Greg Barlin
The Best Books of 2024 So Far: Live!
A running list of my "Best Books of the Year", updated as I finish each book.
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Greg Barlin
- Aug 10
- 3 min
Legends & Lattes
★★★★☆ A sweet little story about friendship and starting over, focused on an orc who tries to leave violence behind and open a coffee shop.
70
Greg Barlin
- Jun 26
- 3 min
Tidal Creatures
★★★★☆ McGuire's unparalleled creativity is again on display as she explores Lunar deities working to solve a murder of one of their own.
50
Greg Barlin
- May 29
- 3 min
The Fifth Season
★★★★☆ A uniquely creative fantasy novel, it's ultimately a struggle between those in power and those powerful enough to overthrow them.
90
Greg Barlin
- May 18
- 3 min
When Among Crows
★★★★☆ A memorable novella, inspired by Polish folklore, that follows a guilt-ridden hero's journey through the magical underbelly of Chicago
60
Greg Barlin
- Apr 23
- 3 min
The Familiar
★★★☆☆ A rare ho-hum effort from an author I enjoy, Bardugo's novel of 16th century Spain struggles to blend history, fantasy, and romance.
140
Greg Barlin
- Mar 11
- 3 min
The Book of Doors
★★★★☆ An inventive concept suffers a bit when the inevitable potential plot holes that come with time travel emerge. Entertaining but flawed
100
Greg Barlin
- Feb 27
- 3 min
The Will of the Many
★★★★★ A truly excellent start to a trilogy about an orphan who infiltrates an Academy for societal elites in order to uncover a conspiracy.
270
Greg Barlin
- Feb 16
- 4 min
Fifty Beasts To Break Your Heart: And Other Stories
★☆☆☆☆ By the author of the excellent Thistlefoot, a collection of short stories written six years ago that should have remained unpublished.
300
Greg Barlin
- Dec 23, 2023
- 14 min
The Best Books of 2023
A running tally of my "Best Books of 2023", updated each time I finish a book throughout the year.
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Greg Barlin
- Dec 17, 2023
- 4 min
Fourth Wing (#6 of 2023)
★★★★★ Perhaps the most-hyped book of 2023 lives up to it, as we follow the journey of a young girl as she attempts to become a dragon rider.
540
Greg Barlin
- Dec 15, 2023
- 5 min
Starling House (#8 of 2023)
★★★★★ Harrow returns to top form with a genre-blending story of a young woman trying to scrape by in a town haunted by its past and secrets.
230
Greg Barlin
- Aug 19, 2023
- 4 min
The Battle Drum
★★★★★ El-Arifi builds on her stellar debut The Final Strife (my #3 book of 2022), and does so both ambitiously and successfully.
120
Greg Barlin
- Jun 1, 2023
- 3 min
In the Lives of Puppets
★★★★★ A sometimes dark exploration of a world where humans and sentient machines coexist, balanced by Klune's trademark humor and heart.
120
Greg Barlin
- Feb 17, 2023
- 2 min
The Lost Metal
★★★★★ A fitting and satisfying conclusion to what author Sanderson refers to as "Era Two" of his outstanding Mistborn series.
70
Greg Barlin
- Jan 1, 2023
- 4 min
The Best Books of 2022 (#20-#11), plus the "Naughty List" of books to avoid
Happy New Year! It’s time once again for what has become an annual tradition, my Books of the Year list. 2022 was a busy year of reading,...
310
Greg Barlin
- Jan 4, 2022
- 1 min
The #10 Best Book of 2021: The Blacktongue Thief
★★★★☆ A thief with a wry sense of humor is reluctantly paired up with a badass female knight on a quest to save the knight's queen.
30
Greg Barlin
- Jan 13, 2021
- 1 min
The #3 Best Book of 2020: Race the Sands
★★★★★ Part Seabiscuit, part palace politics, part commentary on societal boundaries and castes -- this novel was great on multiple levels.
60
Greg Barlin
- Jan 10, 2021
- 1 min
The #6 Best Book of 2020: Things in Jars
★★★★★ A private investigator in 1860s London looks into the disappearance of a young girl who may have special (and dangerous) powers.
30
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