I want to space out the chapters I post, so wondered what I could write for the “in-between” episodes. Or whatever, I’m not committing to a post schedule. So, end of year.

Goodreads was kind enough to send me a list of books I read this year. Or more accurately, books I read on my Kindle that I submitted reviews to, that I hadn’t reviewed before. So what was on my mind in 2015?

Fantasy fiction:

I ripped through a lot of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series (books 2-9) in 2015. I tried to get into this series in the early 2000’s but just couldn’t get caught. Now that I’m on the ride, I’m totally in. I appreciate the sweeping story line, multiple plotlines (although at this point, it’s tough to follow sometimes), and character development. My problem was stopping at book 7 for a few months; when I started back up again I had forgotten so much.

I also rolled through 3/4 of Glen Cook’s The Black Company for the second time. Dark, gritty, but an honest take on military life, his writing just grabs me. As a veteran, I can say without reservation that he captures what it’s like to serve, even if the backdrop is set in a fantasy kingdom.

Lastly, I got through C.S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair and Horse and His Boy several times each. Because I love them.

Professional:

For work I was turned onto a different productivity model called Scrum, co-created by Jeff Sutherland, and read some of the treatise work on it. Working at a start-up is a different experience, and Scrum uses principles that we use daily to get more done in the average day than I saw done most weeks as a Federal employee. Many reasons for that.

Writing:

I reread many parts of Write, Publish, Repeat as I was putting together the Outremer series, along with the excellent 2000-10,0000 by Rachel Aaron. Nothing ground-breaking, but all good techniques to do things better. I think I also made it through Steven Pressfield’s Turning Pro and Shawn Coyne’s The Story Grid. Much of this reading was technical, but the steady drumbeat of “Do the work” was good to hear. It helped me get through the first draft of Outremer!

I can’t recall the authors, but I also managed to finish two works of history on the Crusades, one specifically on the Templars. Good source material that I hope comes through in my writing.

In 2016, I intend to get the Wheel of Time finished up (and not stop so I forget the plots again), along with finishing my reread of The Black Company. And I’m sure much much more!

Any recommendations? Leave them in the comments for everyone! And happy reading to all in 2016.