2006-2008 Reviews: Index by Rating

4: worth reading multiple times (buy it)

Thriving on Vague Objectives by Scott Adams
Dawn by Octavia Butler (Xenogenesis, book 1)
After Life by Simon Funk
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Heavy Metal and You by Christopher Krovatin
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Hardball by Chris Matthews
Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons
The Geography of Girlhood by Kirsten Smith
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 1: The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty
The Strictest School in the World by Howard Whitehouse
Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny

3.5: worth reading, parts worth re-reading (borrow or buy it)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Permutation City by Greg Egan
Prayers for the Assassin by Robert Ferrigno
Girl Genius: Omnibus Edition 1 by Phil and Kaja Foglio
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge
The Misenchanted Sword by Lawrence Watt-Evans
The Faceless Fiend by Howard Whitehouse

3: worth reading once (borrow it from a library)
Flatland by Edwin Abbott
Candyfreak by Steve Almond (+)
The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov
Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
What Would Dewey Do? by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown
Adulthood Rites by Octavia Butler (Xenogenesis, book 2)
Imago by Octavia Butler (Xenogenesis, book 3) ((3)
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You by Peter Cameron
The Myth of the Rational Voter by Bryan Caplan
Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Who's in Control? by Richard Darman
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
The Ethical Slut by Dossie Easton and Catherine Liszt (+)
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
Ida B by Katherine Hannigan
Fantasy: The Best of the Year, 2006 Edition edited by Rich Horton
How to Tell a Secret by P.J. Huff and J.G. Lewin
Faeries' Landing: Volume 1 by You Hyun
House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Crisis of Abundance by Arnold Kling
Anne Freaks Volume 1 by Yua Kotegawa
In the Land of the Lawn Weenies by David Lubar
The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni (I Promessi Sposi translated by Bruce Penman)
Sold by Patricia McCormick
Saturday by Ian McEwan
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight series, book 2)
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight series, book 1)
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
The Magic of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
The Complete Strangers in Paradise Volume One by Terry Moore
Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk
In the Palace of Repose by Holly Phillips
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
Bonk by Mary Roach
The Free Lunch by Spider Robinson
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
Blindness by José Saramago
Skipping Towards Gomorrah by Dan Savage
The Riddle of Scheherazade by Raymond Smullyan
Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The Warlock in Spite of Himself by Christopher Stasheff (The Warlock Series, book 1)
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Kilala Princess Volume 1 by Rika Tanaka and Nao Kodaka
Funny You Should Ask... Volume 2 from Thomson Gale
Runaways, Volume 1 by Brian Vaughan and Adrian Alphona
Waiter Rant by The Waiter
Big Fish by Daniel Wallace
The Secret Lives of Men and Women compiled by Frank Warren
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
My Friend is Sad by Mo Willems
Today I Will Fly! by Mo Willems
The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
The Guns of Avalon by Roger Zelazny
The Hand of Oberon by Roger Zelazny
Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny
Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny

2.5: parts of it are worth reading once (borrow it from a library)
The Monster Hunter's Handbook by Ibrahim Amin
The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen by M. T. Anderson
Restoring the Lost Constitution by Randy Barnett
Bipolar Disorder Demystified by Lana Castle
The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke
Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Leviathan on the Right by Michael Tanner
Candide by Voltaire
The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell
The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect by Roger Williams
The Courts of Chaos by Roger Zelazny

2: not worth reading (skip it)
A Perfect Mess by Eric Abrahamson and David D. Freedman
God's Debris by Scott Adams
Batman: Son of the Demon by Mike Barr and Jerry Bingham
Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear
Krapp's Last Tape by Samuel Beckett
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? by Michael Benson
Little Big Man by Thomas Berger
Justice League Unlimited: Jam Packed Action - Volume 1 by Stan Berkowitz and J. M. DeMatteis
The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch
If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino
Confessions of a Blabbermouth by Mike Carey, Louise Carey, and Aaron Alexovich
The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
Against the Fall of Night by Arthur C. Clarke
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke
Teen Titans: Jam Packed Action - Volume 1 by Rick Copp, Tom Pugsley, and Greg Klein
Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech
God's Problem by Bart Ehrman
Against the Giants by Ru Emerson
Soccer Chick Rules by Dawn FitzGerald
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
The Breakthrough Imperative by Mark Gottfredson and Steve Schaubert
Saffron and Brimstone by Elizabeth Hand
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days Volume 1 by Fumino Hayashi
Do Not Go Naked into Your Next Presentation by Ron Hoff
Epic Legends of the Magic Sword Kings by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik
Dead Men Kill by L. Ron Hubbard
Leave the Building Quickly by Cynthia Kaplan
Irreducible Mind by Edward Kelly and Emily Kelly, et al
Bad Buster by Sofie Laguna
SWF Seeks Same by John Lutz
Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress by Shelly Mazzanoble
28 Days Later: The Aftermath by Steve Niles, Dennis Calero, Diego Olmos, and Nat Jones
Not Quite What I Was Planning edited by Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith
The Defense of Kamino and Other Tales by John Ostrander, Jan Duursema, et al
Sabine by A. P.
Sword-Dancer by Jennifer Roberson
Superman: Peace on Earth by Alex Ross and Paul Dini
The Last Day by Dave Sim and Gerhard
Villains United by Gail Simone, Dale Eaglesham, and Val Semeiks
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket
The End by Lemony Snicket
King Kobold Revived by Christopher Stasheff (The Warlock Series, book 2)
The Methuselah Enzyme by Fred Mustard Stewart
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Don't Start the Revolution Without Me! by Jesse Ventura and Dick Russell
Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu
H.I.V.E. by Mark Walden
Tortoises by Jerry Walls
Super Emma by Sally Warner
Star-Begotten by H. G. Wells
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood
Trumps of Doom by Roger Zelazny
Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming by Roger Zelazny and Robert Sheckley

1.5: parts of it are worth reading once (maybe borrow it from a library)
Mindful Politics edited by Melvin McLeod

1: not worth considering (burn it)
Lunch Lessons by Ann Cooper
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Leapholes by James Grippando
Sardine in Outer Space by Emmanuel Guibert and Joann Sfar
Rave New World by Lynne Hansen
Don't Think of an Elephant! by George Lakoff
5 Minutes And 42 Seconds by T. J. Williams


Gaming Books

4: useful for any campaign (buy it)
Dragonmarked by Keith Baker, Michelle Lyons, and C.A. Suleiman
Tome of Battle by Richard Baker, Matthew Sernett, and Frank Brunner
Legacies: The Sublime by Joseph Carriker, Jr., Sam Inabinet, Wood Ingham, Mur Lafferty, Travis
Player's Handbook by Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt
Martial Power by Rob Heinsoo, David Noonan, Robert J. Schwalb, and Chris Sims
Bloodlines: The Legendary by Wood Ingham, Christopher Kobar, Mur Lafferty, Dean Shomshak, Travis Stout and Chuck Wendig
Monster Manual by Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt

3: useful for many campaigns
Mage: The Awakening by Kraig Blackwelder, Bill Bridges, Brian Campbell, Stephen Michael DiPesa, Samuel Inabinet, Steve Kenson, Malcolm Sheppard
Werewolf: The Forsaken by Carl Bowen, Rick Jones, James Kiley, Matthew McFarland and Adam Tinworth
Magic Item Compendium by Andy Collins, Eytan Bernstein, Frank Brunner, Owen K.C. Stephens, and John Snead
Vampire: The Requiem by Ari Marmell, Dean Shomshak, and C.A. Suleiman
Dragon Magic by Owen K.C. Stephens and Rodney Thompson
Complete Mage by Skip Williams, Penny Williams, Ari Marmell, and Kolja Raven Liquette
Dungeon Master's Guide by James Wyatt
Magic of Incarnum by James Wyatt, Frank Brunner, and Stephen Schubert

2: of use for some campaigns (but not most)
Complete Psionic by Bruce Cordell and Christopher Lindsay
Weapons of Legacy by Bruce Cordell, Kolja Liquette, and Travis Stout
Lodges: The Faithful by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Matthew McFarland, and Adam Tinworth
Bloodlines: The Hidden by John Goff, Jess Heinig, Christopher Kobar, Brand Robins, Dean Shomshak and Chuck Wendig
VII by Christopher Kobar, Greg Stolze, and Chuck Wendig with Will Hindmarch
Warlords of the Accordlands: Master Codex by Allison Medwin et al.
Trojan War by Aaron Rosenberg
Complete Champion by Ed Stark, Chris Thomasson, Ari Marmell, Rhiannon Louve, and Gary Astleford