The novels:

Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell: I had heard of Cornwell before, but never read any of his stuff. Those that know me, however, know that I'm a sucker for anything written about Agincourt, so I didn't have to think twice about picking this one up. It follows the adventures of Nathaniel, a down-on-his-luck archer in Henry V's army. The book follows what I now know is Cornwell's formula, but it's an entertaining read and Cornwell does, as much as possible, get the history right. My only real objection to the book was that Nathaniel isn't a terribly likable character.

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell: Despite its flaws, I did enjoy Agincourt, so I decided to check out some of Cornwell's other works, and for no particular reason began with this, the first in a series of books about Alfred the Great and his quest to recapture England from the Vikings. The story follows Uhtred, an English-born but Viking-raised boy who must constantly battle between his devotion to those who raised him and his loyalty to his native people. The Last Kingdom follows Uhtred from his violent childhood through his upbringing as a Viking.

Millenium Falcon by James Luceno: The Falcon is without a doubt by favorite vehicle from Star Wars, so I was looking forward to reading this story that promised to follow its history. Unfortunately, the book fails to deliver, instead providing a disjointed story that tries, but fails, to mingle the Falcon's early days with the current post-post-Return of the Jedi storyline in the Star Wars novel. Not nearly as horrific a novel as Death Star, but still, if this is the way that these one-off Star Wars novels are going to go, then I'm going to have a hard time continuing with them.

Invincible by Troy Denning: This marked the fantastically disappointing conclusion to the Legacy of the Force series. The series as a whole was good, following the descent to the Dark Side of Han and Leia's oldest son. But this book felt like an after-thought of sorts, and the supposedly epic confrontation between Jacen and Jaina was so poorly written that I almost felt cheated after having read the previous eight novels in the series. Again, not a good sign for the future of Star Wars novels.

Order 66 by Karen Traviss: It's becoming increasingly clear that novels that focus on the characters from any of the Star Wars movies are going to be a let down. Fortunately, Karen Traviss has gone in a different direction in her series about a group of Clone Troopers during the events between episodes II and III. The books follow a group of young Jedi and their increasingly close bond with the troopers under their command. Since the beginning of the series, you cannot be help read these books with a sense of dread, knowing as we do what happens between the Clone army and the Jedi in Episode III, events chronicled in this book. The army's assassination of the Jedi would seem to paint Traviss into a corner, and while I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that she very nicely, and believably, finds a solution.

Lost Light by Michael Connelly: I started reading Connelly a few years ago on something of a lark, and have enjoyed his novels ever since. The only reason that he appears but twice on this year's list is that I've already read all of his older books, so I am now mostly at the mercy of waiting as he writes new ones. Lost Light was one of the few older novels I hadn't caught yet. This story follows detective Harry Bosch trying to cope with his retirement from the LAPD. Now a PI, he takes on the case of a murdered Hollywood executive and $2M in missing cash. This is standard Connelly fare, meaning highly entertaining and completely readable.

The Pale Horsemen by Bernard Cornwell: Book two in the Saxon series follows Uhtred as he joins Alfred's forces in their darkest hour. Driven from his kingdom, Alfred was close to defeat, and the book nicely describes these pivotal events in English history. Cornwell does a great job of developing his characters, from the angry and violent Uhtred to the taciturn Alfred. Another great Cornwell read.

Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell: One of the joys of playing catch-up on existing series is the ability to go straight from one book to the next. In this third book of the Saxon Stories, Uhtred returns north to free his step-sister and attempt to regain his inheritence. Again, Cornwell brings pre-conquest England to life in a way few others can.

The Program by Stephen White: My mom introduced me to Stephen White a year or so ago with his fantastic Kill Me, still his best book to date. The first of many of his books that I would read this year is about a woman placed in the Witness Protection Program, but unsure if she is safe there. What I like about White's books are the interesting characters who get to follow from one story to the next and his familiar settings: almost all of his books take place in and around Boulder, Colorado, where I went to college and one of my favorite places on earth. What I dislike is his habit of rushing into unfulfilling endings, and this book has both.

Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell: The fourth book in the Saxon Stories details the English attempts to take London and establish Alfred as ruler of all England. I thoroughly enjoyed all four of these books, and cannot wait until the publication of the next book, The Burning Land, sometime soon.

Genghis: Bones of the Hills by Conn Iggulden: Genghis Khan is perhaps the greatest military commander in history, but at the same time, he is perhaps the least known, at least to us in the west. We know a lot about the exploits of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, and yet so little about Khan, who founded the largest land empire the world has ever known, stretching from the China to Europe, Siberia to the Middle East. It was larger than either Rome or Alexander's empire, and it was created in a mere 30 years by men on horseback under the leadership of a single will: Khan. Even as a history buff, I knew little about Khan, so it was really on a lark about two years ago that I picked up Iggulden's first book on Khan, a series which concludes with Bones of the Hills. If you're looking for good historical fiction that will also introduce you to one of history's most important figures, you should read these books.

Bronze Verdict by Michael Connelly: Connelly joins his two main heroes, Harry Bosch and Mickey Heller together to solve the murder of a defense attorney. The story is good, but the melding of Connelly's fascinating Bosch character with his much-less-intriguing Heller character has mixed results.

Outcast by Aaron Allston: The first in a new series of Star Wars novels. With the defeat of the evil Darth Caedus, the republic is trying to rebuild, but suspicions abound about the Jedi. A totally unconvincing election of a former Imperial to lead the republic, combined with a boring sub-plot about insane Jedi and a contrived story of Luke being exiled combine to drive all hope from those of us looking for the Star Wars novels to return to readability.

Cold Case by Stephen White: I mentioned earlier that the advantage of catching up on an established writer's works is the ability to read a lot of his or her books over the course of a year. The disadvantage is in not realizing that they may loosely fit together in some order, and occasionally encountering books that foreshadow events that you already know the outcome of, thanks to having read a later book. This early White book follows psychologist Alan Gregory, the hero in most White novels, as he tries to solve a decades-old murder. Decent, without White's normal rushed ending.

Divine Justice by David Baldacci: Baldacci is another author my mom introduced me to. While I enjoy most of his political thrillers, his recent series on the so-called Camel Club has been less than thrilling. This novel follows the club's leader, Oliver Stone, as he wanders meaninglessly through the Virginia countryside, stumbling upon a bunch of uninteresting characters and stories. This is the first Baldacci novel I actually had trouble finishing.

The Whole Truth by David Baldacci: Fortunately, Baldacci returned to form with this interesting story of an overly-rich man attempting to start a war for profit. It's scariest bits are how it shows how easily it could be done.

Harm's Way by Stephen White: Alan Gregory tries to figure out who killed his neighbor and friend Peter. The story is interesting and the plot engrossing, but once again White rushes the ending.

A Princess of Landover by Terry Brooks: I first read Brooks in junior high school thanks to a recommendation from a friend, and I've been hooked ever since. I anxiously await his once-a-year release of a new book. Here, he returns to his light-hearted Landover series with a story of the now-grown daughter of the King of Landover having a series of misadventures. It's an interesting look at adolescence, but honestly not one of Brooks' best works.

The Archer's Tale by Bernard Cornwell: While waiting for the next book in the Saxon stories, I decided to check out another series. This trilogy of books follows Thomas of Hookton, an English archer a generation before the one in Agincourt, as he searches France for the Holy Grail. The Grail is really nothing more than a sub-plot here, though - in reality, the series is about France during the Hundred Years War. In this opening story, Thomas sets out on his quest, but ends up getting sidetracked by a beautiful French girl and the Battle of Crecy.

The Friday Night Club by Jacob Lurie: This is the odd story on this list. I don't particularly care for contemporary fiction, and honestly this story would not have held much interest for me. However, it was written by a good friend, and when he offered to send the manuscript for me to read and review, I agreed, and I'm very glad I did. The story is fairly straight-forward: a young man, on the eve of his wedding, looks back over the last few years, questioning the decisions that have led him to the altar and whether he's marrying the right girl. Part of the appeal of the book was admittedly the once-again familiar settings of Boulder and Denver, but what really drew me in were the exceptionally well-developed characters. There are no throw-away back-ground characters here: every person in the book is a well-rounded, totally believable person. Even if the author is a friend, I can honestly say that this is perhaps the best book I read this year.

The Best Revenge by Stephen White: Alan Gregory returns yet again in White's most over-thought and least believable book. It had something to do with some people getting a guy out of prison for a crime he didn't commit so that they could torture him for another crime that he did, or maybe didn't, commit. Convulted? Yes. Interesting? No.

The Siege by Stephen White: Perhaps it was an unfair contrast with Revenge, but The Siege is one of White's best, right begin Kill Me. Sam Purdy, a secondary character in most White books, takes center stage here, but what makes this book so good is the realism behind the story. It's both comtemporary and scary.

Vagabond by Bernard Cornwell: Book 2 in the Grail Quest series follows Thomas of Hookton as he returns to England to search for the Grail, getting caught up in the Scottish invasion of 1347, the tragic events of which lead him back to Brittany to continue his quest.

Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell: Thanks to a TV show, the adventures of Richard Sharpe are perhaps Cornwell's best-known books. Here, we meet Sharpe as a private in the British Army in India in 1799. Determined to desert, he is instead thrust front-and-center into a bloody conflict as the British attempt to take the stronghold of a local Indian warlord. While the story drags at points, it does provide a good introduction to Sharpe.

Critical Conditions by Stephen White: While written over a decade ago, this book could have been written this year: a young girl is dying, thanks to her insurance company's refusal to pay for a heart transplant. When the head of the insurance agency turns up dead, Alan Gregory has to figure out if his patient, sister to the dying girl and niece to his friend Sam Purdy, could be guilty of the murder. This book was really good until the last 50 pages, when White's usual weak ending is made worse by a completely unexpected and unnecessary action set-piece.

Death Troopers by Joe Scheiber: When I first heard that they were doing a horror novel set in the Star Wars universe, I was excited. That excitement, however, only lasted through the first 30 or 40 pages of his mess of a book. It isn't the least bit scary or even suspenseful. Instead, it's predictable dreck, weakened even further by the totally unnecessary introduction about half-way through of two of the Star Wars universe's most well-known characters. This was the point at which I really began to doubt whether or not I was going to be able to continue to read Star Wars novels, since they do seem to be getting progressively worse. Hopefully, though, Death Troopers will mark the low point: it's almost hard to imagine how they can get much worse.

Abyss by Troy Denning: Yes, I'm a glutton. You would think Death Troopers would have turned me off Star Wars novels for awhile. You might also think that, given the disappointment of Outcast, I might think twice about reading the follow-up novel. But sometimes, habit takes over, and the habit of getting and reading Star Wars novels as soon as they come out is a hard one to break. This series, however, might just do it. This second novel in the new series is every bit as boring and contrived as was the first one.

Heretic by Bernard Cornwell: The final novel in the Grail Quest series finds Thomas on the run even from his own people, having chosen to save a beautiful woman comdemned by the Church to burn for heresy. (Two common themes of Cornwell's books are his hero's weaknesses for beautiful women and his disdain for the medieval Church.) The series is brought to a close very nicely in this third book. Fans of medieval historical fiction should definitely check out all three books in this series.

Privileged Information by Stephen White: White's first novel introduces Gregory, Purdy, and the other characters about whom I already knew a great deal, thanks to reading the later books. The story here is interesting enough, putting Gregory not in physical peril as most of his other books do but rather in professional peril, but the ending is, as usual, unsatisfying.

Higher Authority by Stephen White: An interesting twist on the Gregory novels puts Gregory's then-finance Lauren Crowder at the center of a mystery involving the Mormon Church. You'll learn a lot about Mormon theology here, which I did find interesting, but the mystery is a bit flat, and need I comment on the ending?

The non-fiction books:

A Whole New Mind by David Pink: This very interesting book challenges the traditional "right-brain" versus "left-brain" idea by discussing how almost all activities actually involve both sides of the brain. The most interesting bit from the book, however, dealt with the author teaching himself to draw. The reasons why most people have such a hard time drawing faces are that we tend to put the eyes too high up (the eyes are in fact exactly in the middle of our heads), and we tend to draw the eyes either too big or too small (the width of the eyes is actually the same as the distance between the eyes.)

Genghis: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man: After completing Igullden's Genghis books, I wanted to learn more about the "real" history, only to discover that biographies of this oh-so-important figure are few and far between. Man's biography is as accessible as any. The first two-thirds or so of the book are good, being as they comprise the actual biography. Unfortunately, the books veers off-course after that, becoming a sort of personal travel journal of the author's adventures through Mongolia.

Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough: The Michael Mann movie of the same title inspired me to check out this book. Fortunately, the movie is only very loosely based on the book. The movie focuses on Johnny Depp as John Dillenger, but the book is a broader look at the pivotal years in which Dillenger, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby Face Nelson, the Barkers, and several other gangs ran rampant across America. More important than the criminals, though, were the law enforcement agents who pursued and ultimately captured or killed almost all of them. At the start, the FBI is a collection of incompetant rookies who consistently allow the bad guys to get away. At the end, only two years later, it had been transformed into the professional crime fighting force that we know today. It's a history much more fascinating than what is shown in the movie.

Disneyland: Little-known Facts about Well-known Places by David Hoffman: We're taking the kids to the Happiest Place on Earth in February, and when we go this time we'll know to always go to the food line the furthest to the left, since it is consistently shortest, and to ride the purple teacup, which spins the fastest, and to get in the line at the Matterhorn on the right, which leads to a faster, longer ride. These facts and more are outlined in this great little book.

The Forge of Christendom: The End of Days and the Epic Rise of the West by Tom Holland: In 800, Christianity was still little more than a sect practiced in a few corners of Europe, and the continent was divided into a series of tiny fiefdoms rules by petty warlords. By 1100, the whole of the continent had been converted to Christianity, and the nation-states we know and recognize today, including England, France and Spain, were established and on their way to becoming the dominant powers in the world. This history chronicles these pivotal centuries, and discusses the rise of the papacy, the founding of the Holy Roman Empire, and much more. It's a fascinating period that is brilliantly told by Holland.

Defenders of the Faith by James Reston, Jr.: I was first introduced to Reston years ago with his Warriors of God, a history of the conflict between Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade (although some readers might be more familiar with him thanks to his being portrayed by Sam Rockwell in last year's Nixon/Frost). Here, Reston takes on another infamous west versus east conflict, that of Emperor Charles V and Suleyman the Magnificent. Interestingly, just as these two great leaders were moving head-long into a clash that could decide the fate of Europe, each was also dealing with conflict and heresy at home: devout Catholic Charles was fighting Martin Luther's reforms and Henry VIII's marital woes, while Suleyman had to deal with the rise of heresy in his empire as well. The long-term impacts of the clash still resonate today: it was in this period that the power of the pope was weakened, both by Luther and Henry and also Charles himself (whose army sacked Rome), while Suleyman's conquest of the Balkans laid the foundations of the religious strife that led to the bloody Balkan wars only a decade ago. While I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I did Warriors of God, it was nonetheless a fascinating read.

The Digital Photography Book, Vol. 3 by Scott Kelby: In a perfect world, ever digital SLR would include copies of the three volumes of Kelby's Digital Photography books. This being a less-than-perfect world, you'll just have to settle with buying them separately. But buy them you should. Not only will they teach you a lot you didn't know about your camera, they will also teach you how to take better pictures and become a better photographer.

So there it is, my reading list for 2009. I've already started on books for next year (my arbitrary decision is to include books I finish each year, rather than those that I start in a given year.) I'm already working on two books I got for Christmas: The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson and Cold Zero by Christopher Whitcomb, but you'll need to wait until next December to read what I think of them.