Blood, Sweat and Keyboards

Chronicling the journey of an aspiring novelist

Reading List

#writersshouldreadtoo! Here’s a quick rundown of what I’ve been reading when I have the time!

At the moment, I’m reading Midnight Tides, by Steven Erikson, as well as Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. I just beat my old record for books read in a year: The Partner by John Grisham made it 49 for 2024! So now, no matter how slowly I read for the rest of the year, I’ll still have beaten my personal best. It’s a good feeling!

Anyway, I’m continuing to fall for Malazan Book of the Fallen: I’m on book 5 now, and still thoroughly enjoying it. Along with that, some other first-time reads I’ve really liked are Royal Assassin, The Forgetting Moon, The Hero of Ages and More Perfect.

2024

FICTION

FIRST-TIME READS

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

The Forgetting Moon by Brian Lee Durfee

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

After Death by Dean Koontz

Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson

Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb

Lightning by Dean Koontz

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White

More Perfect by Temi Oh

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson

The Poppy Wife by Caroline Scott

The Trials of Koli by M.R. Carey

The Testament by John Grisham

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz

Christine by Stephen King

Americanah: A Novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham

House of Chains by Steven Erikson

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

His Dark Materials: Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman

The Family by Mario Puzo

Creature by John Saul

The Cruelty by Scott Bergstrom

Ticktock by Dean Koontz

The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler

The Partner by John Grisham

RE-READS

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer

NON-FICTION

FIRST-TIME READS

Empress Dowager Cixi by Jung Chang

2023

FICTION

FIRST-TIME READS

Winter Moon by Dean Koontz

Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy – 2022 ed. Rebecca Roanhorse

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin

Jade War by Fonda Lee

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Carrie by Stephen King

Fix by Ferrett Steinmetz

Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee

The Difference by Marina Endicott

Inland by Tea Obreht

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson

The Void Ascendant by Premee Mohamed

Damsel by Evelyn Skye

The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson

The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

A Broken Darkness by Premee Mohamed

The Green Mile by Stephen King

Beneath the Rising by Premee Mohamed

The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey

Tetroid by Geoff White

RE-READS

Stranded by Bracken MacLeod

False Memory by Dean Koontz

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

1984 by George Orwell

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

The Giver by Lois Lowry

NON-FICTION

FIRST-TIME READS

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx

Buddhism: Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen

Tao te Ching by Lao-Tzu

Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington

RE-READS

The Awakened Introvert by Arnie Kozak