2015: A Year in Review

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| Books by Proxy – A Year in Review |

Welcome to my first end of year post – and what a year it has been! I started this blog on the last day of July and, over the last half of 2015, have found myself as part of a wonderful community of readers and bloggers. In my albeit limited experience, we book bloggers are lucky to enjoy a very friendly and supportive community, where sharing our books, our reviews and our experiences is all done for a love of reading and can be enjoyed by many. So thank you readers and thank you bloggers for making 2015 such an enjoyable year. I hope you all have a fantastic 2016!

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| A Year in Books |

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I think we can all agree these two very similar and equally profound books, Blood Song by Anthony Ryan and The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, deservedly made it into my longest and shortest book categories.

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Donna Leon

with ten books in her Commissario Brunetti series

P.G. Wodehouse

with nine books in total including seven from his Blandings series

Jim Butcher

with eight books in The Dresden Files series

Agatha Christie

with six books in her Hercule Poirot series

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Blood Song

Book One of the Raven’s Shadow Series

by Anthony Ryan

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Red Rising

Book One of the Red Rising Trilogy

by Pierce Brown

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The Serpent

The Gameshouse I

by Claire North

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The Few

A Leone Scamarcio Thriller

by Nadia Dalbuono

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Lamentation

Book Six of the Matthew Shardlake Series

by C.J. Sansom

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Something Fresh

Book One of the Blandings Series

by P.G. Wodehouse

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There were so many more amazing books which deserve to be on this list but then it would just be most of 2015’s books!

Thank you all for reading and have a wonderful 2016!

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The Monthly Round-Up: December 2015

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Welcome to The Monthly Round-Up. Join me as I look back on the past month to see which books I’ve read, the reviews I’ve posted, the goals I’ve completed and my all important Book of the Month!

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| Books Read |

December has come to an end and we’ve crossed the threshold into 2016 – and what a year it has been! I’m currently compiling my year in review but December alone was a great month of phenomenal fiction. With a hefty pile of novellas bulking up the number, I’ve discovered some fantastic authors, read some thrilling tales and been taken to some truly amazing worlds.

And in the process of devouring – my Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge was well and truly surpassed, I fell just short of the mark on my Dragons and Jetpacks 2015 Reading Challenge and I well and truly flopped on my personal goals for December… But nevermind! This has been a fantastic month and here are the books to prove it:

| 1. |

Rising Tide by Rajan Khanna

| 2. |

Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds

| 3. |

13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough

| 4. |

A Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau and Joe King

| 5. |

Rend the Dark by Mark Gelineau and Joe King

| 6. |

The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard

| 7. |

The Serpent by Claire North

| 8. |

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

| 9. |

Best Left in the Shadows by Mark Gelineau and Joe King

| 10. |

The Builders by Daniel Polansky

| 11. |

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

| 12. |

Of Books, and Earth, and Courtship by Aliette de Bodard

| 13. |

The Thief by Claire North

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The Serpent

by Claire North

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| December Goals |

To finish at least one of the poor neglected novels which I am currently reading

(The Daylight War, NOS4R2 or Emma)

Status: 0 of 1 Complete

Status: Incomplete

To read at least one Christmas themed novel

Status: 0 of 1 Complete

Status: Incomplete (though started!)

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| Goals for 2015 |

Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge: 115/100 Books Read (115%)

Status: Completed

Dragons and Jetpacks 2015 Reading Challenge: 41/50 Books Read (82%)

Status: Incomplete

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| Reviews Posted |

The Serpent by Claire North

Superposition by David Walton

A Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau and Joe King

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13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough

Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds

Falling Sky by Rajan Khanna

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| Other Posts From December |

December brings with it a new feature – The Friday Face-Off – where I pit cover against cover to discover the best cover art from across both sides of the pond.

The Monthly Round-Up: November 2015

The Month Ahead: December 2015

Cover Reveal: Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie – UK Edition

Cover Reveal: Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Cover Reveal: Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie – US Edition

Bookish ‘Sci-Fi’ Beats: Oblivion OST

Bookish ‘Sci-Fi’ Beats: Ex Machina OST

Bookish Beats: Massive Attack – Heligoland

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten… Debuts from the Gollancz Festival 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten… Newly Read Authors 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten… Classics of 2015

Top Ten ‘X-Mas’ Tuesday: Top Ten… Books I Wouldn’t Mind Santa Leaving Under My Tree

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten… Most Anticipated Releases of 2016

‘Sci-Fi’ Teaser Tuesdays: December 01 – Rising Tide by Rajan Khanna

‘Sci-Fi’ Teaser Tuesdays: December 08 – Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut

Teaser Tuesdays: December 15 – The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard

An X-Mas Teaser Tuesday: December 22 – The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie

‘Sci-Fi’ Teaser Tuesdays: December 29 – Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

The Friday Face-Off: December 18 – The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard

The Friday Face-Off: December 25 – The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett

The Month Ahead: December 2015

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In The Month Ahead, I will be rounding up the books I am currently reading, the ones I will start this month, and the ones I intend getting my mitts on… if I haven’t already! I will also be sharing any news about features or posts on Books by Proxy, and anything in the book world that has me all excited!

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| Currently Reading |

We’re already well into December but seeing as I forgot to post ‘The Month Ahead’ when it was truly ahead, I figured now would be as good a time as any. And of course I still haven’t picked up three of the books which have been languishing on my currently reading pile for some time now… but there is always hope for December… if I don’t get distracted by too many shiny new books! Having made their way to the top of said pile, the currently reading list currently includes Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut and The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard.

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| Current Events |

The 2016 Sci-Fi Experience

Hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings

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| Upcoming Events |

The Rosemary and Rue Read Along

Organised by Lisa at Over the Effing Rainbow

Week 1 (Saturday 9th January)

Chapters 1-6 – hosted by Over the Effing Rainbow

Week 2 (Saturday 16th January)

Chapters 7-14 – hosted by Lynn at Lynn’s Books

Week 3 (Saturday 23rd January)

Chapters 15-20 – hosted by Anya at On Starships and Dragonwings

Week 4 (Saturday 30th January)

Chapters 21-End – hosted by Over the Effing Rainbow

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Vintage Sci-Fi Month

Hosted by Little Red Reviewer

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Blog Tour: The American by Nadia Dalbuono

Review scheduled for 16th January 2016

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| Book Haul |

So many fantastic new books! This month I’m very excited to have acquired Golden Son by Pierce Brown, The Copper Promise by Jen Williams and The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay – three books which have been on my to be read for a while now and which I cannot wait to read!

Pyr very kindly sent me Supersymmetry by David Walton which, after the brilliant Superposition, I’m looking forward to getting stuck into, and following the brilliant The Few by Nadia Dalbuono, I received The American from Scribe Publications and will be participating in the blog tour during January.

Along with Kay’s The Lions of Al-Rassan, I acquired Isaac Asimov’s Foundation as part of the Dragons and Jetpacks Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book of the Month, and after seeing the final film in the cinema, I finally thought it was about time to jump on the band wagon and read The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (yes – it’s about time!).

And last but not least we have Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds, a fantastic novella which I’ve already finished reading – review to come!

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| December Goals |

To finish at least one of the poor neglected novels which I am currently reading

(The Daylight War, NOS4R2 or Emma)

Status: 0 of 1 Complete

To read at least one Christmas themed novel

Status: 0 of 1 Complete

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Have you picked up any great books lately or read any of those mentioned above? What are your goals for the month ahead? 

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The Monthly Round-Up: November 2015

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Welcome to The Monthly Round-Up. Join me as I look back on the past month to see which books I’ve read, the reviews I’ve posted, the goals I’ve completed and my all important Book of the Month!

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| Books Read |

Ahh November, the craziest month of the year! Not only was this Sci-Fi Month, hosted by Rinn Reads and Over the Effing Rainbow, but I started a new job! This meant I was unable to post as much as I had wanted to as I hadn’t prepared in advance (tut tut!).  I’m only just getting used to my schedule – or in other words: If I want to post anything at all I need to prepare in advance! – so hopefully December’s posts will be a little more organised.

Onto the overview. I read five books in November, none of which featured on my Sci-Fi Month Introductory Post! But they were all excellent reads and reviews for the unreviewed will be cropping up in the next few weeks. I managed to jump on the Sci-Fi Month Read Along of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (hello Book of the Month!) and I also reached my Goodreads Reading Challenge of 100 books in 2015 after finishing Superposition. Hurrah!

So without further ramblings, here are the books I slowly devoured in November:

| 1. |

Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

| 2. |

Down Station by Simon Morden

| 3. |

Superposition by David Walton

| 4. |

Falling Sky by Rajan Khanna

| 5. |

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

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The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

by Becky Chambers

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| November Goals |

To finish all the (poor neglected) novels I’m currently reading

1 of 4 | Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

Status: Incomplete

To hop onto sci-fi month over at Rinn Reads

Status: Completed

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| Goals for 2015 |

Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge: 100/100 Books Read (100%)

Status: Completed

Dragons and Jetpacks 2015 Reading Challenge: 41/50 Books Read (82%)

Status: +0% during November

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| Reviews Posted |

Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

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Down Station by Simon Morden

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| Other Posts From November |

The Monthly Round-Up: October 2015

The Month Ahead: November 2015

Sci-Fi Month: November 2015 – Introductory Post

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – Read Along Week 1

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – Read Along Week 2

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – Read Along Week 3

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – Read Along Week 4

Cover Reveal: Daughter of Blood by Helen Lowe

Tough Travelling: Military Genius

Tough Travelling: Tricksters

Bookish Beats: Inception OST

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten… Book to Movie Adaptations I’d Love to See

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten… Thanksgiving Bastards

Teaser Tuesdays: November 03 – NOS4R2 by Joe Hill

Teaser Tuesdays: November 10 – Emma by Jane Austen

‘Sci-Fi’ Teaser Tuesdays: November 24 – Superposition by David Walton

Review: Superposition by David Walton

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Superposition

by David Walton

Science Fiction | Thriller | 300 Pages | Published by Pyr in 2015

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| Rating |

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This book was received from the publisher in return for an honest review

After reading numerous excellent reviews for Superposition and hearing excellent things about David Walton’s writing, I snapped up the chance to read and review Superposition when it was presented. I love science fiction. I love crime thrillers. So I’m willing to bet that I sure as hell am going to love a combination of the two. And Superposition really didn’t disappoint. This is a fast paced sci-fi thriller which unfolds like a crime drama. Completely unpredictable – anything could and does happen – and  utterly absorbing, David Walton has created a world which makes you think, makes you dream and makes you believe. 

Jacob Kelley’s family is turned upside down when an old friend turns up, waving a gun and babbling about an alien quantum intelligence. The mystery deepens when the friend is found dead in an underground bunker…apparently murdered the night before he appeared at Jacob’s house. Jacob is arrested for the murder and put on trial.

As the details of the crime slowly come to light, the weave of reality becomes ever more tangled, twisted by a miraculous new technology and a quantum creature unconstrained by the normal limits of space and matter. With the help of his daughter, Alessandra, Jacob must find the true murderer before the creature destroys his family and everything he loves. 

Jacob Kelley life is changed irrevocably when an old friend and colleague shows up at his house presumably deranged and spouting wild scientific theories. When events escalate and the impossible starts to happen, Jacob realises that Brian’s theories may not be so wild after all. Only Brian has been murdered and Jacob is the number one suspect. On trial for a murder he couldn’t possibly have committed, and on the run from an alien quantum intelligence which seems intent on hunting him down, Jacob must find a way to prove his innocence before it’s too late for both himself and his family.

Walton writes a highly convincing plot, fast paced and brimming with tension. The narrative twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the very end – and for this sci-fi crime thriller, absolutely anything is possible. The narrative is split into two through the ‘Up-Spin’ and the ‘Down-Spin’ chapters which separate the past from the present – the events which led from the opening scenes from the murder trial itself – which gives breathing space to the action, keeps the pages turning and provides two fascinating perspectives on these impossible events from one man who is completely out of his depth.

The science behind Superposition is conveyed excellently throughout the murder trial. Walton relies on the testimonies of expert witnesses to explain the science in layman’s terms without having to resort to lengthy information dumps which would have broken the tension and pace of the novel. This is hard sci-fi, there’s no getting away from that (if it’s the sort of thing that puts you off), but the narrative is so compelling and draws you in so completely that the scientific details are unlikely to overwhelm even the biggest sceptic of hard sci-fi.

Jacob Kelley is a convincing narrator whose alternating chapters from past to present give a sympathetic view of his character. The characterisation was also perfect for this style of novel. Where usually I prefer a certain amount of depth to all characters, the depiction of the bit players fell in line with what I’ve come to expect from crime novels where the protagonist is fleshed out fully but the side characters are open to all possibilities – and all can be suspected. This helped to keep the focus on both the protagonist and the action, and aided in making the surprises even more surprising.

Superposition is a fascinating, exhilarating and truly absorbing read which left me wanting more. Recommended to all fans of science fiction – expect wild scientific theories, surprises aplenty and heart-thumping tension from a sophisticated sci-fi thriller. David Walton is certainly an author I will be keeping an eye on.

Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads

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‘Sci-Fi’ Teaser Tuesdays: November 24

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Welcome to Teaser Tuesdays – a weekly feature hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Expect a new teaser every week! Psst… November is Sci-Fi Month!

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| Teaser Tuesdays: November 24 |

Superposition

by David Walton

Science Fiction | 303 Pages | Published by Pyr in 2015

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“His joints bent a bit too easily and in the wrong ways, as if someone who wasn’t quite sure how a human was supposed to work had put one together from spare parts. He didn’t bother to walk around objects; the tables and wires and equipment seemed to bend around him instead, like light through a lens.”

~ p. 64, Superposition by David Walton

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| Synopsis |

Jacob Kelley’s family is turned upside down when an old friend turns up, waving a gun and babbling about an alien quantum intelligence. The mystery deepens when the friend is found dead in an underground bunker…apparently murdered the night before he appeared at Jacob’s house. Jacob is arrested for the murder and put on trial.

As the details of the crime slowly come to light, the weave of reality becomes ever more tangled, twisted by a miraculous new technology and a quantum creature unconstrained by the normal limits of space and matter. With the help of his daughter, Alessandra, Jacob must find the true murderer before the creature destroys his family and everything he loves. 

Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads

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| Join In |

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Please leave a comment with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here!

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