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I have a collection of over 500 hard back science fiction and fantasy books, as well as numerous other books; history, mythology, and role-playing. Most of the Sci-Fi were originally my grandfathers. I am inputing them all here as I read them stating in 1999. There are many books in the collection I have read before 1999 and a lot of books here that I read that I don't own. The rating system only goes back to 2004.
Oh and there are plenty of mistakes in here, spelling, categories and such.
| Statistics on the books I've read since 1999 | | Categorys | | Alternate Fantasy | 70 | | Alternate History | 73 | | Alternate History: Civil War | 2 | | Alternate History: Steampunk | 7 | | Alternate History: WWII | 12 | | Astronomy | 2 | | Beekeeping | 21 | | Computer | 1 | | Fantasy | 187 | | Fantasy: Contemporary | 81 | | Fantasy: Lost World | 2 | | Fantasy: Lovecraftian | 13 | | Fantasy: Post-Apocalyptic | 20 | | Fiction | 9 | | Fiction: Military | 3 | | Gardening | 0 | | History | 123 | | Humor | 2 | | Linguistics | 3 | | Mythology | 34 | | Non-Fiction | 1 | | Political | 4 | | Pulp Adventure | 11 | | Roleplaying | 4 | | Sci-fi | 421 | | Sci-Fi: Cyberpunk | 0 | | Sci-Fi: Dystopian | 3 | | Sci-Fi: Military | 77 | | Sci-Fi: Post-Apocalyptic | 17 | | Sci-Fi: Space Opera | 47 | | Sci-Fi: Time Travel | 9 | | Science | 16 | |
| | Covers | | hardback | 721 | | online | 0 | | oversized hardback | 1 | | paperback | 313 | | softcover | 243 | |
| | Collections | | Borrowed | 106 | | Granddads | 176 | | Moms | 4 | | Shawns | 993 | |
| | Anthologys | | Anthology | 78 | | Not an Anthology | 1137 | | Multi-Author Anthology | 64 | |
| | Books per year | 2026: 23
2025: 77
2024: 58
2023: 62
2022: 48
2021: 47
2020: 58
2019: 58
2018: 33
2017: 36
2016: 56
2015: 41
2014: 47
2013: 28
2012: 50
2011: 54
2010: 65
2009: 62
2008: 57
2007: 50
2006: 43
2005: 35
2004: 54
2003: 92
2002: 53
2001: 41
2000: 64
1999: 40
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| | Total books read: (includes rereads) 1474 | Total unique books: 1279 |
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The rating system I'm using is:
- I'll be getting rid of this one
- Really bad
- Bad
- Average
- A good book
- I'll probably read it again
- I recommend reading this
- Read it twice in the first sitting
Categories
I am using 3 main categories, Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Alternate History. The great decider in whether a book is Sci-Fi or Fantasy is the use of the supernatural. That makes it Fantasy. So The Dragon Riders of Pern series is Sci-Fi there are not gods, magic, or supernatural, its all science based. Star Wars on the other hand (at least before Lucus retconned it with midicholians) is Fantasy because the Force is supernatural. Alternate History falls in a separate category. These are books purposefully set in the past where history changes and goes down an alternate timeline. The change can be due to science or the supernatural.
- Alternate History: A story that takes place in the past in our world which was the same until a certain point. This Point of Departure is the instance where the timeline between our world and the one in the story diverge. The PoD can be caused but time travel or supernatural means but the cause is not generally relevant to the story.
- Alternate History: Steampunk: The Point of Departure causes the world to develop super science in the Victorian Age. Usually developing steam powered devices and computing machines early. The story is generally set in the Victorian Age or immediately after.
- Alternate History: WWII: An Alternative WWII takes place. Hitler dies, Hitler lives, America never enters the war etc.
- Alternate History: Civil War An Alternative American Civil War takes place
- Alternate Fantasy: A story set on a parallel world in a semi-historical time where the supernatural exists. This differs from an Alternate History in that the world was always different from ours but developed along similar lines.
- Sci-Fi
- Sci-Fi: Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic: The world ends, or nearly does drastically changing things.
- Sci-Fi: Cyberpunk: near future, dystopian, ai and prostecics are common
- Sci-Fi: Time Travel: Time Travel can cause an Alternate History or enter a Parallel World but the focus of a Sci-Fi Time Travel story is going back and forth in time not the world created.
- Sci-Fi: Space Opera: A story that occurs in space with the focus on action rather than science tend have larger than life heroes.
- Sci-Fi: Military: Involves future weapons and warfare with the focus being on the super technology. Often crosses over with Space Opera but the characters tend to be more normal and the emphasis is on warfare and weapons rather than action.
- Fantasy: Requires the existence of the supernatural. Stories that seem Sci-Fi can be Fantasy because a large portion of the story is explained as supernatural (ie the Force in Star Wars before Lucus retconned it).
- Fantasy: Contemporary: A story set in the modern world but where the supernatural exists. This is the same as a Alternate Fantasy, but is not a historical story.
- Fantasy: Post-Apocalyptic: The Apocalypse caused magic to reenter the world, so its in the future but the supernatrual exisits also making it more Fantasy than Sci-Fi.
- Lovecraftian Fiction: Involves Chthulu, the Great Old ones, and people fighting unspeakable evil which is trying to enter and take over the world. The original genre was Horror but more contemporary literature tends to be campy.
- Pulp Adventure: Typically 1920s and 1930s the heroes don't have supernatural powers but are the top end of what humanity has to offer. Typically Tarzan and Doc Savage.
| March Upcountry | | | [13-May-2026]
March Upcountry by David Weber.
Sci-fi: 586 pages.
Volume 1 in the series The Empire of Man.
A dilettante prince and his marine boadyguard are stranded on a backwater world after sabotage. They have to fight their way across the planet to the space port, which is held by an enemy starfaring nation. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Dungeon Crawler Carl | | | [10-May-2026]
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman.
Fantasy: Contemporary: 466 pages.
Volume 1 in the series Dungeon Crawler Carl.
Borrowed from Rachel. Took 9hr to read because I took some naps. Pretty good. Planet Earth get taken over by aliens kill most but give those outside the ability to fight though a dungeon and survive. Carl and a cat Grand Champion, Breed Winner Regional, National Winner Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk enter the dungeon and soon get on talk shows about interesting players. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
| Monster Hunter: Vendetta | | | [09-May-2026]
Monster Hunter: Vendetta by Larry Correia.
Fantasy: Contemporary: 647 pages.
Volume 2 in the series Monster Hunter.
Being the Chosen One means sometimes you hurt Overlords from other dimensions who then send minions to kill you. Rating: 7 (out of 8) |
| Monster Hunter: International | | | [05-May-2026]
Monster Hunter: International by Larry Correia.
Fantasy: Contemporary: 713 pages.
Volume 1 in the series Monster Hunter.
Monster hunter is a company that hunts monsters, they recruit people who survive monster attacks, which happens to include the Chosen One Owen. Rating: 7 (out of 8) |
| We Few | | | [01-May-2026]
We Few by David Weber.
Sci-fi: 559 pages.
Volume 4 in the series The Empire of Man.
Prince Roger gets off planet, opens a restaurant, coups the government. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Foreign Legions | | [29-Apr-2026]
by David Drake ed.
Sci-fi: 308 pages
Read it for the story related to the Excalibur Alternative. Drake, Weber, Flint, Stirling. Rating: 4 (out of 8) |
| The Excalibur Alternative | | [26-Apr-2026]
by David Weber
Sci-fi: 313 pages
A middle ages British force is abducted by aliens to fight non-technological wars. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| March to the Stars | | | [20-Apr-2026]
March to the Stars by David Weber.
Sci-fi: 526 pages.
Volume 3 in the series The Empire of Man.
The marines and roger make it across the sea, and deal with cannibal scummies. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| March to the Sea | | | [16-Apr-2026]
March to the Sea by David Weber.
Sci-fi: 532 pages.
Volume 2 in the series The Empire of Man.
The marines reach the mountains and march to the sea, confronting barbarian tribes. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Chinese Myths | | [13-Apr-2026]
by
Mythology: 254 pages
A nice short book on Chinese myths/folklore. Starts with early gods and moves into later Taoist and Buddhist stuff. Rating: 4 (out of 8) |
| Shiva Descending | | [10-Apr-2026]
by Gregory Benford
Sci-fi: 396 pages
An asteroid is going to hit the Earth. Instead of doing something about it they wait until the last minute when its hopeless. Bad science. Rating: 4 (out of 8) |
| Small Gods | | | [08-Apr-2026]
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett.
Fantasy: 344 pages.
Volume 0 in the series Discworld.
Still very god. The Great God OM is incarnated as a turtle and meets his new prophet Brutha. Trampling is hard as a turtle and Brutha isnt very imaginative but he is a beliver, Oms only beliver. Rating: 7 (out of 8) |
| Dragons Egg | | [30-Mar-2026]
by Robert L. Forward
Sci-fi: 309 pages
Another good book. Inhabitants on a neutron star passing close to earth develop in the time it takes us to put together a mission to visit. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| The Martian | | [28-Mar-2026]
by Andy Weir
Sci-fi: 369 pages
I need to read more good books like this one. Good book take a few hours to read, bad books weeks or months. Astronaut is abandoned on Mars and must survive until help can come, or he blows him self up, or starves, or finds some other way to kill himself accidently. Rating: 7 (out of 8) |
| Project Hail Mary | | [26-Mar-2026]
by Andy Weir
Sci-fi: 478 pages
The movie came, its $26 for a ticket so I read the book again instead. Probably much better anyway. its a great book. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| How to Create a Language | | [16-Mar-2026]
by Jessie Peterson
Linguistics: 420 pages
Read this, its supposed to be a text book to be used in a conlang class. Its got exercises for its own/author created language Squirellish and to create your own. While it has examples from all over the world it kind of assumes the reader will create a Indo-European style language. Rating: 8 (out of 8) |
| Confederate Florida | | [19-Feb-2026]
by William H. Nulty
History: 272 pages
Read it in time for Olustee this year, and then didnt go. Rating: 7 (out of 8) |
| The Bright Swaord | | [27-Jan-2026]
by Lev Grossman
Fantasy: 673 pages
A retelling of King Arthur but after Arthur is dead from the point of view a a new knight and the few who are left after the final battle. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Twelve Months | | | [26-Jan-2026]
Twelve Months by Jim Butcher.
Fantasy: Contemporary: 483 pages.
Volume 18 in the series Dresden Files.
Not much happens that is exciting till the end. Some dates, a new apprentice, dealing with Thomas does have some major players. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Heroic Hearts | | [20-Jan-2026]
by Jim Butcher
Fantasy: Contemporary: 350 pages
Toot-toot. stories by Briggs, Harris, Amrstrong and others also. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
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