“A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone if it is to keep its edge.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
In 2004 I started to write down the books I read in order to keep track of them all. Since 2006 I have gathered them here instead of in my notebook and they serve as a reminder of how I should make more time for novels in my life.
NB! This list is not a list of recommendations. I simply write down the books I’ve read so as to not forget (yeah, I’m getting old). Some of them I’ve enjoyed immensely, while I’ve developed a great distaste for others. Some of the titles listed are simply sitcom-novels read to pass time as an alternative to watching TV (case in point: Pretty Little Liars).
You can also check out my list of books I want to read.
2018 and beyond
Check out my Goodreads for an updated list of what I’ve read and what I’m currently reading: Let’s be friends on Goodreads.
2017
1) The Gunslinger, by Stephen King.
2) Guns, by Stephen King.
3) Macbeth, by William Shakespeare.
4) Do Humankind’s Best Days Lie Ahead, by Pinker, Ridley, de Botton & Gladwell.
5) The Nest, by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney.
6) The Noise of Time, by Julian Barnes.
7) Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs.
8) De Dødes Tjern, by Andre Bjerke.
9) The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco.
10) The Handmaid’s Tale, by M. Atwood.
11) The House of Silk, by Anthony Horowitz.
12) My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante.
13) The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Le Guin.
14) The Last King of Scotland, by Giles Foden.
15) Gardens of the Moon, by Steven Erikson.
16) Khirbet Khizah, by S. Yizhar.
17) Fallen, by Lauren Kate.
18) Europeana, by Patrik Ourednik.
19) The Seven Basic Plots, by Christopher Booker.
20) Castle in the Air, by Diana Wynne Jones.
21) Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur.
22) The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin.
23) Vermeer to Eternity, by Anthony Horowitz.
24) Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch.
25) The Last Kingdom, by Bernard Cornwell.
26) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, by Philip K. Dick.
27) The Three-Body Problem, by Liu Cixin.
28) Basket of Deplorables, by Tom Rachman.
29) How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, by Mohsin Hamid.
30) The Pale Horseman, by Bernard Cornwell.
31) India Black, by Carol K. Carr.
2016
1) Odinsbarn, by Siri Pettersen.
2) Råta, by Siri Pettersen.
3) Career of Evil, by Robert Galbraith.
4) We Should All Be Feminists, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
5) The Man in the High Castle, by Philip K. Dick.
6) On China, by Henry Kissinger.
7) The Xi Jinping Era: His Comprehensive Strategy Towards The China Dream, by Hong Liu.
8) Steppenwolf, by Hermann Hesse.
9) How to Talk to Girls at Parties, by Neil Gaiman.
10) Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline.
11) Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, by John Tiffany.
12) The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes.
13) I Am Pilgrim, by Terry Hayes.
14) Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad.
15) Foe, by J.M. Coetzee.
16) Stormbird, by Conn Iggulden.
17) All The Lights We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr.
18) Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley.
19) Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, by Susan Elia McNeal.
20) Cooperative Threat Reduction, Missile Defense, and the Nuclear Future, by M. Krepon
21) Empire State, by Christopher Adam.
22) Betrayal, by The Boston Globe
23) The Paper Magician, by Charlie N. Holmberg.
24) The Glass Magician, by Charlie N. Holmberg.
25) The Master Magician, by Charlie N. Holmberg.
2015
1) The Silkworm, by Robert Galbraith.
2) Hogwarts Houses Divided (a brilliant fan fiction set to Teddy Lupin’s first year at Hogwarts)
3) I Have the Right to Destroy Myself, by Young-Ha Kim
4) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley.
5) How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are, by Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline De Maigret & Sophie Mas.
6) Her Royal Spyness, by Rhys Bowen.
7) The Birth of Korean Cool, by Euny Hong.
8) The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova.
9) The Girl at Midnight, by Melissa Grey.
10) The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
11) Religion for Atheists, by Alain de Botton.
12) Special Topics in Calamity Physics, by Marisha Pessl.
2014
1) Cover Her Face, by P.D. James.
2) The Time Keeper, by Mitch Albom.
3) Annihilation, by Jeff Vandermeer.
4) The Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson.
5) A Crown of Swords, by Robert Jordan. (re-read)
6) The Path of Daggers, by Robert Jordan. (re-read)
7) Winter’s Heart, by Robert Jordan.
8) Crossroads of Twilight, by Robert Jordan.
9) Knife of Dreams, by Robert Jordan.
10) The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan.
11) Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan.
12) A Memory of Light, by Robert Jordan.
13) The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden, by Jonas Jonasson.
14) Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones.
15) Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
16) American Gods, by Neil Gaiman.
17) The Orphan Master’s Son, by Adam Johnson.
18) The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Galbraith.
19) How To Be Alone, by Jonathan Franzen.
2013
1) South of the Border, West of the Sun, by Haruki Murakami.
2) Divergent, by Veronica Roth.
3) Insurgent, by Veronica Roth.
4) House of Silk, by Anthony Horowitz.
5) The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins.
6) Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare.
7) Clockwork Prince, by Cassandra Clare.
8) Clockwork Princess, by Cassandra Clare.
9) The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson.
10) Hegemony or Survival, by Noam Chomsky.
11) Daughter of Smoke and Bones, Laini Taylor.
12) Victoria, by Knut Hamsun.
13) The Affair of the Blood-stained Egg Cosy, by James Anderson.
14) The Affair of the Mutilated Mink, by James Anderson
15) The Affair of the 39 Cufflinks, by James Anderson
16) Endless amount of books on Framing Theory and Agenda-Setting Theory for my thesis.
17) Allegiant, by Veronica Roth
2012
1) A Dance With Dragons, by George R R Martin.
2) Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins.
3) Life of Pi, by Yann Martel.
4) City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare.
5) City of Ashes, by Cassandra Clare.
6) City of Glass, by Cassandra Clare.
7) Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami.
8) The Alchemyst, by Michael Scott.
9) The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien. (re-read)
10) The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky.
11) Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy.
12) City of Dark Magic, by Magnus Flyte.
13) Dreams From My Father, by Barack Obama.
2011
1) 1984, by George Orwell.
2) The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway.
3) The Rum Diary, by Hunter S Thompson.
4) Equal Rites, by Terry Pratchett.
5) Mort, by Terry Pratchett.
6) The Color Purple, by Alice Walker.
7) Fear of Flying, by Erica Jong.
8) The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka (again).
9) White Noise, by Don DeLillo .
10) Last Night At The Lobster, by Stewart O’Nan.
11) What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami.
12) Bygmester Solness, by Henrik Ibsen.
13) Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden.
14) Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami.
15) Filboid Studge – The Story of a Mouse that Helped (collection of short stories), by Saki.
16) A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin.
17) Kiffe Kiffe Demain (Just Like Tomorrow), by Faïza Guène.
18) A Clash of Kings, by George R. R. Martin.
19) A Storm of Swords, by George R. R. Martin.
20) A Feast for Crows, by George R.R. Martin.
21) The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.
22) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer.
23) Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins.
24) Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse.
25) Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts.
2010
1) I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell, by Tucker Max.
2) Eragon, by Christopher Paolini.
3) Bleak House, by Charles Dickens.
4) The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde.
5) The Winner Stands Alone, by Paulo Coelho.
6) Middlemarch, by Georg Eliot.
7) Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, by Edward Albee.
8) On The Road, by Jack Kerouac.
9) Pretty Little Liars, by Sara Shepard.
10) Flawless, by Sara Shepard.
11) Perfect, by Sara Shepard.
12) Unbelievable, by Sara Shepard.
13) Wicked, by Sara Shepard.
14) Killer, by Sara Shepard.
15) Heartless, by Sara Shepard.
16) Wanted, by Sara Shepard.
17) Wizard’s First Rule, by Terry Goodkind.
18) The Crucible, by Arthur Miller.
19) The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera.
20) Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe.
21) The Assassin’s Apprentice, by Robin Hobb.
22) God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, by Kurt Vonnegut.
23) The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath.
24) Royal Assassin, by Robin Hobb.
25) Send In The Idiots, by Kamran Nazeer.
26) Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare.
27) Antony and Cleopatra, by William Shakespeare.
28) Hamlet, by William Shakespeare.
29) Emma, by Jane Austen.
30) Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk.
31) Post Office, by Charles Bukowski.
2009
1) Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates.
2) A Wild Sheep Chase, by Haruki Murakami.
3) Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf.
4) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
5) The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory.
6) The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga.
7) Of Mice And Men, by John Steinbeck.
8) The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett.
9) Menn Som Hater Kvinner, by Stieg Larsson.
10) Jenta Som Lekte Med Ilden, by Stieg Larsson.
11) Slumdog Millionaire (or Q&A), by Vikas Swarup.
12) A Charming Mass Suicide, by Arto Paasilinna.
13) Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, by Raymond Carver.
14) Ensemble C’est Tout, by Anna Gavalda.
15) Kurtby, by Erlend Loe.
16) The Bielski Brothers, by Peter Duffy.
17) Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris.
18) After Dark, by Haruki Murakami.
19) The Light Fantastic, by Terry Pratchett.
20) Animal Farm, by George Orwell.
21) Coraline, by Neil Gaiman.
22) The Lover, by Marguerite Duras.
23) The Ladies of Grace Adieu, by Susanna Clarke.
24) The Colour of Magic, by Terry Pratchett.
25) A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula Le Guin,.
26) The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid.
27) The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, by Stieg Larsson.
28) The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde.
29) Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll.
30) Through the Looking-Glass And What Alice Found there, by Lewis Carroll.
August-December 2008
1) Veronica Decides To Die, by Paulo Coelho.
2) The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
3) Señor Peregrino, by Cecilia Samartin.
4) Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen.
5) Memnoch The Devil, by Anne Rice.
6) Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer.
7) New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer.
8) Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer.
9) Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer.
10) Sula, by Toni Morrison.
11) Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys.
2007
1) The Vampire Lestat, by Anne Rice.
2) The Queen of the Damned, by Anne Rice.
3) WoT: Crown of Swords, by Robert Jordan.
4) HP & the Philosopher’s Stone, by JK Rowling. (re-read it)
5) En helt vanlig dag på jobben, by Håvard Melnæs.
6) HP & the Chamber of Secrets, by JK Rowling. (re-read it)
7) HP & the Prisoner of Azkaban, by JK Rowling. (re-read it)
8 ) The End of Harry Potter, by David Langford.
9) Liljas Dans: Ilddåp, by Hege Løvstad.
10) HP & the Goblet of Fire, by JK Rowling. (re-read it)
11) Taltos, by Steven Brust.
12) Phoenix, by Steven Brust.
13) Athyra, by Steven Brust.
14) Orca, by Steven Brust.
15) HP & the Order of the Phoenix, by JK Rowling. (re-read it)
16) HP & the Deathly Hallows, by JK Rowling.
17) Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman.
18) WoT: Path of Daggers, by Robert Jordan.
19) The Ruby In the Smoke, by Philip Pullman.
20) Re-gifters, by Mike Carey.
21) Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers, by Bill Willinghams.
22) The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho.
23) The Cathcer in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger.
24) The Tale of the Body Thief, by Anne Rice.
25) Dracula, by Bram Stoker.
26) Cirque Du Freak, by Darren Shan.
27) Låt Den Rätte Komma In, by John Ajvide Lindqvist.
2006.
1) Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen.
2) Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brönte.
3) Murder is Easy, by Agatha Cristie.
4) Girl With A Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier.
5) Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen.
6) Phenomena 4: Utfrielsen, by Ruben Eliassen.
7) Sprengeren, by Liza Marklund.
8 ) WoT: The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan.
9) Tyvenes Marked, by Jan Guillou.
10) Orkestergraven, by Unni Lindel.
11) WoT: The Great Hunt, by Rober Jordan.
12) WoT: The Dragon Reborn, by Robert Jordan.
13) Stormbreaker, by Anthony Horowitz.
14) WoT: The Shadow Rising, by Robert Jordan.
15) The Duke & I, by Julia Quinn.
16) James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl.
17) Soga om Gunnlaug Ormstunge.
18) WoT: The Fires of Heaven, by Robert Jordan.
19) Interview With the Vampire, by Anne Rice.
20) Jhereg, by Steven Brust.
21) Yendi, by Steven Brust.
22) Teckla, by Steven Brust.
23) WoT: Lord of Chaos, by Robert Jordan.
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