The Book Count 2022

[Greg]

Let's get this party started. And by that I mean I spent more time on the couch reading books.

January

Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone Jan 3, 2022 (Book 2 of a series) Rating B+
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone Jan 6, 2022 (Book 3 of a series) Rating A
Four Roads Cross by Max Gladstone Jan 10, 2022 (Book 4 of a series) Rating A
Full Fathom Five by Max Gladstone Jan 14, 2022 (Book 5 of a series) Rating B+
Broken Promise by Linwood Barclay Jan 18, 2022 (Book 1 of a Trilogy) Rating B-
Far From True by Linwood Barclay Jan 22, 2022 (Book 2 of a Trilogy) Rating B
Ruin of Angels by Max Gladstone Jan 29, 2022 (Book 6 of a series) Rating A

February

Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone Feb 5, 2022 Rating C
23 by Linwood Barclay Feb 9, 2022 (Book 3 of a trilogy) Rating B
Sacred Places: American Tourist Attractions in the Nineteenth Century by John F. Sears Feb 10, 2022 Rating A
No Time For Goodbye by Lindsay Barclay Feb 11, 2022 (Stand alone) Rating C
A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch Feb 12, 2022 (1 of a series) Rating B+
Calculated Risks by Seanan McGuire Feb 17, 2022 (Book 10 of the InCryptid Series) Rating C+
Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha Feb 19, 2022 (Book 1 of a Trilogy) Rating C
It's a Wonderful Woof by Spencer Quinn Feb 20, 2022 (Book 10 of a series) Rating C+
Gold Seeker: Adventures of a Belgian Argonaut during the Gold Rush Years by Jean-Nicola Perlot Feb 28, 2022 Rating B+

March

The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig Mar 3, 2022 Rating B
Robert B. Parker's "Bye Bye, Baby" by Ace Atkins Mar 6, 2022 (Book 50 of a series) Rating B-
The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull Mar 9, 2022 Rating B+
No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull Mar 12, 2022 Rating B+
The Battle over Hetch Hetchy by Robert W. Righter Mar 13, 2022 Rating A
The Boys by Clint Howard and Ron Howard Mar 15, 2022 Rating A
Silverview by John LeCarre Mar 18, 2022 Rating B+
The Past is Red by Catherine Valente Mar 20, 2022 Rating A
Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire  Mar 21, 2022 ( Book 6 of a series) Rating B
Gabriel Sovulewski: The Life and Letters of Yosemite's Master Trail Builder by Fernando Penalosa Mar 24, 2022 Rating B
Son of the Wilderness: The Life of John Muir by Linnie Marsh Wolfe Mar 26, 2022 Rating A
A Parliament of Bodies by Marshall Ryan Maresca Mar 28, 2022 (Book 3 of a series) Rating B+
The Holt Ally Crew by Marshall Ryan Maresca Mar 30, 2022 (Book 1 of a series) Rating B

April

Lady Henterman's Wardrobe by Marshall Ryan Maresca Apr 2, 2022 (Book 2 of a series) Rating B+
The Fenmere Job by Marshall Ryan Maresca Apr 4, 2022 (Book 3 of a series) Rating B
The Match by Harlen Coben Apr 6, 2022 (Book 2 of a series) Rating B
Roses and Rot by Kat Howard Apr 9, 2022 Rating B+
Everywhere that Mary Went by Lisa Scottoline Apr 12, 2022 (Book 1 of a series) Rating C
Final Appeal by Lisa Scottoline Apr 14, 2022 Rating C
An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard Apr 17 Rating B+
Running From the Law by Lisa Scottoline Apr 19, 2022 Rating B
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi Apr 22, 2022 Rating B
Stranger Times by Caimh McDonnell Apr 25, 2022 (1 of series) Rating A

May

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine May 2, 2022 (Book 2 of a Series) Rating B
This Charming Man by C.K. McDonnell May 10, 2022 (Book 2 of a Series) Rating B+
Camera Man by Dana Stevens May 15, 2022 Rating B
The Last Exit by Max Gladstone May 25, 2022 Rating B-
Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham May 29, 2022 (Book 1 of a trilogy) Rating B+
My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni May 30, 2022 (Book 1 of a series) Rating B

June
Her Final Breath by Robert Dugoni June 5, 2022 (Book 2 of a series) Rating B
In the Clearing by Robert Dugoni June 7, 2022 (Book 3 of a series) Rating B
The Anarchy by William Dalrymple June 12, 2022 Rating B
The Gray Man by Mark Greaney June 14, 2022 (Book 1 of a series) Rating B-
The Island by Adrian McKinty June 17, 2022 Rating B
All The Seas of the World by Guy Gavriel Kay June 26, 2022 (Part of a loosely connected series) Rating B+
The Jury Master by Robert Dugoni June 30, 2022 (Book 1 of a series) Rating B

July
The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni July 1, 2022 (Book 1 of a series) Rating B
The Middling Affliction: The Conradverse Chronicles by Alex Shvartsman July 6, 2022(Book 1 of a series) Rating B
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard July 8, 2022 (Book 1 of a series) Rating B-
The Brereton Diaries by Lewis H. Brereton July 11, 2022 Rating B
The September Society by Charles Finch July 15, 2022 (Book 2 of a series) Rating B+
Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard July 20, 2022 (Book 1 of a series) Rating B
When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire July 22, 2022 (Book 15 of a Series) Rating B+
The Last Agent by Robert Dugoni July 25, 2022 (Book 2 of a series) Rating B-
On Target by Mark Greaney July 28, 2022 (Book 2 of a series) Rating B
Ballistic by Mark Greaney July 30, 2022 (Book 3 of a series) Rating B
Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch July 31, 2022 (Book 3 of a series) Rating B+

August

Sword Breaker by Victoria Aveyard Aug 4, 2022 (Book 2 of a series) Rating B
Wrongful Death by Robert Dugoni Aug 6, 2022 (Book 2 of a series) Rating B
A Stranger in Mayfair by Charles Finch Aug 8, 2022 (Book 4 of a series) Rating B+
Back Blast by Mark Greaney Aug 11, 2022 (Book 5 of a series) Rating B
Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Aug 13, 2022 (Book 1 of a series) Rating B+
Spelunking Through Hell by Seanan McGuire Aug 15, 2022 (Book 11 of a series) Rating B+
Man and Yosemite by Ted Orland Aug 17, 2022 Rating B
A Burial at Sea by Charles Finch Aug 17, 2022 (Book 5 of a series) Rating B+
A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch Aug 19, 2022 (Book 6 of a series) Rating B+
Bodily Harm by Robert Dugoni Aug 21, 2022 (Book 3 of a series) Rating B
Dead Eye by Mark Greaney Aug 25, 2022 (Book 4 of a series) Rating B
Gunmetal Grey by Mark Greaney Aug 27. 2022 (Book 6 of a series) Rating B+
Agent in Place by Mark Greaney Aug 29, 2022 (Book 7 of a series) Rating B+

September

The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon September 2, 2022 Rating B
A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss Sep 6, 2022 (Book 1 of a Series) Rating B+
The Coffee Trader by David Liss Sep 8, 2022 Rating B
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang Sep 12, 2022 (Book 1 of 3) Rating B+
Mission Critical by Mark Greaney Sep 14, 2022 (Book 8 of a series) Rating B
One Second Out by Mark Greaney Sep 17, 2022 (Book 9 of a series) Rating B
Relentless by Mark Greaney Sep 19, 2022 (Book 10 of a series) Rating B
An Old Betrayal by Charles Finch Sep 22, 2022 (Book 7 of a series) Rating B+
The Laws of Murder by Charles Finch Sep 24, 2022 (Book 8 of a series) Rating B+

October

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang Oct 4, 2022 (Book 2 of 3) Rating B
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang Oct 8, 2022 (Book 3 of 3) Rating B
Sierra Six by Mark Greaney Oct 11, 2022 (Book 11 of a series) Rating B+
Uncompromising Honor by David Weber Oct 18, 2022 (Book 14 of a series) Rating B
A Call to Insurrection by Weber, Timothy Zahn, and David Pope Oct 22, 2022 (Book 4 of a series) Rating B
City on Fire by David Winslow Oct 25, 2022 (Book 1 of a trilogy) Rating B+
Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump and Epic Trail of Destruction by David Enrich Oct 30, 2022 Rating B+

November

Home by Nightfall by Charles Finch Nov 2, 2022 (Book 9 of a series) Rating B
The Inheritance by Charles Finch Nov 5, 2022 (Book 10 of a series) Rating B
Woman in the Water by Charles Finch Nov 6, 2022 (Book 11 of a series) Rating B
Hell and Back by Craig Johnson Nov 8, 2022 (Book 18 of a series) Rating B
A long time ago, in an Edit Bay far, far away by Paul Hirsch Nov 12, 2022 Rating B
Lost Luggage by Wendall Thomas Nov 15, 2022 (Book 1 of a series) Rating B
The Vanishing Man by Charles Finch Nov 18, 2022 (Book 12 of a series) Rating B+
The Last Passenger by Charles Finch Nov 23, 2022 (Book 13 of a series) Rating B+
Holding by Graham Norton Nov 30, 2022 Rating C

December

An Extravagant Death by Charles Finch Dec 2, 2022 (Book 14 of a series) Rating B
Unleashed by Emily Kimmelman Dec 3, 2022 (Book 1 of a series) Rating B-
Death in the Dark by Emily Kimmelman Dec 6, 2022 (Book 2 of a s series) Rating B-
Insatiable by Emily Kimmelman Dec 10, 2022 (Book 3 of a series) Rating B-
The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik Dec 14, 2022 (Book 3 of a series) Rating B+
Chasing the Light by Robert Crais Dec 15, 2022 (Book many in a series) Rating B
Bark to the Future by Spencer Quinn Dec 19, 2022 (Book 13 in a series) Rating B
Surrender by Bono Dec 24, 2022 Rating B+
Babel by R.F. Kuang Dec 30, 2022 Rating B-

[Greg]

Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone

I will be starting a Craft Sequence thread to keep all these reviews and discussions in one place. The series kind of warrants it. Especially since I have five more Craft Sequence books waiting.

This book was so much more action packed than The Last First Snow. The book revolves around Temoc's son, Caleb. Caleb now works for Red King Consolidated which is owned by the Red King, Temoc's enemy. Caleb must navigate the contract to acquire Hearthstone and it's water rights, contract negotiations are the basis for many great fantasy novels. Things go awry when demons start getting into the reservoirs which leads to them coming out of faucets in Dresediel Lex, the main city. Things get worse from there.

It helped a lot to have read The Last First snow first, because many of those characters play roles in Two Serpents Rise. Although, Temoc in Last First Snow is a much more sympathetic character than he is in Two Serpents Rise. Oddly the first book I read in the Craft Sequence is Three parts dead, which I'm reading now.

[Greg]

Broken Promise by Linwood Barclay

Taking a break from the Craft sequence for a bit. I came upon this author via twitter and then looking him up online. Barclay is prolific.

Broken Promise is about Promise Falls, NY a town on the way down. Jobs are disappearing. The amusement park is closed. Prospects are bleak. David Harwood takes a job at the local paper in Promise Falls to get away from the hectic pace of Boston and to spend more time with his son. The paper closes the day he shows up for work. He's forced to move in with his parents. The mystery at the heart of the story is about his cousin who ends up with a baby that isn't hers, but she thinks it is, and the murder of the baby mother. But that's just one of the weird things that is happening in the town. There are also strange events at the College. And at the shuttered Amusement Park. 

But the book didn't really grab me. The writing is rather simple and straight forward, maybe that has to do with Barclay being an actual reporter as well. I guessed the who done it pretty quickly. There are seeds for the next two books in the series. Everyone seems to have a secret. From Harwood's father to the ex-mayor trying to be the next mayor to woman Harwood sleeps with. We'll see if the stories get more captivating.

[Greg]

Far From True by Linwood Barclay

The Drive in Theater screen crumbles after an explosion killing several people. The police are involved. A private inspector is involved. The reporter turned campaign manager starts to look into it. Seems like some of the people in town are into wife swapping and then taping then activities. The investigation never really concentrates on who blew up the screen but rather the lives of the people who were killed. Plus, there some child kidnapping in there as well. Lots of plot. Lots of plot.

I get the feeling that some of the characters are from other books Barclay has written. I he references the first book in the trilogy in kind of an off hand way so the book can be read without reference to the first book. And Barclay talks about some of the new characters in the same offhand way so I figure there are other books. Barclay is prolific and I started with this trilogy since it got all the press.

Still very pedestrian writing but I'm kind of intrigued to see where it goes and who is doing all the killing.

[thatguy]

Tell me more about this "wife swamping"

--tg

[Greg]

It's nasty.

[Greg]

Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone

I am not a fan of this one. It never really clicked for me or something. It's not part of the Craft Sequence. It's a standalone. Viv is super smart CEO in the near future who runs afoul of the US totalitarian government. She must go on the run to avoid being kidnapped. But that all changes when she is whisked into the future where she becomes a holy relic and must fight the ruler of the universe. It was bit much. I don't know why it didn't click for me.

[Greg]

Twenty Three by Linwood Barclay

Yay, it's over. I know who the killer is. Most of the story lines wrapped up. It just wasn't very engrossing. I didn't care about any of the characters. There wasn't anything about them that drew me to them. There was a lot of stuff going on but I was barely interested in them.

[Greg]

Sacred Places: American Tourist Attractions in the Nineteenth Century by John F. Sears

Such a good book. A really interesting exploration of tourist places and what they mean to the formation of the identity of the United States. Of course the book covers Yosemite but it goes into so many more including Yellowstone and Niagara Falls. The weirdest had to be Mauch Chunk which was coal distribution center in Pennsylvania. Tourists went there to see the juxtaposition of industry and nature, waxing rhapsodic about the piles of anthracite. 

I mostly read this for it's depiction of Niagara Falls. The Falls is the cautionary tale that made way for the restrictions put in place for Yosemite. The author, Sears, also put Yosemite into a different perspective. From it's beginning it was going to be a tourist destination, the environmentalism didn't arrive until the 20th century. Really good.

[Greg]

No Time For Goodbye by Lindsay Barclay

Another desultory book by Barclay. Cynthia Bigge as a teenager wakes up one morning to find her parents and brother missing. Flash forward a dozen years with still no clue to where they went. But the mystery is starting to unravel and we slog our way through to the resolution of what happened that night. I'm probably too harsh. The writing is very straight forward and moves along nicely. I just don't care for the stories Barclay tells.

[Greg]

A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch

Lennox is a member of the upper crust in Victorian England who bides his time solving mysteries. Although this is the first book in the series, you get the idea he's been doing this for awhile. There were a lot of echoes to Sherlock Holmes in the story. Lennox is super aware. He's a bachelor. He's got a doctor helper. But he's not as prickly as Holmes. He also has a frenemy on the Police Force named Exeter.

In this case, Lady Jane, Lennox's neighbor, wants Lennox to look into the death of Lady Jane's former maid who died at her new place of employment. The Aristocracy is involved and gold from the Royal Mint and lots of suspects. You aren't given enough clues to solve the mystery yourself but it's nice story and I will be reading more of this series. There is a lot of description of how the upper class lives in Victorian Society. Think Parasol Protectorate without the magic.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

By the way, I like the new organization and rating system.

[Greg]

There is always room for improvement. Dammit.

[Greg]

Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha

Another one of those books I just wanted to be finished because I was so annoyed by the book. It's the future. Everyone fights over the last few scraps of civilization in a world decimated by a solar flare. Tech groups run different enclaves and people jockey around them. Nina is one of the groups trying to make the world a better place. She along with two other women are information brokers. Nina is a super capable clone. Knox runs the Silver Devil on the run from the Tech Company he used to be an enforcer for. Knox needs Nina to help him break into some secret vault where there is a McGuffin or something. They must work together. And the attraction for each other is undeniable as they struggle against their desires to bone. Just shoot me now. Since the duo that is Kit Rocha also write erotic fiction, the sex scenes are pretty graphic. But the prose is oh so purple and climaxes are the best ever and oh my god just shoot me.

"They moved together -- slowly at first, then faster. Harder. Soon, her entire world had been reduced to slick skin and grinding pleasure, whispered pleas and Knox's teeth on the back of her shoulder.

Whatever happened tomorrow, she would always have this."

[Greg]

It's a Wonderful Woof by Spencer Quinn

Yeah, back to the Chet and Bernie mystery world where short-term memory Chet the dog narrates the books. Occasionally it's charming but it does get annoying after a while. This time around Chet and Bernie hunt for a missing detective that Bernie gave a case to. There's a falling down church out in the desert that holds a lot of secrets plus a visit from Carravvagio. They mystery at the hear isn't very compelling. There is kind of a Christmas tie-in to the story with lots of talk of Christmas trees and snow and even a shout out to Hanukkah.