Christmas Break is upon us, which means grabbing a book and reading it by the virtual fireplace (or a real fireplace if I can find one). Unlike my Summer Reading Lists, which average 14-18 books, my winter reading lists tend to be shorter and more aspirational (it turns out that your family actually wants to talk to you when you’re on a holiday break; ignoring them to read a book is frowned upon).
The Prefect by Alistair Reynolds (Amazon) – My designated audiobook for the Winter Reading List. I inadvertently read its sequel, Elysium Fire, this summer and enjoyed it enough to go and read the first book in the series. It focuses on Prefect Dryfus, a government agent investigating crimes against the high tech communal democracy of the Glitter Band in the Yellowstone system. It’s part of Reynold’s Revelation Space universe and looks at Yellowstone before a computer virus corrupted all of its technology and caused the collapse of the Glitter Band.
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson (Amazon) – Sanderson ventures into the science fiction genre with Skyward, a novel in which a young woman seeks to become one of her planet’s elite Pilots and continue the decades-long fight against alien invaders. It’s my second audiobook on the winter reading list.
A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White (Amazon) – The teaser Firefly meets The Fast and the Furious as a misfit crew tries to find a legendary warship that holds the key to the universe. Or something like that. It seems like the sort of fast, fun read I need for the holiday break.
Black Helicopters by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Amazon) – A horror novella about a secret agency investigating Lovecraftian horrors on the New England coast. It comes highly recommended and it feels like it moves in similar fictional circles to DELTA GREEN (my favorite horror campaign setting).
Getting Things Done by David Allen (Amazon) – The only non-fiction book on the list and a carry-over from my autumn reading. Getting Things Done presents a system for improving your personal productivity and its inspired a number of my friends to get organized. I’ve read plenty of blog posts about the book and its ideas but never read the book itself. I’m about halfway through it; unfortunately, it’s not the worlds most thrilling read, but I have gotten a number of good ideas from it.
You can follow my progress through the Winter 2018-19 reading list on Goodreads.
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Cover art from The Prefect. Credit: Ace.
I recently read A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe and loved it. The mix of tech and magic took me by surprise, but it works excellently and without any detraction to the space opera aesthetics. The story unfolds quickly, it’s well-plotted, and while it’s a complete story, it sets itself up for continuing adventures. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in the series, due out soon.
Good to know. I also wasn’t expecting the tech and magic angle, but so far I’m enjoying it.
Thanks to Christmas, I can also add Things from the Flood to my reading list. It’s the follow up to the excellent art book Tales from the Loop by Simon Stålenhag.