It’s that time of the year again, when everyone posts the 900 books they read in 2022. And then I look at my Goodreads and realize I’d read 14 books in 2022, and some of those were short. I re-read books all last year; just re-listened to audiobooks. Over and over. The idea of sitting down with my Kobo r-reader and actually looking at words on the screen made me ill, even though there’s books I actually want to read and have been waiting to read…and I just can’t.
So for anyone who is struggling to read anything new - who is just dragging their ass, who has headaches, who has pain, who honestly is just completely and utterly disinterested, who is depressed, who is anxious, who is going through a phase where they hate books and just want to play House Flipper, this thread is for you.
I know that sounds simplistic, but it is true.
These shows need ridiculously high viewer numbers in order to be profitable. There is no book or series popular enough to get the ratings a show needs by simply bringing in the original fans alone.
These shows are made specifically for non/new fans.
Studios know that they will likely be able to keep the majority of book fans no matter what, because we are loyal to the author/series, etc. But even if they lose most of us, so what?
As cynical as it sounds, they don’t really need us. They don’t have to be 100% loyal to the source material, just enough to make a show that new people will be into.
This also means that even if we the fans, in our echo chamber, think a show sucks - the studio may view it as a success.
Like it or not, Wheel of Time was a massive success, ratings wise. Witcher was too.
Even Blood Origin seems to be doing well with viewers.
Folks, we are not the target audience.
We are the happy bonus.
EDIT: To be clear, …
I started reading The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells the other day and oh boy is it great. Despite hearing heaps of people raving about the series, I’d never given it a go, possibly because the concept of a book from the perspective of a killer robot didn’t seem very interesting to me.
I finally gave it a chance and I’ve never been more wrong. There’s much more depth in the characters and the worldbuilding than a cursory glance at the premise led me to believe. I blasted through the first two books in a week and am now starting book 3 (and normally I’m a slow reader).
Even if the concept doesn’t seem like your thing, give this series a shot. It’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s funny. First book is All Systems Red.
I didn’t see much discussion about it here, but I just started it yesterday and I’m at the halfway point. I’m just blown away by it! I enjoyed all the other fantasy and speculative fiction shows from the past year like House of Dragons, Arcane, Rings of Power, and the Witcher, but this is one of the best for me. This is one of the few times that the Star Wars franchise has put out something in which the world feels very lived. On top of that, I like how the series gives more depth to the Empire so I’m not asking myself why anyone would ever want to work for these guys which is something I would find myself asking whenever I watched the movies. They have their ideology and motivations, and they are oppressive and cruel, but in a way that feels three-dimensional rather than one-dimensional. It doesn’t fall into the trap of thinking that being complex is the same as being “gray”. The committee and Coruscant scenes have been some of my favorites. …
I have always envied people who had a lot of books. One of my life goals was to have a library room. But in the last month or two, I’ve had this sense of urgency to get rid of my books. That I don’t need to hoard them just because they look pretty. I have kept only my absolute favorite books that I know 100% that I will re-read (I still have 4 shelves left) I have used a Kindle for 12 years and I think I will read most of my books on it or use the library more from now on.
I don’t know, but I wanted to share this in case anyone else ever felt the same way.
Edit:
Wow, I didn’t expect such a big response. Some answers to the questions I saw: 1. I took most of the books to my old school, gave them to friends, donated them. And I sold a small part of them. 2. A very very small part of my books are unread. My rule is usually to read it on Kindle or check it out from the library and, if I really like it, buy the physical book. Or I will buy a book unread if I know …
If you’re looking for an entry point into Heinlein’s work, want a classic from the golden age of sci-fi that has stood the test of time, or are just hoping for a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously - this one’s for you!
Here’s the setup:
The story is told from the first person perspective of Laurence Smith—the self-styled “The Great Lorenzo”—a down-and-out actor who spends most of his time in bars. He’s approached by a space-pilot who offers him a drink and, despite some trepidation about Lorenzo’s high opinion of himself, offers him a dangerous job at a very high pay rate.
One of the solar system’s most important politicians has been kidnapped, and they need someone to impersonate him until he’s rescued. Lorenzo is quickly pulled deeper and deeper into the conspiracy, and has to keep up the act to avoid his own death and an all-out planetary war.
In addition to not taking itself too seriously, Doublestar is also a short, easy …
So before 2020 started I set myself the goal to read more that year. I set a loft goal of 1 book a month and I achieved it, helped by a global pandemic. You can find a write-up here.
In 2021 I decided to carry on my reading challenge, but somewhere near the start I got a bit carried away and ended up reading 54 books last year. You can find the write-up here.
So this year I carried along at this silly pace and pipped last year’s best with 55 books this year.
Here are some thoughts and hopefully it’s pretty spoiler free.
Last year, I wrote a piece trying to use 50 years of science-fiction & fantasy awards data to determine some of the greatest novels since 1970. It was a fun exercise in data science (comparing books across time, weighting novels, etc.) and seeing what turns up. I promised to write an update at the end of each year with the new awards data. I’ll include a link in the comments for a deeper analysis and methodology if interested.
The top 5 books of the 2022 award season:
Honorable mentions: Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki and Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky received four nominations each. The Unbroken by C.L. Clark and Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro each received three major nominations.
Did any make the top 100 of all time?
As it turns out, the answer …
I read _All Systems Red_ and it was totally okay. Fun, sturdy, basic, airport newsstand type sci-fi SF.
I get that the main character streams entire seasons of 20th and 21st century TV shows directly into their brains in minutes and this is their main pastime, and I guess the reason why their voice sounds hip and vibrant to a 21st century reader has something to do with that. It makes for some good, smooth fun.
I also get that there may be something going on where MB feels right to readers who are some kinds of non-neurotypical and have a desire to read about that kind of character.
And honestly, I find myself telling people “you might wanna check out that Murderbot shit, it’s got a real groove to it” in some social contexts. Because it seems that a lot of people are really enjoying it.
But to me it’s kind of meh, so I am wondering what people love about the books?
Also, I have to admit, I find the MC’s self-given moniker of “Murderbot” …
I wanted to give a spotlight to six new-ish books that I haven’t heard about elsewhere that you might enjoy. I was shocked to see how few reviews they had on Goodreads. They all have less than 1,600 reviews on Goodreads, and they were published in 2021 or 2022.
The Last Blade Priest by W.P. Wiles 78 Goodreads reviews
Do you like unique magic, cultish religions, political power struggles, demented elves, all in a unique setting? Why haven’t you picked up this book yet? Why hasn’t anyone? Inar is a small town Master Builder whose father was killed as a traitor to the King of the now ascendant League. And the League’s Torturer comes to recruit him as a spy. Anton was selected as an infant to be a Blade Priest, a prestigious role that traditionally performs human sacrifice. That tradition has abruptly ended before Anton’s first kill. Semi-epic fantasy in an original world, leaning grim dark but with likeable characters.