The 2005 Reading List

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For the second year in a row, I finished the year with 70 books read. In analyzing them, oh so briefly, 20-25% of them are Star Trek related, down a bit from last year, reflecting the change in Pocket’s publishing program. A higher than usual number, some 7 or 8 books, actually appeared on the Times best seller list, either in 2004 or 2005. My pal Keith DeCandido is tied with Robert B. Parker as the most read author with three books apiece (Keith edges Parker by editing two anthologies I also read). Since I like to sample new stuff, I was exposed to at least 21 authors for the first time not counting writers who appeared in some of the anthologies. The most entertaining surprise offering may well be Me and Orson Welles, a slim but engaging novel by Robert Kaplow.This, of course, is coupled with the 100+ comic books each month plus regular issues of Time, The Week, Entertainment Weekly, Smithsonian, Premiere, Hollywood Life, Starlog, CFQ, Alter Ego, Back Issue, Comic Buyers’ Guide, Wizard and odd issues of other titles. The day also starts off with the Connecticut Post and USA Today plus bits and pieces from the Times and then there’s the material I have to read as part of the job. Therefore, I am happily exposed to many wonderful ideas, notions and nuggets of information and the good news is, I still have my I want to learn or be exposed to.For those interested, the full list of titles is behind the cut:

  • John AdamsDavid McCullough

  • Star Trek: To Reign in HellGreg Cox

  • Star Trek: Voyager - Spirit Walk 1Christie Golden

  • Star Trek: Voyager - Spirit Walk 2Christie Golden

  • Star Trek: Ex MachinaChristopher L. Bennett

  • Darkness, Take my HandDennis Lehane

  • Men of TomorrowGerard F. Jones

  • McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing StoriesMichael Chabon, editor

  • Downtown: My ManhattanPete Hamill

  • Road to PurgatoryMax Allan Collins

  • Star Trek: Worlds of the Federation 2Martin & Mangels/J. Noah Kim

  • Star Trek: Worlds of the Federation 3David R. George III/Keith R.A. DeCandido

  • Star Trek: Titan - Taking WingMichael A. Martin & Andy Mangels

  • Star Trek: Engines of DestinyGene DeWese

  • Star Trek: I.K.S. Gorkon - Engines of DestinyKeith R.A. DeCandido

  • MoneyballMichael Lewis

  • Cold CaseRobert B. Parker

  • Chloe does YaleNatalie Krinsky

  • SlippageHarlan Ellison

  • Baseball LiteracyDavid H. Martinez

  • Slaves UnchainedSusan Wright

  • Kiss Her GoodbyeAllan Guthrie

  • Finding SerenityJane Espenson, editor

  • Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic BookJordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon

  • NeverwhereNeil Gaiman

  • Star Trek: Errand of Rage Book 1Kevin Ryan

  • Star Trek: SCE - BreakdownsKeith R.A. DeCandido, editor

  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Hollow MenUna McCormack

  • The Best Seat in the HousePat Weaver

  • Anansi BoysNeil Gaiman

  • TowelheadAlicia Erian

  • ZorroIsabel Allende

  • Star Trek: VanguardDavid Mack

  • Forever FreeJoe Haldeman

  • One Tough MotherGert Boyle

  • Over Her Dead BodyKate White

  • The StudioJohn Gregory Dunne

  • Danger CityContemporary Press

  • PlaygroundJennifer Saginor

  • Star Trek: Tales from the Captain's TableKeith R.A. DeCandido, editor

  • The Kite RunnerKhaled Hosseini

  • Alias APOGreg Cox

  • The PlotWill Eisner

  • Star Trek: Articles of the FederationKeith R. A. DeCandido

  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceJ.K. Rowling

  • AppaloosaRobert B. Parker

  • A Long Way DownNick Hornby

  • Jonathan Strange and Mr NorrellSusanna Clark

  • FreakonomicsSteven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

  • Star Trek: Death in WinterMichael Jan Friedman

  • Me and Orson WellesRobert Kaplow

  • The Grapes of WrathJohn Steinbeck

  • Batman BeginsDenny O'Neil

  • Fantastic FourPeter David

  • The American BoyRichard Taylor

  • I, AlienMike Resnick, editor

  • Top of the HeapErle Stanley Gardner

  • Star Trek: Titan - Red KingMichael A. Martin & Andy Mangels

  • Little Girl LostRichard Aleas

  • The Camel ClubDavid Baldacci

  • Star Trek: Voyager - Distant ShoresMarco Palmieri, editor

  • Blood and RosesAnn Tonsor Zeddies

  • SerenityKeith R.A. DeCandido

  • Sword of OrionSharon Lee & Steve Miller

  • Private WarsGreg Rucka

  • Taken LibertySteven H. Wilson

  • The Gutter and the GraveEd McBain

  • The Girl with the Long Green HeartLawrence Block

  • It's SupermanTom DeHaven

  • School DaysRobert B. Parker

    • 2 thoughts on “The 2005 Reading List”

    1. Looks like a good list…a little hard to read the font. Quite a number of them I’ve read. Not a Star Trek reader though. But the baseball books and the Neil Gaiman books and a number of the others. I should keep a list this year.I likely read around 30 books a year. And a few of those are Doc Savages, having finally collected the whole series I was trying to read them in the order they were orginally published, but I have hit a string of bad ones and kind of got stuck.Reading the latest Discworld novel at the moment.Tom Dakers,Calgary

    2. Thanks for your kind comments about my novel ME AND ORSON WELLES.–Robert Kaplow(slim but entertaining)

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