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What did you read last year?

DUCKofD3ATH

DUCKofD3ATH

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Jun 6, 2005
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I love audiobooks and listen to them every chance I get on my iPod touch. Here's what I listened to last year with ratings. Post your list of books/audiobooks; rated if possible, because I'm always on the lookout for new authors.

Edit: The rating system is:
★★★★★ Worthy of re-reading
★★★★ Disappointing
★★★ Bad
★★ Breaks new ground in atrocious
★ Something actually wrong with the audiobook

I love to re-read (or re-listen) to books. In 2015, I was re-reading the Jack Aubrey, John Corey, Discworld, Dresden files and Jack Ryan series (up to book 11, the subsequent books were first-time reads).


2015 Audiobooks, 114 books

11: The Bear and the Dragon (Jack Ryan series)
Tom Clancy/Read by Michael Prichard
2001 ★★★★★ Spy Stories & Technothrillers

9: Executive Orders (Jack Ryan series)
Tom Clancy/Read by Michael Prichard
1996 ★★★★★ Spy Stories & Technothrillers

8: Debt of Honor (Jack Ryan series)
Tom Clancy/Read by John McDonald
1994 ★★★★★ Spy Stories & Technothrillers

7: Dead Beat (The Dresden Files)
Jim Butcher/Read by James Marsters
2005 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Urban

18: Full Force and Effect (Jack Ryan series)
Mark Greaney/Read by Scott Brick
2014 ★★★★★ Spy Stories & Technothrillers

The Reprisal (The Survivalist series)
Jerry Ahern/Read by a full cast
2009 ★★★★ Action & Adventure

8: The Unnatural Inquirer (Nightside series)
Simon R. Green/Read by Marc Vietor
2008 ★★★★ Fantasy & Magic

1: Ark Royal (Ark Royal series)
Christopher G. Nuttall/Read by Ralph Lister
2014 ★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

2: Special Operations (Badge of Honor series)
W.E.B. Griffin/Read by Michael Russotto
1989 ★★★★★ Police Procedurals

6: Blood Rites (The Dresden Files)
Jim Butcher/Read by James Marsters
2004 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Urban

1: Freehold (Grainne War/Aftermath series, Freehold Universe)
Michael Z. Williamson/Read by Molly Elston
2004 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama
Ann Coulter/Read by Ann Coulter
2012 ★★★★★ Politics & Social Sciences

Forever Peace
Joe Haldeman/Read by George Wilson
1997 ★★★ Sci-fi: Military

1: A Long Time Until Now (Temporal Displacement series)
Michael Z. Williamson/Read by Dennis Holland
2015 ★★★★★ Sci-Fi

Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)
Jerome K. Jerome/Read by Martin Jarvis
1889 ★★★★★ Humor & Satire

On the Beach
Nevil Shute/Read by Simon Prebble
1957 ★★★★★ Mysteries & Thrillers

1: Hollywood Station (Hollywood Station series)
Joseph Wambaugh/Read by Adam Gruper
2006 ★★★★ Police Procedurals

5: Death Masks (The Dresden Files)
Jim Butcher/Read by James Marsters
2009 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Urban

4: Summer Knight (The Dresden Files)
Jim Butcher/Read by James Marsters
2002 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Urban

Element-X
B.V. Larson/Read by Carol Monda
2013 ★★★★★ Sci-Fi

17: Support and Defend (Jack Ryan series)
Mark Greaney/Read by Scott Brick
2014 ★★★★★ Spy Stories & Technothrillers

7: Hell to Pay (Nightside series)
Simon R. Green/Read by Marc Vietor
2006 ★★★★ Fantasy & Magic

3: Grave Peril (The Dresden Files)
Jim Butcher/Read by James Marsters
2001 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Urban

1: Inherit the Stars (Giants series)
James P. Hogan/Read by John Pruden
1977 ★★★★★ Sci-fi

A Night in the Lonesome October
Roger Zelazny/Read by Roger Zelazny
1993 ★★★★★ Sci-fi

3: Ascendance: Dave vs. the Monsters (David Hooper series)
John Birmingham/Read by Mark Zeisler
2015 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Urban

2: Fool Moon (The Dresden Files)
Jim Butcher/Read by James Marsters
2000 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Urban

1: Storm Front (The Dresden Files)
Jim Butcher/Read by James Marsters
2000 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Urban

The Martian
Andy Weir/Read by R.C. Bray
2013 ★★★★★ Sci-Fi

The Firm
John Grisham/Read by Scott Brick
2007 ★★★★★ Mysteries & Thrillers

2: Resistance: Dave vs. the Monsters (David Hooper series)
John Birmingham/Read by Mark Zeisler
2015 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Urban

1: Dreadnought: Britain, Germany and the Coming of the Great War
Robert K. Massie/Read by Grover Gardner
1991 ★★★★★ History: War

The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag
Robert A. Heinlein/Read by Tom Weiner
2013 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic

Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942
Ian W. Toll/Read by Grover Gardner
2011 ★★★★★ History: War

1: The Forever War (Forever War series)
Joe Haldeman/Read by George Wilson
2000 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

1: Emergence: Dave vs. the Monsters (David Hooper series)
John Birmingham/Read by Mark Zeisler
2015 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Urban

'All You Zombies': Five Classic Stories
Robert A. Heinlein/Read by Spider Robinson
2012 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic

1: Black Company (The Books of the North) (Black Company series)
Glen Cook/Read by Marc Vietor
1984 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic

The Lord Of The Rings
BBC Dramatization/Narrated by Gerard Murphy
1981 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Epic

29: Night Watch (Discworld series)
Terry Pratchett/Read by Stephen Briggs
2002 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Epic

Hiroshima
John Hersey/Read by George Guidall
1989 ★★★★ History: War

6: First Lord's Fury (Codex Alera series)
Jim Butcher/Read by Kate Reading
2009 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Epic

2: Post Captain (Aubrey-Maturin series)
Patrick O'Brian/Read by Patrick Tull
1972 ★★★★★ Historical Fiction

5: Princeps' Fury (Codex Alera series)
Jim Butcher/Read by Kate Reading
2008 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Epic

Pigtown
William J. Caunitz/Read by Frank Muller
1995 ★★★★★ Police Procedurals

5: Death World (Undying Mercenaries series)
B.V. Larson/Read by Mark Boyett
2015 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

28: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (Discworld series)
Terry Pratchett/Read by Stephen Briggs
2001 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Epic

1: Cimarron Rose (Billy Bob Holland series)
James Lee Burke/Read by Tom Stechschulte
1997 ★★★★★ Mysteries & Thrillers

The Great Influenza - The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague In History
John M. Barry/Read by Scott Brick
2006 ★★★★ History

4: Captain's Fury (Codex Alera series)
Jim Butcher/Read by Kate Reading
2008 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Epic

27: The Last Hero (Discworld series)
Terry Pratchett/Read by Stephen Briggs
2001 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Epic

28: Emerald Fire (Deathlands series)
James Axler/Performed by full cast
2008 ★★★★★ Sci-fi

16: Command Authority (Jack Ryan series)
Tom Clancy & Mark Greaney/Read by Lou Diamond Phillips
2013 ★★★★★ Spy Stories & Technothrillers

3: Cursor's Fury (Codex Alera series)
Jim Butcher/Read by Kate Reading
2006 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Epic

10: Sea of Grey (Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures)
Dewey Lambdin/Read by John Lee
2002 ★★★★★ Historical Fiction

14: Typhoon Season (Abridged) (Carrier series)
Keith Douglass/Read by Terence Aselford
2001 ★★★★★ War Stories

John W. Campbell's Who Goes There?
BBC 4/Performed by a full cast
2002 ★★★★★ Sci-fi

15: Threat Vector (Jack Ryan series)
Tom Clancy & Mark Greaney/Read by Lou Diamond Phillips
2012 ★★★★★ Spy Stories & Technothrillers

Angle of Investigation: Three Harry Bosch Stories
Michael Connelly/Read by Len Cariou
2011 ★★★★★ Police Procedurals

2: Academ's Fury (Codex Alera series)
Jim Butcher/Read by Kate Reading
2006 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Epic

Lone Star Planet
H. Beam Piper/Read by Harry Shaw
1961 ★★★★★ Sci-fi

Space Cadet
Robert A. Heinlein/Read by David Baker
1948 ★★★★★ Sci-fi

Omnilingual
H. Beam Piper/Read by Harry Shaw
1957 ★★★★★ Sci-fi

One Second After
William R. Forstchen/Read by Joe Barrett
2009 ★★★★★ Spy Stories & Technothrillers

Suicide Run: Three Harry Bosch Stories (Harry Bosch series)
Michael Connelly/Read by Len Cariou
2011 ★★★★★ Police Procedurals

7: Radiant Angel (John Corey series)
Nelson DeMille/Read by Scott Brick
2015 ★★★★★ Detective Mysteries

The War of the Worlds
H.G. Wells/Read by Christopher Hurt
1898 ★★★★★ Sci-fi

The Elements of Eloquence
Mark Forsyth/Read by Don Hagen
2014 ★★★★★ Reference

26: Thief of Time (Discworld series)
Terry Pratchett/Read by Stephen Briggs
2001 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Epic

The Descent of Anansi
Larry Niven & Steven Barnes/Read by J.P. Linton
1982 ★★★★★ Sci-fi

Red Storm Rising
Tom Clancy/Read by Michael Prichard
1986 ★★★★★ Spy Stories & Technothrillers

14: Locked On (Jack Ryan series)
Tom Clancy & Mark Greaney/Read by Lou Diamond Phillips
2011 ★★★★★ Spy Stories & Technothrillers

4: Machine World (Undying Mercenaries series)
B.V. Larson/Read by Mark Boyett
2015 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

13: Dead or Alive (Jack Ryan series)
Tom Clancy & Grant Blackwood/Read by Lou Diamond Phillips
1987 ★★★★★ Spy Stories & Technothrillers

6: The Human Division (Old Man's War series)
John Scalzi/Read by William Dufris
2013 ★★★★ Sci-fi

SuperEgo
Frank J. Fleming/Read by Joel Richards
2014 ★★★★ Sci-fi

The Choirboys
Joseph Wambaugh/Read by Burt Blackwell
2002 ★★★★★ Police Procedurals

17: The Burning Room (Harry Bosch series)
Michael Connelly/Read by Titus Welliver
2014 ★★★★★ Police Procedurals

Carrie
Stephen King
1999 ★★★★ Horror

1: Iron Lake (Cork O'Connor series)
William Kent Krueger/Read by Jerry Sciarrio
1998 ★★★★ Mysteries & Thrillers

Between Planets
Robert A. Heinlein/Read by Bruce Coville & The Full Cast Family
1951 ★★★★★ 1 Sci-fi

3: Storms of Victory (Janissaries series)
Jerry Pournelle & Roland Green/Read by Keith Szarabajka
1987 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

25: The Truth (Discworld series)
Terry Pratchett/Read by Stephen Briggs
2000 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Epic

1: Men in Blue (Badge of Honor series)
W.E.B. Griffin/Read by Michael Russotto
1988 ★★★★★ Police Procedurals

Starliner
David Drake/Read by Aaron Abano
1992 ★★★★★ Sci-fi

Socrates in 90 Minutes (Philosphers In 90 Minutes series)
Paul Strathern/Read by Robert Whitfield
1997 ★★★★ Philosophy

1: The General's Daughter (Paul Brenner duology)
Nelson DeMille/Read by John MacDonald
1992 ★★★★★ Detective Mysteries

The Call of the Wild
Jack London/Read by Edmund Dane
2009 ★★★★★ Action & Adventure

Heidegger in 90 Minutes (Philosphers In 90 Minutes series)
Paul Strathern/Read by Robert Whitfield
2002 ★★★★ Philosophy

8: The Voyage (Hammer's Slammers series)
David Drake/Read by Jay Snyder
1994 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

2: Clan and Crown (Janissaries series)
Jerry Pournelle & Roland Green/Read by Keith Szarabajka
1982 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

11: Exile (Star Force series)
B.V. Larson & David VanDyke/Read by Mark Boyett
2014 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

10: Outcast (Star Force series)
B.V. Larson & David VanDyke/Read by Mark Boyett
2014 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Lynne Truss/Read by the author
2004 ★★★★ Reference

Helter Skelter (The True Story of the Manson Murders)
Vincent Bugliosi & Curt Gentry/Read by Robert Foxworth
1974 ★★★★★ History

16: The Black Box (Harry Bosch series)
Michael Connelly/Read by Michael McConnohie
2012 ★★★★★ Police Procedurals

1: The Atlantis Gene (The Origin Mystery series)
A.G. Riddle/Read by Stephen Bel Davies
2014 ★★★ Sci-fi

50: Obsession in Death (Eve Dallas 'In Death' series)
J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts)/Read by Susan Ericksen
2015 ★★★★★ Detective Mysteries

6: The Panther (John Corey series)
Nelson DeMille/Read by Scott Brick
2012 ★★★★ Detective Mysteries

Fever
Robin Cook
1982 ★★★★★ Medical Thrillers

9: The King's Captain (Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures)
Dewey Lambdin/Read by Bruce Huntey
2000 ★★★★★ Historical Fiction

6: Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth (Nightside series)
Simon R. Green/Read by Marc Vietor
2006 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic

1: Janissaries (Janissaries series)
Jerry Pournelle/Read by Keith Szarabajka
1979 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military  

3: Heretic (The Grail Quest series)
Bernard Cornwell/Read by Sean Barrett
2003 ★★★★★ Historical Fiction

24: The Fifth Elephant (Discworld series)
Terry Pratchett/Read by Stephen Briggs
1999 ★★★★★ Fantasy & Magic: Epic

27: Ground Zero (Deathlands series)
James Axler/Read by a full cast
2007 ★★★★★ Sci-fi

6: When the Tide Rises (RCN series)
David Drake/Read by Victor Bevine, David Drake
2006 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

1: The Legacy of Heorot (Heorot series)
Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes/Read by Tom Weiner
1987 ★★★★★ Sci-Fi

15: The Drop (Harry Bosch series)
Michael Connelly/Read by Len Cariou
2011 ★★★★★ Police Procedurals

4: Zoë's Tale (Old Man's War series)
John Scalzi/Read by Tavia Gilbert
2008 ★★★★ Sci-fi

Army of One (Star Force series)
B.V. Larson/Read by Mark Boyett
2014 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

Starship Troopers
Robert A. Heinlein/Read by Lloyd James
1959 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

8: Storm Assault (Star Force series)
B.V. Larson/Read by Mark Boyett
2013 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military

7: Annihilation (Star Force series)
B.V. Larson/Read by Mark Boyett
2013 ★★★★★ Sci-fi: Military
 
Last edited:
I'm glad to see this needful list that I never thought of, I would love to read them in my leisure times. Thanks for sharing!!!
 
Comics as comics, and the rest mostly as audiobooks. The number at the end is my rating out of 5.

Title Author My Rating
Pride of Baghdad Brian K. Vaughan 5
Blacksad (Blacksad, #1) Juan DÃaz Canales 5
Arctic-Nation (Blacksad, #2) Juan DÃaz Canales 5
Amber and Ashes (Dragonlance: The Dark Disciple, #1) Margaret Weis 5
Marlysa, Tome 2: Les Ombres De Dompour Jean-Charles Gaudin 5
A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire #3, Part 2 of 2) George R.R. Martin 5
How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise Chris Taylor 5
Tarzan of the Apes (Tarzan, #1) Edgar Rice Burroughs 5
The Invincible Iron Man, Vol. 1: The Five Nightmares Matt Fraction 4
L'enfer, le silence (Blacksad, #4) Juan DÃaz Canales 4
Amarillo (Blacksad, #5) Juan DÃaz Canales 4
Âme rouge (Blacksad, #3) Juan DÃaz Canales 4
Divided We Fall (Divided We Fall, #1) Trent Reedy 4
Sky Doll: La Ville Blanche (Sky Doll, #3) Alessandro Barbucci 4
World War X: Volume 1: Helius Jerry Frissen 4
Sky Doll: Aqua (Sky Doll, #2) Alessandro Barbucci 4
Sky Doll: Die Gelbe Stadt (Sky Doll, #1) Alessandro Barbucci 4
Marlysa, Tome 1: Le Masque Jean-Pierre Danard 4
The Lost World (Professor Challenger, #1) Arthur Conan Doyle 4
Drehadaxa (Voorbij de steen, #2) Ken Broeders 4
Demers spor (Hinsides stenen, #1) Ken Broeders 4
Beneath the Dark Ice (Alex Hunter, #1) Greig Beck 4
A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, #4) George R.R. Martin 4
Thomas’s First Memory of the Flare (Maze Runner, #2.5) James Dashner 4
The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner, #2) James Dashner 4
A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire #3, Part 1 of 2) George R.R. Martin 4
Hollow World Michael J. Sullivan 4
Contact Carl Sagan 4
The Boscombe Valley Mystery (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #4) Arthur Conan Doyle 4
A Scandal in Bohemia (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #1) Arthur Conan Doyle 4
Alice in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #1) Lewis Carroll 4
Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) Suzanne Collins 3
Sleeping Murder (Miss Marple, #13) Agatha Christie 3
Icefall Matthew J. Kirby 3
At Bertram's Hotel (Miss Marple, #11) Agatha Christie 3
Have Spacesuit Will Travel Robert A. Heinlein 3
Ark Royal (Ark Royal, #1) Christopher Nuttall 3
Soul Catcher Frank Herbert 3
The Heaven Makers Frank Herbert 3
The Godmakers Frank Herbert 3
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson 3
The Body in the Library (Miss Marple, #3) Agatha Christie 3
Silver Blaze (The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, #1) Arthur Conan Doyle 3
The Adventure of the Copper Beeches (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes #12) Arthur Conan Doyle 3
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #7) Arthur Conan Doyle 3
The Man with the Twisted Lip (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #6) Arthur Conan Doyle 3
A Case of Identity (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #3) Arthur Conan Doyle 3
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle 3
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #2) Lewis Carroll 3
Destination Void (The Pandora Sequence, #0.5) Frank Herbert 2
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom Cory Doctorow 2
The Death Cure (Maze Runner, #3) James Dashner 2
Direct Descent Frank Herbert 2
The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes #11) Arthur Conan Doyle 2
The Adventure Of The Noble Bachelor (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #10) Arthur Conan Doyle 2
The Speckled Band (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #8) Arthur Conan Doyle 2
The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #9) Arthur Conan Doyle 2
The Five Orange Pips (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #5) Arthur Conan Doyle 2
The Red Headed League (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #2) Arthur Conan Doyle 2
 
Do you guys actually keep lists of what you read?

Extraordinary.

There is never a day when I am not reading a book - or three - but, while i remember what I have read, the only time in my life I have ever made a formal list was when I prepared readings lists for my students at the start of the academic year.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
Do you guys actually keep lists of what you read?

Extraordinary.

There is never a day when I am not reading a book - or three - but, while i remember what I have read, the only time in my life I have ever made a formal list was when I prepared readings lists for my students at the start of the academic year.
Click to expand...

iTunes keeps track of audiobooks by year completed. I have playlists going back to 2009. I don't keep a record of actual books I read.
 
A couple of years ago, I kept a list on a thread at Mobileread.com. It was about 50 books that year. I actually read all my books, I don't listen to audiobooks.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
Is this thread intended to discuss what you read in 2015, or generally what one is reading at the moment or has read recently?
Click to expand...

Discuss what you're reading now if you like, but I wanted to use posters' 2015 list as a means of finding authors that were highly regarded.
[doublepost=1453904178][/doublepost]
ucfgrad93 said:
A couple of years ago, I kept a list on a thread at Mobileread.com. It was about 50 books that year. I actually read all my books, I don't listen to audiobooks.
Click to expand...

I used to read actual books, but when I was a kid I read "Tree Grows in Brooklyn"--in it the young girl, who had been a voracious reader, gave up reading for pleasure to avoid eyestrain because she read constantly on the job.

I'm in the same boat in that I stare at a computer display all day long, so I listen to audiobooks.
[doublepost=1453904278][/doublepost]
EdwardSmith36 said:
I'm glad to see this needful list that I never thought of, I would love to read them in my leisure times. Thanks for sharing!!!
Click to expand...
You're welcome! Feel free to post your list.
 
DUCKofD3ATH said:
iTunes keeps track of audiobooks by year completed. I have playlists going back to 2009. I don't keep a record of actual books I read.
Click to expand...

ucfgrad93 said:
A couple of years ago, I kept a list on a thread at Mobileread.com. It was about 50 books that year. I actually read all my books, I don't listen to audiobooks.
Click to expand...

DUCKofD3ATH said:
Discuss what you're reading now if you like, but I wanted to use posters' 2015 list as a means of finding authors that were highly regarded.
[doublepost=1453904178][/doublepost]

I used to read actual books, but when I was a kid I read "Tree Grows in Brooklyn"--in it the young girl, who had been a voracious reader, gave up books to avoid eyestrain because she read constantly on the job.

I'm in the same boat in that I stare at a computer display all day long, so I listen to audiobooks.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your replies and clarifications.

Well, I read actual books.

Another thing that strikes me, reading your original post: There are three grades which range from 'disappointing' to 'atrocious'. To give a balanced appraisal, my recommendation would be that you include, or add, more grades which reflect the differences between an outstanding book and one which is merely 'readable -it serves to pass the time'.

Therefore, I'd suggest suggest three to four mirroring grades on the other side something which allows for a book to be graded as 'excellent', 'very good', 'worth reading', and 'not bad'.
 
T'hain Esh Kelch said:
Comics as comics, and the rest mostly as audiobooks. The number at the end is my rating out of 5.

Title Author My Rating
Pride of Baghdad Brian K. Vaughan 5
Blacksad (Blacksad, #1) Juan DÃaz Canales 5
Arctic-Nation (Blacksad, #2) Juan DÃaz Canales 5
Amber and Ashes (Dragonlance: The Dark Disciple, #1) Margaret Weis 5
Marlysa, Tome 2: Les Ombres De Dompour Jean-Charles Gaudin 5
A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire #3, Part 2 of 2) George R.R. Martin 5
How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise Chris Taylor 5
Tarzan of the Apes (Tarzan, #1) Edgar Rice Burroughs 5
The Invincible Iron Man, Vol. 1: The Five Nightmares Matt Fraction 4
L'enfer, le silence (Blacksad, #4) Juan DÃaz Canales 4
Amarillo (Blacksad, #5) Juan DÃaz Canales 4
Âme rouge (Blacksad, #3) Juan DÃaz Canales 4
Divided We Fall (Divided We Fall, #1) Trent Reedy 4
Sky Doll: La Ville Blanche (Sky Doll, #3) Alessandro Barbucci 4
World War X: Volume 1: Helius Jerry Frissen 4
Sky Doll: Aqua (Sky Doll, #2) Alessandro Barbucci 4
Sky Doll: Die Gelbe Stadt (Sky Doll, #1) Alessandro Barbucci 4
Marlysa, Tome 1: Le Masque Jean-Pierre Danard 4
The Lost World (Professor Challenger, #1) Arthur Conan Doyle 4
Drehadaxa (Voorbij de steen, #2) Ken Broeders 4
Demers spor (Hinsides stenen, #1) Ken Broeders 4
Beneath the Dark Ice (Alex Hunter, #1) Greig Beck 4
A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, #4) George R.R. Martin 4
Thomas’s First Memory of the Flare (Maze Runner, #2.5) James Dashner 4
The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner, #2) James Dashner 4
A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire #3, Part 1 of 2) George R.R. Martin 4
Hollow World Michael J. Sullivan 4
Contact Carl Sagan 4
The Boscombe Valley Mystery (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #4) Arthur Conan Doyle 4
A Scandal in Bohemia (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #1) Arthur Conan Doyle 4
Alice in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #1) Lewis Carroll 4
Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) Suzanne Collins 3
Sleeping Murder (Miss Marple, #13) Agatha Christie 3
Icefall Matthew J. Kirby 3
At Bertram's Hotel (Miss Marple, #11) Agatha Christie 3
Have Spacesuit Will Travel Robert A. Heinlein 3
Ark Royal (Ark Royal, #1) Christopher Nuttall 3
Soul Catcher Frank Herbert 3
The Heaven Makers Frank Herbert 3
The Godmakers Frank Herbert 3
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson 3
The Body in the Library (Miss Marple, #3) Agatha Christie 3
Silver Blaze (The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, #1) Arthur Conan Doyle 3
The Adventure of the Copper Beeches (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes #12) Arthur Conan Doyle 3
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #7) Arthur Conan Doyle 3
The Man with the Twisted Lip (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #6) Arthur Conan Doyle 3
A Case of Identity (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #3) Arthur Conan Doyle 3
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle 3
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #2) Lewis Carroll 3
Destination Void (The Pandora Sequence, #0.5) Frank Herbert 2
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom Cory Doctorow 2
The Death Cure (Maze Runner, #3) James Dashner 2
Direct Descent Frank Herbert 2
The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes #11) Arthur Conan Doyle 2
The Adventure Of The Noble Bachelor (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #10) Arthur Conan Doyle 2
The Speckled Band (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #8) Arthur Conan Doyle 2
The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #9) Arthur Conan Doyle 2
The Five Orange Pips (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #5) Arthur Conan Doyle 2
The Red Headed League (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, #2) Arthur Conan Doyle 2
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Paydirt! So what did you think of Song of Ice and Fire? I've read book 1, which I liked, and I'm making my way slowly through the TV series (thanks, Netflix!), but since my time for books is limited, I've been leery about reading the remaining books because I've heard they're snoozefests.

Other than his Dune series, I've read Herbert's "White Plague" and liked it. What's your opinion of Heaven Makers and Soul Catcher?

I'm reading "The Complete Sherlock Holmes: The Heirloom Collection" (read by Simon Vance) right now. I've already read the actual books but there's something about listening to the stories when read by a professional narrator that can't be beat. Vance is among the best I've heard.

You may have already read his stuff, but if not, give Matthew Reilly's "Shane Schofield" series a try. It's a lot of fun as long as you take the action sequences with a grain of salt.
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Scepticalscribe said:
Thanks for your replies and clarifications.

Well, I read actual books.

Another thing that strikes me, reading your original post: There are three grades which range from 'disappointing' to 'atrocious'. To give a balanced appraisal, my recommendation would be that you include, or add, more grades which reflect the differences between an outstanding book and one which is merely 'readable -it serves to pass the time'.

Therefore, I'd suggest suggest three to four mirroring grades on the other side something which allows for a book to be graded as 'excellent', 'very good', 'worth reading', and 'not bad'.
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I'm a pretty forgiving reader. The vast majority of audiobooks I've listened to have 5 stars. As I see it, a book I won't re-read is a disappointment. Hence 4 stars.

Rarely, I'll come across a book that's badly written or cheats the listener with a hackneyed ending (Steven King's "The Stand" comes to mind) so those earn 3 stars.

I have three 2-star audiobooks out of a total of 4,403.
 
DUCKofD3ATH said:
You're welcome to come in and opine. I just found it odd that you'd come by and not mention any books you're reading.
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Lately, a number of short stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Anton Chekov, and Franz Kafka (I enjoy rereading these often). A few months ago I greatly enjoyed Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. I've got a few Shakespeare plays lined up for reconsideration too.

I can't precisely remember all I read in 2015, a mixture of classic novels, short stories, essays, and a handful of comics.
 
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Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita by Krishnadas Kaviraja with commentary by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat by Vrindavan Das Thakura with commentary by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
 
mobilehaathi said:
4/5 stars is disappointing? Strange system you have there!
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mobilehaathi said:
Yes I dropped in to quibble about your rating system. These threads are visible to everyone you know...
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That was my point, too. The rating system strikes me as unbalanced, with an emphasis on the works deemed poor, and insufficient attention paid to the differences between books that are quite good and those that are outstanding.

If this was a university grading system, it would be deemed unbalanced and unfair.

So, no grading from me.

In 2015, I read a lot of history, even more politics, some cultural histories, some cultural commentaries, some economics, a few that might be classed as literature, and, for relaxation, occasionally fantasy.
 
114? Wow. I can't compete with that. I'm not an audiobook listener, but here's some of what I read last year:

1. Swann's Way (In Search of Lost Time #1) by Marcel Proust
5/5 - Very challenging prose. Took me about 100 pages to get into it. But rewarding.

2. Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges
5/5 - Short Stories (of the cerebral type)

3. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
4/5 - Science-Fiction

4. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
3.5/5 - A bit too long. Be prepared.

5. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
4/5 - Horror/Disturbing

6. 1984 by George Orwell
5/5 - Dystopian. Timeless disturbing novel.

7. The Ebony Tower by John Fowles
4/5 - Short Stories (last one is particularly dense. Took me three reads to "get it").

8. The Magus by John Fowles
4/5 - Mystery & Philosophical. Fascinating, but fizzles out in the second half.

9. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
5/5 - Dystopian. Touching and tragic story.

10. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
3.5/5 - Realistic Fiction. A bit too long, but otherwise good.

11. The Trial by Franz Kafka
5/5 - Dystopian. Very bizarre but fascinating unfinished novel.

12. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
5/5 - Magic Realism. Strangest book I've ever read, hands down.

13. Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin by Nicholas Ostler
4/5 - Non-fiction. For those of who like Latin

14. The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges
5/5 - Short Stories. Not as good as Ficciones, but still classic Borges.

15. The Book of Sand by Jorge Luis Borges
4/5 - Short Stories.

16. Maphead by Ken Jennings.
4/5 - Non-fiction. For those who like geography as much as I do.

17. Seeds of Destruction by Ralph G. Martin
4/5 - Biography/History - JFK and his family. Dense, but good information.

18. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
4/5 - Modernist fiction. Like Proust, pretty tough. But I enjoyed it.

19. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
5/5 - Dystopian. classic

20. The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
3.5/5 - Science-fiction. Not my first Crichton, but I had to read the classic.

21. Gender by Greville Corbett
4.5/5 - Linguistics. Grammatical gender.

22. Everything's Eventual by Stephen King
4/5 - Short stories. Horror. Best story was the one about the haunted hotel room, can't remember the name.

23. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
4/5 - Historical fiction. About the Kennedy assassination (I'm kind of a Kennedy buff).

24. The Double by Jose Saramago
5/5 - Psychological fiction.

25. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
5/5 - Horror/psychological thriller.


So as you can see, I read a lot of dystopian stuff and stories that make you think. I also enjoy non-fiction, usually related to history or language. :)
 
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