Read in 2017

Whenever I check other blogs and see how much books other people have read in a year, my eyes tend to pop a bit when I see three figure numbers. (to salvage my dignity) I dismiss this as mindless consumerism but over the past 2 years I can't deny that my numbers have taken a definite hit.
I blame Malazan. Since I read Erikson's magnum opus I just haven't looked at fantasy or even approached reading in general as the same. I have invariably started to take my time with everything I read, letting it settle or even just take leisurely breaks between chapters to lock whatever I've read in my mind, to search for meaning and relevancy, on its own and against the whole. And you can take that any way you want because I won't elaborate, on the account of the fact that it would make me look quite uppity again.
Naturally then, that this deliberate pacing would slow the reading down.
In one way that's not really a problem, as it shouldn't be about how much you read in a year. Quality over quantity, pleasure before checklists, making sure you understand the various levels on which the book is working, training your critical faculties, etcetera...
On the other hand it's definitely oh my god I'm never going to be able to read all the books I want oh no I'm wasting my time when I could be reading books I'm sleeping instead should I maybe just quit my job so I could read more or do I just go that next step and just kill a man in the street so I could go to jail and ONLY have time in which to read books and oh my god that's it isn't it...?

No, no, no, that's just crazy. Let's dial it back... or put a pin in it at least.

I've read 36 books this year.
Almost all of these are fantasy or horror and I'm only mildly surprised to see that I haven't read any sci-fi at all this year. I'd like to change that but well, you know how those things go, There's always something else that comes up.
Only a few of those 36 are relatively new, and only one of those was published this year: Anna Smith Spark's The Court of Broken Knives. Which was good though I still have some reservations. See my review. Be warned though, it gets very personal... and corny.

On every other one of these novels I've at least given my thoughts, if not a full-fledged review. Some, like the Wall, or some of the Fantasy Masterworks, have been given a whole host of posts.

I've not reviewed or even given my thoughts on the American Gods cycle, The Crippled God, the two Elrics, The Warhound and the World's Pain, As I lay dying or Lords and ladies.
The Joe Golem review is up and coming.
So that seems to be 10 out of the 36 haven't got their own review, except that I did write about both the Elrics and the Warhound. But those posts will play an important role this year so I'm not gonna share anything here yet. In any case, next year those novels will also be re-read for an upcoming reading project.
For the rest of them, those were read before the blog started up so I don't feel any inclination to write about them here... Really? Ah, well then, but only because you asked.

American Gods cycle

Neil Gaiman writes magic. In a sentence, that's about as short as I can make it.
Whatever he writes, his prose sucks you in and transports you to a world in which only his story exists. It's just a shame that his mythological system when looked at directly doesn't seem to hold up.
Apart from that; brilliant reads. At times dark, but mostly pure poetry-prose.
American Gods' ending was stupid, no way around it. Build-up, build-up, build-up and in the end what do you get: the literary equivalent of a deflating balloon. That is my opinion and I'm curious to see if the television series will do it any different.
Black Dog was a lovely read filled with magic and black wonder, Monarch of the Glen not so much. While Anansi Boys was a pleasant read that nonetheless felt flighty at times.

These stunningly beautiful editions are from Headline Publishing Group and were what kicked the ball rolling for me to do a re-read. They're filled with black and white illustrations throughout.

As I lay Dying

Whatever I get as a gift gets moved to the top of the pile. As I lay dying was last year's Christmas gift.
Initially I wasn't sure exactly why I got this one as I certainly didn't ask for it, and it seems rather a specific sort of novel to be giving this to anyone, don't you think?
Well, leaving reasons and wanting to or not besides, I read it and I found it to be good. It helped me understand how to approach stream-of-consciousness writing. While the boring-sounding story turned out to be pretty riveting, I did have some qualms about the cover blurb using the quote 'Biblical', as trudging trek through the desert aside the comparisons ended there. I'm always looking for something with that kind of massive scope, so this was just a little disappointing. I really wanted to see what happened to the family though. Interesting, fucked-up and flawed characters. Very memorable.

Lords and Ladies

Hmm. It appears; this one was not so very memorable.
I think this was Pratchett's parody of a Midsummernight's Dream? I think I had fun, although, again; forgettable, so I'm not sure anymore.

The Crippled God

This one however, is unforgettable. Although I still find myself at a loss on what to say about it.
Massive battles, hideous grinding death, saying goodbye to characters you've known for years, themes hitting their climax, circles coming to a close and a beautiful ending filled with heart-aching melancholy.

There's nothing quite like Malazan.

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Alright, that's this post done.
Next up. Top 5 Books I read in 2017!
That is the novels which I read, not which were published in 2017 and I read. As should be very obvious from this post, I don't do new releases unless they specifically interest me, or if they've received commendations from bloggers or authors that I like.