List-making is a blessing and a curse.
It’s satisfying to make them, at least for me, to organize my thoughts or arrange my tasks. Of course, there’s a level of commitment that comes with it, a level of responsibility because, now, the goals exist. They are mere words on a page, but some part of your desire has made it out of your body and into the physical world. Those words are quite literally manifestations of your soul.
I really like lists, guys.
Anywho, I make many, too many, personally, so I figured I’d throw out a tweet asking if anyone was interested in one list I’ve been curating since last year: the books I’ve read. That list has evolved into reading goals and I based what I want to read in the future on all sorts of factors – release dates of unpublished books and sequels, forthcoming adaptations that push me to catch up on the source material prior to my imagination getting muddled by whatever Hollywood puts up on screen, and basic diversity motivated my choices this year.
The first six months are fairly solid. After that, I have ambitions to get to but I find the looser grip I hold on this particular passion, the more likelier I am to get into the books I read. Intuition leads me off my established path. The book I just finished, The Power of Habit, was one such I plucked off the Kindle shelf and immediately leapt into. Still, knowing what I want to read and when is not only motivating, it’s instructive. You can learn nearly everything about a person by observing what they choose to spend their time on. I find that includes myself.
Here’s the breakdown, with some notes of mine. If you find something you like, want to follow along, or have books or authors to recommend, I’d love to hear from you, whether by comment, email, Tweet, or PM.
January – June
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Just wrapped up this one, a quick read authored by a New York Times journalist written cleanly and accessibly, with many striking anecdotes backed by science and research. An easy read packed with digestible information that helped me identify habit loops, change my routines, and maintain my cues and rewards. The book is effective whether you’re looking to make a personal change or simply educate yourself on the science behind the automatic choices that are habits.
- The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow
- The Cartel
- The Border (rel. February 2019)
- The Force
I’m working my way through The Power of the Dog and The Cartel at the moment, which came on my radar when Ridley Scott signed on to direct a film adaptation of the latter book, and again when Winslow published The Force, which was immediately optioned for a movie with Logan director James Mangold at the helm (and initially dated to open this March). I’m finally getting around to these crime sagas, starting with the first two which are part of a trilogy, the finale of which, The Border, is published next month. Winslow, a former PI, writes deft depictions of crime from macro and micro levels and I love how he weaves both to create an international saga both grand and intimate.
- Tiamat’s Wrath (rel. March 2019) by James S.A. Corey
After my Winslow binge, it’s back down The Expanse rabbit hole with the newest book in the series. I watched the TV adaptation since its premiere in December 2015 and finally binged the seven published books last summer at breakneck pace. This is among the best combination of space opera and hard sci-fi I’ve seen. Whether on the page or the screen – the show makes its Amazon Prime debut later this year with its fourth season – the story and characters come alive. Check them both out.
- Dying of the Light by George R.R. Martin
- Fevre Dream
- Tuf Voyaging
Been catching up on some GRRM goodness since last year. I finally got around to his short fiction when I read both volumes of Dreamsongs, as well as Fire & Blood, his latest Westeros-based history book. Next up are his older novels; it’s fascinating to follow the roots of the flowers that bloomed brightest in his A Song of Ice and Fire magnum opus back to their sci-fi and comic book origins and I look forward to returning to them this spring.
- Mistborn: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
- Mistborn: The Hero of Ages
I got through the first book in Sanderson’s fantasy trilogy last year before getting preoccupied with The Expanse books. I admire Sanderson’s tight plotting, punchy dialogue, and prolificacy. His ever-expanding shared universe called the Cosmere is a fascinating experiment in authorial arc welding. I look forward to catching up on this, as well as The Stormlight Archives.
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
- Children of Virtue and Vengeance (rel. June 2019)
I read great things about Tomi Adeyemi’s debut when it was published last March. When I read the sequel was due this spring or summer, I moved Children of Blood and Bone up my list. In addition to its acclaim, tracking my reading last year made me aware of a preponderance of authors who were men and a dearth of authors who were women. Adeyemi and others jumped out as voices I needed to hear, particularly in my favorite field, fantasy storytelling.
- The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
- The Obelisk Gate
- The Stone Sky
Each book in this fantasy trilogy won a Hugo Award, one of the highest honors in genre fiction. Need I say more? I can’t wait to drive into this universally-praised series.
- The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Speaking of Jemisin, it was listening to her fascinating worldbuilding conversation on Vox that led me to this series of novellas, which sound like an absolutely delightful blend of dark humor and pathos. Reading stories of different lengths truly feels like stretching different muscle groups.
July – December
The above takes me to about July. After that, I have more an idea of what I want to read than a schedule, depending on where I’m at elsewhere and what happens to catch my attention and interest.
- The Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer
Annihilation was my favorite film of 2018, so I naturally want to check out the source, the books of which go far beyond what the film depicted.
- Dune series by Frank Herbert
A new film adaptation is on the way by one of my favorite directors, who dubbed it a passion project. As if I needed more reason to read this seminal work (only Frank Herbert’s books, though, not his son’s. I’m not insane).
- Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
Speaking of adaptations, yep, there’s one of Asimov’s coming too, this one from Apple’s forthcoming streaming service, aiming for that sweet, sweet, Game of Thrones eyeballs that will soon be freed up, no doubt. Hollywood may be a money-hungry predator, but it’s a money-hungry predator that motivates me to read classic literature. So it works out.
- The Books of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
Catching up on genre classics would be incomplete without Ursula K. LeGuin, whose Earthsea stories have been a huge blindspot for me. Now, with a beautiful illustrated collected edition in my possession (pictured in the Instagram post above), there’s nothing standing in my way between me and Earthsea – except, you know, all the other books on this list. Time is a bitch.
- H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction by, uh, H.P. Lovecraft
I’ve dipped into this book from time to time when I had the urge to finally read the likes of At the Mountains of Madness, The Rats in the Walls, The Dunwitch Horror, but I’ve still only scratched the surface. Lovecraft is only rising in public consciousness, nearly a century since he lived, and yet there’s still so much to catch up on from him.
- The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
- The Doors of Stone (rel. ????)
Another unfinished fantasy series, but one I hear is absolutely amazing. There are adaptations in the various stages of the works, whether a film or a Showtime series (produced and musically curated by Hamilton’s Lin Manuel-Miranda) but none seemingly close to the screen. That, combined with oft-delayed final volume (the last one came out in 2011) pushes the two published books to the end of 2019.
- The Book of Dust, Vol. 1: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
- The Book of Dust, Vol. 2: The Secret Commonwealth (rel. ????)
I loved His Dark Materials growing up. The only question of when I read this one is whether I decide to re-read the originals prior, which would take a month or so. Depending on the release of BBC’s upcoming TV adaptation of the original trilogy, I will get around to that re-read year or next, and follow it up with La Belle Sauvage, particularly if the next volume is given a release date in 2019 or 2020.
- The Winds of Winter (rel. ????)
The mother of all upcoming releases. It’s not an exaggeration that Game of Thrones is at its peak, with is final season on the way and no new book in the main series since 2011. It’s all downhill from here. What I’m saying is, if GRRM’s publishers aren’t begging him to have The Winds of Winter ready to coincide with this global event, color me surprised. Needless to say, if/when publication of this sixth (of seven) volume occurs, I will drop literally every book I’ve written about here to download it into my brain.
Happy reading!
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