Fifteen Dogs: an apologue of rare insight. Apollo and Hermes make a wager that if dogs were given human intelligence they would die miserable, not happy. This was my favorite this year.<p>The End of Vandalism: a tale of a love triangle in a small mid-western town. Funny, dark, and a vivid portrait of that kind of town. A huge cast of characters, some only on stage for a moment or two and yet each integral and colorful.<p>The Annihilation Score: I love the series but this wasn&#x27;t my favorite despite starring one of my favorite characters for the first time.<p>The Rhesus Chart: Another of the Laundry Files series. A sanguinary disease nearly brings down the Laundry. This one was snarky, good fun. One of my favorites from the series.<p>Where Did You Sleep Last Night?: A creepy masterpiece of haute fan-fiction.<p>Without Their Permission: The tale of a privileged, mediocre man extolling the Libertarian virtues of the Internet. Anyone can open a laptop and get super rich! Without anyone&#x27;s permission! <i>Because that&#x27;s why we&#x27;re not all rich yet</i>.<p>The Internet Is Not The Answer: A counter-point from Andrew Keene to Alexis Ohanian&#x27;s unbridled optimism. Decent but not strong enough.<p>21st Century C: Amazing! Finally a practical book about C. The modern tool-set available, the notable language features of C99 and C11, and a few in-depth projects to pull it all together. Great book.<p>On Numbers And Games: A fabulous book by one of my mathematical heroes. Well worth getting through it.<p>Frankenstein: Mary Shelley&#x27;s classic. I started collecting the new Penguin Classics line and the introductions are really insightful. These are well-researched and produced editions.<p>The Nature of Things: The epic from Lucretius. It was really eye-opening to finally read this book. Atomism, psychology, and poetic metaphors... from thousands of years ago.<p>... probably more I&#x27;m forgetting.