What I read in 2013

Here's a list of the books and short stories I read this year. I recommend the ones in bold.

Side Jobs by Jim Butcher (urban fantasy, 2010)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (fantasy, 2009) 
Changes by Jim Butcher (urban fantasy, 2010)

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (fantasy, 1999)
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (fantasy, 2008)

Feed by M.T. Anderson (science fiction, 2002)
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon (fiction, 2011)
Turn Coat by Jim Butcher (urban fantasy, 2009)

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer (non-fiction, 2011)
From The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
- "The Final Problem"

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (non-fiction, 2010)
Small Favor by Jim Butcher (urban fantasy, 2008)
Phoenix by Chuck Palahniuk (short story, 2013)
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman ("short fictions and illusions," 1998)
From The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
- "The Naval Treaty"

Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher (urban fantasy, 2006)
The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks (graphic novel, 2013)
Let's Write a Short Story! by Joe Bunting (non-fiction, 2012)
Schooled by Dalton Jackson (non-fiction, 2012)
The Dip by Seth Godin (non-fiction, 2007)
Limitless by Alan Glynn (science fiction, 2001)
Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Non-boring, Fluff-free Strategies for Marketing and Promoting Your Business by David Siteman Garland (non-ficiton, 2011)
White Night by Jim Butcher (urban fantasy, 2008)

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury (non-fiction, 1996)
Darkride by Laura Bradley Rede (fantasy, 2011)
From The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
- "The Greek Interpreter"

The Writing Life by Annie Dillard (non-fiction, 1990)
The Resume Is Dead by Nelson Wang (non-fiction, 2012)
Disrupt: Think the Unthinkable to Spark Transformation in Your Business by Luke Williams (non-ficiton, 2010)
From The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
- "The Resident Patient"
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (fiction, 2006)

The Tomorrow People: Why is Stephen in high school?

Nine episodes in, and there’s one thing that consistently annoys me about The Tomorrow People—Stephen isn’t believable as a high school student.

Except for a handful of scenes in the first couple episodes and the basketball episode, we haven’t seen Stephen in school. He doesn’t spend much time studying or doing homework on screen, and judging by the amount of time he spends between Ultra and the Lair, he must be skipping classes. There should be consequences from missing school (grounded by his mom, phone calls from the principal), but there aren’t.

Or are we supposed to believe that Stephen’s “internship” at Ultra is taking the place of a regular high school schedule?

If high school isn’t a critical part of the story, why have the main character be high school-aged?

The writers could have made Stephen a little older. Put him in college. It might have gone like this:

Astrid and Stephen go to the local state university, but Stephen takes the semester off (or shifted to part time classes) because of his supposed mental health issues.

He realizes the voice in his head is actually Cara, the sleep walking condition he thinks he has is actually teleportation, and he doesn’t need his meds anymore. He joins the Tomorrow People and he becomes a double-agent at Ultra, just like canon.

Then the show wouldn’t have to spend much time on classroom scenes and the missing school stuff wouldn’t be a massive plot hole. Making Stephen a few years older would make him a more believable character.