Good thing I didn’t make a resolution

I’m glad, in hindsight, that I did not formalize the resolution I contemplated about diligently reviewing every single book I read this year. If I had done so, I would find myself already six reviews behind. Since I had the wisdom, or perhaps the foresight, not to set myself up for failure, I can in good conscience leave you with only a list of brief descriptions.

• Making Money by Terry Pratchett. In this sequel to Going Postal, the con man turned postmaster general Moist von Lipwig tackles the Royal Bank. We read this book aloud in the car during our Thankstmas Oklarkansas road trips in November and December.
• Farthing by Jo Walton. Thanks to the excellent taste of the Nickersons, I thoroughly enjoyed this alternate history mystery featuring Peter Carmichael. After making peace with Nazi Germany, the corrupt politicians of Great Britain try to consolidate power.
• Ha’penny by Jo Walton. Sequel to Farthing. The last book, Half a Crown, is in the mail and cannot arrive soon enough.
• The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card (20%). Despite an action-filled opening, I couldn’t get hooked on this story of Danny, a gatemage whose forbidden magic makes him hunted by his own family.
• How to Live Safely in a Science-Fictional Universe by Charles Yu. Charles Yu fixes time machines. When he unexpectedly comes across himself, he unfortunately shoots himself, leading him into a time loop that forces him to come to terms with his unhappy relationship with his father, the inventor of time travel, who has been missing since Charles was seventeen. Snappy writing and delightful meta-commentary about science fiction make this a perfect afternoon read for science fiction fans.
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle from The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes edited by Leslie S. Klinger. What is there left to say about the best of the best Sherlock Holmes stories, complete with snarky footnotes? I love Sherlock Holmes.