Favourite albums of 2017

Yes, it's another list! How surprising.

Here's a bunch of my favourite albums from 2017, and favourite tracks off them too.

10. Ensiferum - Two Paths

• Favourite Tracks: For Those About to Fight for Metal

9. Kobra and the Lotus - Prevail I

• Favourite Tracks: Light Me Up, You Don't Know

8. Projected - Ignite My Insanity

• Favourite Tracks: Reload

7. Threshold - Legends of the Shires

• Favourite Tracks: The Man Who Saw Through TIme

6. Adagio - Life

• Favourite Tracks: Subrahmanya

5. Orden Ogan - Gunmen

• Favourite Tracks: Down Here, Forlorn and Forsaken

4. Almanac - Kingslayer

• Favourite Tracks: Children of the Sacred Path

3. Anthriel - Transcendence

• Favourite Tracks: Under Burning Skies, Rhapsody of Fire

2. Dragonforce - Reaching Into Infinity

• Favourite Tracks: The Edge of the World, Ashes of the Dawn

1. Ayreon - The Source

• Favourite Tracks: Everybody Dies, Run! Apocalypse! Run! 

Runner Up mentions (in no particular order):

Alestorm - No Grave Bu the Sea
Eluveitie - Evocation II: Pantheon
Wintersun - The Forest Seasons
Voyager - The Ghost Mile
Elvenking - Secrets of the Magick Grimoire

December 2017 Reading Progress

December 2017 Books
So much for increasing my reading speed this month, I barely even had time off anyway. Children of time had some very interesting concepts and science-fiction-y stuff going for it, but storyline-wise was quite slow. Also do NOT read if you're arachnophobic. Rowan of Rin was mostly just good nostalgia and great a a children's (middle grade) book, the sequel was even slightly better with some more exciting pacing and danger.

• Rowan of Rin (Rowan of Rin #1) - Emily Rodda
  
• Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky
  
• Rowan and the Travellers (Rowan of Rin #2) - Emily Rodda
  
  
  

Currently Reading:
House of Chains (Malazan Book of the Fallen #4) - Steven Erikson [Reread]

November 2017 Reading Progress

November 2017 Books
Memories of Ice took me a loooonnggg time, but I was also quite distracted with a whole bunch of other things going on this month, so I expect December may be a little more productive for reading. On the other hand, it does genuinely take a while to get through any Malazan book, especially if you're trying to take everything in properly and occasionally have to flip back and forth a bit to keep up. Worth it though!

• Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen #3) - Steven Erikson [Reread]
  

Currently Reading:
Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky

October 2017 Reading Progress

October 2017 Books
A great month for getting through a number of shorter books, and getting a little further on my Malazan re-read!
Technically I have read the Seventh Tower series before as well, but given that was probably back in my early teens, I can hardly remember a thing about them so it's almost like reading for the first time?

• Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of the Fallen #2) - Steven Erikson [Reread]
  
• The Seventh Tower Volumes 1-3 - Garth Nix
• The Fall (The Seventh Tower #1)
  
• Castle (The Seventh Tower #2)
  
• Aenir (The Seventh Tower #3)
  
  
  
• The Ice Dragon - George R R Martin & Luis Royo (illustrator)
  
• Spiderlight - Adrian Tchaikovsky
  

Currently Reading:
Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen #3) - Steven Erikson [Reread]

September 2017 Reading Progress

September 2017 Books
This was a great month for me! Discovered a new great sci-fi series in Homecoming, which I will be continuing hopefully soon. FINALLY finished the Wheel of Time in all its epic finale -I still can't believe it's over! Also finished off the Lumatere Chronicles, which I wouldn't put high on my all time favourites list, but was still an interesting read. And continuing on with my Malazan reread -I'm getting towards the end of book 2.

• Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1) - Steven Erikson [Reread]
  
• The Memory of Earth (Homecoming #1) - Orson Scott Card
  
• A Memory of Light (The Wheel of Time #14) - Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
  
• Quintana of Charyn (Lumatere Chronicles #3) - Melina Marchetta
  

Currently Reading:
Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of the Fallen #2) - Steven Erikson [Reread]

August 2017 Reading Progress

August 2017 Books
Apparently I haven't had much time this month, but on the other hand I am just over half way through both of my in progress books, so I've read more than it appears...

• Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles #2) - Melina Marchetta
  

Currently Reading:
A Memory of Light (The Wheel of Time #14) - Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1) - Steven Erikson

July 2017 Reading Progress

July 2017 Books

Got through a few book this month, but no *really* good ones. With WOT 13 done though, I'm only 1 away from completion after all this time! So I'm excited for #14 at long last, which I will most likely at least start (if not finish) in August.

• Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass #0) - Sarah J. Maas
  
• The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness
  
• Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time #13) - Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
  
• Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
  

Currently Reading:
Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles #2) - Melina Marchetta

June 2017 Reading Progress

June 2017 Books
Much fantasy. Such Brandon Sanderson. Wowe.

• The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6, Alloy Era #3) - Brandon Sanderson
  
• White Sand Vol. 1 - Brandon Sanderson, Rik Hoskin, Julius Gopez (Graphic Novel)
  
• The Gathering Storm (The Wheel of Time #12) - Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
  
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
  
• The Winter Made - C.L. Wilson
  

Currently Reading:
Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass #0) - Sarah J. Maas
Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time #13) - Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

May 2017 Reading Progress

May 2017 Books
Rereading the Lightbringer series was a good call because I had hardly remembered the details, and I finally got around to book 4, which was a tad underwhelming compared to the rest of the series so far, but still great. Ashling, on the other hand, not so great.

• The Blinding Knife (Lightbringer #2) - Brent Weeks [Reread]
  
• The Broken Eye (Lightbringer #3) - Brent Weeks [Reread]
  
• The Blood Mirror (Lightbringer #4) - Brent Weeks
  
• New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos - [edited by] Ramsey Campbell
  
• Ashling (Obernewtyn #3) - Isobelle Carmody
  
  
  

Currently Reading:
The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6, Alloy Era #3) - Brandon Sanderson

April 2017 Reading Progress

April 2017 Books
I had a relatively good month this time for reading more books from even more series, most of them very good ones. Unfortunately the Wheel of Time prequel was fairly disappointing and given that I haven't yet started book 12 hopefully I won't completely loose track of that particular series, but at least rereading the Lightbringer series I'll finally be able to get around to reading the newest fourth book!

• New Spring (Wheel of Time #0) - Robert Jordan
  
• Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) - Sarah J. Maas
  
• Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere #1) - Melina Marchetta
  
• The Black Prism (Lightbringer #1) - Brent Weeks [Reread]
  

Currently Reading:
The Blinding Knife (Lightbringer #2) - Brent Weeks [Reread]

March 2017 Reading Progress

March 2017 Books
I just managed to squeeze in the end of Wheel of Time #11 just before the end of the month! I kept getting distracted by all these many other books which were mostly really great, but I did it anyway! And it was worth it, book 11 has been one of the strongest so far, with the most big events/reveals/anything actually happening since about book 4 or 5?

• Obernewtyn (Obernewtyn #1) - Isobelle Carmody
  
• Pendulum - Adam Hamdy
  
• Astro Boy Omnibus Vol. 1 - Osamu Tezuka
  
• Elantris - Brandon Sanderson
  
• The Farseekers (Obernewtyn #2) - Isobelle Carmody
  
• Knife of Dreams (The Wheel of Time #11) - Robert Jordan
  

Currently Reading:
Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) - Sarah J. Maas

February 2017 Reading Progress

February 2017 books
The Starbound series is absolutely incredible -3 separate stories which aren't actually so separate as it turns out (do read them in order), with Sci-Fi, Romance, Action, Comedy and pretty much anything else you could want in a good YA series! I only wish there had been more books in it.

• These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner 
  
• Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time #10) - Robert Jordan
  
  
  
• This Shattered World (Starbound #2) - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
  

  
• Their Fractured Light (Starbound #3) - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
  
• This Night So Dark (Starbound #1.5) - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
  

Currently Reading:
Knife of Dreams (The Wheel of Time #11) - Robert Jordan
Obernewtyn (Obernewtyn Chronicles #1) - Isobelle Carmody

January 2017 Reading Progress

January 2017 books

Hope everyone's new year is off to a great start!
Mine is (clearly) off to a slow start in terms of reading at least, I only just finished my first collection of Lovecraft stories on the 30th. If I had to choose, my favourite stories of those would have been Herbert West: Reanimator, The Colour Out of Space and The Whisperer in the Darkness.

• Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time #9) - Robert Jordan
  
• The Call of Cthulhu and other Weird Stories - H.P. Lovecraft
  

Currently Reading:
Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time #10) - Robert Jordan