I almost forgot the weekly thread again, so just putting it up, will post my updates later.
What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?
For details on the c/Books bingo challenge that just restarted for the year, you can checkout the initial Book Bingo, and its Recommendation Post. Links are also present in our community sidebar.
Mr Wilman’s Motoring Adventure by Andy Wilman. A behind the scenes look at Top Gear and The Grand Tour. Not very far in yet, but it’s an entertaining read so far. Reading it in spare moments at work.
I’ve largely been rereading older releases for comfort, since I keep bouncing off the new (to me) books I’ve started–and the end of this bingo year is approaching!
I had a plane ride so I devoured Falling in Love With Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson.
Just started Where Peace Is Lost by Valerie Valdes
I’ve read “the stainless steel rat” by Harry Harrison last week. I didn’t find it quite as good as the previous books I’ve read from Harrison, but I started the second book in the series “the stainless steel rat’s revenge” anyway. I have some hopes it gets better since the first one was also one of Harrison’s first books. If not, it was still okay-ish.
“Twelve Months”, by Jim Butcher, book 18 in The Dresden Files. Been waiting over 5 years for this new installment. At least the next one is about a year out.
I just read it as well, and was left feeling surprisingly “meh” about it at the end. Maybe because I didn’t love the previous book and there was a long wait for this one?
I’m not sure, but i’m not excited for the next book. I’ll read it anyway, but it’s a bit of a come-down as this series used to be one of my favorites.
Currently reading God’s Junk Drawer by Peter Clines, and listening to Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 6. Both are fantastic so far!
The Middleman by Olen Steinhauer. This is a new author to me. It’s about a group of left-wing activists who suddenly disappear and go off-grid. A lady FBI agent has been monitoring them for a while, even though there’s no evidence they intend violence. Well, things happen, people die, and the surviving members are officially labeled terrorists. Anyway, I have about 100 pages left and some very suspicious characters haven’t yet had their involvement adequately explained. If it finishes strong, I’ll add Mr. Steinhauer to my list of authors I would read another book by.
I finished a Confederacy of Dunces, and Three Body Problem. Now I’m about ⅓ through The Dark Forest.
I’d recommend all three of these books!
A Confederacy of Dunces is a Pulitzer prize winning comedy. By the end of the book you really like Ignatius, even though you hate him in the beginning.
The other two books are part of the “Remembrance of earths past” trilogy. Easy recommend for sci-fi fans.
The Crucible - historical fiction by John Sayles.
I’m reading The Book that Held her Heart (book 3 in Mark Lawrence’s The Library trilogy). I really liked how the series started, but am not a huge fan of the ending it’s working towards, which is not my usual experience with this author.
Next up, I have 5 bingo squares left so I’m going to try to focus on getting those done.
Started Dungeon Crawler Carl this week. It is a hell of a read so far. Probably going to have to put the rest of the books on my to read list shortly.
Will also start audio book of Disquiet Gods soon? Maybe next week. Looking very forward to that since I also grabbed the last book in the Sun Eater series in print. Last one isnt where i usually do audio books
I read the first one over my Christmas downtime. Moved on to the second one in the new year. I have a large collection of Stephen King, and Joe Hill books. Ive had a love of reading for a long time. These books have been like eating popcorn or chips. They feel like fanfiction of all my favourite games mashed together, but then had the quality increased about 10%. They arent bad. But they arent… Amazing. Like… I have bought 5 of them now, with the intention of supporting the author and finishing the series as I can. But I wouldnt say… Man you need to read this book. The Martian? Operation Hail Mary? Gotta read. Ready Player One? Yeah, that was solid. You should read.
Dungeon Crawler Carl? Its like a bathtub book. Or what I would consider a bathtub book if you weren’t interested in anything ‘spicy’ or vampires. So far solid 8/10
I just finished dungeon crawler carl, and I’m so happy to hear that someone liked it, because I really struggled. There were parts I thought were really compelling though! What did you really like about it?
I think the absurdity of it got me. Its so over the top silly.
Honestly I just am having fun with it and sometimes thats what you need.
I’m currently reading Kings ‘It’ for the first time. The mix of nostalgia and horror is fun
And Shirer’s ‘Fall of the Third Republic’ which is a fascinating bit of history that rhymes with contemporary authoritarian politics.
The preteen orgy in the sewer was completely unneeded.
Yeah, I haven’t got there yet, but it’s literally the only thing I knew about the book going in.
I love that book. Ive only read it twice, and decided to skip the uncomfortable part on the second read through. Overall its near the top of my Stephen King list.
I’ve not read much King. Heart’s in Atlantis and 11/22/63.
It’s fascinating, his prose isn’t beautiful but he captures human emotion in a very visceral way. I understand why people read him.
Insomnia was the first book from King that I read and had a real emotional connection to a story.
Even if you haven’t connected on other stories. That one was so good on a human level.
I’m slowly but surely making my way through 1984. I think I’m not in the right mood for it to grab me better, but it’s interesting so far.
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Finished (since last thread):
Days by Moonlight by André Alexis (magically realistic literary fiction) | bingo: minority author, award
A grieving scientist agrees to join his parents’ friend on a trip to research a missing poet.
I liked this a lot in the beginning, and found the writing style engaging. However, I could tell a lot of the Canadian references were going over my head, and the last third went off in a direction that killed a lot of my enthusiasm. It’s not a bad book, and I might try something else by the author eventually, but I think someone who reads a lot of lit fic would appreciate it more.
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (historical detective noir) | bingo: minority author HM, motion picture, award HM
A recently unemployed WWII vet takes on a shady request to find a missing girl.
It was cool to see noir from a Black perspective, but I didn’t like it enough to want to read more of the series. Maybe I don’t have the patience for noir tropes I thought I did.
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (historical gothic fantasy horror) | bingo: creature, short, lgbtqia+ (maybe), award, late to the party
A The Fall of the House of Usher retelling. An ex-soldier visits a friend, whose sister is gravely ill. On arrival, it quickly becomes clear that something is very wrong with, well, everything.
I was wary of trying another horror from T. Kingfisher after disliking The Hollow Places, but I really liked the cover, and it was short, so I gave it a shot. Turns out, this was great! Pleasantly disturbing and didn’t overstay its welcome.
Path of Daggers! (Wot #8)
I’m officially past the halfway point.
I have thoughts on the series, but my spoiler tags have been known to fail here for whatever reason.
Suffice to say, I have been enjoying the books. The hardest thing about reading these books is that they’re just old enough to not be considered classics like LotR, but not modern enough to be at the forefront of social media, like Cosmere stuff.
So finding people to talk about these books irl has been very difficult! And the huge 14 books is such a daunting task to get someone to consider it.
I wish I was more online when I first read WoT and the Dragon Mount site was super active.
Not technically a book but a book length fanfic. It’s called “Saving Grace” It’s basically the book Project Hail Mary (spoiler in case the tag is not showing up in your client)
Tap for spoiler
But from Rocky’s perspective and it’s as if he wrote it
So far it’s pretty good. Would recommend for fans of the original book
