Some books I read in 2010

Here is a list of many of the books I read in 2010.  I’ve missed a few and this doesn’t include magazines, audio books, or role-playing game books.  Bookmooch, library cards, and ebooks are great things.  If I’m lucky I’ll never have to buy another book again.

1) The Fantastic Island: by W. Ryerson Johnson and Lester Dent (writing as "Kenneth Robeson"). Doc Savage and crew get caught up in a series of incredible events which are directed by an evil Russian mastermind on an island in the South Pacific.
2) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft: by Stephen King. This is the first Stephen King book I've ever read. Useful tips on writing.  Haven’t finished this one yet.
3) Showcase Presents: Enemy Ace: a 552 page graphic novel collecting all the stories of a World War I German fighter ace.
4) The Fourth Horseman: One Man's Mission to Wage the Great War in America: by Robert Koening. The story of an American of German descent that betrays the US and attempts to use germ warfare to sabotage the American war effort.
5) Will Main Fly? And Other Strange & Wonderful Predictions From the 1890s": compiled by Dave Walter. A collection of predictions made by dozens of influential Americans in the 1890s about what life would be like in the America of the 1990s.
6) Richthofen: Beyond the Legend of the Red Baron: by Peter Kilduff.  Still need to finish this one.
7) Caliphate: by Tom Kratman. A story set in the dark future of 22nd century Europe.
8) Don't Tread on Us: book designed by Mark Karis, forward by Chuck Norris.  A nice book filled with photos of some of the important events of 2010.

9) Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu: by L. Neil Smith.  It doesn’t always take an Empire to tread on the rights of individuals, the small time planetary authorities can be just as corrupt and evil as an Imp.  Lando manages to turn the tables and the bad guys and helps solve the mystery of the Mindharp of Sharu.

10) Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon: by L. Neil Smith.  Lando’s enemies go to some rather extraordinary lengths to get revenge on him.   It all starts on a world where owning a holdout blaster is a bigger crime than killing someone.

11) Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of Thonboka: by L. Neil Smith.  The conclusion of the Lando Calrissian trilogy.  Lando manages to con his way through an Imperial blockade and into the Starcave of Thonboka.

12) Blood on the Snow: by Graydon A. Tunstall.  History of the Carpathian Winter campaigns of 1915.  A great overview of the Austo-Hungarian/Russian front during the first winter of the Great War.

13) The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: An anthology of stories edited by John Joseph Adams about Sherlock Holmes.  Many different authors contributed including Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Michael Moorcock, and others.

14) The Men Who Stare at Goats: by Jon Ronson.  I haven’t seen the movie based on this one.  Don’t think I will either… not because the book is bad but because I liked the book.  Great stuff in here if I ever run an Illuminati campaign for GURPS or something.

15) Star Trek Myriad Universes: Echoes and Refractions: A collection of stories set in alternate Star Trek histories.  I guess it shows how complex the history of the Star Trek universe is when they can start to publish alternate history novels for it.

16) Star Trek Myriad Universes: Infinity’s Prism: More stories set in alternate Star Trek universes.

17) Afghanistan: A Russian Soldier’s Story: By Vladislav Tamarov.  A great book.  It is filled with photographs taken by the author when he served in the Soviet military during their ill-fated campaign in Afghanistan.  Each photo is accompanied by his thoughts and memories.

18) 1901: by Robert Conroy.  In this alternate history novel the German Empire invades America in 1901.  Rather well done despite its seemingly outlandish premise.

19) Devil Dog: by David Talbot.  Pulp History book about American hero Smedley Butler.  This book is a great overview of his amazing life.  Some assumptions were made about some historic events and some could have been researched better, but a good book overall.

20) Shadow Knights: By Gary Kamiya.  Pulp History book about covert black ops against the Third Reich.

Hopefully I can manage to read much more in 2011.

If you don’t have a library card you might want to consider doing so.  Today in the age of the internet your local branch can get books in form across the county and state much easier than in the old days.

What books have you been reading?