My Last Post For 2021...

Well, I'm ending the year Covid free and with my mental health in a much better place so I'm counting it as a win :o) You went through 2021 as well so you don't need me to go on about it too much... So I won't ;o) Lets just give each other a pat on the back, for making it through, and fingers crossed for a much better 2022. It couldn't get any worse, could it...? It'll be fine :o)

Books though? Yeah, I'll talk about books :o) I'm gutted that I didn't finish 'The God Is Not Willing' and 'Brothers of the Wind' and want to make some time to finish those over the next month. Apart from that though. 2021 wasn't a bad year for getting books read. I'm never going to be up to date with all the latest releases and that's ok, I'm reading purely for enjoyment and that is currently taking me down some different paths to everyone else. I did manage to read a lot of books though which means that for a large chunk of 2021, I was in my happy place and you can't ask for much more than that really ;o)

Everyone else is doing 'Best Of 2021' lists which is great for them but doesn't really fit how this blog has gone over the last year so I'm going for the 'Books that I read ages ago but are still living in my head' approach. I think there are some good ones here and they're all worth checking out if you get a chance. Here goes,


The Favourite... 'The Seven' – Brian Keene

Probably (actually, definitely) my favourite read of the year. A book that all other Brian Keene books have been leading up to and the good news is that 'The Seven' doesn't wilt under that pressure. Maybe not the best book to start your 'Brian Keene Journey' on but it's there to look forward to and it's well worth the wait.

The Fantasy Book... 'Elric: The Revenge of the Rose' – Michael Moorcock

Quite unlike any of the preceding 'Elric' books and all the more special for it. I also got to feel all proud of myself for finally finishing it (okay, I still do...)

The Horror Book... 'Night of the Mannequins' – Stephen Graham Jones.

Not the Stephen Graham Jones book that I should have read this year (that's still in the TBR pile, I will read it) but I am so glad that I picked up this deliciously unsettling read and gave it a go. You should too, you really should.

And yes, I read and enjoyed a lot of Guy N. Smith this year but that would have been too easy ;o)



The Sci-Fi Book... 'Bloodlines' – Chris Wraight

A bit of a 'two for one' here as I get to include a little crime here as well. As Black Library expands into Crime and Horror, I'm constantly reminded of how much scope there is for varied storytelling in the WH40K universe. 'Bloodlines' is a great entry point into the worlds behind the front lines of an Imperium at war.


The Comic Book... 'Conan and the Songs of the Dead' – Joe R. Lansdale and Tim Truman

Possibly the best Conan story I've read that isn't by Robert E. Howard, seriously. That's high praise but this book lives up to it Honourable mention goes to Ed Brubaker's 'Pulp'.

And that's your lot for this year ;o) I'll see you on the other side but until then, have a good one (you've earned it) ;o)

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