Gwenda recently did a thing on Shaken & Stirred about books she’s eagerly looking to see published in 2006. My first thoughts were mixed on the subject. I’ve already read Charles Stross’s Glasshouse and Scott Westerfeld’s Blue Noon, while Tim Powers’ Three Days to Never, Jeffrey Ford’s The Empire of Icecream, Paul Park’s The Tourmaline, Jeff VanderMeer’s Shriek: An Afterword, and James Morrow’s The Last Witchfinder are already sitting on the to-read shelf, so I really had to stop and think about the books I’m excited to see, that I don’t already have. Now, there are any number of books I’m interested in, and quite a number that look worthwhile, should be good, and so on, but I’m really looking forward to:

• Wintersmith, the third ‘Tiffany Aching’ novel from Terry Pratchett is due in the US Autumn, and I can’t wait for it. I loved The Wee Free Men and A Hat Full of Sky, so I’m expecting this one to be very special;
• Visionary in Residence, the fourth short story collection from Bruce Sterling is due in March, and should be great. I’ve read most of it, and can’t wait to get a copy;
• don’t remember the title, but I think Neil Gaiman’s new short story collection will be one of the best books published in 2006. Why, you ask? Well, Neil had well and truly mastered comics before moving into writing novels and short stories. He’s published a couple of terrific novels over the past few years (especially Coraline), but I think he’s become an even better short story writer. If the new collection has ‘Sunbird” in it, one of my very favorite stories from 2005, then it’ll be a peach;
• I’m on record as loving Margo Lanagan’s collection Black Juice. If all goes to plan, her third collection, Red Spikes, will be published this year and if it’s just half the book Black Juice was, I’m going to love it;
• late in the year, Mary Rickert’s first collection, Map of Dreams, is due out. It should have “Cold Fires” in it, which I loved. She’s been one of the most interesting writers to emerge in the last few years, and I can’t wait to see if the book lives up to that.

Hmm. That’s five, enough to be getting on with. I’m surprised there’s no real SF in there, though I am looking forward to Stan Robinson’s third Capitol Code novel and there’s a new Steve Baxter collection due soon. I’m sure I’m missing lots of stuff. Isn’t someone supposed to be doing an Ian McDonald collection? And then there’s Alan DeNiro’s collection from Small Beer (everything they’ve done has been great), and Tim Pratt’s second collection. Hmm. Could be a good year.

There are several longer stories – short novels in the 35,000 to 60,000 word range – that are amongst the year’s best short fiction, but are simply too long to fit into any book. For that reason, I’ve omitted them from the main list for the year. Still, if you have a taste for long stories, then I’d also heartily recommend:

Fishin’ with Grandma Matchie, Steven Erikson
The Cosmology of the Wider World, Jeffrey Ford
Voluntary Committal, Joe Hill
The Life of Riley, Alexander C. Irvine
Burn, James Patrick Kelly

There are many practicalities that govern assembling any book, especially something like a year’s best annual. I’ve been reading for three of them again this year and, while it’s been rewarding, the final books are always impacted on by all sorts of real world considerations.

Realising that, I began to think about what stories I’d put into a year’s best, if the only restrictions I had to face were 1) the book was a single volume and 2) the stories were ones I really liked. After a bit of thought, I came up with a list of thirty-five stories that straggled across genres, but might just sneak between a single set of covers.

Looking at the list, it occurred to me that I should probably try to sequence them, but this is an idle thought experiment, and I only have so much time. Still, if you’re interested in such things, here’s my ‘Best Stories of 2005’. Oh, and should you wonder, this list was winnowed down from well over 300 stories, a number of which were damn fine.

“The Calorie Man”, Paolo Bacigalupi
“The Language of Moths”, Chrisopher Barzak
“Two Hearts”, Peter S. Beagle
“Leviathan”, Simon Brown
“The Emperor of Gondwanaland”, Paul Di Filippo
“I, Robot”, Cory Doctorow
“Boatman’s Holiday”, Jeffrey Ford
“The Road to Recovery”, Gregory Frost
“Sunbird”, Neil Gaiman
“Pip and the Fairies”, Theodora Goss
“The Pirate’s True Love”, Seana Graham
“Heads Down, Thumbs Up”, Gavin J. Grant
“Echo”, Elizabeth Hand
“The Cape”, Joe Hill
“The Fulcrum”, Gwyneth Jones
“The Edge of Nowhere”, James Patrick Kelly
“Intelligent Design”, Ellen Klages
“Magic for Beginners”, Kelly Link
“Monsters”, Kelly Link
“The Policeman’s Daughter”, Wil McCarthy
“The Little Goddess”, Ian McDonald
“Written in the Stars”, Ian McDonald
“Little Faces”, Vonda McIntyre
“The Second Coming of Charles Darwin”, James Morrow
“The Gypsies in the Wood”, Kim Newman
“Finished”, Robert Reed
“Zima Blue”, Alastair Reynolds
“Anyway”, M. Rickert
“The Last Ten Years in the Life of Hero Kai”, Geoff Ryman
“The Blemmye’s Stratagem”, Bruce Sterling
“Snowball’s Chance”, Charles Stross
“Girls and Boys, Come Out to Play”, Michael Swanwick
“Triceratops Summer”, Michael Swanwick
“The Farmer’s Cat”, Jeff VanderMeer
“The King of Where I Go”, Howard Waldrop
“A Knot of Toads”, Jane Yolen

After a flood of new books in 2000, Kim Newman has been going through something of a drought for the past five years. There’s been some reprints of older titles, and a minor collection, but nothing for Newman fans to really sink their teeth into. That ends in June next year when Chris Roberson’s MonkeyBrain Books publishes The Man from The Diogenes Club, a collection of Newman’s Richard Jeperson stories. The book is very cool, and features an appropriately swinging cover from John Picacio, who has nailed the feel of the stories perfectly (and is clearly familiar with the model for Jeperson). You can get a good feel for the book if you check out “The Serial Murders” over at SciFi.com and, if takes your fancy as much as it did mine, you’ll want a copy. I can’t wait to see the book when it’s done.

This time last year, I did one of those quiz things that I found on Tim Pratt’s blog. Herewith, an update…

1. What did you do in 2005 that you’d never done before?
Bought an iPod. Visited Madison, Wisconsin and avoided being ticketed for exceeding the speed limit by 40mph in Illinois. I met my agent and wore a tuxedo, and then ran through the cold evening rain with said agent in said tuxedo to get to a restaurant. I went down a waterslide, I think for the first time.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No. As I said at this time last year, I said I wanted to get organised and get healthy. I’m still disorganised and suspect I managed to put on more weight (sigh). So, next year’s resolutions will remain those two, plus find ways to relax and unwind.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not this time. A few nice folk I don’t know very well did, but no-one close.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
The world was kinder this year. So far, death has stayed away from the doorsteps of those that matter to me. May it continue to be so. I still think fondly of both Peter McNamara and Alwyn Hyman, who died last year.

5. What countries did you visit?
The USA. It was my ninth visit since 1993, and even more exhausting than last year. I went to Oakland to catch up with Charles and then to Madison, Wisconsin for World Fantasy. Hopefully next year’s trip, with Marianne and the girls for LA Con, will be even better.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
Last time I said sleep. There was something true about that. I think I’d like to slow down a little, complete a major project that I have been working on for a couple years, and just take some pressure off so I can spend more time with Marianne and the kids. I would still like to have more time to see friends and such – my social life has disintegrated appallingly these past six years. I did get an iPod, though, and I love it.

7. What dates from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Last year I said “I could put political stuff here, but the truth is that those things are not that personal to me” and that remains true. So, setting aside World Events, I’ll remember Robin and Toula’s wedding, picking up Margo’s two World Fantasy Awards, little pink drinks with Garth in Madison, Mother’s Day at the park with the family, reading the best ever story that’s been submitted to me for a project, a late night in Melbourne with the Clut, Sophie’s birthday at ToddlerTown, Jess’s birthday, and time with the family. Mostly small, personal things.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting out of it alive? No? Delivering four books, all of which have been published. Selling two more. Winning the McNamara Award. Being invited to be one of the Conjure’s guests. Stuff like that.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Time management and attitude management. I’ve been too quick to let myself be negative – something I need to watch.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the flu and such.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
The iPod. It was love.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Man, that’s a tough one. Sophie, who grew up in a breath. My mum, who continues to help me and my family every day. Marianne, Stephen, Charles, Barb, Bec. How do you pick?

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Still, no comment.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Food and lodging, followed by books and cds.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Oh, books and traveling and all of that.

16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
“Come on Feel the Illinoise”, Sufjan Stevens.

17. Compared to this time last year, you are:
I originally wrote sadder, fatter and poorer. I don’t know that that’s try. Sadly, I am fatter, I suspect. I’m probably cash-poorer, but wealthier overall. And sadness, comes and go. When I add things up, I have a lot to be happy about.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Making more of an effort to make occasions special. I think it’s very important that you go to the trouble of making special occasions ‘special’. Too often, of late, I’ve made them rote and unexciting. So, a vote for champagne and specialness.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating and stressing.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
With family and friends at my mother’s home. Up in the morning, Christmas with the kids, then over to mum’s for lunch. It should be a happy, family kinda day.

22. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Several times. I live with them all.

23. How many one-night stands?
No. See #22.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Spicks and Specks, a rock quiz show.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Pfeh. Who would answer such a question?

26. What was the best book you read?
Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link or Laughin’ Boy by Bradley Denton.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Sufjan Stevens or The Magic Numbers.

28. What did you want and get?
An iPod.

29. What did you want and not get?
Peace and quiet, but I did get an iPod.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Harder to say, this year. I saw Batman Begins the most, but it’s not that good.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 41. I had a small celebration at home.

32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Being able to give up the day job, or at least feeling in control of my time.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
Sad, middle-aged git; T-shirts and jeans at home, long-sleeve shirts and pants at work – all mostly black.

34. What kept you sane?
What makes you think I’m still sane?

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Truthfully, still don’t care.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The IR reforms here in Australia, and the growing fear of America.

37. Who did you miss?
My dad.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Hmm. Off the top of my head, maybe Amelia at Locus. She’s cool fun.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
I can’t beat last year’s lesson. A hug and kiss from your four-year-old or five-year-old daughter can cure any woe, and their laughter will lift you whenever you hear it.