<br \/>\nBook 5 of <em>Penric &amp; Desdemona<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Masquerade in Lodi<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2020)<br \/>\nBook 8 of <em>Penric &amp; Desdemona<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Penric&#8217;s Mission<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2017)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>Penric &amp; Desdemona<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Mira&#8217;s Last Dance<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2018)<br \/>\nBook 4 of <em>Penric &amp; Desdemona<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Prisoner of Limnos<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2019)<br \/>\nBook 6 of <em>Penric &amp; Desdemona<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Orphans of Raspay<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2019)<br \/>\nBook 7 of <em>Penric &amp; Desdemona<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Physicians of Vilnoc<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2020)<br \/>\nBook 9 of <em>Penric &amp; Desdemona<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Assassins of Thasalon<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2021)<br \/>\nBook 10 of <em>Penric &amp; Desdemona<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Knot of Shadows<\/em><\/strong> Lois McMaster Bujold (2021)<br \/>\nBook 11 of <em>Penric &amp; Desdemona<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Exiled Fleet<\/em><\/strong> J. S. Dewes (2021)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>The Divide<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Witch Doctor<\/em><\/strong> Christopher Stasheff (1994)<br \/>\nBook 3 of <em>A Wizard in Rhyme<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>The Devil You Know<\/em><\/strong> Kit Rocha (2021)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Mercenary Librarians<\/em> \u2013 ebook;<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Live Free or Die<\/em><\/strong> John Ringo (2010)<br \/>\nBook 1 of <em>Troy Rising<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Citadel<\/em><\/strong> John Ringo (2011)<br \/>\nBook 2 of <em>Troy Rising<\/em> \u2013 ebook; reread<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>(&#40;\\<br \/>\n(-.-)<br \/>\no_(&#8220;)(&#8220;)<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Num\u00e9ro dix<\/h3>\n<h5>Quel est le nombre?<\/h5>\n<p>read <strong>124<\/strong><br \/>\nrereads 42<br \/>\n10.3 books\/month<br \/>\n2.38 books\/week<br \/>\n.34 books\/day:<\/p>\n<p>Books by women: 57<br \/>\nOldest 1589 (- <strong><em>The Jew of Malta<\/em><\/strong>)<br \/>\n2021 18<br \/>\n2020 14<\/p>\n<h3>Unread? Not so much!<\/h3>\n<p>The ebook library sits at 966 these days. I imagine I will break 1000 sometime this year. Of those the dreaded unread count is now a much more reasonable number than a mere two years ago. Ah, but just what is that number? To answer that oh-so-pertinent question, let&#8217;s indulge in some logic, math and philosophy:<\/p>\n<p>Unread according to the library software: 37 books<br \/>\nClassics and other books in the &#8220;backup, but not likely to ever read stack&#8221;: 13 books<br \/>\nPhryne Fisher: 12 books (see below)<br \/>\nChristopher Stasheff: 2 (see below)<br \/>\n37-13-12-2=10<br \/>\n<strong>Total Unread<\/strong> according to me: 10 books!<\/p>\n<h5>The logic<\/h5>\n<p>Well, I really have only had those &#8220;classics&#8221; in my library as emergency backups and I legit don&#8217;t foresee a future where I say to myself &#8220;Hey self, don&#8217;t you think we should ditch all those books you really want to read and just tackle <i>Middlemarch<\/i>?&#8221; So I think I can discount them.<\/p>\n<p>The Phryne books? Well those are L&#8217;s. I just &#8220;borrowed&#8221; them in case I wanted to read them. Not my pile. \ud83d\ude42 From last year:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I\u2019ve only read 5 so far but that forced me to file the other 15 in my to-be-read \u2018pile\u2019 rather than dump them as I had originally intended.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I&#8217;ve read up to book 9 now.<\/p>\n<p>As to the two Stasheff titles, well, it&#8217;s a conundrum and I think they will be going to the big digital trashcan in the sky if I can bring myself to do it.<\/p>\n<h4>Not aging well?<\/h4>\n<p>I read <em>Her Majesty&#8217;s Wizard<\/em> by Christopher Stasheff many years ago and loved it\u2014the oldest version of it is a tattered paperback in my hardcopy collection, one that has been read many times since. I also read the sequel <em>The Oathbound Wizard<\/em> at some point but I never actually bought it and didn&#8217;t really remember much about it (which should have been a clue). This year I realized Stasheff had written another 3 follow-ups and decided to acquire them. A decision I think I regret.<\/p>\n<p>Book 3 of a &#8220;Wizard in Rhyme&#8221; was <em>The Witch Doctor<\/em> and it was really, really disappointing. I don&#8217;t know if Stasheff was getting old and tired and just didn&#8217;t care or if he had fallen into some self-indulgent trap of believing that the philosophical questions raised in book one could be rehashed a bunch more times in what is essentially an light-hearted fantasy series without boring the crap out of his readers\u2014but whatever the reason it really, really dragged. <strong>AND<\/strong> he actually repeated a complete scene from a previous book, just not-so-subtlety replacing a few words and plunking in the current protagonists. I mean WTF Christopher? I so have no incentive to read the next two.<\/p>\n<p>But this brings up an interesting digital-age question. Deleting and ownership&#8230; since the bizarre, ridiculous and completely bogus rules surrounding ebooks means I don&#8217;t &#8220;technically&#8221; own any of my ebooks, throwing one away (aka deleting) is potentially a much more casual act than physically chucking a 300-page paper book in the garbage\u2014something, fwiw, I have never done.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m just not sure I can do it though. And I am legally (and I admit morally) constrained from giving the book away which is what I would &#8220;normally&#8221; do (not that I have done that either&#8230;I think I am a bit of a hoarder&#8230;but I am guess a lot of you understand where I am coming from&#8230;at least when it comes to books&#8230;but at least I am not as bad as L&#8230;now there is someone with a problem&#8230;)&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Where was I? Oh, right. Well I guess only time will tell. Keep, chuck or give away? I guess I will let you know next year.<\/p>\n<h3>Novellas, profit and loss, and making money in publishing<\/h3>\n<p>Some interesting trends out there. If one pays any attention at all to <a href=\"https:\/\/whatever.scalzi.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Scalzi<\/a>, one can&#8217;t help but admire his very workmanlike approach to being a professional writer. He unabashedly admits he is in it to make a living \u2014 and as a result explores a lot of avenues writers have traditionally ignored. Among other things he has dabbled in serial publishing and audiobook-first publications. As a result he&#8217;s managed to net himself an unprecedented 3.4 million dollar, 10-year book contract and sell a lot of tv\/movie rights. Nothing has been produced yet but time will tell. Good on him.<\/p>\n<p>And novellas are a thing now. Lois McMaster Bujold, one of my favs, has been publishing the &#8220;Penric&#8221; novellas for a bunch of years now and as far as I can tell after the first one her agents took over the role of publisher. The first one&#8217;s metadata listed : <code>Publisher:\u00a0CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform<\/code> but lately it seems to be: <code>Publisher: Spectrum Literary Agency, Inc.<\/code><\/p>\n<p>She has written and released 10 novellas and one full-length novel since 2016 (all ebooks) which is pretty good output. Unlike some other &#8220;self-published&#8221; short works by mainstream writers I have encountered these seemed to be well-edited (or maybe she is just <em>that<\/em> good?) and professionally produced. And, like Scalzi, <a href=\"https:\/\/subterraneanpress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Subterranean Press<\/a> have picked up the hardcopy\/special edition rights.<\/p>\n<p>This has resulted in Baen picking up the first ones and publishing them again in a couple of omnibus editions. This is a great business model and I hope she makes scads of money from this approach. My only real beef is that Amazon seems to be the distributor of choice and it forces me to buy and crack the azw files \u2014 which I would rather not be forced do, especially as Amazon might some day change their formats (again) and I won&#8217;t be able to do it anymore. I would truly hate to miss a <em>Penric<\/em> book&#8230;<\/p>\n<h3>Series Completion<\/h3>\n<p>It was good years for finishing serieses (sic). I bring this up because I won&#8217;t be finishing &#8220;The Divide&#8221; series by J. S. Dewes. That&#8217;s because since the first two books were released in 2021, I foolishly let myself get sucked into reading them, and they were <em>good<\/em>, maybe even great. But now I suspect she turned in an overly-large book one and the publisher decided to break it up into 2 books because Book 3 apparently isn&#8217;t due <strong>until 2023<\/strong>&#8230; oooh I hate waiting!<\/p>\n<h5>Finished!<\/h5>\n<p>Some of these I started decades ago and either didn&#8217;t realize there were sequels\/prequels or couldn&#8217;t find them in a proper format. I also can&#8217;t guarantee that a few of them are &#8220;really&#8221; finished, but time, as they say, will tell&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Book 4 of <i>An Ember in the Ashes<\/i> \u2013 Sabaa Tahir<br \/>\nBook 5 of <i>Dread Empire&#8217;s Fall<\/i> \u2013 Walter Jon Williams<br \/>\nBook 3 of <i>The Eternal Sky<\/i> \u2013 Elizabeth Bear<br \/>\nBook 3 of <i>Iskryne<\/i> \u2013 Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear<br \/>\nBook 3 of <i>Kingston Cycle<\/i> C. L. Polk<br \/>\nBook 3 of <i>Quantrill<\/i> \u2013 Dean Ing<br \/>\nBook 9 of <i>The Bandy Papers<\/i> \u2013 Donald Jack<br \/>\nBook 3 of <i>Protectorate<\/i> \u2013 Megan E. O\u2019Keefe<br \/>\nBook 4 of <i>Hulzein<\/i> \u2013 F. M.Busby<br \/>\nBook 3 of <i>Chimera<\/i> \u2013 Cate Glass<br \/>\nBook 3 of <i>The Finder Chronicles<\/i> \u2013 Suzanne Palmer<\/p>\n<h5>In the new year:<\/h5>\n<p>These two are on my list for January and should be done within spitting distance of this post:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Fonda Lee&#8217;s The Green Bone Saga: <em>Jade Legacy <\/em><br \/>\nJames Corey&#8217;s Expanse: <em>Leviathan Falls<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>In conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>It was a great year for reading. I hope some of the books I listed appeal to you. There are very, very few I would hesitate to recommend. But if you want some&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i>Silver in the Wood<\/i> Emily Tesh (2019) drove me to the edge before redeeming itself. A great read.<\/li>\n<li><i><a href=\"https:\/\/standardebooks.org\/ebooks\/william-f-cody\/the-life-of-buffalo-bill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Life of Buffalo Bill<\/a><\/i> William F. Cody (1879) is worth it for the historical perspective, especially in these days where we wonder where we came up with some of our more idiotic beliefs. I also read <i><a href=\"https:\/\/standardebooks.org\/ebooks\/olaudah-equiano\/the-interesting-narrative-of-the-life-of-olaudah-equiano\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Life of Olaudah Equiano<\/a><\/i> Olaudah Equiano (1789) at the same time and feel the same way.<\/li>\n<li><i>The Goblin Emperor<\/i> Katherine Addison (2014) was one of those rare internet recommendations that turns out to be spot on.<\/li>\n<li><i>A Deadly Education<\/i> Naomi Novik (2020) and the sequel <i>The Last Graduate<\/i>. Loved the first one and the second is a worthy successor. Beware the cliffhanger endings.<\/li>\n<li><i>The Last Watch<\/i> J. S. Dewes (2021) As noted watch out for the missing book 3. It doesn&#8217;t really leave you hanging though.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Have a great 2022!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>My fellow book counters: (Coming soon!) Dr. Leslie\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/moreblaze.blogspot.com\/2022\/01\/happy-to-see-backend-of-last-year.html\">2021 book and music list<\/a> and the one, the only, the original, Earl J Woods&#8217; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earljwoods.com\/2021\/12\/books-i-read-in-2021.html\">Books I Read<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Links to previous years\u2019 book count posts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/?p=2941\">2012 <\/a>(85)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/?p=5733\">2013 <\/a>(95)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/?p=7902\">2014 <\/a>(106)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/?p=10026\">2015 <\/a>(92)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/?p=11024\">2016 <\/a>(101)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/?p=11814\">2017 <\/a>(120)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/?p=12492\">2018 <\/a>(142)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/?p=13441\">2019 <\/a>(123)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/?p=14227\">2020 <\/a>(112)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Year 10 What&#8217;s that about? 10 years? For all my mumbling I should stop, it seems I am addicted to counting. Could it be I am The Count&#8217;s illegitimate love child? His twin brother who for years was trapped in a foam mask? His doppelg\u00e4nger recently unfrozen from the Antarctic ice? Well&#8230;maybe not. With no [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14841"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14841"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14882,"href":"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14841\/revisions\/14882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/macblaze.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}