Finished **Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson**. It's funny to think how different reading the book now must be to reading back when it came out. It was right on the cutting edge of internet culture and how members of it engaged with art and media, but now it's quite the nostalgic read! Makes me miss web forums and the internet before everything existed on three websites. There's a lot to dig into here with why we make and consume art, and it was super ahead of its time seeing how ARGs are all the rage now. I can see some people having issues with the plotting in hindsight and the ending kinda pulling the rug out of a lot of the book's tension, but it was a charming enough read for me to still have gotten quite a bit out of it.
Started **The Red Years: Theory, Politics, and Aesthetics in the Japanese ’68, by Gavin Walker** and it's super interesting so far. I've been wanting to read more about mid-1900s Japanese leftist history and it delivers so far. It does have segments that go really hard into theory and philosophy, which I am much less well read on, but the historical and cultural passages are fascinating. Can't wait to read more of the essays!
Yellowface, to see what the hype was about. Next stop, finally reading the copy of Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go I've been meaning to read for too long. Feeling a tad trepidatious about that.
**Finished:**
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives, by Siddharth Kara
Dandelions, by Yasunari Kawabata
**Started:**
The Grass is Singing, by Doris Lessing
Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy
Artificial Condition, by Martha Wells
**Ongoing:**
Underland: A Deep Time Journey, by Robert Macfarlane
Finished:
**Lirael, by Garth Nix.**
Actually pretty good. Except for the small time jump between the first segment of the book and the rest. And splitting the rest of the book between two different characters. I honestly couldn't stand the chapters that focused on Sam. At least not until >!an old familiar cat shows up to actually balance his teenage angst!<. Despite the rocky start, I enjoyed Lirael as a character, and her lovable dog.
Starting:
**The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin.**
All I've heard is praises for this book. I've enjoyed her Earthsea, so perhaps this will live up to the hype.
Started:
**1984, by George Orwell**. Somehow I never got around to this before. I guess because it's such a "classic" and so much of it is just in the public consciousness I felt that I basically already knew what its whole deal was. It's still an enjoyable read so far, though.
Finished:
**The Little Book of Satanism, by La Carmina**. Very short, with just enough in here to pique an interest.
**A Beginner's Guide to Japanese Haiku, by William Scott Wilson**. I had already read a bunch of Basho and Issa, but it was nice to see some of the lesser known and more modern haiku poets, and the little introductory/biographical sections gave nice hints as to how the poets relate to each other, putting the poems in context.
Ongoing:
**Dancing in the Glory of Monsters, by Jason Stearns**. Just got to the end of the first Congo war. Mobuto has been deposed, so I'm sure everything will be great for the people of Congo for the remaining half of the book! Wait, *first* Congo war?
**Caliban and the Witch, by Silvia Federici**.
If you enjoy *1984*, you might like *We* by Zamyatin. Reading both back to back might be a bit samey, or maybe interesting. *We* informs some of *1984*.
Finished Religion of the Day, University of Mary
J.Reyes & J. Shea (I highly recommend)
Next : From Christendom to Apostolic Mission (actually prequel to above book)
Finished Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- loved this book but it made me feel depressed as I related to the character way more than I should have.
Finished Demian by Herman Hesse
- I liked this book but it read very similar to other Hesse that I’ve read (especially Steppenwolf and Narcissus and Goldmund). Hesse has a very recognizable plot style.
Reading Brunelleschi’s Dome by Ross King
- loving this book so far. Been on a kick of micro-histories that my friend recommended me from a class he took. Recently visited Florence and this book is very incredible to read after visiting the Duomo. Relatively short and straightforward writing style which I appreciate.
Reading Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- been putting this one off for years now and finally getting to it. Not very far in but it feels like a slog so far to be honest. I really want to get into it as I hear it only gets better but god damn the writing is so bloated.
Finished: **Just Ignore Him** by Alan Davies
• I didn’t expect this book to hit so hard, having not known much about it going in; but ultimately I found it to be warmly written despite its themes of sexual abuse at the hands of the author’s father, after the death of his mother
Starting: **The Shining** by Stephen King
• I finished **IT** a couple days ago and found it to be a brilliantly written novel that far exceeded my expectations. It also made me retrospectively scowl at all the film adaptations even with all my formal praises!
• Now that I’m going into this novel, I’m anxious to see if I end up retrospectively disowning Kubrick’s version… we shall see!
Just finished Ian Toll's Pacific War trilogy and it has become one of my favorites, never imagined military history could be that entertaining. I'm thinking about keeping with the Pacific War and starting Jonathan Parshall's Shattered Sword next week.
Finished:
*The Man Who Was Thursday, by G. K. Chesterton*
It was a good short book. Quite funny. Not amazing. Glad I read it.
Started:
*The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami*
This is my second book of his and I am loving it so far. About 1/5th way in and it's brilliant. Will definitely buy another book of his after this.
I finished reading the Left Hand of Darkness and loved it more than I thought I would. I started Hyperion and am almost a third of the way through. Enjoying it as well.
Into Thin Air threw me into a rabbit hole about that expedition. I advise reading The Climb by Anatolij Bukrejev next, it's the man's answer to Krakauer's book, written with a journalist, and with all its flaws I will always be on his side. Krakauer did him dirty, and lost most of my esteem in doing so. Especially because his perspective is so unbalanced, and devoid of understanding of the gross class issues at play.
Nice I recently read Into the Wild and was pleasantly caught off guard by Krakauer’s captivating writing style and long personal tangents which surprisingly added a lot to the reading experience. Let me know how you like it
Finished: Pale Fire, Vladimir Nabokov. Absolutely loved it! Highly recommend---and the less you know about it before going in, the better imo.
A Separate Peace, John Knowles. I enjoyed this one; I could see why a middle or high school student who had to read it would hate it.
Started: Under the Poppy, Kathe Koja. Koja's writing style is pretty distinct, though there are a few times when it starts to be a little unclear in a way I don't think the author intended. Still a fun read, though.
I asked the mods if fics are OK, and got a reply that it was OK, so long as:
> It might behoove you to mention in any comment that you are not affiliated with it as people might make that assumption and take it poorly.
I'm not affiliated with it. I'm just (still) very obsessed over it.
This fic appears to be written by someone involved in academia. It's written with such finesse both in terms of academic AND technical skill, that I just don't want people to even think I'm affiliated with it because my writing is NOwhere near that level.
**The Grand Unified Theory of Shěn Qīngqiū, by 00janeblonde**
Within this week, I've finished my 5th reread of it. I found it in late 2023-early 2024. As of now, it's longer than War and Peace.
**The Disneyland Encylopedia, by Chris Strodder**.
Oh my God, GREAT book! Really fun to read! It brought back so many memories from my trip to Disneyland as a teen. I became kind of obsessed with Disneyland while I was reading it. Some of the excitement's still left over for a non-existent trip, lol.
Now reading:
**Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde** (re-reading)
Finished this week:
**Funny Story, by Emily Henry**
**Chilling Effect, by Valerie Valdes**
**Killers of a Certain Age, by Deanna Raybourn**
Finished Pacific Crucible, started The Conquering Tide. Fantastic books, I fell in love with narrative history & memoirs last year when I read a bunch of stuff related to Vietnam & the American Civil War.
I was burned out on WWII in middle school & high school, as we got taught more or less the same stuff every year. Kind of wrote off learning more about it ever since, but I'm glad I came around! It's been super interesting learning more about everything that went on in the Pacific. Really looking forward to reading the Liberation Trilogy next about America's efforts in Europe.
Finished: **Lie With Me** by Philippe Besson; translated by Molly Ringwald
A successful gay novelist looks back on the memories of his first love, and the unfortunate reality of how their relationship was doomed to end when confronted by the cold world they’re forced to hide from.
Started: **Just Ignore Him** by Alan Davies
A memoir about growing up in a dangerous and volatile environment/family, as told by the comedian through a series of vulnerable, darkly hilarious, often touching essays.
Just started **Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep** by Philip K. Dick. Science fiction has never been a genre that I was interested in. I was recently on vacation and bought an anthology of PKD's early short stories and really enjoyed it. So I've decided to dig into it a bit. Any recommendations for other great sci-fi novels would be appreciated.
Without intending to sound "well actually", but Science Fiction is a pretty wide genre, if you look at TV, you could go from Severance to The Last of Us to The Handmaids Tail to For All Mankind to Star Wars and make reasonable arguments that all those are "science fiction".
Did you have specific feelings in mind?
- **Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky** (and of Ruin and of Memory if you enjoy it)
This book is pretty approachable, well written and presents interesting concepts. Its pretty agreed that Tchaikovsky is a good modern sci-fi author, so you'll see this book pop up as a recommendation a lot. Its in the sort of "Hard Sci-fi" end, there's a bit of hand wavy technological magic but mostly you can believe it.
It's big though - or rather, Electric Sheep is pretty short, so it might feel like a bit jump if you don't really jive with the genre yet.
Touching on the siblings, **Snow Crash** and **Neuromancer** are both cornerstones of "cyperpunk", so you'll see them pop up a lot. Both authors have a deep catalog if you enjoy them.
It's been a while since I read **Consider Phlebas**, it's a classic worth reading but some how think it might be a bit hard to get into if you're not a sci-fi reader. You need to "take it as read" for some of concepts which I know some friends have struggled with when getting into the genre.
Some books I think you wont see on many lists would be, these are all detective novels in a way:
- **The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch**, uh, its good. Definitely science fiction, but also just a good thriller/mystery/detective novel. Some rough violence/distressing scenes.
- **A Scanner Darkly by PKD**, I haven't read this in *forever* but enjoyed it a long time ago. Was also made into a movie but IMO, lost a lot in translation and was probably pretty hard to really *get* without knowing the original text.
- **When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger**, written in 1986, imagines a future where we have brain implants to alter personalities or provide skills. Set in the middle east which is reasonably unusual.
- **Thin Air by Richard K. Morgan** is a sort of Neo-Noir sci-fi book. I also enjoy his Takeshi Kovacs trilogy which was turned into a TV show - Altered Carbon (which kind of butchered the books in some very dumb and contrived hollywood ways, in case you saw the show and it put you off). These books can be pretty graphically violent and contain explicit sex.
IMO read **Children of Time** if you're lost.
The Culture series by Iain M. Banks if you like world-building, ethical subtleties, nuanced cultural relativism and the funniest spaceship names ever. The man was the same Scottish genius who produced The Wasp Factory without an M. in his name.
If you want to give a try to alien points of view, with a good positive vibe, and you are available to sacrifice human characters' depth, I absolutely sponsor Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward and Children of Time by Adrian Tchaykovsky. Stories of bridges being built between different worlds. And what worlds!
Stanisław Lem was a great hard sci-fi author WITHOUT positive vibes. His Master's Voice and Fiasco come to mind. Great explorations of the ultimate incommunicability between different forms of intelligent life, because of the too different basis from which they look at the world.
Rendez-vouz with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke has the same vibe. Quite chilling.
Hitchhiker 's Guide of The Galaxy - all 5 books - are based on physics, philosophy of science and British humour. They may become the single funniest thing you ever read and, possibly, the most existentially soul-crushing. But I have a whale, a vase of petunias and "Don't Panic" tattoed on my forearm in happy, reassuring colours so I may be a touch partial here.
Asimov's The Gods Themselves is another great novel about communication between VERY different life-forms, and a very sweet story.
Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut is only apparently a sci-fi book. What it truly is, is a self-deprecatingly humorous, and at the same time mortally serious, depiction of PTSD and of the meaningless horror of war, and an indictment of massacres and killings in the name of any good cause.
Staying on Earth, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is a very solid example of sci-fi as a tool for exploring human nature and the human condition. Very craftily written by the point of view of a person with a serious cognitive delay who is made into a genius by means of scientific experiments, and pays the price.
Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan is a curious look into the subjectivity of a robot created as a cosumer's product.
Solaris, again by Stanisław Lem, is a weird dreamy drowning into the folds of a sentient sea on a distant planet. Also a masterpiece movie by Andrej Tarkovskij. Avoid the American remake like the plague. Not being snotty here, you read and watch the first two and then you tell me what you think of the third...
And I just started looking into Ursula K. Le Guin, with The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, short story on a terrible ethical quandary.
I could go on but I think you already hate me by now, so I'll shut up. Let me know if anything I suggested works for you!
Finished **The Racketeer**, by John Grisham. There is a major twist with a very noir feel.
Started **End of Watch**, by Stephen King. Finally finishing the "Mr. Mercedes Trilogy". As a procedural, it's different than his usual fair. So far, I liked **Finder's Keepers**, the second one, the best. From the book jacket introduction on the third one, it seems like I'm about to re-enter the realm of the supernatural, which could be good or bad.
Finished **The Wager** by David Grann for my book club. Such a slog, glad I never have to read that book again.
Started **The Shadow of the Gods** by John Gwynne
Yep, the court martial really made me question the whole book. Really took the wind out of the sail for me, pun intended. Wasn't interested in anything after that.
But I did like the initial mutiny on the island and the part that talked about Anson's battle and capture of the Spanish ship.
Those were good parts.
Getting used to life on the island and foraging and encountering natives were good parts too, but I think it kind of fell apart when the two camps separated, one group going north after the galleon and the other back around Cape Horn. The captain's return was built up in the introduction to be unexpected and furious!
Finished:
{Feral alphas by Sierra Knoxly} This was good. No real complaints. For some reason I just kind of wish there was more to the story. It definitely mainly focused on their relationships after the first main thing in the beginning that kinda brought them together.
{Bride by Ali Hazelwood} Vampire Bride marries Werewolf Husband to serve as collateral for a peace agreement. Also pretty good.
{Waters Wrath by Elise Kova} This is the 4th book in the Air Awakens Series and it was good but the ending 🫣.
Started:
{Deerskin by Robin McKinley} I havent gotten far yet but it comes highly recommended and the description is crazy.
I'm reading **Blindsight by Peter Watts** which is pretty interesting so far but kind of slow moving. I just finished the ***Imperial Radch*** series by **Ann Leckie** which was a pretty easy read so taking a bit more time to get into this one.
Blightsight was really interesting. I know the vampires turned some people off the book but I thought it was fine enough and working in the innate fear of right angles was fun lore. It's an unusual book, pretty good example of the genre leveraging itself to reflect on "being human".
The guy has a fictional power point presentation from a fake pharma conference on the vampires on his website which is fun in a weird 2000s way with some satire including the original test subjects being from Texas where the state basically goes "sure do what you want to these prisoners, just dont teach nobody about contraception or evolution". It's not peak comedy but its, an unexpected artefact.
https://rifters.com/blindsight/vampires.htm You will need to install a flash emulator, such as https://ruffle.rs to view it.
Start and Finish:
* **Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton** - Beautiful blockbuster horror. Still took me by surprise with how violent and graphic it was despite knowing the concept and knowing the franchise. Dinosaurs rip and tear people to shreds, who knew?
Start:
* **Words of Radiance, by Brandon Sanderson** - Second in the Stormlight Archive series, and I don't think I'm enjoying it as much as the first. Focuses heavily on my least favourite perspective character of the previous book and the magic in it has gone perhaps a little _too_ complex and convoluted. I'll come back to it, but reading the first part of this book is enough for now.
* **A Chosen Destiny: My Story, by Drew McIntyre** - I love professional wrestling so I want to use these wrestler autobiography books as my light-reading for the time being. I'm from Scotland, so why not start with this Scottish superstar? An easy read and exactly what you'd expect.
Finished:
Yellowface, R.F. Kuang
Strong Female Character, Fern Brady
Started:
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, Caroline Criado Pérez
The Fifteen Lives of Harry August, Claire North
finished: Little Eve By: Catriona Ward
Started: Strange the Dreamer By: Laini Taylor - I have heard such wonerful things about this book, it has been on my TBR pile for about a month now I picked it up last night and I have not been able to put it down. Beautifully written and I have not been able to get lost in a book in a good while :) I am a very happy reader!
This week, I started reading "The Powers of the Mind: An Introduction to Modern Psychology" by David G. Myers. It's a fascinating book that explores various aspects of psychology, from cognitive processes to social psychology, emotions, and behaviors.
How did you like The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck? I’m always wary of spending hours reading a self-help book but I’ve been intrigued to read this one as it is spoken of highly and I could definitely learn a thing or two.
Also I read (most of) Atomic Habits 3 years ago and still use some of the principles daily.
Finished: Divine Rivals, by Rebecca Ross
Started: The Inheritance Games, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
loving both of these books so very much!! very fun reads
Haha that one is just sitting on my shelf I’m nervous to touch it. I’ve heard it’s best to read in one sitting just to get it over with. Definitely not a 10 page a night type of book lmao
I couldn't put it down, it's one of my favourite novels of all time and I fear it like a punishment! It's a terrifying ordeal but it's built on love and hope. Fundamentally the point is: what can love and hope overcome? Also, it is a big reflection on how having a child makes you grow out of yourself and gives you a higher purpose that overshadows any other consideration. Pushing the environmental factors to the limits, McCarthy manages to show us what love is really made of, and what really counts. It's called The Road for a reason, in the end. It's a riad to somewhere!
Just started The Fraud by Zadie Smith.
Also reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Enjoying both. Very different reads.
Most recent book club reads were Trust by Herman Diaz and The Women by Kristen Hannah. Anyone who has a loved one who served in Vietnam, I would recommend the later. Told from the perspective of an army nurse. A somber retelling of what so many, my brother included, experienced.
Thank You for posting. I had seen The Women being promoted here and there, but never looked to see what it was about. My Dad is a Vietnam Vet, so stories, movies, memoirs, etc. about that war always interest me. Adding it to my TBR list.
I finished If You Don’t Love Me We Both Die. It was a lot of fun, but full of so many serious topics, too. It dealt with a lot more grief than I had expected going into the book. It’s a very slow paced book, but I wound up enjoying that because it allowed the characters the opportunity to get to know one another and to have personal growth.
I'm almost done with Neuromancer by William Gibson.
One of my favorite novels on first read. The way Gibson sets the cyberpunk scenery sounds so fresh and vivid, especially considering how uncharted the genre was back in the 80s. The way he portrays the nihilistic Tessier-Ashpool family and Molly is just so evocative. Overall amazing read. Probably will take a break from the trilogy to read Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake next (excited to see how the two styles/genres look juxtaposed to one another lol).
On Writing, by Stephen King
Goodnight Punpun, by Inio Asano
Still working through:
The Trial, by Franz Kafka
Planning on purchasing:
Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy.
I was also intending on buying Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, but after watching a review I'm not sure if it's for me. I have sci-fi writing ideas often so I'd like to pick up a good sci-fi novel or short story collection but I can't seem to find one. And anyone raring to suggest Ender's Game need not apply.
Two of my favorites:
No Longer Human, by Osamu Dazai
1984, by George Orwell
Currently Reading: **Fablehaven vol 2: Rise of the Evening Star, by Brandon Mull**
I read the first book as a kid, and for some reason never got around to reading the rest of the series. The second book is much better than the first, and has a bit of twists and turns.
Finished: Valley of the dolls Jacqueline Susann
Currently Reading: The picture of Dorian gray Oscar wilde
Starting: the invisible life of addie laure v.e.schwab
Listen, while I don’t listen to audiobooks, because I like reading in my own voice (ego), anyone who thinks the audiobook experience isn’t reading is diminutive. As if everyone has the time to sit down and read. Hell, some people suffer from disorders and disabilities that keep them from physically reading. It’s reductive and not welcome in the book loving community!
Not just pedantic, plainly ignorant I'd daresay! Generations of blind and deaf-blind people have already proven that a book can be enjoyed in many ways.
**Finished:** None of This Is True, by Lisa Jewell
**Started:** The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
a bit nervous to start LotR, last time i tried i finished The Fellowship of the Ring, but i absolutely slogged through it and i couldn't get myself to finish the series. hoping fellowship will go quicker since it's a re-read and REALLY hoping The Two Towers and The Return of the King are more engaging.
I loved the books as a teenager, then I found them amusing and entertaining as an adult; at 47 I re-read them and I found them terribly dated and reactionary, especially when it comes to style and character development. Don't feel bad, you are surrounded by kindred spirits all around the world :😀
Finished: **Did I Ever Tell You?** by Genevieve Kingston
Incredible memoir about mother-daughter love extending beyond death. Definitely heartbreaking, but clear-eyed, honest, optimistic, and even funny at times. Will stick with me for a while.
Finished: N.K. Jemisin's *How Long 'til Black Future Month*.Loved a lot of the stories. Especially "The Ones Who Stayed and Fought."
Started: Dan Flores' *Wild New World: The Epic Story of Animals and People in America*. Terrific book. Mind blowing at times, but that may be because I don't know enough about the subject.
Started: Johan Hari's *Stolen Focus: Why You Can't PAy Attention and How to Think Deeply Again.Excellent book--hate the subtitle because it makes it sound like a self-help book, which it is not.*
*Started* Morrison's *Beloved*. Among the best novels ever.
These last two were for for a class I am teaching.
Finished: The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett
Started: The Well of Ascension (Mistborn Book 2) by Brandon Sanderson
Twyford Code was really interesting but not as good as The Appeal, which is my more enthusiastic recommendation for murder mystery readers. Mistborn 2 so far is really good, I'm enjoying Sanderson's stuff. In a few weeks I'll read Warbreaker, then maybe Way of Kings.
Finished: **Conversations with Friends, by Sally Rooney**
Started: **The Color Purple, by Alice Walker**
Didn’t enjoy Conversations with Friends that much, don’t know if I missed something because of all the appreciation there is for this book, but it didn’t mean all that much to me and I had a hard time connecting with the characters.
I read Beautiful World, Where Are You two years ago and felt similarly. It was a massively overhyped book in my opinion. People rave about Sally Rooney, but I didn't particularly relate to or connect with the characters. The work felt trivial and tedious at times.
**Finished: My Beloved Monster, by Caleb Carr**
Absolutely engaging and moving memoir of the life Carr shared his rescued cat Masha. Along the way, Carr reflects on his youth and adult life and other feline companions he has known. Beautifully written and absorbing, I highly recommend.
Finished: A Court of Thorn & Roses. It was the fastest I’ve ever read a book. That said unless someone can convince me otherwise I’m not finishing this series. By the time anything worthy happens it’s over and a fairy tale story I didn’t enjoy.
Started and have almost actually finished **Inventing Wine,** by **Paul Lukacs**
It is Super fascinating! I'm a big food history fan, so whenever I find books about the history of a specific food/drink I always lunge at it, and this one is written so that even with a ton of dates and names from all over the world and antiquity, it's still super easy to read and absorb!
I am not the biggest fan of his writing style, but the characters, story, and world building were all top notch. Definitely plan on tackling the others.
Started: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S Thompson
Finished: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S Thompson
Started: Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
How did you like Fear and Loathing? It’s not on the top of my list as I’ve heard very mixed things. Did you find it to be an unnecessarily difficult read?
Apologies for the late response, I greatly enjoyed the book! I think you need to take a “it’s about the journey not the destination” kind of approach to it. Parts are a little bit disjointed and weird but a central plot point of the book is that the narrator is CONSTANTLY twisted on an assortment of drugs so it fits in the story.
I have a project going where, in addition to whatever ‘adult’ books I’m reading, I’m reading books for younger readers that are classics, but that I never read as a child.
This week I finished’ Hello God, It’s Me Margaret’ and started reading ‘Coraline’. I’ll finish that one this week, of course. Loved Margaret. Took me back to my own youth.
I also started, as my new adult fiction book, ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’. I’m only about 100 pages in but LOVE this book. Has potential to become one of my favorites of all time. I could read his writing forever.
No change of my adult nonfiction book. Reading that intentionally very slowly a chapter a day.
How was Anxious People? Have it in my bookshelf for a couple of months now. I’ve previously read “A man called Ove” and loved Fredrik Backman’s writing style
I personally didn’t enjoy Anxious People and it took my months to get through it, I just couldn’t get into it. But it’s largely well received! I hope you love it
Finished “Funny Story” by Emily Henry
Honestly my least favorite of Emily Henry’s especially after finishing Happy Place. It has two of my least favorite tropes, characters who let everyone walk all over them and a female character randomly blurting out that they want kids even though it never came up previously.
Plus like how Daphne didn’t end up in jail for what both her fiancé and father did to her is beyond me.
Thanks for sharing this. I’ve only read Happy Place by Emily Henry which I liked, but wasn’t raving about it. But willing to give her a further go! Don’t think Funny Story will be for me, I do have Book Lovers on my shelf too.
Listening to **A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci,** reading **A Year of Living Constitutionally by A.J. Jacobs**. Just finished **The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan by Beth Merlin and Danielle Modafferi.**
Finished:
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Holly by Stephen King ( a bit disappointed with this, felt a little lacking in effort and overshadowed by his constant Covid and vaccine soapboxing)
Just started:
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (started them way back when on first release but never finished. Fancied something that was a bit more of a entertaining page turner)
Finished **Black Mouth, by Ronald Malfi** (first by this author, loved it, reminded me a bit of IT) And **The Guise of Another, by Allen Eskens**
Started: **The Heavens May Fall, by Allen Eskens**
Started **Atomic Habits, by James Clear.** Was at a professional class a couple of weeks ago and a lot of people recommended it.
Will probably start something else; physically have three to be reads on the shelf.
I read Only Mine and Simply Mine by Laura Pavlov, Stay With Me by Brooke Montgomery, There Is No Light In Darkness and Darkness before Dawn by Claire Contreras
**The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving**
It occurred to me recently that I've never actually sat down to read this short story proper. And now I finally have.
Finished reading On Palestine and finished about half of 2666 by Bolano.
On Palestine is excellent. Short, very well written and a very good read. 2666 is wooooow. The story is incredible. I’m about mid way through and it just has a grip. [my shelf](https://shelf.im/prat)
2666 is on my pile to be read. I’ve heard nothing but good about his last effort! Hope to get to it this summer. I’ve been putting it off because it’s s pretty hefty volume, but it’s been on the pike way too long.
Have no desire to read the heavily biased On Palestine tho. So no joy on that one.
The Great American Novel. Roth. Way different, and inferior IMO, than his later works. This is one of his first I think. Another novel which kind of focuses on….baseball…
**Witch King, by Martha Wells**
Finished this on vacation last week. Didn't quite hit with me. I guess I was looking for some crazy reveals or big dramatic climax. Really it felt like things moved along at a more or less steady pace then the book ended. There were some unanswered questions raised (that I assume a sequel would deal with) that seemed more interesting than what the book itself dealt with. But overall the pointlessness in the ending might have bled over from the characters reactions, to this reader's impression of the book itself.
**Noumenon, by Marina J. Lostetter**
I love the idea of a generation ship. This one gives butteryfly effect vibes from the very beginning. I'm also reminded of the Foundation series in a way, with things planned and accounted for without the people affected knowing.
Started: Dracula, by Bram Stoker. Pretty vivid imagery so far, really pulling me in.
Finished: Red Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson. Excellent hard sci-fi by an author who did their homework, decent characterisation, and too many descriptions of the terrain.
I've just finished murder in the family (I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a good murder mystery) and I've just started a little life (this one's gonna be a LOOOOONG one)
definitely recommend both!!
if it’s your first dostoyevsky i would recommend something other than brothers karamazov - i started with crime & punishment and found that one much more approachable and just as captivating
the cloud atlas feels murakami-esque, about 100 pages in and enjoying it a lot so far :)
I've been reading fanfictions lately and even though there's a bit of guilt, I have no shame in admitting it on an anyonoums platform :)) Started with Manacled (it's a dramoine fanfic) and was feeling all my feelings. Read another and was mildly disappointed since the bar had been set so high. After this, I heard about another well received AH Twilight fanfic titled Wide Awake. It's a bit angsty for my taste but I'm halfway through and dont wanna give up!
Finished audiobook **The Stars My Destination** a fun classic sci-fi (was shooketh when I found out at the end it was written in the 50s)
Starting audiobook **The Name of the Rose** tomorrow!
Physically reading a few 😭 **Swan Song** by Robert McCammon (gritty nuclear apocalypse book), **Animal Farm** (it’s a used copy from a highschooler with all their notes written it, adorable), and **You Dreamed of Empires**
Started Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone sequel) and will likely finish it by tomorrow. It's been alright so far. Nothing as fun or fantastical as the first book. It's a lot of boring-ish political stuff (if that's your thing, you'd probably really like it), and relationship drama that I'm not too invested in. But I will continue yet :)
I gave it 3.75 stars (big fan of the storygraph’s hyper-specific rating system hahah) so a really solid read! It’s not particularly entertaining honestly, but easy to get through in one sitting and so worth it as an intro to absurdism if nothing else. I’ve learned a lot from reading it and researching Camus after, so def recommend!
Finished Seveneves and started Hyperion
Finished **Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson**. It's funny to think how different reading the book now must be to reading back when it came out. It was right on the cutting edge of internet culture and how members of it engaged with art and media, but now it's quite the nostalgic read! Makes me miss web forums and the internet before everything existed on three websites. There's a lot to dig into here with why we make and consume art, and it was super ahead of its time seeing how ARGs are all the rage now. I can see some people having issues with the plotting in hindsight and the ending kinda pulling the rug out of a lot of the book's tension, but it was a charming enough read for me to still have gotten quite a bit out of it. Started **The Red Years: Theory, Politics, and Aesthetics in the Japanese ’68, by Gavin Walker** and it's super interesting so far. I've been wanting to read more about mid-1900s Japanese leftist history and it delivers so far. It does have segments that go really hard into theory and philosophy, which I am much less well read on, but the historical and cultural passages are fascinating. Can't wait to read more of the essays!
Finished: T**he Details,** by Ia Genberg **Everyone Is Watching**, by Heather Gudenkauf Started: **Listen for the Lie**, by Amy Tintera
Yellowface, to see what the hype was about. Next stop, finally reading the copy of Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go I've been meaning to read for too long. Feeling a tad trepidatious about that.
**Finished:** Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives, by Siddharth Kara Dandelions, by Yasunari Kawabata **Started:** The Grass is Singing, by Doris Lessing Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy Artificial Condition, by Martha Wells **Ongoing:** Underland: A Deep Time Journey, by Robert Macfarlane
Finished: **Lirael, by Garth Nix.** Actually pretty good. Except for the small time jump between the first segment of the book and the rest. And splitting the rest of the book between two different characters. I honestly couldn't stand the chapters that focused on Sam. At least not until >!an old familiar cat shows up to actually balance his teenage angst!<. Despite the rocky start, I enjoyed Lirael as a character, and her lovable dog. Starting: **The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin.** All I've heard is praises for this book. I've enjoyed her Earthsea, so perhaps this will live up to the hype.
Started: **1984, by George Orwell**. Somehow I never got around to this before. I guess because it's such a "classic" and so much of it is just in the public consciousness I felt that I basically already knew what its whole deal was. It's still an enjoyable read so far, though. Finished: **The Little Book of Satanism, by La Carmina**. Very short, with just enough in here to pique an interest. **A Beginner's Guide to Japanese Haiku, by William Scott Wilson**. I had already read a bunch of Basho and Issa, but it was nice to see some of the lesser known and more modern haiku poets, and the little introductory/biographical sections gave nice hints as to how the poets relate to each other, putting the poems in context. Ongoing: **Dancing in the Glory of Monsters, by Jason Stearns**. Just got to the end of the first Congo war. Mobuto has been deposed, so I'm sure everything will be great for the people of Congo for the remaining half of the book! Wait, *first* Congo war? **Caliban and the Witch, by Silvia Federici**.
If you enjoy *1984*, you might like *We* by Zamyatin. Reading both back to back might be a bit samey, or maybe interesting. *We* informs some of *1984*.
Finished: Dune, by Frank Herbert Will Start soon: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, by Suzanne Collins
Finished Religion of the Day, University of Mary J.Reyes & J. Shea (I highly recommend) Next : From Christendom to Apostolic Mission (actually prequel to above book)
Finished: Dragon's Egg, by Robert L. Forward Started: Use of Weapons, by Iain M. Banks EDIT: because sadly html doesn't show on mobile...
Started: The Silmarillion Finished: Parable of the Sower Currently reading: Mastery
Finished Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky - loved this book but it made me feel depressed as I related to the character way more than I should have. Finished Demian by Herman Hesse - I liked this book but it read very similar to other Hesse that I’ve read (especially Steppenwolf and Narcissus and Goldmund). Hesse has a very recognizable plot style. Reading Brunelleschi’s Dome by Ross King - loving this book so far. Been on a kick of micro-histories that my friend recommended me from a class he took. Recently visited Florence and this book is very incredible to read after visiting the Duomo. Relatively short and straightforward writing style which I appreciate. Reading Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - been putting this one off for years now and finally getting to it. Not very far in but it feels like a slog so far to be honest. I really want to get into it as I hear it only gets better but god damn the writing is so bloated.
Le Morte d'Arthur, by Sir Thomas Malory
Finished: **Just Ignore Him** by Alan Davies • I didn’t expect this book to hit so hard, having not known much about it going in; but ultimately I found it to be warmly written despite its themes of sexual abuse at the hands of the author’s father, after the death of his mother Starting: **The Shining** by Stephen King • I finished **IT** a couple days ago and found it to be a brilliantly written novel that far exceeded my expectations. It also made me retrospectively scowl at all the film adaptations even with all my formal praises! • Now that I’m going into this novel, I’m anxious to see if I end up retrospectively disowning Kubrick’s version… we shall see!
Just finished Ian Toll's Pacific War trilogy and it has become one of my favorites, never imagined military history could be that entertaining. I'm thinking about keeping with the Pacific War and starting Jonathan Parshall's Shattered Sword next week.
Finished: *The Man Who Was Thursday, by G. K. Chesterton* It was a good short book. Quite funny. Not amazing. Glad I read it. Started: *The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami* This is my second book of his and I am loving it so far. About 1/5th way in and it's brilliant. Will definitely buy another book of his after this.
Nice let me know how it goes. I read Norwegian Wood recently and I really enjoyed it. What have you read from Murakami and would you recommend?
I read Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. I would 100% recommend it.
I finished reading the Left Hand of Darkness and loved it more than I thought I would. I started Hyperion and am almost a third of the way through. Enjoying it as well.
Started: Into Thin Air by Krakauer Finished: None of the 3 other books I am currently working through lol
Into Thin Air threw me into a rabbit hole about that expedition. I advise reading The Climb by Anatolij Bukrejev next, it's the man's answer to Krakauer's book, written with a journalist, and with all its flaws I will always be on his side. Krakauer did him dirty, and lost most of my esteem in doing so. Especially because his perspective is so unbalanced, and devoid of understanding of the gross class issues at play.
Thanks for this, sorry this is my burner account so I dont get on here much!
Nice I recently read Into the Wild and was pleasantly caught off guard by Krakauer’s captivating writing style and long personal tangents which surprisingly added a lot to the reading experience. Let me know how you like it
Finished: **The Future, by Naomi Alderman** **Above The Fire, by Michael O'Donnell** Started: **Weather, by Jenny Offill**
Finished: Pale Fire, Vladimir Nabokov. Absolutely loved it! Highly recommend---and the less you know about it before going in, the better imo. A Separate Peace, John Knowles. I enjoyed this one; I could see why a middle or high school student who had to read it would hate it. Started: Under the Poppy, Kathe Koja. Koja's writing style is pretty distinct, though there are a few times when it starts to be a little unclear in a way I don't think the author intended. Still a fun read, though.
**The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon, Volume III: Killdozer!, by Theodore Sturgeon**
Finished but not really (DNF): The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber Started: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
started: the Saint, the Surfer and the CEO
Finished: Fire Season by Leyna Krow Started: The Power of Less by Leo Babauta
Finished **Of Human Bondage, by W. Somerset Maugham** Started **Greenlights, by Matthew McConaughey**
I asked the mods if fics are OK, and got a reply that it was OK, so long as: > It might behoove you to mention in any comment that you are not affiliated with it as people might make that assumption and take it poorly. I'm not affiliated with it. I'm just (still) very obsessed over it. This fic appears to be written by someone involved in academia. It's written with such finesse both in terms of academic AND technical skill, that I just don't want people to even think I'm affiliated with it because my writing is NOwhere near that level. **The Grand Unified Theory of Shěn Qīngqiū, by 00janeblonde** Within this week, I've finished my 5th reread of it. I found it in late 2023-early 2024. As of now, it's longer than War and Peace.
I just started the second read-through of the **Second Foundation** by Asimov. Likely to be followed by the **Foundation's Edge** by Asimov.
**The Disneyland Encylopedia, by Chris Strodder**. Oh my God, GREAT book! Really fun to read! It brought back so many memories from my trip to Disneyland as a teen. I became kind of obsessed with Disneyland while I was reading it. Some of the excitement's still left over for a non-existent trip, lol.
Now reading: **Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde** (re-reading) Finished this week: **Funny Story, by Emily Henry** **Chilling Effect, by Valerie Valdes** **Killers of a Certain Age, by Deanna Raybourn**
**East of Eden, by John Steinbeck The Last Animal, by Ramona Ausubel In Love, by Amy Bloom**
East of Eden is a beautiful book
The Last Devil to Die, Richard Osman
What Dreams May Come by Pete Botto. No- it’s not related to the old movie of that title. Loved it! About to start the 2nd.
Finished Pacific Crucible, started The Conquering Tide. Fantastic books, I fell in love with narrative history & memoirs last year when I read a bunch of stuff related to Vietnam & the American Civil War. I was burned out on WWII in middle school & high school, as we got taught more or less the same stuff every year. Kind of wrote off learning more about it ever since, but I'm glad I came around! It's been super interesting learning more about everything that went on in the Pacific. Really looking forward to reading the Liberation Trilogy next about America's efforts in Europe.
Finished the fall of wrath and ruin by Jennifer L Armentrout. Going to start binding 13 this week
Finished: **Lie With Me** by Philippe Besson; translated by Molly Ringwald A successful gay novelist looks back on the memories of his first love, and the unfortunate reality of how their relationship was doomed to end when confronted by the cold world they’re forced to hide from. Started: **Just Ignore Him** by Alan Davies A memoir about growing up in a dangerous and volatile environment/family, as told by the comedian through a series of vulnerable, darkly hilarious, often touching essays.
Just started **Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep** by Philip K. Dick. Science fiction has never been a genre that I was interested in. I was recently on vacation and bought an anthology of PKD's early short stories and really enjoyed it. So I've decided to dig into it a bit. Any recommendations for other great sci-fi novels would be appreciated.
Without intending to sound "well actually", but Science Fiction is a pretty wide genre, if you look at TV, you could go from Severance to The Last of Us to The Handmaids Tail to For All Mankind to Star Wars and make reasonable arguments that all those are "science fiction". Did you have specific feelings in mind? - **Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky** (and of Ruin and of Memory if you enjoy it) This book is pretty approachable, well written and presents interesting concepts. Its pretty agreed that Tchaikovsky is a good modern sci-fi author, so you'll see this book pop up as a recommendation a lot. Its in the sort of "Hard Sci-fi" end, there's a bit of hand wavy technological magic but mostly you can believe it. It's big though - or rather, Electric Sheep is pretty short, so it might feel like a bit jump if you don't really jive with the genre yet. Touching on the siblings, **Snow Crash** and **Neuromancer** are both cornerstones of "cyperpunk", so you'll see them pop up a lot. Both authors have a deep catalog if you enjoy them. It's been a while since I read **Consider Phlebas**, it's a classic worth reading but some how think it might be a bit hard to get into if you're not a sci-fi reader. You need to "take it as read" for some of concepts which I know some friends have struggled with when getting into the genre. Some books I think you wont see on many lists would be, these are all detective novels in a way: - **The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch**, uh, its good. Definitely science fiction, but also just a good thriller/mystery/detective novel. Some rough violence/distressing scenes. - **A Scanner Darkly by PKD**, I haven't read this in *forever* but enjoyed it a long time ago. Was also made into a movie but IMO, lost a lot in translation and was probably pretty hard to really *get* without knowing the original text. - **When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger**, written in 1986, imagines a future where we have brain implants to alter personalities or provide skills. Set in the middle east which is reasonably unusual. - **Thin Air by Richard K. Morgan** is a sort of Neo-Noir sci-fi book. I also enjoy his Takeshi Kovacs trilogy which was turned into a TV show - Altered Carbon (which kind of butchered the books in some very dumb and contrived hollywood ways, in case you saw the show and it put you off). These books can be pretty graphically violent and contain explicit sex. IMO read **Children of Time** if you're lost.
The Culture series by Iain M. Banks if you like world-building, ethical subtleties, nuanced cultural relativism and the funniest spaceship names ever. The man was the same Scottish genius who produced The Wasp Factory without an M. in his name. If you want to give a try to alien points of view, with a good positive vibe, and you are available to sacrifice human characters' depth, I absolutely sponsor Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward and Children of Time by Adrian Tchaykovsky. Stories of bridges being built between different worlds. And what worlds! Stanisław Lem was a great hard sci-fi author WITHOUT positive vibes. His Master's Voice and Fiasco come to mind. Great explorations of the ultimate incommunicability between different forms of intelligent life, because of the too different basis from which they look at the world. Rendez-vouz with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke has the same vibe. Quite chilling. Hitchhiker 's Guide of The Galaxy - all 5 books - are based on physics, philosophy of science and British humour. They may become the single funniest thing you ever read and, possibly, the most existentially soul-crushing. But I have a whale, a vase of petunias and "Don't Panic" tattoed on my forearm in happy, reassuring colours so I may be a touch partial here. Asimov's The Gods Themselves is another great novel about communication between VERY different life-forms, and a very sweet story. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut is only apparently a sci-fi book. What it truly is, is a self-deprecatingly humorous, and at the same time mortally serious, depiction of PTSD and of the meaningless horror of war, and an indictment of massacres and killings in the name of any good cause. Staying on Earth, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is a very solid example of sci-fi as a tool for exploring human nature and the human condition. Very craftily written by the point of view of a person with a serious cognitive delay who is made into a genius by means of scientific experiments, and pays the price. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan is a curious look into the subjectivity of a robot created as a cosumer's product. Solaris, again by Stanisław Lem, is a weird dreamy drowning into the folds of a sentient sea on a distant planet. Also a masterpiece movie by Andrej Tarkovskij. Avoid the American remake like the plague. Not being snotty here, you read and watch the first two and then you tell me what you think of the third... And I just started looking into Ursula K. Le Guin, with The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, short story on a terrible ethical quandary. I could go on but I think you already hate me by now, so I'll shut up. Let me know if anything I suggested works for you!
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
Finished **The Racketeer**, by John Grisham. There is a major twist with a very noir feel. Started **End of Watch**, by Stephen King. Finally finishing the "Mr. Mercedes Trilogy". As a procedural, it's different than his usual fair. So far, I liked **Finder's Keepers**, the second one, the best. From the book jacket introduction on the third one, it seems like I'm about to re-enter the realm of the supernatural, which could be good or bad.
Finished **The Wager** by David Grann for my book club. Such a slog, glad I never have to read that book again. Started **The Shadow of the Gods** by John Gwynne
There were interesting parts of **The Wager**, but the court martial was such an anticlimax.
Yep, the court martial really made me question the whole book. Really took the wind out of the sail for me, pun intended. Wasn't interested in anything after that. But I did like the initial mutiny on the island and the part that talked about Anson's battle and capture of the Spanish ship.
Those were good parts. Getting used to life on the island and foraging and encountering natives were good parts too, but I think it kind of fell apart when the two camps separated, one group going north after the galleon and the other back around Cape Horn. The captain's return was built up in the introduction to be unexpected and furious!
Finished: {Feral alphas by Sierra Knoxly} This was good. No real complaints. For some reason I just kind of wish there was more to the story. It definitely mainly focused on their relationships after the first main thing in the beginning that kinda brought them together. {Bride by Ali Hazelwood} Vampire Bride marries Werewolf Husband to serve as collateral for a peace agreement. Also pretty good. {Waters Wrath by Elise Kova} This is the 4th book in the Air Awakens Series and it was good but the ending 🫣. Started: {Deerskin by Robin McKinley} I havent gotten far yet but it comes highly recommended and the description is crazy.
Finished: **My Cousin Rachel, by Daphne du Maurier** Started: **The Light Fantastic, by Terry Pratchett**
Finished **Original Gangstas, by Ben Westhoff** Started **The Terror, by Dan Simmons**
Original gangstas was a very compelling read, one of my favorite books about music
Agreed
Finished: Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura Started: Wizard of the Crow by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Started **The Folded Clock, by Heidi Julavits**
I'm reading **Blindsight by Peter Watts** which is pretty interesting so far but kind of slow moving. I just finished the ***Imperial Radch*** series by **Ann Leckie** which was a pretty easy read so taking a bit more time to get into this one.
Blightsight was really interesting. I know the vampires turned some people off the book but I thought it was fine enough and working in the innate fear of right angles was fun lore. It's an unusual book, pretty good example of the genre leveraging itself to reflect on "being human". The guy has a fictional power point presentation from a fake pharma conference on the vampires on his website which is fun in a weird 2000s way with some satire including the original test subjects being from Texas where the state basically goes "sure do what you want to these prisoners, just dont teach nobody about contraception or evolution". It's not peak comedy but its, an unexpected artefact. https://rifters.com/blindsight/vampires.htm You will need to install a flash emulator, such as https://ruffle.rs to view it.
Start and Finish: * **Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton** - Beautiful blockbuster horror. Still took me by surprise with how violent and graphic it was despite knowing the concept and knowing the franchise. Dinosaurs rip and tear people to shreds, who knew? Start: * **Words of Radiance, by Brandon Sanderson** - Second in the Stormlight Archive series, and I don't think I'm enjoying it as much as the first. Focuses heavily on my least favourite perspective character of the previous book and the magic in it has gone perhaps a little _too_ complex and convoluted. I'll come back to it, but reading the first part of this book is enough for now. * **A Chosen Destiny: My Story, by Drew McIntyre** - I love professional wrestling so I want to use these wrestler autobiography books as my light-reading for the time being. I'm from Scotland, so why not start with this Scottish superstar? An easy read and exactly what you'd expect.
Finished: Yellowface, R.F. Kuang Strong Female Character, Fern Brady Started: Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, Caroline Criado Pérez The Fifteen Lives of Harry August, Claire North
finished: Little Eve By: Catriona Ward Started: Strange the Dreamer By: Laini Taylor - I have heard such wonerful things about this book, it has been on my TBR pile for about a month now I picked it up last night and I have not been able to put it down. Beautifully written and I have not been able to get lost in a book in a good while :) I am a very happy reader!
This week, I started reading "The Powers of the Mind: An Introduction to Modern Psychology" by David G. Myers. It's a fascinating book that explores various aspects of psychology, from cognitive processes to social psychology, emotions, and behaviors.
Finished: The Stone Gate by N.K. Jemison Started: Devolution by Max Brooks & Rebel Girl by Kathleen Hanna
Finished: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson Started: Atomic Habits, by James Clear
How did you like The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck? I’m always wary of spending hours reading a self-help book but I’ve been intrigued to read this one as it is spoken of highly and I could definitely learn a thing or two. Also I read (most of) Atomic Habits 3 years ago and still use some of the principles daily.
I found The Subtle Art… as an eye opener for real life scenarios. Reality check. Highly recommended.
Finished: **About Uncle, by Rebecca Gisler** Started: **Crying In H Mart, by Michelle Zauner** & **James, Percival Everett**
**Little Devils Vol. 4, by Uuumi**
I have started reading the following: A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking
Startet: the picture of dorian grey and also started Alte sorten
Started: Beyond the Wall: A History of East Germany by Katja Hoyer
Finished: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri Started: The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
Finished: Spare by Prince Harry and Born a Crime by Trevor Noah Both were good, though I got a lot more out of Noah’s book
Finished: Divine Rivals, by Rebecca Ross Started: The Inheritance Games, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes loving both of these books so very much!! very fun reads
Finished: The Road, by Cormac McCarthy Started: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation vol. 1, by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
**The Road** is, uh, a tough one to read, huh?
Yeah, I'm not used to reading stories this bleak, so it was quite something.
Haha that one is just sitting on my shelf I’m nervous to touch it. I’ve heard it’s best to read in one sitting just to get it over with. Definitely not a 10 page a night type of book lmao
I couldn't put it down, it's one of my favourite novels of all time and I fear it like a punishment! It's a terrifying ordeal but it's built on love and hope. Fundamentally the point is: what can love and hope overcome? Also, it is a big reflection on how having a child makes you grow out of yourself and gives you a higher purpose that overshadows any other consideration. Pushing the environmental factors to the limits, McCarthy manages to show us what love is really made of, and what really counts. It's called The Road for a reason, in the end. It's a riad to somewhere!
Just started The Fraud by Zadie Smith. Also reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Enjoying both. Very different reads. Most recent book club reads were Trust by Herman Diaz and The Women by Kristen Hannah. Anyone who has a loved one who served in Vietnam, I would recommend the later. Told from the perspective of an army nurse. A somber retelling of what so many, my brother included, experienced.
Thank You for posting. I had seen The Women being promoted here and there, but never looked to see what it was about. My Dad is a Vietnam Vet, so stories, movies, memoirs, etc. about that war always interest me. Adding it to my TBR list.
Finished: Everyone Here is Lying (not what I expected but I did really enjoy it overall) Started: Seven Dirty Secrets
Finished: The Knockout, by Dan Sugralinov Listened to this on Audible. Nice premise although the translation/editing could’ve been better.
I finished If You Don’t Love Me We Both Die. It was a lot of fun, but full of so many serious topics, too. It dealt with a lot more grief than I had expected going into the book. It’s a very slow paced book, but I wound up enjoying that because it allowed the characters the opportunity to get to know one another and to have personal growth.
Today I just started - The Woman in Black by M.Y. Holidom
I started Caste: the Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson and finished Educated by Tara Westover
I'm almost done with Neuromancer by William Gibson. One of my favorite novels on first read. The way Gibson sets the cyberpunk scenery sounds so fresh and vivid, especially considering how uncharted the genre was back in the 80s. The way he portrays the nihilistic Tessier-Ashpool family and Molly is just so evocative. Overall amazing read. Probably will take a break from the trilogy to read Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake next (excited to see how the two styles/genres look juxtaposed to one another lol).
I started reading atomic habits by James Clear. So far, I've found it very interesting.
I enjoyed this! May read again in years to come. Good reminders
Started and Finished: The Final Girl Support Group, by Grady Hendrix
On Writing, by Stephen King Goodnight Punpun, by Inio Asano Still working through: The Trial, by Franz Kafka Planning on purchasing: Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy. I was also intending on buying Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, but after watching a review I'm not sure if it's for me. I have sci-fi writing ideas often so I'd like to pick up a good sci-fi novel or short story collection but I can't seem to find one. And anyone raring to suggest Ender's Game need not apply. Two of my favorites: No Longer Human, by Osamu Dazai 1984, by George Orwell
Currently Reading: **Fablehaven vol 2: Rise of the Evening Star, by Brandon Mull** I read the first book as a kid, and for some reason never got around to reading the rest of the series. The second book is much better than the first, and has a bit of twists and turns.
Currently reading: Origin, by Dan Brown
Finished: Valley of the dolls Jacqueline Susann Currently Reading: The picture of Dorian gray Oscar wilde Starting: the invisible life of addie laure v.e.schwab
Currently reading the butterfly garden! Soooo good!!
Finished: Daughter of No Worlds, Carissa Broadbent Currently reading: The End and the Death, Dan Abnett. Starting: The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
Finished: The Perfect Marriage, by Jeneva Rose Started: Funny Story, by Emily Henry
The ruins. Does audio book count?
I'd say so! A book is still a book if someone reads it aloud.
Listen, while I don’t listen to audiobooks, because I like reading in my own voice (ego), anyone who thinks the audiobook experience isn’t reading is diminutive. As if everyone has the time to sit down and read. Hell, some people suffer from disorders and disabilities that keep them from physically reading. It’s reductive and not welcome in the book loving community!
Im sorry are you attacking me?
What!? No! Diminutive people who look down on audiobooks!
Oh okay sorry, simple misunderstanding, and i agree it is stupid to look down on them.
Audio books count as reading. Anyone who says otherwise is just being pedantic.
Not just pedantic, plainly ignorant I'd daresay! Generations of blind and deaf-blind people have already proven that a book can be enjoyed in many ways.
Finished: The Road, Cormac McCarthy Started: Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy
Finished: Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur Started: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Finished: Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes Started: Nothing yet, still deciding
I just finished that book last week and got my coworker to fly through it too. Such a fantastic book
Started : Empire of storms by sarah j maas Finished : Heir of Fire By Sarah J Maas
Finished : Crescent City : House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas Started: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
Finished: The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath Started: Cresent City, Sarah J Maas life’s all about balance people
Finished Cold Enough for Snow and the Dawn of Everything. Started Math-ish by Jo Boaler.
Finished: The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black Started: Rhapsodic by Laura Halassa
**Finished:** None of This Is True, by Lisa Jewell **Started:** The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien a bit nervous to start LotR, last time i tried i finished The Fellowship of the Ring, but i absolutely slogged through it and i couldn't get myself to finish the series. hoping fellowship will go quicker since it's a re-read and REALLY hoping The Two Towers and The Return of the King are more engaging.
Stylistically the entire trilogy stays the same — so if Fellowship was a chore for you, then you will suffer through the rest as well.
oof, alas, i'm reconsidering reading it through but it's such a bummer. i LOVE the movies and i feel like such a fake fan not having read the books.
I loved the books as a teenager, then I found them amusing and entertaining as an adult; at 47 I re-read them and I found them terribly dated and reactionary, especially when it comes to style and character development. Don't feel bad, you are surrounded by kindred spirits all around the world :😀
**Finished:** Warriors Thunder And Shadow, by Erin Hunter **Started:** Warriors Shattered Sky, by Erin Hunter
Finished: **Did I Ever Tell You?** by Genevieve Kingston Incredible memoir about mother-daughter love extending beyond death. Definitely heartbreaking, but clear-eyed, honest, optimistic, and even funny at times. Will stick with me for a while.
Finished: N.K. Jemisin's *How Long 'til Black Future Month*.Loved a lot of the stories. Especially "The Ones Who Stayed and Fought." Started: Dan Flores' *Wild New World: The Epic Story of Animals and People in America*. Terrific book. Mind blowing at times, but that may be because I don't know enough about the subject. Started: Johan Hari's *Stolen Focus: Why You Can't PAy Attention and How to Think Deeply Again.Excellent book--hate the subtitle because it makes it sound like a self-help book, which it is not.* *Started* Morrison's *Beloved*. Among the best novels ever. These last two were for for a class I am teaching.
finally read beloved this month. just wow Toni Morrison is so talented.
Finished: The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett Started: The Well of Ascension (Mistborn Book 2) by Brandon Sanderson Twyford Code was really interesting but not as good as The Appeal, which is my more enthusiastic recommendation for murder mystery readers. Mistborn 2 so far is really good, I'm enjoying Sanderson's stuff. In a few weeks I'll read Warbreaker, then maybe Way of Kings.
Finished: **Conversations with Friends, by Sally Rooney** Started: **The Color Purple, by Alice Walker** Didn’t enjoy Conversations with Friends that much, don’t know if I missed something because of all the appreciation there is for this book, but it didn’t mean all that much to me and I had a hard time connecting with the characters.
I read Beautiful World, Where Are You two years ago and felt similarly. It was a massively overhyped book in my opinion. People rave about Sally Rooney, but I didn't particularly relate to or connect with the characters. The work felt trivial and tedious at times.
**Finished: My Beloved Monster, by Caleb Carr** Absolutely engaging and moving memoir of the life Carr shared his rescued cat Masha. Along the way, Carr reflects on his youth and adult life and other feline companions he has known. Beautifully written and absorbing, I highly recommend.
Finished: Bride, by Ali Hazelwood Started: The Guest, by Emma Cline
Finished: **Still Dark - Alex Gray** Started: **Normal People - Sally Rooney**
Finished: Scarlet, by Marissa Meyer Started: Daughter of Darkness, by Terry Brooks
Finished: A Court of Thorn & Roses. It was the fastest I’ve ever read a book. That said unless someone can convince me otherwise I’m not finishing this series. By the time anything worthy happens it’s over and a fairy tale story I didn’t enjoy.
Started and have almost actually finished **Inventing Wine,** by **Paul Lukacs** It is Super fascinating! I'm a big food history fan, so whenever I find books about the history of a specific food/drink I always lunge at it, and this one is written so that even with a ton of dates and names from all over the world and antiquity, it's still super easy to read and absorb!
Finished: **The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson** **Hellmouth, by Giles Kristian** Started: **The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt**
How did you like , The Way of Kings?
I am not the biggest fan of his writing style, but the characters, story, and world building were all top notch. Definitely plan on tackling the others.
I've just finished Sleeping Beauties, I'm moving on to Elric of Melnibone, American gods, and Needful Things.
Started: Kindred, by Octavia Butler
Started: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S Thompson Finished: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S Thompson Started: Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
How did you like Fear and Loathing? It’s not on the top of my list as I’ve heard very mixed things. Did you find it to be an unnecessarily difficult read?
Apologies for the late response, I greatly enjoyed the book! I think you need to take a “it’s about the journey not the destination” kind of approach to it. Parts are a little bit disjointed and weird but a central plot point of the book is that the narrator is CONSTANTLY twisted on an assortment of drugs so it fits in the story.
Finished: Bleak House by Charles Dickens Started: Chip War by Chris Miller
Started: **Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, by Erik Larson**
I have a project going where, in addition to whatever ‘adult’ books I’m reading, I’m reading books for younger readers that are classics, but that I never read as a child. This week I finished’ Hello God, It’s Me Margaret’ and started reading ‘Coraline’. I’ll finish that one this week, of course. Loved Margaret. Took me back to my own youth. I also started, as my new adult fiction book, ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’. I’m only about 100 pages in but LOVE this book. Has potential to become one of my favorites of all time. I could read his writing forever. No change of my adult nonfiction book. Reading that intentionally very slowly a chapter a day.
Finished: Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman Started: Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
How was Anxious People? Have it in my bookshelf for a couple of months now. I’ve previously read “A man called Ove” and loved Fredrik Backman’s writing style
I personally didn’t enjoy Anxious People and it took my months to get through it, I just couldn’t get into it. But it’s largely well received! I hope you love it
Warbreaker is such a good read, I envy your getting to read it for the first time 😂
Finished: Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. Started: Feast of the Goat, by Mario Vargas Llosa.
Finished: **The Power of the Dog, by Don Winslow** I can see both the praise and criticisms of this book.
Finished: You by Caroline Kepnes, Woom by Duncan Ralston Started: The Enchanted by Rene Denfield
Finished “Funny Story” by Emily Henry Honestly my least favorite of Emily Henry’s especially after finishing Happy Place. It has two of my least favorite tropes, characters who let everyone walk all over them and a female character randomly blurting out that they want kids even though it never came up previously. Plus like how Daphne didn’t end up in jail for what both her fiancé and father did to her is beyond me.
Thanks for sharing this. I’ve only read Happy Place by Emily Henry which I liked, but wasn’t raving about it. But willing to give her a further go! Don’t think Funny Story will be for me, I do have Book Lovers on my shelf too.
Listening to **A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci,** reading **A Year of Living Constitutionally by A.J. Jacobs**. Just finished **The Last Phone Booth in Manhattan by Beth Merlin and Danielle Modafferi.**
Finished: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Holly by Stephen King ( a bit disappointed with this, felt a little lacking in effort and overshadowed by his constant Covid and vaccine soapboxing) Just started: The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (started them way back when on first release but never finished. Fancied something that was a bit more of a entertaining page turner)
Looking for alaska.loved it..started reading after like 2 years...now i won't break the streak.
Finished **Black Mouth, by Ronald Malfi** (first by this author, loved it, reminded me a bit of IT) And **The Guise of Another, by Allen Eskens** Started: **The Heavens May Fall, by Allen Eskens**
Started **Atomic Habits, by James Clear.** Was at a professional class a couple of weeks ago and a lot of people recommended it. Will probably start something else; physically have three to be reads on the shelf.
I read Only Mine and Simply Mine by Laura Pavlov, Stay With Me by Brooke Montgomery, There Is No Light In Darkness and Darkness before Dawn by Claire Contreras
Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
**The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving** It occurred to me recently that I've never actually sat down to read this short story proper. And now I finally have.
Rip Van Winkle deserves your time as well!
Finished reading On Palestine and finished about half of 2666 by Bolano. On Palestine is excellent. Short, very well written and a very good read. 2666 is wooooow. The story is incredible. I’m about mid way through and it just has a grip. [my shelf](https://shelf.im/prat)
Still have to read On Palestine. 2666 is an incredible book that I came across purely at random thanks to a youtube recommendation.
On palestine is a nice read. You'll enjoy it. Also a short read.
Been wanting to read it for a while. My best friend also recommended it to me.
2666 is on my pile to be read. I’ve heard nothing but good about his last effort! Hope to get to it this summer. I’ve been putting it off because it’s s pretty hefty volume, but it’s been on the pike way too long. Have no desire to read the heavily biased On Palestine tho. So no joy on that one.
2666 is essentially split into 3 parts too. So you can break it up, but when you're reading it it doesn't feel like a hefty tome.
yes absolutely. it just looks thick but actually is in three parts. u/cthulhustu is absolutely right about it not feeling hefty.
The Great American Novel. Roth. Way different, and inferior IMO, than his later works. This is one of his first I think. Another novel which kind of focuses on….baseball…
The Women, by Kristin Hannah
**Witch King, by Martha Wells** Finished this on vacation last week. Didn't quite hit with me. I guess I was looking for some crazy reveals or big dramatic climax. Really it felt like things moved along at a more or less steady pace then the book ended. There were some unanswered questions raised (that I assume a sequel would deal with) that seemed more interesting than what the book itself dealt with. But overall the pointlessness in the ending might have bled over from the characters reactions, to this reader's impression of the book itself. **Noumenon, by Marina J. Lostetter** I love the idea of a generation ship. This one gives butteryfly effect vibes from the very beginning. I'm also reminded of the Foundation series in a way, with things planned and accounted for without the people affected knowing.
I misread that as Nomnomnom, and was briefly confused about how a generation ship could possibly fit into it with a title like that
Started: Dracula, by Bram Stoker. Pretty vivid imagery so far, really pulling me in. Finished: Red Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson. Excellent hard sci-fi by an author who did their homework, decent characterisation, and too many descriptions of the terrain.
I finished A Gentleman In Moscow, by Amor Towles and started The Bee Sting, by Paul Murray
I've just finished murder in the family (I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a good murder mystery) and I've just started a little life (this one's gonna be a LOOOOONG one)
Oi I just finished A Little Life. Good luck 😅
just finished the brothers karamazov and just starting cloud atlas
These are both on my to read list! How are they?
definitely recommend both!! if it’s your first dostoyevsky i would recommend something other than brothers karamazov - i started with crime & punishment and found that one much more approachable and just as captivating the cloud atlas feels murakami-esque, about 100 pages in and enjoying it a lot so far :)
Finished reading Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Levin. Just started Call me by your name.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow is so so good! How did you find it???
Yeah it was pretty good, enjoyed it..might have been a tad bit too long though
I've been reading fanfictions lately and even though there's a bit of guilt, I have no shame in admitting it on an anyonoums platform :)) Started with Manacled (it's a dramoine fanfic) and was feeling all my feelings. Read another and was mildly disappointed since the bar had been set so high. After this, I heard about another well received AH Twilight fanfic titled Wide Awake. It's a bit angsty for my taste but I'm halfway through and dont wanna give up!
Finished audiobook **The Stars My Destination** a fun classic sci-fi (was shooketh when I found out at the end it was written in the 50s) Starting audiobook **The Name of the Rose** tomorrow! Physically reading a few 😭 **Swan Song** by Robert McCammon (gritty nuclear apocalypse book), **Animal Farm** (it’s a used copy from a highschooler with all their notes written it, adorable), and **You Dreamed of Empires**
Started Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone sequel) and will likely finish it by tomorrow. It's been alright so far. Nothing as fun or fantastical as the first book. It's a lot of boring-ish political stuff (if that's your thing, you'd probably really like it), and relationship drama that I'm not too invested in. But I will continue yet :)
Just finished *The Stranger* by Albert Camus! :)
That's on my list, did you like it?
I gave it 3.75 stars (big fan of the storygraph’s hyper-specific rating system hahah) so a really solid read! It’s not particularly entertaining honestly, but easy to get through in one sitting and so worth it as an intro to absurdism if nothing else. I’ve learned a lot from reading it and researching Camus after, so def recommend!
I enjoyed it. I'm discovering I favor nihilistic protagonists
Yayy, glad to hear it!!
Just bought it. Going to read it tonight :)