Well, as I predicted, I didn’t quite make it to my 70 book goal for 2017.  (October to December were especially tough months during a family crisis).  However, 61 out of 70 still has me feeling successful regarding my reading choices.   It was definitely more books than I read in 2015 and 2016. I even kept up my personal promise to branch out and explore new genres and authors. Not all of these journeys were successful experiments  though. The Magicians by Lev Grossman was an unmitigated mental disaster.  However, I did manage to find a few new books/authors that I truly enjoyed (and still enjoy) reading. So for the first post of 2018, here’s the clear winners for last year’s challenge.

1. Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone by G.S. Denning:  Now, I will admit reading anything that includes Sherlock Holmes is not much of a stretch for me. I love anything Sherlock Holmes related.  That being said, this books deserves the praise.  In this version, Watson has the detective skills and Sherlock is a warlock with a severe lack of impulse control. With sorcery, vampires, and a few appearances by a lovable ogre, the book is hilarious without losing the charm and wit of the original material. I impatiently awaited the release of the second story The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles after I devoured the first novel. Both books were thoroughly enjoyable and I eagerly added them to my growing library.
2. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman:  I’m not going to lie, this series on occasion can waffle between quick and slow, but the premise of the book is what intrigued me from the beginning. The Library exists outside of time as we would define it, a space between many worlds.  In this universe, different books have the power to plunge words between order and chaos.  Depending on the power behind the material, Librarians find themselves in highly militaristic societies or one in chaos complete with Fae folk and magic.  Unfortunately, it does have the typical YA triangle of one heroine and two men, but I adore that the heroine rarely gives into the “woe is me” vibe.  In many YA novels, I find heroines wallowing in self-pity unbelievably irritating.  But this novel, I easily fell into, and quickly order books 2 and 3.  The heroine is older (definitely not a teenager), wiser and has the intelligence and wit to carry her through many situations both on her own and with her companions.
3. Collapse by Jared Diamond:  There was a time when I swore I’d never read another Jared Diamond work. One of the many things left over from my college Anthropology days.  However, I will admit that the man knows how to research a topic.  This book is dense.  I mean really dense. I was lucky if I managed to read 6 pages within 10 minutes.  That being said, the research is intriguing.  Diamond examines how societies both ancient, recently passed, and present have succeeded or failed based on their interactions with the surrounding environment. He examines factors such as deforestation, rainfall, population growth, warfare, hunting, gathering, agriculture etc.  He also does cross-comparisons, not just among similar cultures but across oceans and continents.  Its a very different perspective and builds on Guns, Germs and Steel, from a different angle. Diamond, as always, brings a solid research prowess to the work, which provides an interesting premise.

I went for a shorter route for 2018, choosing just 40 books for my challenge this year. I’m still searching to expand authors and genres and hope to document more of the trials and errors as I exhaust my local library resources.  Cheers!