Books read in 2016: No. 66, Books read in 2017: No. 1 -- Red Nails

by Robert E. Howard

Started: Dec. 26, 2016
Finished: Jan. 1, 2017

Notes: For too long have I not been reading enough speculative genre fiction, and for too long have I not read any Howard, so I was thrilled to see this tale from the author available for free on Amazon. I've read this one several times over the decades, but it's always enjoyable to come back to Howard every once in a while.

Mini review: What with the holidays, I didn't have much reading time lately, but it was nice to drop back into Howard's writing. As always, his prose here was excellent. The story I've always found a bit predictable, but I suppose it would seem so after one has read so much Sword & Sorcery over the years. Anyway, a solid read worth the time of any fantasy fan.

Books read in 2016: No. 65 -- House of Sand and Fog

by Andre Dubus III

Started: Dec. 14
Finished: Dec. 26

Notes: I've had this one for a while and been meaning to get to it. I've seen the HBO (I think it was) movie based upon the novel from a dozen or so years ago, but I've forgotten nearly everything about it other than a feeling the book must be quite good.

Mini review: A woman loses her house to taxes when she didn't even owe any and then a Persian family purchases the house through a county auction. Nothing good comes of any of this. Bad decisions, stubbornness, cultural misunderstandings and plain old bureaucratic stupidity come together to form this tragedy. For the most part it is done quite well, though for my taste the emotional mental ramblings of the characters often went on too long.

Books read in 2016: No. 64 -- The Woman in Black

by Susan Hill

Started: Dec. 12
Finished: Dec. 14

Notes: It is most definitely time to get back into some fiction, so I thought I'd get started with this ghost story. I've seen the movie starring Daniel Radcliffe, but I don't remember a lot of the details, so hopefully most of this will seem new to me. Besides, movies are often so far from the books they are based upon as to be nearly unrecognizable, so I don't mind giving this one a try.

Mini review: It has been many a year, perhaps a decade or longer, since I have a read a book which I had difficulty putting down, which kept me up all hours of the night, but this book did that for me. It's not generally as frightening as a true horror tale, being more akin to the works of someone like Shirley Jackson, more haunting mystery than horror, but this is one of the best English ghost stories I've had the pleasure to read.

Books read in 2016: No. 63 -- Royal Armouries Ms. I.33

translated by Joey Nitti

Started: Dec. 12
Finished: Dec. 12

Notes: This is the oldest known surviving European combat manual. It has been dated to the late 13th or early 14th Centuries, and its author is unknown, though there has been some speculation a cleric might have penned it. Originally in Latin, here it has been translated into modern English. Also, I have to give big thanks to Nancy and Matt Hulan of Arte of the Booke as they made and sold me this edition, which is made of goatskin leather and goatskin rawhide, as well as linen thread with wooden buttons.

Mini review: First off, the artwork here is quite beautiful. Secondly, again I have to thank the Hulans for the quality of this gorgeous codex they have crafted. The translation itself is quite literal, word for word, and this can cause some awkward phrasing, but it works well enough and provides a late Medieval feel. The information here almost entirely concerns sword and buckler, and I definitely learned a few things as most of my experience is with the longsword. Glad I read this one, and happy to have it in my collection.

Books read in 2016: No. 62 -- The Pilgrim's Progress

by John Bunyan

Started: Dec. 7
Finished: Dec. 11

Notes: Decades ago in my early 20s, I started this classic of Christian allegorical literature, but I found it too dense at the time for me to wrap my head around. Now years later, older and more patient and better read, I thought it time to give it another chance.

Mini review: Most modern readers who probably find this too simplistic, likely even boring, but I thought it had a certain Christian charm to it, this 1678 tale of a pilgrim who travels through various troubles before finding himself welcome to Heaven.

Books read in 2016: No. 61 -- How We Got the Bible

by Neil R. Lightfoot

Started: Dec. 2
Finished: Dec. 6

Notes: My guess is I'll be familiar with at least the basics of this information, and I'm skeptical of many Christian non-fiction books as they too often (for my taste) focus on evangelism instead of history, but one can always hope.

Mini review: I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I expected it to be more about the politics and groups that went into defining what we know today as the Holy Bible, such as the Council of Trent, etc., but all of that was only mentioned in passing. No, most of this was about archaeology and historical record, taking several looks at various manuscripts that have come down to us over the ages, the Dead Sea Scrolls being one of the most recent discoveries. Of course there was a Christian slant here, but I felt the author did a pretty good job at remaining objective when discussing the relative historical and religious worths of the different manuscripts. Also, the author did a good job at keeping the writing interesting without writing down to the audience but also without becoming too over-the-top intellectual, taking a nice middle approach.

Books read in 2016: No. 60 -- The Sayings of Confucius

by Confucius

translated by Leonard A. Lyall

Started: Nov. 29
Finished: Dec. 2

Notes: Still in a philosophical state of mind, I now turn to Eastern thought, a rarity for me. This 1909 book isn't a complete listing of absolutely everything Confucius was thought to have said, but it should be enough for me to get a gist of the man and his philosophy. These writings were apparently originally compiled by students of Confucius a number of years after his death.

Mini review: This is mostly common sense, being nice to people, working diligently, etc., though some of it concerns historical context not familiar to me, nor probably to most Western readers; and the footnotes are so bare as to be mostly useless. In fairness, this book is more than a century old, so a modern translation might have served me better.

Books read in 2016: No. 59 -- Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion

by David Hume

Started: Nov. 25
Finished: Nov. 29

Notes: I'm in a philosophical mood, so I turn to Hume. It's been a long while since I've dipped into any serious philosophy, though I've never been a big fan of the Empiricists as writers, though I don't have any hangups concerning their actual ideas. It's not impossible I read this 1757 piece in college lo those many decades ago, but I don't recall having done so.

Mini review: The writing style here was interesting in that it was a fallback to the pattern of ancient philosophers who often used fictional conversations to get their point(s) across. Still, like with most philosophers during Hume's time, I have to find fault when far too often fifty words are used instead of one and when, in an attempt at being precise, a sometimes confusing language is used instead of a more simple one. This particular book lands upon several related topics, but the gist of it concerns whether or not man can find evidence of the existence of God. Basically, this is an argument about the notion of divine design, though it scoffs at outright atheism. The side in this argument favoring design appears to be the winner here, though Hume himself was not known to favor it. Besides my own philosophical interests here, there is some historical interest, as Hume's arguments against intelligent design are often considered the strongest ever produced with the exception of Darwin's works. As for my own personal thoughts on the matter, though I consider myself a Christian, I do not believe there is any objective evidence for the existence of God. Subjective, yes, but not objective.

Books read in 2016: No. 58 -- Armed and Dangerous: A Writer's Guide to Weapons

by Michael Newton

Started: Nov. 20
Finished: Nov. 25

Notes: I've read this one a couple of times over the decades since its original release in 1990, but back then it was a Writer's Digest book and now apparently the rights have reverted to the author and he has published it on his own. I don't know if he has updated or changed it in any way, but regardless, I've always enjoyed this book and feel it wouldn't hurt for a refresher.

Mini review: The information here is pretty basic, and unfortunately has not been updated. If you're writing a police procedural or mystery novel prior to the early 1990s, this book can still be helpful, but it is nearly 30 years out of date, so I can't recommend it for authors writing in a modern context. Historical writers might find some use here, especially as the Old West and the World Wars are covered fairly well.

Books read in 2016: No. 57 -- As You Wish

by Cary Elwes and Joe Layden

Started: Nov. 16
Finished: Feb. 20

Notes: I recently watched an interview with actor Cary Elwes in which he mentioned a memoir he had written a few years ago about the making of The Princess Bride movie. I had not heard about this and thought it would be interesting as the film is one of my favorites, as it is with many people.

Mini review: This was a charming book filled with Elwes' recollections of making the movie, as well as more than a few commentaries from Director Rob Reiner, Author William Gibson, and most of the other cast members. Easy to read, this one also held more than a little nostalgia for a beloved film. Fans should check it out.

Books read in 2016: No. 56 -- 100 Lost Treasures

by Time Inc. Books

Started: Nov. 14
Finished: Nov. 16

Notes: So I was in a line at the grocery store and got sucked into buying another of this History books. Sue me. These books, more like thick magazines, obviously are not meant to be deep, but they can provide a casual read for when one is in the mood. This one caught my eye not so much because of lost treasures from history, of which I'm guessing I'll be mostly aware, but because of more recent lost treasures.

Mini review: The title to this one was misleading. Maybe a fourth of the articles here were about actual lost items, the majority being about various bits of Americana or items related to historical events. Most of this I knew about, though there were a few interesting tidbits new to me, along with maybe a story idea or two.

Books read in 2016: No. 55 -- This is Not the End of the Book

by Jean-Claude Carriere and Umberto Eco

Started: Nov. 2
Finished: Nov. 13

Notes: I'm not familiar with Carriere, but I have enjoyed reading a number of Eco's works over the years, and while I cannot stomach Eco's hints of anti-Semitism and his flag waving for all things European, I do find enough genius in his material to consider him worth reading. This book is another example. On its face it is about the fate of print in the digital age, but it apparently goes into a number of related topics, the text supposedly told as a conversation between the two authors. I have high hopes for this one.

Mini review: This was a delightful book to read. Two old European bibliophiles get together to discuss books in general, the possible future of books, the past of books, threats against books ... basically all kinds of things about books. But with the exception of numerous references to rare authors and historical figures (I was lucky to recognize half of them), most of the talk here is fairly straight forward, like two old guys sitting around sipping wine in a tavern. Book lovers and those who relish an occasional dip into the scholarly should check this one out. And I have to say, in fairness, Eco seemed to backtrack some on what I had perceived as anti-Semitism, so maybe an old dog can learn new tricks.

Books read in 2016: No. 54 -- Let's Get Digital: How to Self-Publish and Why You Should

by David Gaughran

Started: Oct. 17
Finished: Nov. 2

Notes: This e-book was a big boost to the indie writing community when it first came out about five years ago. I skipped it then, but more recently I thought I would check out its updated version. Maybe I'll learn a few things or pick up some tips, or maybe it'll simply act as a push for me to get off my butt and work more.

Mini review: As expected, there wasn't much new here for me, so for myself this was somewhat of a drag to read. That being said, I can't think of a better book or e-book for beginning indie writers to sink their teeth into. Gaughran lays everything out in simple form and provides enough links to more complex material. However, even though this is an updated version, the publishing world changes so quickly nowadays that even this might soon be somewhat out of date.

Books read in 2016: No. 53 -- Killing Jesus

by Stephen Mansfield

Started: Oct. 14
Finished: Oct. 17

Notes: This book apparently takes a look at the execution of Jesus from a political point of view, which currently interests me more than another rehash of the religious angle. So, I'll give it a try.

Mini review: For the casual Christian reader this might be of some interest, but I found this mainly to be little more than a prose version of the last few days of the life of Jesus. It's not written badly, but this is no deep scholarly work. Most of the information is based upon the Bible, which is to be expected, but I had already read the non-Biblical sources, such as Josephus, etc. Some of this information might be new to others, but it wasn't to me. So, basically, this one wasn't for me. No big deal. I did pick up a few interesting tidbits here and there, but that was about it. I've found most mainstream Christian non-fiction works to either be overly reaffirming, which is annoying and I don't feel necessary for myself, or else they present nothing new, which is more the case here. Probably I should stick to apologists or secular Christian scholars, for at least there I find intellectual challenges.

Books read in 2016: No. 52 -- The Sable City: Book One of The Norothian Cycle

by M. Edward McNally

Started: Sept. 28
Finished: Oct. 13

Notes: As I do from time to time, I like to try out authors unfamiliar to me, especially indie authors. So, I'm giving this one a go.

Mini review: Once every century the doors of an ancient city open to allow adventurers to enter and search for loot. It sounds like a bad Dungeons & Dragons adventure, but it actually all fits together quite well, even though it's obvious the world is based upon the D&D game to the point even many of the monsters have the same names as their gaming counterparts. The writing here is quite good, and the characters are strong and have a likability quality to them, even the ones who border on darkness. I did think the first chapter was pretty much a waste, being little more than information that was or could have been handed out piecemeal later in the story. And a few characters introduced towards the end had a flippancy I didn't think went along with the seriousness of the rest of the tale, but these are just quibbles. This was excellent epic fantasy writing, and I can highly recommend this book and author to others.

Books read in 2016: No. 51 -- Harry Potter and The Cursed Child

by J.K Rowling and John Tiffany and Jack Thorne

Started: Sept. 27
Finished: Sept. 28

Notes: To be honest, I've not heard much good about this late addition to the Harry Potter series, but maybe that's to be expected since this is actually a play and not another novel. Either way, I've read all the other Potter books, so I thought I'd give this one a go.

Mini review: I don't know what all the grumbling is about, because I thought this was a pretty good story, at least a pretty good Harry Potter story. Yes, there were a few things that seemed out of place when compared to the original series of 7 books, but (SPOILER ALERT) this was a time travel story which briefly included alternate timelines, so things can be expected to be a little different. Plus, this being a play, it's action isn't going to be reflected in the same way as a novel. All in all, this felt very Harry Potter-ish to me, so if you're a fan of the original books and movies, you should like this one.

Books read in 2016: No. 50 -- Disturb

by J.A. Konrath

Started: Sept. 22
Finished: Sept. 26

Notes: Been a while since I've read any Konrath, and my recent King readings have me in the mood for some darker material, so here goes.

Mini review: An FDA agent finds himself embroiled with crooked cops, crooked FBI agents, the mob, a serial killer, and more, all sicced on him (to some extent or another) by a pharmaceutical company seeking approval for a drug that allows people to go months without sleep. I have to say, it's obvious this was one of Konrath's early efforts, for the writing is quite amateur and I don't think any of the characters, good guys or bad, made a smart decision or move throughout the whole book. Ah, well. On to other material.

Books read ion 2016: No. 49 -- Finders Keepers

by Stephen King

Started: Sept. 16
Finished: Sept. 22

Notes: Since I recently finished Mr. Mercedes, the first book in this King series, I thought I'd go ahead and delve into the next book in this series.

Mini review: The plot is more convoluted than is usual for King, but I'll take a stab at breaking down the basics. Back in 1978, a famous author is murdered and numerous notebooks of his go missing. No suspects are ever caught. Decades later a 13-year-old boy finds the notebooks buried in a trunk. Not longer after, the author's killer is released from prison for a different crime, and he goes looking for those notebooks. There's much more to it than that, but that's the bare bones. I enjoyed this one much more than Mr. Mercedes, though there is a trend running through these novels which bothers me a little. There seem to be an awful lot of coincidences and serendipity. Usually I can brush this off when it comes to King's writings because there is an element of the supernatural involved, and my willingness to accept such is (I suppose) based upon the possibility of outside forces (both good and evil) working behind the scenes. In this series of novels, however, there is only the barest hint of anything unusual going, and for the most part the events appear to occur in something resembling the real world. That's what bothers me. Admittedly there are plenty of coincidences, good and bad and neutral, in reality, but they don't ring true in fiction when piled upon one another. Still, despite my lengthy rambling here, that's only a minor criticism of these novels. By the way, if you're wondering what the title refers to, it's the name of a sort-of private detective agency.

Books read in 2016: No. 48 -- Captain Blood

by Rafael Sabatini

Started: Sept. 6
Finished: Sept. 16

Notes: I've not read a lot of Sabatini, but what I have read I've enjoyed immensely, sort of like a slightly more modern Alexandre Dumas. It had been a number of years since I've read any of his work, so I thought it time I got back to him. I've also seen an old black-and-white movie version of this tale, but it was years ago and I remember little of it.

Mini review: This was simply a fantastic, fun read, one of those novels you hate to end. The tale is about a doctor who is a former soldier and how he eventually finds himself as a pirate. To say more would be to possibly lessen one's reading pleasure, so I'll just say, "Go read this one!"

Books read in 2016: No. 47 -- Visual Theology

by Tim Challies and Josh Byers

Started: August 28
Finished: Sept. 9

Notes: My associate pastor at church lent me this book, suggesting I read it, so I'll give it a go and find out what it's about.

Mini review: Basically, this is a solid, basic breakdown of what it means to be a protestant Christian in today's world (at least from a somewhat but not totally conservative viewpoint). The casual Christian or the secular reader will probably not find much here of interest, nor will someone looking to study deep theology or who wants to get into doctrine. However, this would be a fairly good book for someone new to Christianity, or possibly for someone who is preaching or teaching a Sunday school class for the first time. And though this is a somewhat basic book, the writing doesn't talk down to the reader but remains clear and free of a lot of theological jargon; the graphics in this book would make good pull-outs for a classroom, maybe even good posters.