Chris鈥檚 Year in Books

What did you read this year?

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2024

34,563

pages read

127

books read

Chris Thompson

Shortest Book

pages

Invincible, Compendium Three by Robert Kirkman

Longest Book

1,112

pages

Average book length in 2024

272

pages

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Most Shelved

4,296,445

people also shelved

The Last Mermaid, Vol. 1 by Derek Kirk Kim

Least Shelved

people also shelved

Chris鈥檚 average rating for 2024

3.7

Highest Rated on 欧宝娱乐

4.76 average

Chris鈥檚 first review of the year

it was amazing

One could almost classify this as a romantic comedy, though not the kind that Hollywood would produce. It鈥檚 one with complex, thoughtful emotions driving its heroine. Her observations and thoughts are sometimes funny, sometimes bleak, and always reflective. This small book leaves plenty to ponder, long after it鈥檚 done.

颁贬搁滨厂鈥橲 2024 BOOKS

it was amazing

Blood on the Tracks, Vol. 1 by Shuzo Oshimi

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

In Hell We Fight! Volume 1 by John Layman

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

it was amazing

Blood on the Tracks, Vol. 2 by Shuzo Oshimi

House of Slaughter, Vol. 2 by James Tynion IV

it was amazing

it was amazing

Earthdivers, Vol. 2 by Stephen Graham Jones

The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley

it was amazing

Springtime in Chernobyl by Emmanuel Lepage

House of Slaughter, Vol. 3 by James Tynion IV

it was amazing

I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp by Zumrat Dawut

Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 6 by James Tynion IV

Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 7 by James Tynion IV

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

it was amazing

Transformers, Vol. 1 by Daniel Warren Johnson

it was amazing

Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea by Dav Pilkey

really liked it

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 by Yukito Kishiro

House of Slaughter, Vol. 4 by James Tynion IV

it was amazing

Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition, Vol. 2 by Yukito Kishiro

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth by Gou Tanabe

it was amazing

Wonder Woman Historia by Kelly Sue DeConnick

Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition, Vol. 3 by Yukito Kishiro

Chris鈥檚 last review of the year

liked it

The length of a book or movie or TV episode can have a significant impact on enjoyment. It seems that movies are getting longer on average, and with the advent of streaming, TV episodes routinely cross the one hour mark. The thought process from creators seems to be, let鈥檚 include as much content as we can fit even if its contribution to the narrative is dubious. At least with a novel you鈥檙e not expected to read the whole thing in one sitting, so The length of a book or movie or TV episode can have a significant impact on enjoyment. It seems that movies are getting longer on average, and with the advent of streaming, TV episodes routinely cross the one hour mark. The thought process from creators seems to be, let鈥檚 include as much content as we can fit even if its contribution to the narrative is dubious. At least with a novel you鈥檙e not expected to read the whole thing in one sitting, so a long one isn鈥檛 always so bad. That鈥檚 not quite the case with The Bright Sword. This nearly 700-page Arthurian epic by Lev Grossman could have been vastly improved with some good ol鈥� trimming.

The main arc of the novel follows a young man named Collum. Collum has grown into the best warrior of the British Out Isles, and his dream is to go to Camelot and serve under King Arthur at the Round Table. He quickly finds, in a battle with a strange knight, that while he might have been a great fighter where he鈥檚 from, he鈥檚 likely mediocre at best in the British mainland. That鈥檚 one of the novel鈥檚 themes, that Collum鈥檚 ideals are constantly crushed when facing reality. The reality of himself, and of Camelot and the Round Table, turns out to be pretty disappointing. Collum鈥檚 story, I think, is a good one. When the narrative follows him and his journey it was a lot of fun. Grossman, however, can鈥檛 help himself and allows bloat to burst at the book鈥檚 bindings.

The issue is that The Bright Sword repeatedly shifts the narrative away from Collum. Just as Collum鈥檚 story is gaining momentum, Grossman shifts to some side tale related to another character, typically one of the other knights. The problem is that while these knights play a significant role in the overall story, it is not their story, and the background that Grossman tells contributes very little to the overall plot. In one instance we get the background on a character presumably after that character has died, and what we learn in that side story has no impact whatsoever on what comes after. At times we get background on what happened to Arthur and his kingdom that is helpful and interesting, but Grossman can鈥檛 seem to differentiate between background that develops a character or the world, and background that adds nothing of value. Most of it should have been removed, as the characters are still as bland after reading about their background as they were beforehand.

It feels like you鈥檙e watching your favorite football team moving the ball, controlling the field, and appearing unstoppable. They can鈥檛 lose. But then an ill-timed fumble changes momentum and you can see the game slipping from your team鈥檚 hands. The Bright Sword feels like that throughout its 700-page run. The story is moving along. You鈥檙e enjoying the banter, the action (which Grossman does an excellent job writing), and the zany places the plot goes. But then, bam!, a fumble and the story has just tumbled out of control. It鈥檚 an up and down emotional roller coaster between being riveted and bored. It鈥檚 a shame. I like a good Arthurian tale, and this one is just halfway good. ...more

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