My 2015 Reading Thumbnail
I would’ve liked to write an extensive review about every book that I read in 2015, but I’ll keep it short for now, as there’s a gigantic review coming soon to discuss the series that featured prominently in my 2015 reading list, The Wheel of Time. What you’re about to embark upon is my summarized ‘thumbnail’ take on the universe of reading materials I exposed myself to in the preceding year.
English Books
I started the year off on what I like to call popcorn books, Marie Lu’s young adult “Legend” trilogy. While not exactly “The Hunger Games”, it’s a good quick read if you’re a fan of the dystopian genre and not looking for something too profound.
Then I jumped to another dystopia-themed novel, the only stand-alone (more on why I use this word later) ebook of the year, Hugh Howey’s “Wool”, the first book in his “Silo” trilogy. This book was profound, original, and thought-provoking. I’m currently around 70% through the second book, “Shift”, and I can safely say this is well worth your time and money.
I then alternated between one of my finds of the year, techno-thriller fiction writer Daniel Suarez, and Francis Fukuyama’s two-volume magnum opus on the development of political systems. Daniel Suarez is a must read people, I devoured his four books in under two months. My favorites were the two-part series “Daemon” and “Freedom”, tackling how an open world role playing game diffuses into reality, with interesting consequences. Ever thought what it would be like to see the rating of a stranger walking next to you on the street as you’d do an Amazon-listed product? If so then this book is for you. Before those two books though, you absolutely have to start off with “Influx”, it is beyond fantastic. His fourth book “The Kill Decision”, deals with drones, ethics, and how boundaries blur in-between. Suarez has an interesting TED talk on the matter. Fukuyama’s “The Origins of Political Order” and “Political Order and Political Decay” were arduous reads to the say the least, but you emerge vastly informed about history, politics, and their evolution, if only through Fukuyama’s eyes.
Being the numbers guy, I just had to squeeze in something about business or economics, and that manifested in the form of Thomas Piketty’s “Capital in the Twenty-First Century”, which was hailed as one of the best 2014 books of its genre. I’m mostly swayed with data-driven arguments, and Piketty does that beautifully, filling the book with time-series to the brink. The book focuses on wealth and income-inequality, and to say I had high expectations of the book would be an understatement, for rising income-equality will be the destruction of us all in the coming century. The solution however was underwhelming, with Piketty proposing a progressive tax to prevent the concentration of wealth in few hands. Really Thomas? A ‘more of the same’ solution? What about closing up tax havens and loopholes in corporate tax law? The book can become painfully technical at times, and I suggest those with finance, mathematics, or an economics background to read it.
Last year was also big on classics for me, having read three of them! I think that’s more that the prior three years combined. Of those, I started off with the incomparable Frank Herbet’s 1965 classic “Dune”, which is a must read for every science fiction fan. The book will resonate with Arabs, given Herbert’s generous reliance on Arabic terms. Do “Kitab Al Ebar”, “Lisan Al Ghaib”, and “Muad’dib” sound familiar? How about those desert dwelling Fremen? They sure look like Bedouins. To cap off the classics, there were “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “1984”, must-reads in the vast realm of must-reads.
Then I stumbled upon a gem, fantasy author Brandon Sanderson’s “The Way of Kings”, the first of ten books in his “The Stormlight Archive” epic. I’d advise caution though, the book version I have is 1,007 pages long, and the audiobook is a sprawling 46 hours, the longest of my listens so far. Sanderson has been building this world for ten years, and it shows. The magic system is among the most fantastic I’ve ever seen, and the world of Roshar so very easy to set into. You’re there with Kaladin and Bridge 4 battling the Parshendi on the Shattered Plains, acutely aware of the internal and external transformations he’s going through. You’re learning, unlearning, and relearning together with Dalinar, and so on with most characters, who are well-fleshed, imperfect, and most importantly, human. This will be an epic for the ages, mark my words. The second installment in the series, “Words of Radiance”, which is even longer than the first book, is currently sitting on my shelf, sending stormlight through my hand every time I pick up a book that’s not it. But I’m putting off reading it until at least the third book is out. If you’re a fantasy fan, reading this book is a no-brainer. Another aspect of the book that’s spell-binding is its art, a somehow under-appreciated or mostly overlooked aspect in the novel publishing business. Anybody who has been pained by the art on the “The Wheel of Time” books will sympathize. In his recent books, Sanderson has really prioritized the artwork, hiring fantastic artists to help out. If you’re too intimidated to read “The Way of Kings” for its length, then at the very least buy it to appreciate its art, which I guarantee will break your fear barrier and have you up until 4 AM reading. I also read Sanderson’s novella “The Emperor’s Soul”, set in the world of another of the author’s novels “Elantris”, of which I’ve luckily secured a beautifully designed 10th anniversary, now sold-out, limited-edition (hat tip again to Sanderson’s heightened awareness for the need of spectacular design that envelops the intricate fabric of his storytelling).
One cannot read Brandon Sanderson without hearing of the mark he’s left on Robert Jordan’s “The Wheel of Time” epic, having concluded the series by writing the final three books after Jordan’s death. The series consists of 15 books (14 volumes and a prequel) and a short story called “River of Souls” featured in the “Unfettered” anthology. I read them all in a feverish frenzy over 5 months. Reviewing a 4.4 million word epic fantasy is not a feat that can be accomplished in a day, and I’m currently rereading the series to ensure nothing slips me by. Thus to do justice by this work, I’ll be dedicating a standalone review of the overall series and the individual books in future posts.
2015 was also the year that I finished the last of what has been published of George RR Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire”, the fifth book “A Dance with Dragons”, having read the previous four in 2014. You close the book feeling empty, confused, and pissed off, for the following reasons:
- this last book ends with 4 different catastrophes and dozens of loose ends which will surely spring forth due to that;
- you don’t get enough of two particular characters (they feature in only four chapters out of 73), but I suppose you can only cram so much in 1,051 pages;
- only God knows when GRRM will release the sixth book “Winds of Winter” since he releases a book every five years or so. Knowing that book five was released in 2011, book six seems to be set for 2016; and
- another favorite character of mine (after Ned and Robb Stark) seems to have been killed off (fingers crossed that it is not so).
I rue the day I started reading this series, alas I can not stop now. Will be impatiently waiting for “The Winds of Winter”, knowing that one thing is for certain, winter is coming, and so is blood and fire. UPDATE: On 2 January, Martin posted news about TWoW, and it’s not good.
Two books I didn’t like were “All the Light We Cannot See” and “The Fault in Our Stars”. “Why?” you might ask. Well, generally I prefer my reading to be light on depression.
Also read JK Rowling’s (writing under her pseudonym Robert Galbrath) “The Silkworm”, the second of her Cormoran Strike detective series. For some reason I liked the first book, “The Cuckoo’s Calling”, better. The third of the series, “Career of Evil”, is impatiently waiting on the shelf, beckoning me to delve into its mysteries.
Two good reads about psychology and human behavior were “The Power of Habit” and “Predictably Irrational”. I’d recommend the former.
Once an author’s style grows on you, you forge a connection with them, driving you to explore more of their works, which happened to me with Daniel Suarez as mentioned above, Brandon Sanderson (having ordered his “Mistborn” series, set to be read sometime in 2016), and unsurprisingly, George RR Martin. Back in October 2014, I had his “A World of Ice and Fire” on pre-order of course, and I’m still going through it, savoring the history, the illustrations, rereading a bit here, a bit there. And I cannot stress again the importance of the artwork in today’s visually-driven world, especially in the fantasy genre, and in “A World of Ice and Fire”, the art blows you away, from a depiction of the Pact between the First Men and the Children of the Forest, to the Iron Throne on page 46 (by no means even close to what’s in the television series), to the sunset landing of the Andals on the shores of the stormlands, this book belongs in the halls of museums. I digress however, for I wanted to talk about another book of Martin’s, one unknown from back in 1987, the first of the “Wild Cards” series, a science fiction and superhero anthology series set in a shared universe. The series is edited by Martin, with the prologue, a short story and 5 interludes written by him as well. The series features stories from legends like the late Roger Zelazny, talents such as Carrie Vaughn and many others. I was at first skeptical of such an experiment, fearing the the authors’ different writing styles and grasps of the universe would culminate into one fantastical mess. Those fears, thankfully, never materialized, with the story tight from end to finish, even with multiple authors tackling the same character, such as Dr Tachyon. Chapeau bas to Martin’s editing and embroidery skills putting this together. The series extends over 22 books so far, and I’ve ordered the next four, it’s going to be an interesting ride. If you’re an X-Men or a Heroes television series (in spirit at least, the mess the plot went through notwithstanding) fan, then this series is for you.
I capped off 2015 with my favorite non-fiction genre, biographies/autobiographies. My favorites so far were Nelson Mandela’s autobiography “A Long Walk to Freedom” and Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography, of which I’ve written a review of in case you want a quick thorough rundown. I added another favorite to the mix in 2015, Ashlee Vance’s Elon Musk biography, chronicling his early life, endeavors, start-ups, and current revolutionary businesses Tesla and SpaceX. Looking for motivation? This book will do that for you better than any self help book.
On a much lighter note, Jimmy Fallon was a consistent companion via his two hilarious volumes of Thank You Notes. Just open a random page and laugh your worries away.
Arabic books
An area of development for me is Arabic books (you can find the two of them that I managed to read in the far right corner). To do them the honor they deserve, I’m reviewing them in Arabic below:
الكتاب الأول لمنذر قباني "حكومة الظل" في سلسلة الخيال الرباعية التي تتناول منظمات سرية في الحقبة العثمانية. بينما يتناول الكتاب الثاني حكم ونصائح من أحد الكتاب السعوديين المفضلين لدي، محمد الرطيان في كتابه "وصايا". :كتاب ألهمني وأنصح الجميع بقرأته.
Comics
For me 2015 was a revelatory year in the comics arena, and hear I just have to thank my two friends Omair Taibah and Faisal Aseeri for getting me into this. All of the comics I’ve read are in the picture above, and I’ll quickly highlight the ones I’ll continue reading. That is not to say the others were badly written or the art shabbily rendered, but they just weren’t for me. After going through a diverse selection of comics this year, I can say with surety that there are no badly-made comics, for the amount work that artists and writers put into those minuscule frames to bring the story to life for us is outright outstanding.
The things that pique my interest, and any comics/graphic novel fan I presume, in a comic are the: (i) premise, (ii) art, and (iii) writing. When the writer/artist mold the three into something that touches your soul, challenges your mind, and stretches your imagination, you know you’re in the for the ride of your below. Below, I’m presenting the comics that gave me that unforgettable ride.
If you’re in the market for a completed series, go for “Y: The Last Man”. I’ve gone through 3 of the 5 books of this Eisner award winning dystopian comic and so very not look forward to it ending, which is probably the main reason I’ve been putting off reading the last two books. Naturally, Pia Guerra’s penciling is fantastic. Then there’s the epic space opera/fantasy “Saga”, with 5 trade paperbacks published so far, and a winner of several Eisner’s as well, beautifully illustrated by Fiona Staples. Not surprising, they’re both written by Brian Vaughan, the writer, story editor and producer of the television series Lost during seasons 3 through 5. I’m also reading his “The Private Eye” (which earned the 2015 Eisner Award for Best Digital/Web Comic), a detective mystery comic, set in a future where the cloud has burst and everybody’s secrets got out in the open, forcing people to wear masks in public. And get this, “The Private Eye” is published online on The Panel Syndicate a DRM-free, pay-what-you-want, webcomics site. And do I really have to tell you how awesome Marcos Martin’s art is? The duo have also released “Barrier” on 1 December, which I’ve also bought via the pay-what-you-want model online but not yet read. Needless to say, I’ve also pre-ordered his two upcoming comics, “Paper Girls” and “We Stand on Guard”, to be released in April and May of 2016, respectively. The captivating thing about Vaughan’s plots is their forward-looking, though surprisingly contemporary, realism, and the imperfect, broken nature of his protagonists. Vaughan is a force, may it always be with him.
First volumes that I’ve extremely enjoyed and plan to see them through to the end if the quality continues at the same level are, in no particular order:
- “East of West”, by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Nick Dragotta, is an ongoing science fiction Western set in a dystopian version of the United States whose fate rests with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Its first issue was published in March 2013;
- “Lazarus”, an ongoing Eisner award winning series by writer Greg Rucka and artist Michael Lark, set in a dystopian future where the United States is ruled by several mafia “Families”, with each family having its own super-hitman, a Lazarus. Its first issue was published in June 2013;
- “Sandman”, acclaimed author Neil Gaimen’s completed epic about Morpheus, or Dream, one of the seven Endless. Several artists have collaborated on this work. The series ran from January 1989 to March 1996. Funnily enough, in 1987 Gaimen pitched the idea of including Dream in the Wild Cards series to George RR Martin, who blew him off for his lack of credits; and last but not least
- “100 Bullets”, which is a completed Eisner award-winning series that ran from June 1999 to April 2009 written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Eduardo Risso. It’s a noir crime saga. To tell you the truth, I hated this book during the first half, mainly because of Azzarello’s use of neighborhood slang, but after getting used to it, and observing the grand plot unfold, I was hooked!
One cannot talk comics without mentioning super-heroes. But here I’ll mention them in the unconventional sense. The super-hero comics that I enjoyed in 2015 were set in alternate story lines, namely a Soviet Superman and an aged Wolverine who’s all but given up. Intrigued? Then “Superman: Red Son” and “Old Man Logan” are for you.
Special mention
Andy Weir’s “The Martian” was the best book I read back in 2014, and it was only fitting to give it a reread in 2015 in before watching the movie, which was just as spectacular. The story is just the right dose of ingenuity, hopelessness, sarcasm, frustration, and humanity. Will the book feature again in my 2016 readings? You betcha. After all, the Bluray is coming out on the 12th of January.
Hayat
You’ve probably noticed my monkey “Hayat” in the picture. In Arabic, “Hayat” means life, and this is what reading brings you, a life running parallel to yours, taking you on a ride without asking for anything in return, except your patience sometimes, and your time.
You might also notice the amulet Hayat is wearing, warded as to protect her book kingdom, which spans hundreds of universes, and legions upon legions of people. Beware getting close to her, she does not take kindly to those unfamiliar to her.
