Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Top Ten Anticipated Reads for 2011

This week, the Broke and the Bookish are contemplating a year of new books to delight in. New releases aren't a staple of my reading diet -- I tend to encounter them by chance -- but I imagine I'll be reading a few at the very least. I've also tacked a trio of older books I'm fairly certain I'll be reading next year.


1. The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Search For What Makes Us Human, V.S. Ramachandran (17 January 2011)
I encountered Ramachandran in 2006 when I read his Phantoms in the Brain, which remains one of the most startling, eye-opening science books I've ever read. I'm thus looking forward to seeing this arrive in the library or my own post (if I can afford it).

2. Typhon Pact: Paths of Disharmony, Dayton Ward (25 January 2011)
This book, which coincidently enough will be released on my birthday, is the fourth book in the Typhon Pact series.

3. Not-Yet-Named, Jeff Shaara ("Spring 2011")
According to the 'What's Next' section of Jeff Shaara's website, he hopes to have his fourth World War 2 title (set in the Pacific) ready for publication by the spring. Of course, he said that in November of 2009, so it's not exactly a hard guarantee.

4.  Department of Temporal Investigations: Watching the Clock, Christopher L. Bennett (May 2011)
Christopher L. Bennett's proven to be a new favorite among Trek authors for me: I returned to the Titan series just so I could read his two books in it,  so I'm looking forward to this novel with an interesting premise.  I'm mostly wanting to read it for the author, though.

5. Children of the Storm, Kirsten Beyer (May 2011)
Like Bennett, I get excited about a new release from Beyer, especially seeing as this will continue the Voyager relaunch.

6. The War that Came Early: The Big Switch, Harry Turtledove (July 2011)
Despite a few promising elements, this series has been disappointing so far. I've decided that if The Big Switch doesn't shake things up, I won't be making an effort to read further in the series.

 7. The Safe Assumption,  John Grisham
In the six+ years I've been reading John Grisham, I've realized he can generally be counted on to release one new book a year, generally in the late autumn or early winter. He hasn't announced anything, but I figure it's a safe bet.

8. The Age of Faith, Will Durant
My reading of the Story of Civilization series  has declined and fallen, but give me a few thousand years of religious warfare (or a couple of months' rest after a three-book binge)  and I'll get back on that horse.

9. The Third Chimpanzee, Jared Diamond.
I've been meaning to read this for a while now, but every time I have some money to spend at Amazon, a host of Trek paperbacks crowd out more serious works in competing for my attention.

10.  The Age of Absurdity, Michael Foley
I ordered this a few days before Thanksgiving, but it has not yet arrived. I assume by the time it meanders into my mail box, the New Year will be upon us.

7 comments:

  1. Quite the variety of books you have here! Nothing like my list, but good reads regardless!

    Carmel @ Rabid Reads
    Top Ten Tuesday

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  2. I always like a good bit of nonfiction - The Age of Absurdity looks like a great read!

    -Linds, bibliophile brouhaha

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  3. Tell Tale Brain sounds very interesting! And I didn't know they were still using Picard's face on stuff haha :D He looks so young!

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  4. I haven't read a Star Trek novel in ages! Though my favorite will probably always be Imzadi :D

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  5. Mmmm...Age of Absurdity, eh? Must add this to the old Amazon wishlist....Thank you.

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  6. I'll be interested to know how you feel about that Absurdity book.

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  7. @Baley: I'll let you know when it comes in the mail. I received a notice today that the postal service misplaced a bunch of their sent-out orders.

    I also keep ordering from "World of Books USA" forgetting that they ship from Great Britain.

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