This year I read 36 book – a dip down from previous years, and just a few tomes short of my personal goal to complete 40 books each year.

I did end up reading several much longer books than anticipated (such as It), which slowed my pace down, but probably balanced out by all the non-fiction I read and could tear through in under a week without breaking a sweat.

As well, for the first time, I spent a good deal of my reading energy focusing on my studies and research interests (every title on the list that has to do with America, media and masculinities).

Several books were re-reads from previous years (such as Gibson and Bradbury). I also revisited two of Martin’s ASOIAF books, an inevitable aftermath after each season of Game of Thrones ends and my hunger for fan theories returns in full force. I also completed the Hedge Knight trilogy, which I had previously written off in the back of my head as some form of spin-off nonsense. In the end, I really enjoyed them for their simplicity and more conventional story telling.

If I had to consider a “best of” and worst of” list for this year, Lair of the White Worm easily takes the bottom. An uninspired, meandering sloth of suspicious bromance, penis jokes and some silly plot about a giant evil worm. It put a whole new spin on the concept of a “Bram Stoker fan” – if indeed there actually are any. After reading this, it almost seemed a fluke that Dracula became so influential.

On the best of, I would have to put both Archer and Landsdale up on there. This was the first time I had read works by either of them, and greatly enjoyed both. Archer (Jeffrey) writes in such a simple, straightforward yet captivating manner. His prose are neat and minimal, allowing the tension and confrontations between characters to be the main focus of his novels. Landsdale’s sarcastic, darkly humorous prose also reeled me in.