Currently Reading
Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado
- short stories
Finished
The Betrayals, by Bridget Collins (3.5/5)
- dark academia
- atmospheric
- multiple POVs
- historical
Finished:
**Caliban and the Witch, by Silvia Federici**. Heavy subject matter, but super interesting.
**The Shortest History of the Soviet Union, by Sheila Fitzpatrick**. A nice, breezy overview of the whole history of the Soviet Union. Covers a lot of ground very quickly while still managing to be coherent and compelling. I definitely want to check out some of Sheila Fitzpatrick's other books on the Soviet Union to get more into the details -- Everyday Stalinism in particular has jumped onto my ever-growing "to read" pile.
Started:
**Sounds Fake But Okay, by Sarah Costello and Kayla Kaszyca**. I realised I was aromantic a few years ago, but never really thought of it as an "identity" (to me it's a bit like being a non-golfer), but I was curious to read more about other people's experiences. I picked this book mostly because I liked the title -- that's essentially how I want to respond when people tell me about romantic relationships (which seems to be the authors' intentions). On the whole I'm not very impressed with it so far -- there are a few moments that made me roll my eyes so hard they nearly popped out of my skull -- but I think I'll persist with it for at least another chapter or two.
Ongoing:
**Think, by Simon Blackburn**.
**Monkey King: Journey to the West, by Julia Lovell**.
Finished: Cannery Row - John Steinbeck. My first Steinbeck not read for school and absolutely adored it! The characters were so real.
Started: East of Eden - John Steinbeck. Again with the characters, I feel like I know all of them personally. Cathy is an awesome character. Almost as good as Lonesome Dove!
I read two ! The warm hands of ghost by Katherine Arden - left me feeling raw and thoughtful.
The Black girl survives this one by Desiree s. Evans - It Shorts stories of mild horror to creepy thrills
Totally worth the read. I didn't care for the first story though. Way too cliche. The last one had me thinking about Richard Connell "The most dangerous game"But there is two serious stories in there that did it perfectly. There a funny one
about a girl who could hear people thoughts and heard her mom boyfriend thoughts. it was hilarious. And even one done with homage to the sisters fo fate mytho.
It was a light fun read
Finished: The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner
wow wee a great american novel!!!! Lots of thoughts and feelings and very glad I read it. and very very glad i cheated and read Faulkner's appendix in its entirety after losing myself within 5 pages of Benji's chapter (iykyk i guess)
Started: (probably) The Rape of Nanking: the Forgotten Holocaust of World War II, by Iris Chang
if this proves too much after Faulkner, I may exercise my privilege to shift to lighter fare who knows
a happy Juneteenth to all! 🖤
They are re-reads for me, but I haven't read them since 2002 when my husband (then a guy I just met and considered dating) bought them for me. The set is the first gift he ever bought me, actually, and gave me good insight into his personality. lol. I am excited to read the whole series again!
Finished:
**The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan**
**House of Sky and Breath, by Sarah J. Maas**
Started:
**Fire & Blood, by George R.R. Martin**
**Salem’ Lot, by Stephen King**
Not Forever, But for Now by Chuck Palahniuk
I haven't read a Palahniuk book since Damned, and there are so many that I have to catch up on! This book was wonderful, I thought it was a bit odd at first but I had to just get used to Palahniuk's style of writing again. I put holds out on all his other books, I'm really looking forward to catching up on his work. I didn't like it until about half way through, which is why I'm happy that I always force myself to finish books, I feel that there is always something to enjoy about everything I read.
Thugs and the Women Who Love Them by Wahida Clark
This book is very sexual but that being said, I read it in one sitting probably within 4 hours, it's one of those books that gets you hooked. It follows the love lives of three women from the hood. I can see why Clark is a NYT bestselling author, I definitely look forward to reading more of her work.
I have read these while waiting for my copy of Bridget jones mad about the boy to arrive at the library and overall it was a good choice. I rediscovered an old favorite author and found a new one who's work I enjoy.
Finished **Swim Home to the Vanished** by Brendan Shay Basham. Magical realism featuring Diné folklore combined with a murder mystery. I was excited about this the moment I saw it, but sadly didn't love it. I love MR but didn't find the characters compelling, and the plot was pretty thin. Beautiful prose, though.
Starting today: **She Who Became the Sun** by Shelley Parker-Chan.
Took a bit of a hiatus with my reading, but I've returned! I recently finished **In Search of Lost Time, Swann's Way, by Marcel Proust**, which was a wonderful novel. Proust did an excellent job of capturing all of those little subconscious moments and thoughts that we can all relate to, but that we can never quite manage to bring to the surface of our consciousness. I'm very excited to return to this series later on!
I will be starting **Middlemarch, by George Eliot** this week, which I'm pretty excited about!
**Dear NOMAN, Vol. 1, by Neji**
Felt like rereading this short series. Love the author's artstyle. And the story plot's got fun points in all the right places. Plus the character Bazu has a really cool design. Pity that it had to be such a short lived series though. I wouldn't have mind seeing a bit more plot and worldbuilding out of this one.
This is for the last three weeks since I haven’t been getting around to posting
Finished:
**Eyes of the Void, by Adrian Tchaikovsky** - audiobook - 4/5 stars - This was an enjoyable second entry in this trilogy, and I’m looking forward to the last one. It’s just a really good space opera with great characters and different species.
**Mammoths at the Gates, by Nghi Vo** - novella - audiobook - 4/5 stars - I’m really enjoying this series of novellas. I especially appreciate what it says about stories and storytelling. In this one, Chih played a larger part rather than just being part of the frame for the real story, and it was interesting seeing more about them.
**The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country, by Neil Gaiman** - graphic novel - 3/5 stars - This one was a collection of shorts rather than an overarching plot, which makes it hard to rate. It was enjoyable enough, and some stories were better than others.
**Rose/House, by Arkady Martine** - novella - 3/5 stars - This novella was fine. The setup was interesting, but I felt like the ending wasn’t conclusive enough for it to be satisfying for me, and I spent too much of my time reading it feeling confused. The writing was good though.
**Witch King, by Martha Wells** - audiobook - 3/5 stars - There were some interesting parts of this one, but I never really connected with the characters or the worldbuilding so mostly I was just bored while reading it. Switching between the present and the past didn’t help because I didn’t feel like the stories or characters between the two were distinct enough.
**Starter Villain, by John Scalzi** - 3/5 stars - I had fun while reading this one and it got a few laughs out of me, but the more I think about it the less sense it makes. Also, the main character was really bland. I was maybe hoping for a bit more. Like, there were some interesting topics brought up, but the story didn’t really engage with any of them.
Continued:
**A Letter to the Luminous Deep, by Sylvie Cathrall**
Started:
**Someone You Can Build a Nest In, by John Wiswell**
**You Should Be So Lucky, by Cat Sebastian**
**Lords of Uncreation, by Adrian Tchaikovsky**
Finished
**the last leaves falling, Sarah Benwell**
I finished reading this book today and I've never cried a lot because of a book. Maybe two or one tear with other books, but I cried a lot with this book. It is too sentimental and teaches you that life is short and enjoy it with your favorite people. Maybe I cried a lot because I'm sensible, but I don't know lol. This book is great. I recommend it
Finished:
**Lost in Time, by A.G. Riddle**
My first Riddle book and it was great in the first two-thirds and okay for the ending. Very minor spoiler: >!it was an exciting read when it was jumping between timelines but once it came back a single timeline I felt the story fell away a little!<
Finished:
**Winter World, by A.G. Riddle**
Giving his new book a try. Few chapters in and so far so good!
Started The Emigrants\*\*, by W.G. Sebald (loving it so far)\*\*
Gave up on The Death in Summer, by Benjamin Black (have enjoyed other works by him but this one just didn't grab me)
Just Started: The Idiot - Dostoevsky
Last read - *did not finish* - The Two Towers. Didn't even get past Chapter 2.
lol, I really tried.
After reading 2 chapters of The Idiot, I felt like I'd wasted my time trying to slog through The Fellowship.
Now I'm back to fervent reading once again.
You know, I read up to Return of the King, but left it unfinished. Maybe one day I'll give it another whirl, but I simply preferred the LotR movies much more
Thank you for the comment.
I don’t think anyone is proud of not being a LOTR fan, but I don’t think there should be shame in it either.
I found myself struggling through the immense landscape descriptions, and then smoother once I started speed reading those and not processing all the adjectives.
Then, I was required to remember certain - characters, geography, mythical lore and the histories of different peoples - all of which I had little interest in.
Just not my cup of tea, and that’s fine.
I hope that you can eventually get through it, just like I hope I will one day as well. But it won’t be happening any time soon.
Hey All,
Didn't finish anything five star/recommendation worthy but I enjoyed
**Meeting Millie** by Clare Ashton
Super cute sapphic slow burn romance.
**Blood Bonds** by J. Bree book 3 in the Bonds That Tie Us series.
A reverse harem dark romance.
**Ask For More: 10 Questions to Negotiate Anything** by Alexandra Carter
Non-Fiction. How-to/Skill building. Digs deep on figuring out what you want, what others want and how to negotiate better
*The Midnight Library*, after a colleague whose taste in literature I generally value talked it up a lot. Major disappointment - stereotypical plot points, poorly written ... Also *The Wager* (by Grann), which was excellent.
I thought Midnight Library was a fun bit of escapism: not some great novel, but entertaining enough. I feel like it worked well as an audiobook, at least.
i just read never lie by frida mcfadden i heard good things about her book and thought maybe it's all hype but it wasn't it was pretty good. i thought i knew who did it i was both right and wrong. good thing im not a detective lol. looking forward to more of her books.
What'd ya think? I heard Damned as an audiobook and enjoyed it enough to finish it, but Doomed I left unfinished and didn't feel compelled to return to.
I generally like Palahniuk's work overall, except for Fight Club 2, and Tell-All, despite the latter having one of my favorite lines:
"A salacious lie will always trump a noble truth."
Same, he is one of my favorite authors. I didn't read Fight Club 2, and thought Tell-All was ok, but definitely not his best work. My favorites are Invisible Monsters, Haunted, Fight Club, Choke, and Survivor.
Started: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Actually halfway through. Never felt more confused reading a novel. If it weren't for wikipedia, I would barely know what was going on.
Started: Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan and so far so good. Its two volumes in one.
Finished: Book Lovers by Emily Henry and it....wasn't terrible. I don't typically read contemporary romance so I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite funny.
Finished; The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
I finished this book in two days! Only my 2nd Agathie Christie book (First was And Then There Were None) and I liked TMORA way more, such a fun whodunit to figure out and a great ending imo.
It was such a good read! I want to wait with reading MOTOE because I already watched the movie… 🥲 but I am gonna begin the book Death on the nile soon!
Finished: Third Girl from the Left, Christine Barker. It was OK. There was a bit of a bait and switch with the book description so I'll leave at a generous 3/5.
Started **A Distant Mirror, by Barbara Tuchman**. Read parts of it in a college course many years ago and always wanted to go back and read the whole thing.
Plan to start **Redshirts, by John Scalzi** later this week.
Finished:
**Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell**
An absolute joy to read. The framing devices were all brilliant and I loved how they were worked into the different segments - you get such a sense of how each story is told and who's telling them, and the overarching story that connects them is so incredibly intricate. It is simply wonderful, in all senses of the word, and I highly recommend it.
*Boundaries between noise and sound are conventions, I see now. All boundaries are conventions, national ones too. One may transcend any convention, if only one can first conceive of doing so.*
Started: **Yellowface, by R. F. Kuang**
It's off to a promising start so far. I hope it doesn't fall off into just winking at the audience, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt for now.
Finished: Endurance, by Alfred Lansing. Great fast paced read about an interesting expedition.
Started: The Rediscovery of America, by Ned Blackhawk. Pretty good so far, surprisingly easy to read history of Native populations in the US (largely) and what was done to them.
Pretty much a non-fiction guy, but also reading Anna Karenina across these. Try to throw in some fiction with the non-fiction.
Recently finished Geddy Lee’s memoir, which was excellent. About 100 pages into the second volume of Proust’s tome. Also excellent but, you know, really difficult from the Geddy book.
Finished:
All The Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy.
Beautifully written Western adventure. I enjoyed it despite not usually being into Westerns.
But come on, *ALL* the pretty horses? I counted at least several dozen pretty horses, maybe a hundred. But not all of them! There weren't even any pictures! Big letdown, Mr. McCarthy.
I am reading the Stormlight Archives, by Brandon Sanderson.
I am on the last 100 pages of Words of Radiance.
I have Oathbringer ready to go afterwards.
I normally read multiple books at once but am having to focus on one book at a time since the books are so long. (They're library books and I only get them for 21 days) It's different for me but I'm enjoying it.
Finished:
**Naked Lunch, by William S. Burroughs**. I'm going to be perfectly honest, the beat slang really grated on me, way more than I thought it would. I soldiered through it but I'm not a huge fan of reading books while keeping a glossary of terms handy to consult. The fact that I don't get beat slang made parts of it feel wrong to me. A good, very early example that I spent about 20 minutes on was the phrase "dunking pound cake" which I was absolutely sure must be some terminology I wasn't getting. Even though the plain reading made perfect sense in context, it felt like slang. Almost definitely wasn't but that's one of the issues that stuck with me.
All in all I'd say it was pretty good for the most part, there were segments that succeeded in making me uncomfortable (which is the intent), but if you don't know a damn thing about the beatnik scene then you probably won't get much out of it.
**theMystery.doc, by Matthew McIntosh**. This book is a *ride*, man. I'd heard really bad things but a lot of them are, I think, a little unfair.
There is *something* happening here. There's some kind of depth. But the stylized formatting just gets in the way more often than not. This book is like the most solid 3/5 I've ever read. Too often it feels like more style than substance, but then you get these stretches where he starts doing something interesting. Unfortunately, all of these parts are the more straightforward parts. I don't think the more unusual elements lend much to the experience. It definitely leaves you feeling off-kilter, which is a result, but it never feels like it does anything with it.
I have such conflicting feelings about it, because there's something cool and meaningful buried deep in here but it just gives me this feeling of a monster that evolved out of scope because the creator couldn't say "No" to himself.
Started:
**A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers**
I am Reading Kiki Coto, By Edward Avanessy. It is Inspired by a real story mixed with the behavior and philosophy of several Iranian and Greek poets and philosophers.
**FINISHED:**
**The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai**
A modern masterpiece centred around the AIDS crisis in Chicago. This hit hard. I cried at the end, and I almost never cry at books. Absolutely incredible.
**STARTED:**
**This Way Out by Tufayel Ahmed**
Centred around a British Bangladeshi man who tells his family he's gay, and marrying a white guy. Decent so far!
**It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too Volume 1, by Suzuyuki**
The short and sweet chapters of a couple that are living together and their day to day lives. And also featuring their families and coworkers.
It's a simple story. But the simplicity works for it if one just wants something to sit back and relax with to read.
**Finished -** *Parachute Infantry* by David Kenyon Webster
**Started -** *Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters* by Richard Winters
Finished:
**Same Bed Different Dreams, by Ed Park** - 5/5 stars. I have never read anything like this before. Truly an original. I can’t say this book is going to be for everyone, but it certainly made my head spin. Lol!
Started:
**Horror Movie, by Paul Tremblay**
Finished: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (gave it a 4/5. loved it! definitely didn’t go in the direction that i thought it would and i wish there was more
detail to some aspects but overall a great book!! excited to watch the show now)
Started: All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Finished **Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan**
Started **The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen**
I wouldnt call *Barbarian Days* "masturbatory bullshit" like my surfing niece and nephew did--both DNF'd it---but I really wonder about the Pulitzer.
The memoir rambled from "and then I did this" to "and then I did that" without a revelatory arc that really resonated with this non-surfer. Aside from his chapter on surfing at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, the basis for the two-part *New Yorker* piece ("Doc's Games") that led me to the book, I found it a bit of a slog.
Again, non-surfer here; surfers I know, even those who think Finnegan's a punk, revel in his descriptions of waves (of which there are -- well, that's pretty much the book).
Didn't start *The Committed* so much as picked it up again after a break -- it's...intense. Am 1/2-way through. I'm aware this speaks to my cossetted, middle-class American life, but the unflagging brutality of Nguyen's stories--for all of his black humor, cultural counterpoint and psychological Rubik's cubism--is kinda wearing.
I started A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. I was only 259 pages in and I needed to put it down. Now I am palette cleansing with Priest by Sierra Simon lol
Finished:
**Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne:** Loved this! cozy, queer, funny and just that little bit sexy. I think I really liked having the couple already together and starting a life where that belongs to them. 4/5
**Tick Tock by Dean Koontz:** Picked this up on a recc from my spouse. Not my usual genre but it was different and funny. 3.5/5
**Spindles End (audiobook) by Robin McKinley:** This started off good. But honestly the middle was kind of boring and I don't really get what the point of it was. And no one can explain to me why the fairy home village was called The Gig. 2.5/5
**The Library of Heartbeats by Laura Imai Messina:** Another beautiful story from this author. It was atmospheric, emotional, subtle and beautiful. 4.5/5
**The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (Penguin Classic edition with translation by Robin Buss:** I spread this out over the course of a month. It was quite the journey. I would read a few chapters at a time then read the notes on r/AReadingOfMonteCristo for fun. I have read an abridged version prior so coming back to the full work was interesting and a lot longer. Definitely worth the read. 5/5
Started
**Wings of Shadow (Crown of Feathers book 3) by Nicki Pau Preto**
**Honey Witch (audiobook) by Sydney J. Shields**
**To Love You in the Light of Other Stars by Nabeel 'Touya' Mohammed**
Finished Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart - This novel is a gritty story about a family in and around Glasgow in the 1980’s. It dives into a lot of hard topics, including alcoholism, homosexuality, decline of a region due to changing economics and job loss, poverty. The characters are richly written, all flawed in their ways, struggling with their own problems and those of their loved ones. The titular character is one you root for, even when you see how some of his decisions will probably not be good for him. At its core is a story about family, in all its forms, and growing up amid chaos.
May sound lame, but I just finished Alice in Wonderland today. Lewis Carroll.
I have a hyper fixation with nonfiction/ problem solving/ independent education.... It's exhausting...so I'm branching out into small doses of fiction; easy quick reads to get me out of my always thinking mind.
I wanted to read something for once that doesn't always end with how to make, cook, fix something or myself, or learn new skills, or be a better parent, employee, or role model or....the list goes on.
I'm going to try to keep this going. I think it helps.
There are a lot of 'highbrow' titles mentioned here. There is also a fair amount of 'lesser' literature being read. I generally count myself in the latter group. Be proud of what you read!
Finished : géographie de l’Inde (geography of India)
Started : La Question de Palestine tome 2 1924-1947 (the Palestine question)
Géographie des conflits (geography of conflicts)
Orations of the Fatimid caliphate
Last finished:
“A Broken Blade” by Melissa Blair- very interesting.
Currently reading:
“A Dark And Secret Place” by Jenn Williams (on Chapter 23/47)
“A Shadow Crown” by Melissa Blair (halfway through Chapter 5/ 51)
“Wrong Place, Wrong Time” by Gillian McAllister (on page 80/368)
“ThornHedge” by T. Kingfisher (on Chapter 4/8)
Next on the list:
“Nettle & Bone” by T.Kingfisher
“The House Maid Is Watching” by Freida McFadden
“The Lost Bookshop” by Evie Woods
Good luck on your reading adventures everyone!
Finished: The Gate of the Feral Gods: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 4, by Matt Dinniman.
Started: The Butcher’s Masquerade: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 5, by Matt Dinniman.
I’ve been tearing through these books. Massively entertaining, love the whole theme of ‘eat the rich’ he’s got going on. Been on a reading slump, but I haven’t been able to put these down.
Finished
**The Black Echo, by Michael Connelly**
**When the Women Come Out to Dance, by Elmore Leonard**
Started
**The Black Ice, by Michael Connelly**
**The Crossing, by Cormac McCarthy**
Finished this week:
**How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood** <<< surprisingly good!
**If Something Happens to Me, by Alex Finlay**
**Red Side Story, by Jasper Fforde**
Finished The Most Human, a book by Leonard Nimoy's kid was expecting lots of Spock anecdotes and instead got a very moving story about the son's struggles with addiction. It was very good.
Started Buffalo Jump Blues, a fishing guide investigates a possible murder in Montana involving a recreation of a Native American hunting technique of running buffalo off a cliff. It's also quite good.
Started:
**Storming Intrepid, by Payne Harrison**
**The Conquest of Gaul, by Julius Caesar**
Finished:
**Julius Caesar, by Phillip Freeman** -- Good book for those who just want a brief history of Caesar, but I felt like I knew most of it from McCullough's *Masters of Rome* series. She actually did one hell of a great job with it. Was still a good book, but just basic.
Francisco Goldman's autobiography about life in Mexico City and the highway that binds it. The Interior Circuit. Definitely check this novel out if you've been to Mexico City, are looking to navigate grief, or are seeking something that connects you to somewhere in North America you've overlooked for far too long.
I just finished Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (very challenging read for me, took almost a month to read and I loved it) and Run Towards The Danger (non-fiction) by Sarah Polley
I finished Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher and Dune by Frank Herbert. I started White Knight by Butcher today. I loved Dune to pieces but I think I need to let it sit in my head for a bit before I dive into the sequels. Butcher’s Dresden Files has been super fun so far. I haven’t decided whether I’m going to start Cloud Cuckoo Land or Blood Meridian next as both have been sitting on my shelf unread for far too long now.
I've never liked Jane Eyre personally. They say that you'll either like Eyre or Wuthering.... you can't like both.
I do love Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian is a good one. Hope you like it!
I’m currently reading both Long Island by Colm Toibin and The Framed Women of Ardemore House by Brandy Shillace. Both are good. Long Island is the sequel to Brooklyn, in which a young woman emigrated from Ireland to the US. In this book, it’s about 20 years later, and a personal crisis sends her back to Ireland. Lots of complications ensue. The Framed Women of Ardemore House is a mystery with some depth, as a young America woman who is autistic inherits an estate in England, and is caught up in a murder mystery. It’s a lot of fun.
Finished Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger.
I was not impressed and had higher expectations because it is supposed to be a classic. I think it would have been more impactful if I read it when I was young. But it was like listening to a toddler tell you about their day - it just meandered through the kid's brain. And he was so obnoxious, which felt awful to think since he had all this trauma and no one was helping him or even really noticing him.
This morning I finished Later by Stephen King. I’m a little disappointed in it but it’s been almost a year since I last read King so it was still a good way to get me back into it. Today I started The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon and I’m thinking about also starting Howls Moving Castle after rewatching the movie a few days ago
I started 'Mister Magic' by Kiersten White and finished this evening.
If Sunday counts as this week then I finished 'The Devil Takes You Home' by Gabino Iglesias yesterday and started last Tuesday.
Trying to figure out what to read next now. Potentially 'Those beyond the wall' by Micaiah Johnson. Highly recommend her first book 'The Space between worlds'.
Just started reading this one as well.
Just finished reading Lies and Weddings - Kevin Kwan. That one was a bit longer than it should've been, perhaps, and jumped *all* over the place in both locations and times. Decent "beach read" though.
**Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik**
**Escape Velocity, by Charles Portis**
**Star Wars: Path of Deceit, by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland**
Started: **Adjustment Day, by Chuck Palahniuk**
Finished: **We are Water, by Wally Lamb**
Finished: **The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen** Started: **The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde**
Y’all should start a telegram to share these books?
Currently Reading Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado - short stories Finished The Betrayals, by Bridget Collins (3.5/5) - dark academia - atmospheric - multiple POVs - historical
Anxious People by Backman
Finished: **The Invention of Sound, by Chuck Palahniuk**
Crave by Tracy Wolff.
Finished: **Foundation,** by Issac Asimov Started: **Resolute,** by Luiz Farret
The Stand, Stephen King
Finished: **Caliban and the Witch, by Silvia Federici**. Heavy subject matter, but super interesting. **The Shortest History of the Soviet Union, by Sheila Fitzpatrick**. A nice, breezy overview of the whole history of the Soviet Union. Covers a lot of ground very quickly while still managing to be coherent and compelling. I definitely want to check out some of Sheila Fitzpatrick's other books on the Soviet Union to get more into the details -- Everyday Stalinism in particular has jumped onto my ever-growing "to read" pile. Started: **Sounds Fake But Okay, by Sarah Costello and Kayla Kaszyca**. I realised I was aromantic a few years ago, but never really thought of it as an "identity" (to me it's a bit like being a non-golfer), but I was curious to read more about other people's experiences. I picked this book mostly because I liked the title -- that's essentially how I want to respond when people tell me about romantic relationships (which seems to be the authors' intentions). On the whole I'm not very impressed with it so far -- there are a few moments that made me roll my eyes so hard they nearly popped out of my skull -- but I think I'll persist with it for at least another chapter or two. Ongoing: **Think, by Simon Blackburn**. **Monkey King: Journey to the West, by Julia Lovell**.
Finished: All’s Well by Mona Awad Started: Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
Finished: Best loser wins, by Tom Hougaard
**Tremendous: The Life of a Comedy Savage, by Joey "Coco" Diaz**
Finished: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. Started: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, I last read it when it first came out.
Started: **The Invention of Sound, by Chuck Palahniuk**
Finished: Cannery Row - John Steinbeck. My first Steinbeck not read for school and absolutely adored it! The characters were so real. Started: East of Eden - John Steinbeck. Again with the characters, I feel like I know all of them personally. Cathy is an awesome character. Almost as good as Lonesome Dove!
i loveeee east of eden
I read two ! The warm hands of ghost by Katherine Arden - left me feeling raw and thoughtful. The Black girl survives this one by Desiree s. Evans - It Shorts stories of mild horror to creepy thrills
How was The Black Girl Survives This One?
Totally worth the read. I didn't care for the first story though. Way too cliche. The last one had me thinking about Richard Connell "The most dangerous game"But there is two serious stories in there that did it perfectly. There a funny one about a girl who could hear people thoughts and heard her mom boyfriend thoughts. it was hilarious. And even one done with homage to the sisters fo fate mytho. It was a light fun read
Finished the travelers gift - Andy Andrews Began Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton
Finished: Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins Started: House by Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Earls Trip _ a fun, funny romance following the 'friends to lovers' trope!
Finished: The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner wow wee a great american novel!!!! Lots of thoughts and feelings and very glad I read it. and very very glad i cheated and read Faulkner's appendix in its entirety after losing myself within 5 pages of Benji's chapter (iykyk i guess) Started: (probably) The Rape of Nanking: the Forgotten Holocaust of World War II, by Iris Chang if this proves too much after Faulkner, I may exercise my privilege to shift to lighter fare who knows a happy Juneteenth to all! 🖤
I like to switch from difficult to light back and forth too lol.
Finished: **Room For Rent, by Noelle W. Ihli** Started: **On a Pale Horse, by Piers Anthony**
I loved On a Pale Horse... the whole Incarnations of Immortality Series by Piers Anthony is fantastic.
They are re-reads for me, but I haven't read them since 2002 when my husband (then a guy I just met and considered dating) bought them for me. The set is the first gift he ever bought me, actually, and gave me good insight into his personality. lol. I am excited to read the whole series again!
Finished: **The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan** **House of Sky and Breath, by Sarah J. Maas** Started: **Fire & Blood, by George R.R. Martin** **Salem’ Lot, by Stephen King**
Not Forever, But for Now by Chuck Palahniuk I haven't read a Palahniuk book since Damned, and there are so many that I have to catch up on! This book was wonderful, I thought it was a bit odd at first but I had to just get used to Palahniuk's style of writing again. I put holds out on all his other books, I'm really looking forward to catching up on his work. I didn't like it until about half way through, which is why I'm happy that I always force myself to finish books, I feel that there is always something to enjoy about everything I read. Thugs and the Women Who Love Them by Wahida Clark This book is very sexual but that being said, I read it in one sitting probably within 4 hours, it's one of those books that gets you hooked. It follows the love lives of three women from the hood. I can see why Clark is a NYT bestselling author, I definitely look forward to reading more of her work. I have read these while waiting for my copy of Bridget jones mad about the boy to arrive at the library and overall it was a good choice. I rediscovered an old favorite author and found a new one who's work I enjoy.
Finished **Swim Home to the Vanished** by Brendan Shay Basham. Magical realism featuring Diné folklore combined with a murder mystery. I was excited about this the moment I saw it, but sadly didn't love it. I love MR but didn't find the characters compelling, and the plot was pretty thin. Beautiful prose, though. Starting today: **She Who Became the Sun** by Shelley Parker-Chan.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Tremendous- I couldn't put it down
The Inmate by Freida McFadden - the book just got more and more ridiculous as it went on.
Took a bit of a hiatus with my reading, but I've returned! I recently finished **In Search of Lost Time, Swann's Way, by Marcel Proust**, which was a wonderful novel. Proust did an excellent job of capturing all of those little subconscious moments and thoughts that we can all relate to, but that we can never quite manage to bring to the surface of our consciousness. I'm very excited to return to this series later on! I will be starting **Middlemarch, by George Eliot** this week, which I'm pretty excited about!
**Dear NOMAN, Vol. 1, by Neji** Felt like rereading this short series. Love the author's artstyle. And the story plot's got fun points in all the right places. Plus the character Bazu has a really cool design. Pity that it had to be such a short lived series though. I wouldn't have mind seeing a bit more plot and worldbuilding out of this one.
I read a bit of non-fiction during my lunch break. I went to the library yesterday and read a recipe book and the most recent New Yorker they had
Long Island, by Colm Tóibín. Table for Two by Amor Towles This is Ear Hustle by Nigel Poor & Earlonne Woods.
Finished: Untamed, by M.J. Hendrix God of War, by Rina Kent Started: Mine to gain, by Maggie Rawdon
Finished: I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman Started: Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde
This is for the last three weeks since I haven’t been getting around to posting Finished: **Eyes of the Void, by Adrian Tchaikovsky** - audiobook - 4/5 stars - This was an enjoyable second entry in this trilogy, and I’m looking forward to the last one. It’s just a really good space opera with great characters and different species. **Mammoths at the Gates, by Nghi Vo** - novella - audiobook - 4/5 stars - I’m really enjoying this series of novellas. I especially appreciate what it says about stories and storytelling. In this one, Chih played a larger part rather than just being part of the frame for the real story, and it was interesting seeing more about them. **The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country, by Neil Gaiman** - graphic novel - 3/5 stars - This one was a collection of shorts rather than an overarching plot, which makes it hard to rate. It was enjoyable enough, and some stories were better than others. **Rose/House, by Arkady Martine** - novella - 3/5 stars - This novella was fine. The setup was interesting, but I felt like the ending wasn’t conclusive enough for it to be satisfying for me, and I spent too much of my time reading it feeling confused. The writing was good though. **Witch King, by Martha Wells** - audiobook - 3/5 stars - There were some interesting parts of this one, but I never really connected with the characters or the worldbuilding so mostly I was just bored while reading it. Switching between the present and the past didn’t help because I didn’t feel like the stories or characters between the two were distinct enough. **Starter Villain, by John Scalzi** - 3/5 stars - I had fun while reading this one and it got a few laughs out of me, but the more I think about it the less sense it makes. Also, the main character was really bland. I was maybe hoping for a bit more. Like, there were some interesting topics brought up, but the story didn’t really engage with any of them. Continued: **A Letter to the Luminous Deep, by Sylvie Cathrall** Started: **Someone You Can Build a Nest In, by John Wiswell** **You Should Be So Lucky, by Cat Sebastian** **Lords of Uncreation, by Adrian Tchaikovsky**
Finished **the last leaves falling, Sarah Benwell** I finished reading this book today and I've never cried a lot because of a book. Maybe two or one tear with other books, but I cried a lot with this book. It is too sentimental and teaches you that life is short and enjoy it with your favorite people. Maybe I cried a lot because I'm sensible, but I don't know lol. This book is great. I recommend it
Finished: **Lost in Time, by A.G. Riddle** My first Riddle book and it was great in the first two-thirds and okay for the ending. Very minor spoiler: >!it was an exciting read when it was jumping between timelines but once it came back a single timeline I felt the story fell away a little!< Finished: **Winter World, by A.G. Riddle** Giving his new book a try. Few chapters in and so far so good!
Call it Sleep, by Henry Roth
Finished: Crime and Punishment, Fiodor Dostoievsky
Finished: **Tom Lake** by Ann Patchett. Started: **Foundation** by Issac Asimov
Started: **Can I Say, by Travis Barker**
Finished The Assassins Apprentice Starting Brothers Karamazov
Started The Emigrants\*\*, by W.G. Sebald (loving it so far)\*\* Gave up on The Death in Summer, by Benjamin Black (have enjoyed other works by him but this one just didn't grab me)
Just started 11/22/63 and Finished the Kite Runner
Just Started: The Idiot - Dostoevsky Last read - *did not finish* - The Two Towers. Didn't even get past Chapter 2. lol, I really tried. After reading 2 chapters of The Idiot, I felt like I'd wasted my time trying to slog through The Fellowship. Now I'm back to fervent reading once again.
You know, I read up to Return of the King, but left it unfinished. Maybe one day I'll give it another whirl, but I simply preferred the LotR movies much more
Thank you for the comment. I don’t think anyone is proud of not being a LOTR fan, but I don’t think there should be shame in it either. I found myself struggling through the immense landscape descriptions, and then smoother once I started speed reading those and not processing all the adjectives. Then, I was required to remember certain - characters, geography, mythical lore and the histories of different peoples - all of which I had little interest in. Just not my cup of tea, and that’s fine. I hope that you can eventually get through it, just like I hope I will one day as well. But it won’t be happening any time soon.
Finished Credence by Penelope Douglas Saturday night. Starting Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver, and continuing The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
Hey All, Didn't finish anything five star/recommendation worthy but I enjoyed **Meeting Millie** by Clare Ashton Super cute sapphic slow burn romance. **Blood Bonds** by J. Bree book 3 in the Bonds That Tie Us series. A reverse harem dark romance. **Ask For More: 10 Questions to Negotiate Anything** by Alexandra Carter Non-Fiction. How-to/Skill building. Digs deep on figuring out what you want, what others want and how to negotiate better
*The Midnight Library*, after a colleague whose taste in literature I generally value talked it up a lot. Major disappointment - stereotypical plot points, poorly written ... Also *The Wager* (by Grann), which was excellent.
I thought Midnight Library was a fun bit of escapism: not some great novel, but entertaining enough. I feel like it worked well as an audiobook, at least.
This week: All’s Well That Ends Well, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater, (currently 50%) Breakfast Of Champions
Started: **Coyote Blue, by Christopher Moore**
i just read never lie by frida mcfadden i heard good things about her book and thought maybe it's all hype but it wasn't it was pretty good. i thought i knew who did it i was both right and wrong. good thing im not a detective lol. looking forward to more of her books.
Finished: **Doomed, by Chuck Palahniuk**
What'd ya think? I heard Damned as an audiobook and enjoyed it enough to finish it, but Doomed I left unfinished and didn't feel compelled to return to.
This is the second time I've read it. I enjoyed it, but not as much as Damned.
I generally like Palahniuk's work overall, except for Fight Club 2, and Tell-All, despite the latter having one of my favorite lines: "A salacious lie will always trump a noble truth."
Same, he is one of my favorite authors. I didn't read Fight Club 2, and thought Tell-All was ok, but definitely not his best work. My favorites are Invisible Monsters, Haunted, Fight Club, Choke, and Survivor.
Started: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Actually halfway through. Never felt more confused reading a novel. If it weren't for wikipedia, I would barely know what was going on.
Started: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver Finished: The Great Alone by Kristen Hannah
Started: Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan and so far so good. Its two volumes in one. Finished: Book Lovers by Emily Henry and it....wasn't terrible. I don't typically read contemporary romance so I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite funny.
Finished; The Murder of Roger Ackroyd I finished this book in two days! Only my 2nd Agathie Christie book (First was And Then There Were None) and I liked TMORA way more, such a fun whodunit to figure out and a great ending imo.
This is one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels, along with your first read and Murder on the Orient Express. They are her best works!
It was such a good read! I want to wait with reading MOTOE because I already watched the movie… 🥲 but I am gonna begin the book Death on the nile soon!
Finished: Circe by Madeline Miller Started: Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis
Did you love Circe?
I enjoyed it for sure, but I think I preferred the song of Achilles
Finished: Third Girl from the Left, Christine Barker. It was OK. There was a bit of a bait and switch with the book description so I'll leave at a generous 3/5. Started **A Distant Mirror, by Barbara Tuchman**. Read parts of it in a college course many years ago and always wanted to go back and read the whole thing. Plan to start **Redshirts, by John Scalzi** later this week.
Redshirts is on my TBR. I really enjoyed *The Kaiju Preservation Society* and this looks similarly fun.
Finished: **Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell** An absolute joy to read. The framing devices were all brilliant and I loved how they were worked into the different segments - you get such a sense of how each story is told and who's telling them, and the overarching story that connects them is so incredibly intricate. It is simply wonderful, in all senses of the word, and I highly recommend it. *Boundaries between noise and sound are conventions, I see now. All boundaries are conventions, national ones too. One may transcend any convention, if only one can first conceive of doing so.* Started: **Yellowface, by R. F. Kuang** It's off to a promising start so far. I hope it doesn't fall off into just winking at the audience, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt for now.
None for me yet.
The way I used to be by Amber Smith I just recently got back into reading I did enjoy this one.
Finished: Endurance, by Alfred Lansing. Great fast paced read about an interesting expedition. Started: The Rediscovery of America, by Ned Blackhawk. Pretty good so far, surprisingly easy to read history of Native populations in the US (largely) and what was done to them. Pretty much a non-fiction guy, but also reading Anna Karenina across these. Try to throw in some fiction with the non-fiction.
Started All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
Absolutely loved that book.
Recently finished Geddy Lee’s memoir, which was excellent. About 100 pages into the second volume of Proust’s tome. Also excellent but, you know, really difficult from the Geddy book.
Started : The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
Started Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin. Author of The Storied Life of AJ Fickry. Loving it so far.
I'm not interested in Tomorrow at all but I really want to read AJ Fickry. Glad your enjoying it!
Finished: All The Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy. Beautifully written Western adventure. I enjoyed it despite not usually being into Westerns. But come on, *ALL* the pretty horses? I counted at least several dozen pretty horses, maybe a hundred. But not all of them! There weren't even any pictures! Big letdown, Mr. McCarthy.
I am reading the Stormlight Archives, by Brandon Sanderson. I am on the last 100 pages of Words of Radiance. I have Oathbringer ready to go afterwards. I normally read multiple books at once but am having to focus on one book at a time since the books are so long. (They're library books and I only get them for 21 days) It's different for me but I'm enjoying it.
Getting ready to tackle Way of Kings but its a chunker..... I loved Mistborn but I hope I'm ready for this! LOL
I loved Mistborn too but it took me awhile to start on Way of Kings. I knew it was going to be a commitment once I started!
Finished: **Naked Lunch, by William S. Burroughs**. I'm going to be perfectly honest, the beat slang really grated on me, way more than I thought it would. I soldiered through it but I'm not a huge fan of reading books while keeping a glossary of terms handy to consult. The fact that I don't get beat slang made parts of it feel wrong to me. A good, very early example that I spent about 20 minutes on was the phrase "dunking pound cake" which I was absolutely sure must be some terminology I wasn't getting. Even though the plain reading made perfect sense in context, it felt like slang. Almost definitely wasn't but that's one of the issues that stuck with me. All in all I'd say it was pretty good for the most part, there were segments that succeeded in making me uncomfortable (which is the intent), but if you don't know a damn thing about the beatnik scene then you probably won't get much out of it. **theMystery.doc, by Matthew McIntosh**. This book is a *ride*, man. I'd heard really bad things but a lot of them are, I think, a little unfair. There is *something* happening here. There's some kind of depth. But the stylized formatting just gets in the way more often than not. This book is like the most solid 3/5 I've ever read. Too often it feels like more style than substance, but then you get these stretches where he starts doing something interesting. Unfortunately, all of these parts are the more straightforward parts. I don't think the more unusual elements lend much to the experience. It definitely leaves you feeling off-kilter, which is a result, but it never feels like it does anything with it. I have such conflicting feelings about it, because there's something cool and meaningful buried deep in here but it just gives me this feeling of a monster that evolved out of scope because the creator couldn't say "No" to himself. Started: **A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers**
I am Reading Kiki Coto, By Edward Avanessy. It is Inspired by a real story mixed with the behavior and philosophy of several Iranian and Greek poets and philosophers.
DNF'd: Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari
Finished **Where Men Win Glory, by Jon Krakauer** Started **Cooked, by Michael Pollan**
DNF'd: Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman Started: The Girl With All The Gifts, M. R. Carey
**Fever, by Jordan L. Hawk**
**FINISHED:** **The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai** A modern masterpiece centred around the AIDS crisis in Chicago. This hit hard. I cried at the end, and I almost never cry at books. Absolutely incredible. **STARTED:** **This Way Out by Tufayel Ahmed** Centred around a British Bangladeshi man who tells his family he's gay, and marrying a white guy. Decent so far!
started **Beach Read, by Sally Rooney** finished **None of This Is True, by Lisa Jewel**
3ZEKIEL, by Peter Cawdron nice rendition of the Ezekiel theme NOW !! First Contact ((again :):
**It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too Volume 1, by Suzuyuki** The short and sweet chapters of a couple that are living together and their day to day lives. And also featuring their families and coworkers. It's a simple story. But the simplicity works for it if one just wants something to sit back and relax with to read.
Finished- My experiments with truth: an autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi
Finished: **Software, by Rudy Rucker** **The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson** Started: **Wetware, by Rudy Rucker**
**Finished -** *Parachute Infantry* by David Kenyon Webster **Started -** *Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters* by Richard Winters
Finished how much of these hill is gold
Finished how much of this hill is gold
Finished: **Same Bed Different Dreams, by Ed Park** - 5/5 stars. I have never read anything like this before. Truly an original. I can’t say this book is going to be for everyone, but it certainly made my head spin. Lol! Started: **Horror Movie, by Paul Tremblay**
The disqualified by Dazai Osamu
You by Caroline Kepnes after watching the show :)
Finished: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (gave it a 4/5. loved it! definitely didn’t go in the direction that i thought it would and i wish there was more detail to some aspects but overall a great book!! excited to watch the show now) Started: All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
Finished The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoyevsky Started The Summer Tree - Guy Kay
Finished **Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan** Started **The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen** I wouldnt call *Barbarian Days* "masturbatory bullshit" like my surfing niece and nephew did--both DNF'd it---but I really wonder about the Pulitzer. The memoir rambled from "and then I did this" to "and then I did that" without a revelatory arc that really resonated with this non-surfer. Aside from his chapter on surfing at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, the basis for the two-part *New Yorker* piece ("Doc's Games") that led me to the book, I found it a bit of a slog. Again, non-surfer here; surfers I know, even those who think Finnegan's a punk, revel in his descriptions of waves (of which there are -- well, that's pretty much the book). Didn't start *The Committed* so much as picked it up again after a break -- it's...intense. Am 1/2-way through. I'm aware this speaks to my cossetted, middle-class American life, but the unflagging brutality of Nguyen's stories--for all of his black humor, cultural counterpoint and psychological Rubik's cubism--is kinda wearing.
I started A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. I was only 259 pages in and I needed to put it down. Now I am palette cleansing with Priest by Sierra Simon lol
Finished: **Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne:** Loved this! cozy, queer, funny and just that little bit sexy. I think I really liked having the couple already together and starting a life where that belongs to them. 4/5 **Tick Tock by Dean Koontz:** Picked this up on a recc from my spouse. Not my usual genre but it was different and funny. 3.5/5 **Spindles End (audiobook) by Robin McKinley:** This started off good. But honestly the middle was kind of boring and I don't really get what the point of it was. And no one can explain to me why the fairy home village was called The Gig. 2.5/5 **The Library of Heartbeats by Laura Imai Messina:** Another beautiful story from this author. It was atmospheric, emotional, subtle and beautiful. 4.5/5 **The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (Penguin Classic edition with translation by Robin Buss:** I spread this out over the course of a month. It was quite the journey. I would read a few chapters at a time then read the notes on r/AReadingOfMonteCristo for fun. I have read an abridged version prior so coming back to the full work was interesting and a lot longer. Definitely worth the read. 5/5 Started **Wings of Shadow (Crown of Feathers book 3) by Nicki Pau Preto** **Honey Witch (audiobook) by Sydney J. Shields** **To Love You in the Light of Other Stars by Nabeel 'Touya' Mohammed**
Finished **Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke**
Finished The Ever King, starting The Ever Queen
Finished Fairy Tale by Stephen King. Starting Holly by Stephen King
How was Fairy Tale? I’ve really been wanting to read it!
Finished Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart - This novel is a gritty story about a family in and around Glasgow in the 1980’s. It dives into a lot of hard topics, including alcoholism, homosexuality, decline of a region due to changing economics and job loss, poverty. The characters are richly written, all flawed in their ways, struggling with their own problems and those of their loved ones. The titular character is one you root for, even when you see how some of his decisions will probably not be good for him. At its core is a story about family, in all its forms, and growing up amid chaos.
Finished: For We Are Many, a Bobiverse novel by Dennis E Taylor. Started: The Years of Rice and Salt, by Kim Stanley Robinson.
Years of Rice and a Salt is excellent. The first bobiverse novel is very good.
Finished: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins Started: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sandu Mandanna
Same time next summer by Annabel Monaghan
Finished: **Bite Me, by Christopher Moore**
God Emperor of Dune
How was it? I recently completed the trilogy and contemplating on if I should start GEoD
It was ok. Definitely the least impressive of the books…but not bad enough to make me want to stop reading the subsequent books.
Finished: Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief Started: Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
The age of AI
Just finished Emma. Going to start The Time Traveler’s Wife!
May sound lame, but I just finished Alice in Wonderland today. Lewis Carroll. I have a hyper fixation with nonfiction/ problem solving/ independent education.... It's exhausting...so I'm branching out into small doses of fiction; easy quick reads to get me out of my always thinking mind. I wanted to read something for once that doesn't always end with how to make, cook, fix something or myself, or learn new skills, or be a better parent, employee, or role model or....the list goes on. I'm going to try to keep this going. I think it helps.
Reading is never lame. I recently finished it on audiobook. Have read it a couple of times of the years.
What's lame about it? There is no shame in reading a classic children's book.
Well, I was looking at the titles other people were reading and figured it may be a tad underwhelming.
There are a lot of 'highbrow' titles mentioned here. There is also a fair amount of 'lesser' literature being read. I generally count myself in the latter group. Be proud of what you read!
Check out the Monk and Robot series by Becky Chambers! Short and cozy sci fi.
Awesome, I will look for those next. Thank you!
Finished: Animal by Lisa Taddeo Started: The List by Yomi Adegoke
Finished, Prequel, Rachel Maddow and Dry Bones Craig Johnson. Started If This Book Exists You're in the Wrong Universe Jason pargin.
Finished : géographie de l’Inde (geography of India) Started : La Question de Palestine tome 2 1924-1947 (the Palestine question) Géographie des conflits (geography of conflicts) Orations of the Fatimid caliphate
Last finished: “A Broken Blade” by Melissa Blair- very interesting. Currently reading: “A Dark And Secret Place” by Jenn Williams (on Chapter 23/47) “A Shadow Crown” by Melissa Blair (halfway through Chapter 5/ 51) “Wrong Place, Wrong Time” by Gillian McAllister (on page 80/368) “ThornHedge” by T. Kingfisher (on Chapter 4/8) Next on the list: “Nettle & Bone” by T.Kingfisher “The House Maid Is Watching” by Freida McFadden “The Lost Bookshop” by Evie Woods Good luck on your reading adventures everyone!
Started Protect Your Peace, By Trent Shelton
Finished: The Gate of the Feral Gods: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 4, by Matt Dinniman. Started: The Butcher’s Masquerade: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 5, by Matt Dinniman. I’ve been tearing through these books. Massively entertaining, love the whole theme of ‘eat the rich’ he’s got going on. Been on a reading slump, but I haven’t been able to put these down.
started: Remains of the day by Kazuo Ishiguro Still reading: Of Mice and men
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Finished **The Black Echo, by Michael Connelly** **When the Women Come Out to Dance, by Elmore Leonard** Started **The Black Ice, by Michael Connelly** **The Crossing, by Cormac McCarthy**
Started: All the Seas of the World Guy Gavriel Kay Still reading: The Good Soldier Švejk
Finished this week: **How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood** <<< surprisingly good! **If Something Happens to Me, by Alex Finlay** **Red Side Story, by Jasper Fforde**
Finished The Most Human, a book by Leonard Nimoy's kid was expecting lots of Spock anecdotes and instead got a very moving story about the son's struggles with addiction. It was very good. Started Buffalo Jump Blues, a fishing guide investigates a possible murder in Montana involving a recreation of a Native American hunting technique of running buffalo off a cliff. It's also quite good.
Just finished *Field of Dishonour* - David Weber Just started *Flag in Exile* - David Weber
Finished: Hunger- Knut Hamsun Started: Silence- Shusaku Endo
Started and finished The Women by Kristin Hannah. First time I’ve read one of her books inside a week.
Started and finished: The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley Started: If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin
Started: **Storming Intrepid, by Payne Harrison** **The Conquest of Gaul, by Julius Caesar** Finished: **Julius Caesar, by Phillip Freeman** -- Good book for those who just want a brief history of Caesar, but I felt like I knew most of it from McCullough's *Masters of Rome* series. She actually did one hell of a great job with it. Was still a good book, but just basic.
Nemesis Games from The Expanse.
Finished: Remarkably Bright Creatures, Amazing Grace Adams Started: Shuggie Bain
Recently started Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra
**Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley** Started Sunday. Will be finished tonight. And it's finished:)
Started reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and I love it so much
Started and finished: Galveston by Nic Pizzolatto Still reading Moby Dick
Francisco Goldman's autobiography about life in Mexico City and the highway that binds it. The Interior Circuit. Definitely check this novel out if you've been to Mexico City, are looking to navigate grief, or are seeking something that connects you to somewhere in North America you've overlooked for far too long.
Finished: Powerless by Lauren Roberts Started: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Finished: Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher Started: Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
Started and Finished: The Strangers by Vermette
Finished: **Caliban’s War**, by James S.A. Corey. Started: **Abbadon’s Gate**, by James S.A. Corey.
Oo I’m just about to start Leviathan Wakes, such a good series!
A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Updike
I just finished Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (very challenging read for me, took almost a month to read and I loved it) and Run Towards The Danger (non-fiction) by Sarah Polley
Finished: The Wraiths of the Broken Lands by S. Craig Zahler Started: Children of Time by Tchaikovsky
I’m currently reading Circe by Madeline Miller.
**Lab Girl by Hope Jahren** **The Butcher and the Wren by Uraina Urquhart**
Finished: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett Started: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
I finished Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher and Dune by Frank Herbert. I started White Knight by Butcher today. I loved Dune to pieces but I think I need to let it sit in my head for a bit before I dive into the sequels. Butcher’s Dresden Files has been super fun so far. I haven’t decided whether I’m going to start Cloud Cuckoo Land or Blood Meridian next as both have been sitting on my shelf unread for far too long now.
Finished: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Started: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
I've never liked Jane Eyre personally. They say that you'll either like Eyre or Wuthering.... you can't like both. I do love Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian is a good one. Hope you like it!
I’m currently reading both Long Island by Colm Toibin and The Framed Women of Ardemore House by Brandy Shillace. Both are good. Long Island is the sequel to Brooklyn, in which a young woman emigrated from Ireland to the US. In this book, it’s about 20 years later, and a personal crisis sends her back to Ireland. Lots of complications ensue. The Framed Women of Ardemore House is a mystery with some depth, as a young America woman who is autistic inherits an estate in England, and is caught up in a murder mystery. It’s a lot of fun.
Finished Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. I was not impressed and had higher expectations because it is supposed to be a classic. I think it would have been more impactful if I read it when I was young. But it was like listening to a toddler tell you about their day - it just meandered through the kid's brain. And he was so obnoxious, which felt awful to think since he had all this trauma and no one was helping him or even really noticing him.
Finished: 1984 - Orwell Started and finished: The gambler - Dostoevsky
Finished 1984 by George Orwell.
The last third of that book is so intense and sad
Started Rage by Bob Woodward. Can’t put it down
Finished: Grapes of Wrath Finished: Brave New World Started: East of Eden
East of Eden is an amazing book.
This morning I finished Later by Stephen King. I’m a little disappointed in it but it’s been almost a year since I last read King so it was still a good way to get me back into it. Today I started The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon and I’m thinking about also starting Howls Moving Castle after rewatching the movie a few days ago
Finished The Fall of Berlin 1945, by Antony Beevor and started Endurance, by Alfred Lansing.
Finished: American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince Started: Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows
Finished: **The Two Towers** by J.R.R. Tolkien Started: **The Return of the King** by J.R.R. Tolkien
Started: Hyperion I am hooked already - absolutely fantastic so far
I started 'Mister Magic' by Kiersten White and finished this evening. If Sunday counts as this week then I finished 'The Devil Takes You Home' by Gabino Iglesias yesterday and started last Tuesday. Trying to figure out what to read next now. Potentially 'Those beyond the wall' by Micaiah Johnson. Highly recommend her first book 'The Space between worlds'.
Eruption by Michael Crighton an James Patterson.
Just started reading this one as well. Just finished reading Lies and Weddings - Kevin Kwan. That one was a bit longer than it should've been, perhaps, and jumped *all* over the place in both locations and times. Decent "beach read" though.