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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 | 185 | | Fantasy: Contemporary | 77 | | Fantasy: Lost World | 2 | | Fantasy: Lovecraftian | 13 | | Fantasy: Post-Apocalyptic | 20 | | Fiction | 9 | | Fiction: Military | 3 | | Gardening | 0 | | History | 123 | | Humor | 2 | | Linguistics | 2 | | Mythology | 33 | | Non-Fiction | 1 | | Political | 4 | | Pulp Adventure | 11 | | Roleplaying | 4 | | Sci-fi | 418 | | 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 | 718 | | online | 0 | | oversized hardback | 1 | | paperback | 313 | | softcover | 235 | |
| | Collections | | Borrowed | 105 | | Granddads | 176 | | Moms | 4 | | Shawns | 983 | |
| | Anthologys | | Anthology | 78 | | Not an Anthology | 1126 | | Multi-Author Anthology | 64 | |
| | Books per year | 2026: 1
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) 1452 | Total unique books: 1268 |
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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.
| 2025 Books | | | [11-Jan-2026]
Finished entering the books from last year. 76 which is pretty high. Got a lot read from November on when I was rereading good books, like all of the Chalion series and new stuff related to that like Penric. I fly thorough good books. |
| Im Afraid Youve Got Dragons | | [05-Jan-2026]
by Peter S. Beagle
Fantasy: 178 pages
A cute book about a Prince, a Princess, a Dragon exterminator and their relationship. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| The New Roman Empire | | [23-Dec-2025]
by Anthony Kaldellis
History: 1133 pages
A modern history of Byzantium. Referenced a lot on the history of Byzantium podcast. I find the number of times the author just calls out other scholars (in general not by name) for making assumptions that cant be proven. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Voyages of the Beagle | | [17-Dec-2025]
by Charles Darwin
Science: 0 pages
I dont usually read books online but read the whole thing. Its mostly about South America not the Galapagos, and a lot of geology and wandering. Its really interesting how much time Darwin spent off the ship with almost no mention of being on it. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
| The Star Trek Reader | | | [09-Dec-2025]
The Star Trek Reader by James Blish.
Sci-fi: 372 pages.
Volume 1 in the series Star Trek Reader.
The first of the novelizations of the original series. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| The Forever War | | [05-Dec-2025]
by
Sci-fi: 264 pages
How do you fight a thousand or more year long war across the galaxy and what does it do to the society and culture. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Challenges Tales from the earliest days of the Star Kingdom | | | [30-Nov-2025]
Challenges Tales from the earliest days of the Star Kingdom by David Weber.
Alternate Fantasy: 256 pages.
Volume 8 in the series Honorverse: Worlds of Honor.
I really liked the story about the isolated antarctic treecats. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
| The Hugo Winners | | | [12-Nov-2025]
The Hugo Winners by Issac Asimov ed..
Sci-fi: 849 pages.
Volume 1,2 in the series The Hugo Winners.
For all the stories being winners this was rather disappointing. Flowers for Algernon and the First part of the Pern novels being the best and ones ive read many times. Rating: 4 (out of 8) |
| Penrics Labors | | | [08-Nov-2025]
Penrics Labors by Louis McMaster Bujold.
Fantasy: 326 pages.
Volume 3 in the series Penric.
More Penric and Desdemona. Its really n omnibus of three stories, Masquerade in Lodi, The Orphans of Raspay and The Physicians of Vilnoc. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Penrics Travels | | | [06-Nov-2025]
Penrics Travels by .
Fantasy: 461 pages.
Volume 2 in the series Penric.
Penrics mission, Miras last Dance and The prisoner of Limnos. All good stories. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Penrics Progress | | | [05-Nov-2025]
Penrics Progress by Louis McMaster Bujold.
Fantasy: 300 pages.
Volume 1 in the series Penric.
Penric is a guy in the world of the 5 gods who gets a demon, and how he deals with it, and the agent he becomes is the story. Lots of back story on the world, so much i took notes. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| Chronicles of the Lensmen Volume 2 | | | [02-Nov-2025]
Chronicles of the Lensmen Volume 2 by E.E. Doc Smith.
Sci-Fi: Space Opera: 731 pages.
Volume 2 in the series Chronicles of the Lensmen.
Good classic space opera. Throwing anti-matter planets at the enemy. Read it again after the first volume. Rating: 7 (out of 8) |
| The Hallowed Hunt | | | [01-Nov-2025]
The Hallowed Hunt by Louis McMaster Bujold.
Fantasy: 372 pages.
Volume 3 in the series Chalion.
The weakest of the three Chalion novels, this shifts locations to deal with a part of the world like Saxony a hundred years or more after Charlemagne conquered it. Introduces a new religion the old pagan one. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
| Paladin of Souls | | | [27-Oct-2025]
Paladin of Souls by Louis McMaster Bujold.
Fantasy: 370 pages.
Volume 2 in the series Chalion.
The doweger queen goes on pilgrimage, and is taken up by the gods for their own purposes. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| The Curse of Chalion | | | [25-Oct-2025]
The Curse of Chalion by Louis McMaster Bujold.
Fantasy: 442 pages.
Volume 1 in the series Chalion.
The World of the 5 gods and the religion Bujold built is amazing. One of the best alternate religions I have ever seen and worth reading just for the world building. I took some notes this time. Rating: 7 (out of 8) |
| Academy of Outcasts | | | [15-Oct-2025]
Academy of Outcasts by Larry Correia.
Fantasy: 339 pages.
Volume 1 in the series Academy of Outcasts.
Im not sure what possed Corria to write a dnd novel but he did. A central plane with a great city serves as the hub for a number of other planes. The protagonist wants to be a wizard but is stimmed by the society. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
| The Fellowship of the Talisman | | [11-Oct-2025]
by Clifford D. Simak
Fantasy: 249 pages
This is the adventures of a dnd party. And not great adventures at that. Rating: 4 (out of 8) |
| Six Frigates | | [08-Oct-2025]
by Ian W. Toll
History: 560 pages
The history of the first six frigates: Constitution, President, Constellation, Chesapeake, and Congress. Does a good job on the early years through 1812 but is really lacking after that. Rating: 5 (out of 8) |
| Friday | | [08-Oct-2025]
by Robert A. Heinlein
Sci-fi: 344 pages
Nothing spectacular. A Tank gets involved in politics and issues she doesnt understand and ends up fleeing the planet. Rating: 4 (out of 8) |
| To Rule in Amber | | | [06-Oct-2025]
To Rule in Amber by John Gregory Betancourt.
Fantasy: 310 pages.
Volume 3 in the series Dawn of Amber.
The real Pattern is fully established and Choas has an assassination. Rating: 6 (out of 8) |
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