A Descent into Dullness

April:
Short Fiction:  Jo Walton's a Burden Shared & Sharon Lee/Steve Miller's Cutting Corners.

New Read:  Joe Hill's the Fireman.  Apocalyptic-Dystopia involving self-combustion plague.

• Joanne Harris' Jigs & Reels.  Anthology, decent not great.
• Richard Castle's Driving Heat.  I actually bought like 4 or 5 more of these at once, all fairly cheap e-editions.  But this was the only one I finished as I just got bored with the series.  Kind of like how I skipped the final season or two of Castle.
• John Wick's Daughter of Fate.  7th Sea tie-in novel I got for free as part of kickstarter-ing the new edition of the rpg.  Pretty good and like the better tie-in novels makes me want to play the game (again).
• Ian Thomas Haley's the Bulletproof Badge.  Short fiction collection that ties into Haley's "Just Cause" supers series.
• Poul Anderson's Midsummer's Tempest.  Combo Shakespeare fanfic and Roundhead English Civil War historical romance.
• Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking.  I think this was Fisher's last memoir.  Funny if dark, like her.
• Michael Swanwick's Not So Much, Said the Cat.  Another short story collection, all very good.

Reread:  M. Magdalene's Curvy vol.1-3.  This nekkid magical adventure webcomic is actually finishing up right now.

Graphic Novels/TPBs/RPGs:  Faith Erin Hicks/Jordie Bellaire's the Nameless City: vol.2: the Stone Heart

• Kristen Gudsnuk's Henchgirl

Total:13


May:
Short Fiction:  Allen Steele's Sanctuary Ramsey Shehadeh's Red & Rich Burlew's How the Paladin Got His Scar

New Reads: Adam Christopher's Standard Hollywood Depravity.  I keep trying and yet something about Christopher just never clicks with me.  This one is robots + noir + free will issues = ennh.

• T. Kingfisher's Jackalope Wives & Other Stories.  Anthology of Ursula Vernon short fiction.
• Marko Kloos' Fields of Fire.  Mission to Mars!
• Walt Boyes/Bjorn Hasseler (ed) Grantville Gazette vol. 68-70
• Megan Abbott's You Will Know Me
• Ellen Datlow/Terri Windling (ed)  Black Swan, White Raven.  One of several of their fairy tale short fiction anthologies.
• Avery Duff's Beach Lawyer.  Sometimes you just want to try stuff outside your normal wheelhouse.  And sometimes that just means reading an ok legal thriller full of lying liars who lie.
• Foz Meadows' a Tyranny of Queens.  Sequel to An Accident of Stars and hopefully not the last visit to the setting and characters.
• S.J. Delos' Some Kind of Hero.  Reformed villain supers fic.
• Ian Thomas Healy's Just Cause Stories vol. 2 & Jackrabbit: Big in Japan.  The humor in this second Jackrabbit book feels a bit forced.  Especially the older ladies lust for Jackrabbit bits.
• Joan Aiken's the Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Reread:  Terry Pratchett's the 5th Elephant, the Truth, Nightwatch, Going Postal, Thud!, Monstrous Regiment, Making Money, Unseen Academicals, Snuff & Raising Steam.  Just went on a big Pratchett binge to start off May.

Graphic Novels/TPBs/RPGs:  Ben Fleuter's Sword Interval vol.1

• Kieron Gillen/Salador Larroca/Leinel Francis Yu's Darth Vader: the Shu-Toran War
• Kieron Gillen/Salvador Larroca's Darth Vader: vol.2: Shadows and Secrets.  Gillen and company's Darth Vader series was really, really good.  Successfully works with an evil lead and one who's early and final story has already been set.
• Ryan North/Erica Henderson's the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe.  Squirrel-Girl beats up everyone!  Even Squirrel-Girl!
• Chris Claremont/Brent Anderson's  X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills

Total:28



June:
Short Fiction: Jessica Reisman's Bourbon, Sugar, Grace & Shira Glassman's Knit One, Girl Two.

New Read: Seanan McGuire's Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day, Every Heart a Doorway & Velveteen Vs. the Seasons.  The first is about ghosts and moving on.  Then the start of her new-ish "Wayward Children" series about kids who travel to magical worlds (and sometimes come back) and the last is the latest collection of her "Velveteen" stories.

• R.J. Ross' Rocky Road.  More "Cape High" popcorn.
• Maggie Stiefvater's the Raven Boys & the Dream Thieves.  Modern fantasy centered around the search for sleeping Welsh king in Virginia.
• Ellen Klages' Passing Strange.  1940s San Francisco lesbian counter-culture with a dash of magic.
• Chuck Wendig's Thunderbird.  Latest "MIriam Black" book.  With south-western doomsday prepper cult.
• Charlie N. Holmberg's the Paper Magician, the Glass Magician & the Master Magician.  Enjoyable, if a little slight, trilogy of magical historical/romance/adventure.
• Karen Diem's Human.  Second of her "Arca" supers series.
• Sharon Lee/Steve Miller's the Gathering Edge.  Most recent "Liaden" book.
• Rachel Manjic/Sherwood Smith's Rebel.  Third of their "the Change" books.  Still the best Gamma World game setting.
• V.E. Schwab's a Darker Shade of Magic
• Pen & Cape Society (ed) the Good Fight 3: Sidekicks

Reread: Michael Stackpole's  X-Wing: Rogue Squadron; Wedge's Gamble; the Krytos Trap & the Bacta War.  One of my favorite bits of the Star Wars 90s EU book line.

• Jeffrey Brown's Incredible Change-Bots Two.  I know I'd read this before but everything about it seemed unfamiliar.
• Kate Beaton's Never Learn Anything From History
• Rick Remender/Daniel Way/Marjorie Liu's Punisher: Franken-Castle.  This is exactly the kind of crazy that I like to see when mixing Punisher with a supers setting.

Graphic Novels/TPBs/RPGs:  Christopher Hastings/Irene Stychalski/Gurihiru's the Unbelievable Gwenpool: Head of M.O.D.O.K.  Hasting's is a great comedic writer and I just adore Gurihiru's art.

• Brandon Montclare/Amy Reeder/Marco Failla's Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur: Cosmic Cooties.
• Jason Aaron/Kieron Gillen/Mike Deodato/Salvador Larroca/Mark Brooks' Vader Down.  Vader is just super scarily competent in this one.  Like end of Rogue One scary.
• Kieron Gillen/Salvador Larroca/Juan Gimenez' Darth Vader: vol.4: End of Game.
• Faith Erin Hicks' the Adventures of Superhero Girl (Expanded Edition).  Just enough new material for me not to count this as a reread.
• Ben Aaronovitch/Andrew Cautmel/Lee Sullivan/Luis Guerrero's Rivers of London: Body Work
• Mike Maihack's Cleopatra in Space: the Golden Lion.
• Rick Remender/Jerome Opena/Matt Hollingsworth's Seven to Eternity: vol. 1: the Godwhisperers.  I know this new Remender series gets a bit of positive buzz, but it didn't connect with me at all.

Total: 32

January:
Short Fiction:  Seanan McGuire's My Last Name, Velveteen vs. the Retroactive Continuity & Velveteen Presents Jacqueline Claus vs. the Lost & Found; Stephen Leigh's the Atonement Tango

New Read:  Eric Flint/Griffen Barber's 1636: Mission to the Mughals
Chuck Wendig's Star Wars: Aftermath
Yuya Sato's Dendera: Old ladies vs. enviroment.  And a marauding bear.
Mira Grant's Parasite
Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl:  Coming of age/starting college for the fanfic writer set.
Douglas Hulick's Sworn in Steel
Foz Meadows' An Accident of Stars.  Teen travel to magical worlds now with PTSD.
Paula Goodlett/Gorg Hoff's Bartley's Man: "Ring of Fire" sidestory, specifically the Sewing Circle/OPM/Barbies bit.
Grady Hendrix' Horrorstor:  There should be an umlaut over that 3rd o.  Haunt at not-Ikea.
Evan Curie's Into the Black
Rachel Aaron's No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished

Rereads: Eric Flint's 1635: the Eastern Front, 1636: the Saxon Uprising & 1636: the Ottoman Onslaught

Graphic Novels/TPBs/RPGs:  Chris Hastings & Guhiru's the Unbelievable Gwenpool vol.1: Believe It
Stjepan Sejic's Sunstone vol.5:  Final volume of the best bdsm-lesbian-romance comic.
John Layman/Rob Guillory's Chew vol.12: Sour Grapes: More than a bit of a downer ending.  Not Ex Machina levels, but still.

Total: 18


February:
Short Fiction: Seanan McGuire's Lay of the Land & Velveteen vs. Recovery, Yoon Ha Lee's Extra Curricular Activities.

New Read:  Robin McKinley's Deerskin
Tim Pratt's Liar's Blade: Pathfinder tie-in novel.
David Drake's Death's Bright Day:  Latest "Lt. Leary".
April Daniel's Dreadnaught: Nemesis:  Cape fiction with trans-female lead.
T. Kingfisher's Summer in Orcus  YA magical quest from one of the best in the genre.
Ben Aaronovitch's the Hanging Tree:  Latest "Rivers of London" with visits the American & Russian magic heritages.
Becky Chambers' the Long Way to the Small, Angry Planet (I'm not crying you're crying shut up) & a Closed and Common Orbit
Daniel Jose Older's Battle Hill Bolero
Jasper Fforde's the Eye of Zoltar
Jack Weathford's the Secret History of the Mongol Queens:  Non-fiction history on the female Mongol leaders.

Rereads:  -

Graphic Novels/TPBs/RPGs:  Jennifer Doyle's Knights Errant
Tom Neely/Keenan Marshall Keller's the Humans vol.1: Humans For Life:  Planet of the Apes meets outlaw biker gangs

Total:14


March:
Short Fiction:  This was basically the "Neverless, She Persisted" theme Tor.com did.  With stories by Seanan McGuire, Kameron Hurley, Hyssa Wong, Carrie Vaughn, Chalie Jane Anders, Nisi Shawl, Brooke Bolander, Jo Walton, Amal El-Mohter, Catherynne M. Valente.

New Read:  Jo Walton's the Just City: Athena & Apollo attempt to create Plato's "perfect" Just City.  Shockingly the actual and the theoretical do not mesh perfectly.
Chuck Wendig's Invasive.  Sequel to the Zer0es.  With this second volume its very much supers type bad guy in an espionage/adventure setting.
Chuck Wendig's Atlanta Burns: the Hunt: 2nd of his YA white-trash pulp.  "Winter's Bone" meets Veronica Mars I guess.
RJ Ross' Coyote's Howl:  Latest "Cape High" book.
C.B. Lee's Not Your Sidekick: YA semi-dystopian with supers.
Seanan McGuire's Magic For Nothing:  Latest "InCryptid", with youngest sibling Antimony this time.
Patricia Brigg's Silence Fallen:  Latest "Mercy Thompson", with Mercy kidnapped to Europe 'cause vampire politics.  And the vamps are really the last interesting part of Brigg's urban fantasy series.
Jim Butcher/Kerrie L. Hughes' (ed) Shadowed Souls:  Urban fantasy anthology.
Louis McMaster Bujold's Mira's Last Dance
Anne Leckie's Ancillary Mercy
Matt Dunn's A Day at the Office
Clifford D. Simak's City
George R.R. Martin/Melinda Snodgrass' (ed) High Stakes:  This "Wild Cards" volume was actually a bit too dark even for me.  I'm looking forward to at least slightly more upbeat future books.


Rereads:  John Scalzi's Lock In & Redshirts
Douglas Adams' the Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.  Rereading this I'm suddenly left with the feeling Adams just gave up around the final act.

Graphic Novels/TPBs/RPGs:  G. Willow Wilson/Adrian Alphona/Tekeshi Miyezawa/Cameron Stewart's Ms. Marvel vol.6: Civil War II:  Carole is in an idjit, out-idioting Tony from the first one.
Gwenda Bond/Kate Leth's Girl Over Paris: Lady high-wire walker vs. ghost mystery.
Marguerite Bennett/Ming Doyle/Marguerite Sauvage/Laura Bragen's Bombshells vol.1: Enlisted
Kate Leth/Brittany Williams' Patsy Walker aka Hellcat! vol.2: Don't Stop Me-ow.  Now with teen mom/vampire Jubilee.
Tom King/Michael Walsh/Gabriel Walte/Mike Del Muado's Vision vol.2: Better Than a Beast
Jason Bulmahn's (et al) Pathfinder: Horror Adventures
Sandy Petersen's (et al) Call of Cthulhu: Keeper's Handbook

Total: 24

April
Short Fiction: Marie Brennan's "From the Editorial Page of the Falchester Weekly Review", Glenn Hirshberg's "Freedom is Space for the Spirit", Tara Isabella Burton's "the Destroyer" & Genevieve Valentine's "La Beaute Sans Vertu".

New Reads:
Brandon Sanderson's Calamity and the Bands of Mourning.  The first finishes up his supers' trilogy and the latter is part of his steampunk-era "Mistborn" series.
Steven James' Blur.  An ok YA paranormal mystery.
Daniel Jose Older's Midnight TaxiTango.  2nd novel of his "Bone Street Rumbo" series.
Tim Dorsey's Florida Roadkill.  First foray into Dorsey's  modern crime/pulp stuff.  A bit too wide a spread of characters and plots for me.
Adrian Tchaivosky's Guns of the Dawn.  A black powder-fantasy book where one of the two warring nations begins conscripting female soldiers to shore up its manpower shortages.  Feels a little like of an Austen character was the lead in a Bernard Cornwell Napoleonic book.
Elizabeth Bear/Sarah Monette's a Companion to Wolves.  Monette is the writer of the Goblin Emperor under a pseudonym and Elizabeth Bear is Elizabeth Bear.  So this is very well written.  It also has a LOT of really graphic gay sex, much that borders on the edge of non-consensual.
Daniel Abraham's the Spider's War.  The final to "the Dagger & the Coin" epic fantasy series which features the heroism of the banking system and using it to fight mad, religious tyrants.
Seanan McGuire's Indexing: Reflections.
Charlie Higson's the Enemy
Sherwood Smith's Remnala's Children.  Some follow-up stories to the Crown/Court Duel books.
Michael Shea's the Extra.  Future dystopia where filmmakers can literally kill off their extras in movies.
Emmie Mears' the Masked Songbird.  First of Mears' "Shrike" supers series.

Rereads:
Eric Flint/George Huff/Paula Goodlett's 1636: the Kremlin Games, 1636: the Barbie Consortium & 1636: the Viennese Waltz
Iver Cooper's 1636: Seas of Fortune
Lois McMaster Bujold's Captain Vorpatril's Alliance & Gentelman Jole & the Red Queen

Graphic Novels/TPBs/Rulebooks:  I'm moving rpgs and other non-fiction here since I don't really go thru enough of it for its own category.
Faith Erin Hicks's the Nameless City.  Alt history in a pseduo-China/Mongolia border setting.
Ultimate Intrigue (Pathfinder).  I liked this sourcebook quite a bit.  The roommate fell in love with the evil version of the Leadership feat and other new rules for his wizard/rogue crime boss.

Total books: 22


May
Short Fiction: Theodora Goss' "Red as Blood and White as Bone", Emmie Mears' "Uncaged", Brit Mandelo's "the Pigeon Summer", P. Djeli Clark's "a Dead Djinn in Cairo", K.B. Spangler's "Who Tells Your Story", Dennis Danvers' "Orphan Pirates of the Spanish Main" and Seanan McGuire's "Waking in Las Vegas".

New Reads:
Sharon Lee/Steve Miller's Alliance of Equals.  Their most recent "Liaden" novel.  Actually an eARC for the most recent.
Elizabeth Bear's Karen Memory.  Steampunk/Western with a bisexual female prostitute as the lead.
Emmie Mears' Rampant.  2nd "Shrike" novel which are set in Edinburgh.
Kameron Hurley's Mirror Empire.  Super-grim and violent fantasy series about parallel worlds and invasions between them.
Marko Kloos' Chain of Command
R.J. Ross' Cape High Christmas
Kate Elliot's Jaran, An Earthly Crown, His Conquering Sword & the Law of Becoming.  Both a pseudo-Mongolion horde "fantasy" and a Conquered Humanity sci fi series.
Alex Shvartsman (ed) Funny Fantasy.  What it says on the box.  A collection of previously published comedy fantasy stories.
Nick Mamatas/Masumi Washington (ed) Hanzai Japan.  Japan-set scifi, much with a noir or horror slant to it.
Amy Poehler's Yes Please.  Poehler's autobio.

Rereads:
Andre Norton's Gryphon in Glory.  While this was a reread, I honestly couldn't remember anything at all going in.
Tamora Pierce's Protector of the Small

Graphic Novels/TPBs/Rulebooks:
XCrawl (d20).  Picked up on the cheap with a stack of other rpgs from Bookmans.  Competitive reality show dungeon crawling works better in concept than the actual execution.
Mike Maihack's Cleopatra in Space vol. 3: Secret of the Time Tablets.  Caps off the trilogy with a reveal of the origin of the big bad and some idea of why Cleopatra of all historical figures.
Scott Snyder/Jock's Wytches.  This was honestly one of the more disturbing horror comics I've read in awhile.
John Layman/Rob Guillory's Chew vol.11: the Last Suppers & Chew vol. 10: Blood Puddin'.  I actually ordered and read vol. 11 and then realized I'd skipped the 10th volume.
Krazy Krow/Rocio Zuchhi's Spinnarette: Crisis in a Bunch of Ohios.  Latest print collection of the supers/humor webcomic.
Kiyohiko Azuma's Yotsuba&! vol.13.  We get to meet Yotsuba's grandmother.

Total: 24


June:
Short Fiction: Harry Turtledove's "Typecasting", A.J. Hartley's "Chains" and Monica Byrne's "Traumphysik".

New Reads:
Cat Valente's Speakeasy.  Roaring 20s plus Faires with Valente lyrical-style.
Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver.  Paranatural-YA with external temparture triggered werewolves.
Ian Thomas Healy's Tusks & the Lion & the Five Deadly Serpents.  "Inception" style dream adventure and 70's era kung fu in Healy's "Just Cause" supers setting.
Naomi Novak's League of Dragons.  The finale for the "Tremaire" series.
Jim Hines' Revisionary.  And another finale, this time for the "Libriomancer" series.
Drew Hayes' Corpies.  I like Hayes' supers books, but they all feel like they could use another editorial pass once they're collected together from his original free chapters online source.
Jennifer Henshaw/Allison Lin (ed) Future Visions: Original Science Fiction Inspired by Microsoft.  There are some really good scifi stories in this collection.  No really.
Ryan North's Romeo and/or Juliet.  I do like that several of the ending options involved the teens just talking to their parents and avoiding a whole lot of deaths.
Andre Norton Cat'seye. Human/animal psychic partnerships.  Different from the "Beastmaster" ones.
Chuck Wendig's Atlanta Burns.  Kind of white-trash "Veronica Mars".  Or maybe Really Angry and VIolent "Nancy Drew".

Reread:
Terry Pratchett's Wee Free Men, a Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, I Shall Midnight & Shepard's Crown.  Shut up, I'm not crying.  You're crying.

Graphic Novels/TPBs/Rulebooks:
the Dresden Files RPG: Your Story (FATE)
Evan Dahm's Vattu: the Sword & the Sacrament
C. Spike Trotman (ed) New World: An Anthology of Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Jim Zub/Steve Cummings' Wayward vol. 3
Tony Cliff's Delilah Dirk & the King's Shilling.  To England!

Total: 22

October
Short Fiction: Michael Swanwick's Pyramid of Krakow, Yoon Ha Lee's Variations on an Apple, John Chu's Hold-Time Violations, Malka Older's Tear Tracks, Maria Dahvana Headley's Some Gods of El Paso & Seanan McGuire's the Way Home & Velveteen vs. a Disturbing Number of Crows

New Reads:
Marion G. Harmon's Ronin Games (supers in Japan fighting ghosts and gangsters and kaiju)
Emma Bull's Falcon
Elizabeth Bear's Steles of the Sky (finishing up the Eternal Sky trilogy)
Eric Flint & Andrew Dennis' 1635: Parcel of Rogues (back to England and Scottland and the outlaw Oliver Cromwell)
David Weber's Hell's Fondations Quiver
Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy
Lois McMaster Bujold's Gentleman Jole & the Red Queen (romantic life of the widowed Cordelia Vorksogion)
Steven Gould's Exo (the uses of personal teleportation in furthering the Earth's space programs)
K.B. Spangler's Greek Key (FINALLY KOALA)

Rereads:
Roger Zelazny/Jane Lindskold's Lord Demon

Graphic Novels/TPBs:
Kevin Eastman/Tom Waitz/Mateus Santolouco's TMNT: Monsters, Misfits and Madmen: vol. 9
Eric Stephenson/Simon Gane/Jordie Bellaire's They're Not Like Us: Black Holes for the Young: vol.1

Total: 13

November
Short Fiction: Marissa K. Lingren's Point of Origin & Jenna Helland's the Freedom of Navid Leahy

New Reads:
Drew Hayes' Split the Party (more with D&D NPCs turned adventurers)
Sherwood Smith's Rondo Allegro (Austen-ish romance in the Napoleonic war era)
Patrick Weekes' the Paladin Con (I swear this trilogy could have been the D&D campaign John Rogers ran on the set of Leverage)
Amy Plum's After the End (sort of post Apoc psychic YA romance)
Chris A. Jackson's Pirate's Honor (I just recently spotted that there is a sequel to this Pathfinder novel about a pirate and his snake-lady girlfriend)
Jim Butcher's the Aeronauts' Windlass
S.J. Delos' So Not a Hero
A.M. Dellamonica's Indigo Springs
Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice (takes a bit to get going, but once it starts..wow)
Martha Wells' Between Worlds
Cherie Priest's Maplecroft (the further adventures of Lizzie Borden, CoC Investigator)

Rereads:
John DeChancie's Castle Perilous (this was one of those books where I couldn't remember anything about it, but with a couple pages everything came rushing back)
Martha Wells's the Death of the Necromancer (and ditto for this one)

Graphic Novels/TPBs:
Dwayne McDuffie/Various artists' Damage Control: Complete Collection (McDuffie, gone too soon)
Jim Zub/Steve Cummings/Ludwig Olimba/Marshall Dillon's Wayward: String Theory: vol.1 & Wayward: Ties That Bind: vol.2
E.K. Weaver's the Less Than Epic Adventures of T.J. and Amal
One Yusuke Murata (John Werry translation)  One-Punch Man vol.1 (cute but didn't manage to really catch hold with me)

Total: 19

December
Short fiction: Kim Stanley Robinson's Oral Agreement, Michael Swanwick's the Phantom in the Maze, Brian Stavely's the Log Goblin & Sean McGuire's Fiber & Velveteen vs. Trick or Treat

New Reads: Sherwood Smith & Rachel Marija Brown's Stranger & Hostage (Bestest Gamma World campaign)
Kate Elliot's Court of Fives
Gail Carriger's Manners & Mutiny (explosively finishing up her Finishing School series)
K.J. Parker's the Folding Knife
Brandon Sanderson's Shadows of Self (more Mist-world Western adventure)
Harry Connolly's Bad Little Girls Die Horrible Deaths (collection of short fiction, including a couple 20 Palaces related works)
Chuck Wendig's Zer0es (like if CSI: Cyber or Skorpion weren't total garbage)
R.J. Ross' Super Girls (more Cape High popcorn)
Jennifer Brozek's (ed)  Human Tales (idea is of fairy tales/urban fantasy stories being told by the monsters.  Nominally with humans as the villains.  Some good stuff in it)
Joel Burdick's No Master Plan Here
Holly Black's Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Rereads:
Andre Norton's the Crystal Gryphon (I scooped up a bunch of classic Norton during some e-sale last year)

Graphic Novels/TPBs:
Josh Ulrich's Newman vol.1 (webcomic collection the roommate picked up.  Cute and funny modern fantasy)
John Ostander/Keith Giffen/Various others' Suicide Squad: the Nightshade Odessy: vol.2

Total: 16

JULY
Short Fiction: John Chu's the Water That Falls On You From Nowhere, David Herter's Islands Off the Coast of Capitola, 1978, Seanan McGuire's Velveteen Presents: Polychrome Vs. the Court of Public Opinion & Not Punching Anyone, Alan Gratz' Join, or Die & Kelly McCullough's the Totally Secret Origin of Foxman.

New Reads:
Katherine Addison's the Goblin Emperor (This quiet and slow-moving book avoids all the normal trappings of fantasy, high politics and yet its so good)
David Drake's the Sea Without a Shore
Paul Cornell's Severed Streets (craziest celebrity cameo ever)
Marie Brennan's A Natural History of Dragons: a Memoir by Lady Trent
Daniel Jose Older's Half Resurrection Blues
Lois McMaster Bujold's Penric's Demon (a Chalion novella)
Rachel Aaron's Nice Dragons Finish Last
Andre Norton's Beastmaster's World (an omnibus of the first two books for the series.  I was surprised that not counting animal companions there are literally no women appearing outside the background in either story)
Harry Turtledove's the Wisdom of the Fox
Django Wexler's the Price of Valor

Rereads:
Sherwood Smith & Dave Trowbridge's Phoenix in Flight, Ruler of Naught & a Prison Unsought (revised e-book editions of Smith & Trowbridge's Exordium series.  The revisions are more noticeable in the first couple books.  Mostly in that originally the series had more of a drop you into everything and just get motivations and much of the world-bullding by inference.  A bit more on the inner voice and exposition this time.  Also dogs.  Additional stuff involving dogs)

Graphic Novels/TPBs:
Shaeon Garrity/Jeffrey Wells' Skin Horse Vol. 5 (more mad science fall-out social work.  Also cute, theme park robots)
Kurt Busiek/Benjamin Dewey/Jordie Bellaise/John Roshell's the Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw
David Schlner/Aaron Ginsburg/Wade McIntyre/Juan Jose Ryp's Clone: Second Generation
Dan Slott/Mike & Laura Allred's Silver Surfer: New Dawn (cute and funny cosmic adventures)
Various writers/artists collected in Deadpool Classic vol. 1 (the first couple mini-series and the early New Mutants appearance)
Brian Psehn/Gerry Duggan/Tony Moore's Deadpool: Dead Presidents (right there in the title.  Wade vs. the undead Presidents of the United States)
Ann Nocenti/John Romita Jr/Al Williamson's Daredevil: Lone Stranger (Nocenti's Daredevil run is just straight up bonkers.  This bit has the "Inferno" tie-in where New York literally goes to Hell.  And later Daredevil & Spider-Man fight Mephisto.  Also stuff with the Inhumans going on in the background.  I'm a bit saddened that it doesn't have the issue where Daredevil fights Ultron while armed with a tree branch.)

Total: 21

AUGUST
Short Fiction: Isabel Yap's Milagroso & Michael Swanwick's the Night of the Salamander (Man, Tor better do a collection of these at some point)

New Reads:
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller's Liaden Universe Constellation Vol. 3 (I'd actually read a couple of these thru Baen's free collections)
Mike Carey's the Girl With All the Gifts (this is both one of the sadder & most hopefull at the same time apocalypse stories I can recall)
Naomi Novik's Uprooted
Brandon Sanderson's Sixth of Dusk
Jason Bulmahn (editor) Pathfinder Occult Adventures (Decided to start including rpg sourcebooks.  At least the fatter main rules and supplements)
Rachel Aaron's One Good Dragon Deserves Another
Ilona Andrews' Magic Shift (Kate & Curran trying to begin their new life seperate from the Pack)
John Scalzi's the End of Everything
Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven (I take it back, THIS is the perfect balance of sadness/hope apocalypse story)
Larry Correia's Monster Hunter Nemesis (Correia may be more than a bit of cry-baby Liberterian butt head, but he writes good pulpy action.)
Lee Goldberg's the Walk
Marko Kloos' Terms of Enlistment, Lines of Departure & Angles of Attack (Some excellent shoot-em-up milfSF)
RJ Ross' Guitar Hero
Joe Abercrombie's Half a War

Rereads:
Sherwood Smith & Dave Trowbridge's the Rifter's Convenant & Throne of Kronos
Kim Newman's Anno-Dracula ($1 e-book sale, plus this edition has a partial annotation of some of the sources)

Graphic Novels/TPBs:
G. Willow Wilson/Takeshi Miyagawa/Maguerite Sauvage's Ms. Marvel Vol. 3: Crushed
Gene Luen Yang/Sonny Liew's the Shadow Hero
Pénélope Bagieu/Alexis Siegel (translator) Exquisite Corpse
Matt Fraction/Chris Eliopoulos/David Aja/Jordie Bellaire/Matt Hollingsworth/Francesco Francavilla's Hawkeye: Rio Bravo (with Clints' brother Barney)
Matt Fraction/Gabriel Bá/Cris Peter/Dustin Harbin's Casanova: Avarita
Paul Allor/Andy Kuhn/Nick Filardi/Ronda Pattison/Shawn Lee's TMNT: Mutanimals (A mutant cat & his mutant snapping turtle buddy decide to build a mutant animal army to stop an evil corporation (whose boss looks she is the literal Devil) from mutant animal experiments.)
Brian Clevinger/Scott Wegener/Anthony Clark/Jeff Powell's Atomic Robo Vol. 9: Knights of the Godlen Circle (A Steampunk/Western plus Doc Holiday)
Stjepan Sejic's Sunstone Vol. 3 (D'aaaaaaaw.  Such adorable widdle BDSM lesbians)

Total: 28

SEPTEMBER
Short Fiction: Kendare Blake's the Dogs of Athens, Seth Dickinson's Please Undo This Hurt, Jeff Provine's Kiss From a Queen, Lindsay Smith's Kingmaker & Seanan McGuire's Velveteen Vs. the Melancholy of Autumn.

New Reads:
Scott Meyer's An Unwelcome Quest (three books in and I just lost interest in this series)
Terry Pratchett's the Shepard's Crown (GNU)
Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Saves the World (final "Kitty Norville" book ended up feeling a little too rushed and crammed)
Seanan McGuire's a Red-Rose Chain (Toby Daye: Diplomat is an odd concept)
Paul Cornell's Witches of Lytchford
Elaine Cunningham's Winter Witch (a Pathfinder tie-in novel.  Her romantic pairing here feels a bit more forced than ones in previous D&D tie-in books)
Victor Milan's the Dinosaur Lords (feudal knights riding around on dinosaurs)
Ken St.Andre/Liz Danforth/James Peters (editors) Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls (I'm not sure what edition this actuall ends up being, sixth, seventh?)
Paula Goodlett/Walt Boyes (editor) Grantville Gazette vol. 59-61 (Volume 61 saw Goodlett stepping down to concentrate more on writing for Boyes)
Arianne "Tex" Thompson's Medicine For the Dead
Seth Dickinson's the Traitor Baru Comorant (I'm not sure what about this made me dislike it so much.  But boy did it end up leaving me cold)
Ilona Andrews' Small Magics (an anthology of their short fiction)

Graphic Novels/TPBs:
Adam Warren's Empowered Vol. 9 (Emp gets summoned to sit before the Grand Super-Hero Leader Council over the fallout from her and Sistah Spooky's trip to Hell.  Not surprisingly they are mostly a pack of assholes)
Christopher Priest/Various' Black Panther: the Complete Collection (Too. Many. Artistic. Changes.)
Ray Fawkes/Ben Templesmith/Dezi Sienty/Saida Temofonte's Gotham by Midnight: We Do Not Sleep (Gotham's supernatural occurance police squad.  Also I really miss Fell)
Kate Beaton's Step Aside, Pops
David Willis' Dumbing of Age Vol. 4: Amazi-Girl Is Always Prepared For Anything
Josh Lesnick's You Suck

Total: 19

APR
Short Fiction: Veronica Schanoes' Ballroom Blitz & Usman Malik's the Pauper Prince & the Eucalyptus Jinn

New Reads: Kat Richardson's Sea Witch
Ian Thomas Healy (ed) the Good Fight 2: Villains
Eric Flint/Paula Goodlett (ed) Grantville Gazette VII
Eric Flint/Walter H. Hunt's 1636: the Cardinal Virtues (royal sucession shenannigans all up in France)
Ed McBain's the Last Dance
Harry Connely's a Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark
various authors' Mongoliad vol.2
Diana Wynne Jones' Castle in the Air (I can't believe I never got into Jones as a kid.  She seems like she'd have been right in my wheelhouse)
Bobby Cole's the Rented Mule (too many players meandering over an overcomplicated scheme)

Rereads: George R.R. Martin (ed) Aces Abroad (I do love these reprints with the new stories added in)
Eric Flint/Virginia DeMarce 1634: the Bavarian Crisis
Alan Dean Foster's Icerigger, Mission to Moulikin & the Deluge Drivers (a frozen world with cat people aliens with ice-sailling physical traits)

Graphic Novels/TPBs: various creators - Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman
Adam Warren & various artists - Empowered Unchained
Krazy Krow - Spinerette: Shattered: Vol. 4
Grace Ellis/Noelle Stevenson/Brooke Allen - Lumberjanes: Vol. 1
Mike Maihack - Cleopatra in Space: Vol. 2: the Thief & the Sword

Total:20


MAY
Short Fiction: Lois McMaster Bujold's Winterfair Gifts, Kameron Hurley's Elephants & Corpses, Daniel Jose Older's Ginga, Eric Burns-White's Nemesid & the Sky over L.A. is Yellow/Grey, Sharon Lee & Steven Miller's Chimera & Sherwood Smith's Zapped

New Reads:Jody Lynn Nye's Advanced Mythology
Greg Van Eekhout's Pacific Fire
Matthew Cody/Brian Clevenger's the Pharoah of Hong Kong
Ian Thomas Healy's Champion & Castles
K.B. Spangler's State Machine (more PTSD cyborgs and D.C. politics and yet still no talking koala)
Joe Abercrombie's Half a World
Elizabeth Moon's Deeds of Honor (a collection of Paksworld short stories)
Ruth Downie's Medicus
Peter Brett's the Skull Throne
Judith Tarr's Forgotten Suns (well worth the long wait from when the Kickstarter funded)

Rereads: Lois McMaster Bujold's a Civil Cmapaign, Cryoburn & Captain Vorpatril's Alliance

Graphic Novels/TPBs: Paul Tobin/Colleen Coover - Bandette: Vol. 2 Stealers Keepers
G. Willow Wilson/Jacob Wyatt/Adrian Alphona - Ms. Marvel: Vol. 2: Generation Why
Noelle Stevenson - Nimona
Stjepan Sejic - Sunstone: Vol. 2
Kurtis J. Wiebe/Roc Upchurch/Stepan Sejic - Rat Queens: Vol. 2: the Far Reaching Tentacles of N'RyGoth

Total: 20

JUNE
Short Fiction: Courtney Alameda's Trigger, Seanan McGuire's the Star of New Mexico & Velveteen vs.Spring Cleaning, Kelly Ribson's Waters of Versailles & K.B. Rylander's We Fly

New Reads: Wesley Chu's the Deaths of Tao (my only main issue with this series is that real world vs. secret alien masters world are exactly the same.  Meaning the ancient super-genius aliens seem to have zero real effect on anything)
Michael J. Martinez's the Daedalus Incident (a neat mash-up of some near future hard SF with someones Best Ever Space: 1889 campaign.  Because of quantum)
R.J. Ross' Life Light
T. Kingfisher's Bryony & Roses
Lincoln Crisler (ed) Corrupts Absolutely (this anthology of "bad" super-heroes was just a tad too cynical for me)
Paolo Bacigalupi's the Water Knife (and this drought-dystopia was way too grim and cynical for me)
Carrie Harris' Dinopacalypse Forever
Drew Hayes' Superpowereds: Year 3
Rereads: David Weber (ed) Beginings
David Weber's the Shadow of Saganami, At All Costs, Storm From the Shadows, Mission of Honor, a Rising Thunder & Shadows of Freedom
David Weber/Eric Flint's Cauldron of Ghosts

Graphic Novels/TPBs: Jeremy Whitley/M. Goodwin/Jung Ha Kim - Princeless: Vol. 1: Save Yourself
J. Whtley/Emily Martin/Kelly Lawrence/Dave Dwonch -  Princeless: Vol. 2: Get Over Yourself
Sabura Uta -Citrus: Vol. 2
Ben Fleuter -  Derelict
Kate Leyh - Supercakes
Jay Faeber/Scott Godlewski/Ron Riley/Thomas Mauer - Copperhead: Vol. 1

Total: 27

JAN:
Short Fiction:Daniel Jose Older's Kia & Gio, Benjuan Sridvangkavew's And the Burned Moths Remain, David Levine's Damage, Seanan McGuire's Velveteen vs. the Thaw, Forbid the Sea, In Sea-Salt Tears and No Sooner Met; and Cecil Castellucci's Useless Wings

New: Paula Goodlet (editor) on Grantville Gazette vol. 43-45
Jay Kristoff's Stormdancer
Weston Ochs' Reign of Blood (more Seal Team 666, now with Werewolves in Mexico)
Carrie Vaughn's Low Midnight (He's an ex-con monster hunter.  She's the ghost of an adventuress and paranormal investigator living in his head.  They fight crime.)
Warren Hammond'd Kop
Cherie Priest's Jacaranda (a haunted hotel story and post-script to the "Clockwork Century" series)
C,J. Stevens' Shadow Sight
Ben Aaronovitch's Foxglove Summer
C.E. Murphy's Stone's Throe (another "Spirit of the Century" novel.  Featuring Josephine Baker and motorcycle races down the streets of Paris)
Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner (editors) on Games Creatures Play
Patricia Wrede's Caught in Crystal
R.J. Ross' Ditto Ditto
Jim Bernheimer's Secrets of a D-List Super-Villain
David Wesley HIll's At Drake's Command

Rereads:Seanan McGuire's Half-Off Ragnarok
David Weber's A Mighty Army
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5

Graphic Novels/TPBs:  Michel Fife's Copra: Round One
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa/Francesco Francavilla's Afterlife With Archie: Book 1
Chris Dimess/Matthew Roberts/Owen Gieni's Manifest Destiny: Flora & Fauna (the Lewis & Clark expedition if the journey west involved lots and lots of monsters)
Rick Remender/Matteo Scalera/Dean White's Black Science vol.1 (Extreme Sliders)

Total: 22


FEB:
Short Fiction:Brian McClellan's Return to Honor, Peter Orullian's the Hell of It, Seanan McGuire's Broken Paper Hearts and White as a Raven's Wing and Cat Rambo's Ms. Liberty Gets a Haircut

New: Patricia Wrede's the Raven Ring
Steven Brust's Hawk
Jennifer Matarese's Heroine Addiction
Various Authors' Carniepunk (I can not figure out who is the editor on this excellent urban fantasy anthology is.  Is it Rachel Caine?  Or is she just listed first.)
Jim Hines' Unbound (the finale for his "Libriomancer" trilogy)
Chelsea Quinn Yarbo's Hotel Transylvania (I'd always meant to eventually get around to trying out Yarbo's St. Germain)
Sharon Lee/Steve Miller's Dragon in Exile
Brian McClellan's the Autumn Republic
Terry Pratchett's the Dragons at Crumbling Castle (a collection of his early short fiction)
Erin Hunter's Survivors: the Empty City (a dog point of view post apocalypse story was not as interesting as I'd hoped.  At least not Hunter's version)
Brandon Sanderson's the Rithmatist (another Cosmere world, another magic system)
Harry Connolly's the Way into Chaos
Patrica Brigg's Night Broken

Rereads: none

Graphic Novels/TPBs: Rich Young (editor) Pathfinder Goblins
Kazu Kibuishi (editor) Flight vol. 5 (I'll admit I pretty much bought this just to have a physical copy of Svetlana Chmkova's "On the Importance of Space Travel)
Naomi Novik/Yishari Li's Will Supervillans Be on the Final vol. 1
Saburoata's Citrus vol. 1
Bryan Lee O'Malley's Seconds
Tom Scioli/John Barber Transformers vs. G.I.Joe vol.1
Arthur DePins' Zombillenium: Gretchen
Kevin Eastman/Tom Watz/Mateus Santojouco/Sophie Campbell's TMNT: City Fell part 2 and TMNT: Northhampton

Total: 22


MARCH:
Short Fiction: Eric Burns-White's Prosperina, Brandon Sanderson's Mitosis and Seanan McGuire's Velveteen vs. the Balance

New: Jody Lynn Nye's Strong Arm Tactics
Seanan McGuire's Pocket Apocalypse (Australia: Extra Deadly Edition)
Patrica Briggs' Dead Heat
Joe Selby's What's Through the Crooked Door? (Sadly the first of Joe's books I beta read and didn't care for)
Paula Goodlett (editor) on Grantville Gazette vol. 56-58 (I'm enjoying these later anthologies more reading them in sets of three)
Brandon Sanderson's Firefight
Alex Bledsoe's He Drank and Saw the Spider
Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes
Scott Westerfeld's Afterworlds
R.J. Ross' Sunny Daze
Heather O'Malley's 300 Rains (Why does no one use contractions Heather?  WHHHHHHHY?)
Blake Petit's the Pyrite War
Phil & Kaja Foglio's Agatha H & the Voice of the Castle

Rereads:Terry Pratchett's Small Gods and Nation (*sniffle*)

Graphic Novels/TPBs:James Tynion IV/Michael Dialynas' the Woods vol.1
John Layman/Rob Guillory's Chew: Chicken Tenders vol.9 (Just DAMN at the ending)
Various creators' TMNT: Villains Micro-Series vol.1 & 2
Christopher Baldwin's Little Dee Anthology vol.1 & 2

Total: 20

Only three free-range short pieces for September.  The GOON Squad Summer Special 2014 by Jonathan L. Howard is several short shorts showcasing brief interludes for the main characters of his "GOON Squad" series.  Kendare Blake's When Gods & Vampires Roamed Miami has a retired goddess being mistaken for a vampire by would-be child-of-the-night.  And finally Lavie Tidhar's Selfie is a quick little horror piece involving a cell-phone haunt...

Of Limited Loyalty is the second of Michael Stackpole's "Crown Colonies" books, an alt history of the American Revolution with magic and dragons and necromantic pre-human races.  Well building up to the American Revolution.at least...

Brandon Sanderson's Way of Kings and Words of Radiance are the first two of his "Stormlight Archive" books.  Where he goes all-out for the Big Epic Fantasy, with these being the first of a ten-book series, as well as having them tie-in to a many worlds "Cosmere" setting that seems to involve the majority of his other fiction.  Sanderson delivers perfectly on the Epic Fantasy with a sprawling cast, betrayals, mysteries and of course plenty of Big Damn Hero moments for his leads...

C.M. Priest's Maplecroft takes the Lizzie Borden story drops it into a Call of Cthulu campaign.  Let us just say that she had some very defensible reasons for taking an axe to her father and stepmother...

Seanan McGuire continues her "Tobey Daye" series with the Winter Long.  Where someone thought dead returns, old alliances and friendships are shaken and beliefs about her enemies motivations are torn down...

It has been many years since I'd last read Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle and I'd forgotten how really, really good it was...

Conservation of Shadow is a collection of scifi and fantasy stories by Yoon Ha Lee.  All heavy on the metaphor and stylistic reintirpitation of South Asian history...

Arianne "Tex" Thompson's One NIght in Sixes is another alternate American history.  This time with her fantasy setting being the American Old West and a dangerous border town...

Stephen Baxter's Stone Spring has an interesting setting, a lush forested area now under the waters of the North Sea.  But his prehistoric peoples can kind of be summed up by saying life was short and often brutal and everything smelled like farts.  I just couldn't invest myself in any of his characters...

Orbus is another of Neal Asher's "Polity" books with increased focus on the alien Prador and dangerous secrets revealed on the history of the world of Spatterjay.  Plus lots of high end scifi gun fights...

Carla Speed McNeal's latest "Finder" trade is mostly a collection of the shorter pieces she did for Dark Horse Presents.  But Finder: Third World includes a few new sections, plus her usual in-depth footnoting and, BONUS, all in color...

Patrick Weekes follows up his delightful fantasy/caper book, the Palace Job, with the Prophecy Con.  The sequel also manages to both be a Epic Stakes fantasy story as well as a fast-paced caper story...

Dis Enchanted by Robert Kroese is a moderately entertaining fantasy story that wants to be a boffo fantasy comedy.  It was a cheap e-book and a fairly quick read...

Total Books: 14