Data Science: An Update on my Goodreads Reviews as of 2020

A few years ago, in 2016, I wrote a brief post on statistics when looking at my Goodreads reviews. A friend's comment recently reminded me of this work and I decided to update it with information all the way up to the present day. Unfortunately, a big limitation has been that, as of earlier this month, Goodreads discontinued their API. I had a lot of code written to access it and generate the plots and had to spend some time rewriting it to use a CSV export of my library. It's not the same, but I was able to reconstruct most of the information. So without further ado, let's look at what we can discover.

Book Review: Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson's Rhythm of War is the 4th book of The Stormlight Archive series. I've been a huge fan of this series since it started and eagerly await each book. The books, however, are quite massive and intricate and benefit from multiple readings. I wish I had re-read the prior book, Oathbringer, before starting this one as there were many details I had forgotten! Still, it was good to revisit this world and see how the story is building up.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Book Review: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern came highly recommended from a good friend of mine who lent me her copy. She was not wrong, this book is so interesting in so many unexpected ways. I haven't read The Night Circus either, but that was also highly recommended. 

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Book Review: Blackout / All Clear by Connie Willis

This is a review of two books in one. Blackout and All Clear are a two part series by Connie Willis of time travelers back to London at the time of the Blitz, around 1940. I decided to review them together since each is incomplete without the other. I'm not sure of the reasoning behind splitting them (I'm fine reading really long novels), but that's all right. 

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Book Review: Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

The Locked Tomb Trilogy by Tamsyn Muir continues with Harrow the Ninth. This takes place shortly after the events of Gideon the Ninth and quickly starts tackling some of the loose ends left from that book, all while introducing new things to be excited about. Combining science fiction, fantasy, horror, and who knows what else, this book will surprise you.

Read on for my spoiler-free review, but bear in mind that, as a sequel, I consider events from the prior novel fair game.

Book Review: The Last Days of New Paris by China Mieville

I've had The Last Days of New Paris on my to-read list for a while. I'm a fan of China Mieville and enjoyed many of his books, particularly The City and The City and The Scar. This is a novella, so it's much shorter than before and I decided to go ahead and just dive right into it.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Book Review: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

To Say Nothing of the Dog, or, How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last by Connie Willis is the second of her Oxford Time Travel series and came recommended to me from a friend. I was originally going to skip over it, since I had heard such good things about Blackout/All Clear and had enjoyed Doomsday Book, but was encouraged to give this one a try first. And I'm glad I did. It was surprisingly fun and enjoyable up to the last page! This was also my first time getting a book from the library here, which was also a good experience.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Book Review: A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

This book has been on my to-read list for a while since, along with Gideon The Ninth, it's received a lot of praise and award nominations. I did have to put a pause while I read a collection of short stories, but that did not detract from my enjoyment. Here's the Goodreads blurb:

Ambassador Mahit Dzmare arrives in the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire only to discover that her predecessor, the previous ambassador from their small but fiercely independent mining Station, has died. But no one will admit that his death wasn't an accident—or that Mahit might be next to die, during a time of political instability in the highest echelons of the imperial court.

Now, Mahit must discover who is behind the murder, rescue herself, and save her Station from Teixcalaan's unceasing expansion—all while navigating an alien culture that is all too seductive, engaging in intrigues of her own, and hiding a deadly technological secret—one that might spell the end of her Station and her way of life—or rescue it from annihilation.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Book Review: The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

I'm a fan of many of N.K. Jemisin's books so when I heard she was working on a fantasy novel about New York I was intrigued. When I read the preview chapter over at Orbit Books, I knew I had to get it. Having lived in New York myself, I was hopping I would get a better appreciation for it and I think I certainly did. Without further ado, here is the Goodreads blurb:

Every city has a soul. Some are as ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York City? She's got five.
But every city also has a dark side. A roiling, ancient evil stirs beneath the earth, threatening to destroy the city and her five protectors unless they can come together and stop it once and for all.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Book Review: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

In light of the current COVID-19 crisis, I thought to entertain myself with some lighthearted, fun books. For fantasy, one of the best examples of this is the Discworld series of novels by Terry Pratchett. I still haven't read most of these, even though I own ebook versions of several. I decided to try out the first in the 'City Watch' sub-series to see what it's all about and it all kicks of with Guards! Guards!

Read on for my full review.

Book Review: Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

I picked up this book after constantly hearing about it on various social media channels and websites. It's considered one of the best books from 2019 and is a finalist for the Nebula awards. Combining fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and horror with a personal tale of fraught relationships I can see why this book is so well regarded.

Read on for my full review.

Book Review: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

I had first heard about Connie Willis from a Hugo award she won for Blackout/All Clear. I knew it was time travel novel but never picked it up. A friend from work, however, strongly recommended her books and lent me her copy of Doomsday Book, which won the Hugo and Nebula awards. And what a ride it has been! This book was not what I expected and ended up being a really good read. Here's the blurb:

For Kivrin, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi for a woman traveling alone. For her instructors in the twenty-first century, it meant painstaking calculations and careful monitoring of the rendezvous location where Kivrin would be received.
But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin -- barely of age herself -- finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history's darkest hours.
Five years in the writing by one of science fiction's most honored authors, Doomsday Book is a storytelling triumph. Connie Willis draws upon her understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering and the indomitable will of the human spirit.

Read on for my full review.

Book Review: Steel Crow Saga by Paul Krueger

Steel Crow Saga, by Paul Krueger, is a book I had added to my reading list as it was making the rounds as one of the best books of the past year. While I hadn't heard about the author previously, the idea that this blended influences from Pokemon and Avatar: The Last Airbender greatly intrigued me. It was also clear from the start that this was a very character-centric novel, as you can see from the blurb below.

Four destinies collide in a unique fantasy world of war and wonders, where empire is won with enchanted steel and magical animal companions fight alongside their masters in battle.
A soldier with a curse
Tala lost her family to the empress’s army and has spent her life avenging them in battle. But the empress’s crimes don’t haunt her half as much as the crimes Tala has committed against the laws of magic... and her own flesh and blood.
A prince with a debt
Jimuro has inherited the ashes of an empire. Now that the revolution has brought down his kingdom, he must depend on Tala to bring him home safe. But it was his army who murdered her family. Now Tala will be his redemption—or his downfall.
A detective with a grudge
Xiulan is an eccentric, pipe-smoking detective who can solve any mystery—but the biggest mystery of all is her true identity. She’s a princess in disguise, and she plans to secure her throne by presenting her father with the ultimate prize: the world’s most wanted prince.
A thief with a broken heart
Lee is a small-time criminal who lives by only one law: Leave them before they leave you. But when Princess Xiulan asks her to be her partner in crime—and offers her a magical animal companion as a reward—she can’t say no, and soon finds she doesn’t want to leave the princess behind.
This band of rogues and royals should all be enemies, but they unite for a common purpose: to defeat an unstoppable killer who defies the laws of magic. In this battle, they will forge unexpected bonds of friendship and love that will change their lives—and begin to change the world. 

Read on for my full spoiler-free review.

Book Review: Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

Starsight is the latest young-adult novel by Brandon Sanderson and is a follow up to Skyward. It picks up a bit after the prior novel and raises the stakes even higher.

All her life, Spensa has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Of proving she's a hero like her father. She made it to the sky, but the truths she learned about her father were crushing. The rumors of his cowardice are true--he deserted his flight during battle against the Krell. Worse, though, he turned against his team and attacked them.

Spensa is sure there's more to the story. And she's sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars--and it was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie.

But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself--and she'll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.

Read on for my review. Bear in mind that this spoils some events of the prior book, Skyward, and does need to spoil a minor point that happens very early in this book.