Books

Currently going through Reaper by Will Wight. It's the tenth book in the Cradle series and it's starting to open the world (or should I say worlds?) up a little more. So far the entire series has been engaging and easy to keep the momentum going until the final 12th book.

Just finished Resolute by Jack Campbell and The Nameless Land by Kate Elliott.

Resolute is one of many in a space military series. In this one, they're on a mission to go make friends with the aliens. Mostly to get the war hero main character out of Space Congress's hair, heh. I really enjoyed it. Jack is great at writing space combat action, and his aliens break the mold in some ways, too.

The Nameless Land is the sequel to The Witch Roads. It's a pretty cozy tale with a sort of tragic romance involving the main character while she's traveling with a VERY ambitious prince with his eye on the crown (nevermind the heir in the way). There's a fair bit of political maneuvering behind the action.

It's also fascinating from a world building perspective. It's a magical setting with a deadly fog that covered swaths of the land. Different cultures have different ways to cope with the danger. There are wizards of a sort and restless guardian spirits keeping watch after a legendary war against sorcerer-kings.

And the main character is not all she seems...

Excellent read, Kate Elliott is one of my favorite authors.

I just started The Odyssey translation by Emily Wilson. I’m just on the introduction but I’m interested in it so far.

Just finished "The dispossessed", for the xth time starting on the next which according to this ordering is " the word for world is forest". I've read left hand of darkness also before but the other books on the hanish cycle I haven't so figured I'd do the lot.

The dispossessed is very progressive for being published in 1974!

I'm halfway through 'UFOs and Nukes' by Robert Hastings. It's a pretty dry read so far. I've re-entered the UFO rabbit-hole again after many years.

Also bought a copy of 'T. T. Brown's electrogravitics research' by Thomas Valone.

I'm in my approximately eighth full readthru of the Discworld novels (in publication order). Currently in Thud! right now. Seeking information about the location of my cow ;-)

Finished Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, on to Making Money

I'm enjoying "Pretenders to the Throne of God" by Adrian Tchaikovsky, book 4 in the Tyrant Philosophers series.

This is Tchaikovsky at his best, seriously. I love that he didn't really "plan" this series, he just kept finding himself drawn back into it, and each book is a standalone that builds off the previous. I'm 3/4 through it and taking my time.

I started Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. It's fun so far; can't really go wrong with Discworld.

Finnegans Wake! Listened to the Naxos audiobook again-- wonderfully incomprehensible, gloriously elusive, magnificently playful, strikingly obvious, all at once (but of course, it's just five hours, the entire book would take much much more time).

Started Ulysess, but this version was read by an american. Irish or nothing! At last I found Molly Bloom's soliloquy read by an irish; didn't remember it as so risqué, if that's the word, all kinds of phantasies and memories, but it's still very very beatiful and moving.

David Graeber's 'Debt: The First 5000 Years'.

This bit stuck out from what I've read so far:

... the words of an actual hunter-gatherer — an Inuit from Greenland made famous in the Danish writer Peter Freuchen’s Book of the Eskimo. Freuchen tells how one day, after coming home hungry from an unsuccessful walrus - hunting expedition, he found one of the successful hunters dropping off several hundred pounds of meat. He thanked him. The man objected indignantly:

“Up in our country we are human!” said the hunter. “And since we are human we help each other. We don’t like to hear anybody say thanks for that. What I get today you may get tomorrow. Up here we say that by gifts one makes slaves and by whips one makes dogs.”

Currently reading No longer human, wool (Silo), and Berserk.

Currently reading animal farm. Will probably finish today.

Just finished fourth wing, dungeon crawler carl (vol 1). I’m trying to decide if I want to continue one of those series next or read red rising.

I’ve heard good things about dark matter, and look forward to reading it.

I read some books for my studies and also read "The Martian" And I must say: great read. I really enjoyed it. I gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Still reading some other books for my studies and "The Path of Daggers" I'm at 22% now.

I really enjoy this community. You help me never to have an empty TBR pile.

I just finished A Long and Speaking Silence by Nghi Vo. I’m planning on reading the rest of the singing hills cycle

I'm listening to Wind and Truth by brandon sanderson. 40 more hours left to go. My buddy introduced me to stormlight archive. I now have the whole cosmere to explore. Along with the rest of my backlog that I let get out of hand.

I read through All Systems Red by Martha Wells last weekend. Very fast-paced and fun! I've got the next couple of ebooks in the Murderbot series to read from a bundle, so I'm looking forward to that.

I've started On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. Poetic, with some hauntingly beautiful imagery so far.

OMG BLAKE CROUCH MENTIONED

I really enjoyed Recursion by him.
His mystery/thriller (im not good at genres) books are also fun!

Regarding Blake Crouch, I'm a fan, I've read a number of his books and enjoyed them. My wife summed up his sci-fi stories so perfectly that's it's comical to read them and see it. I'll throw spoiler tags around it, as it's a general theme.

I've also forgotten to respond to the prompt. So I'm listening to DCC, about 80% through book four. It's fun. I have my gripes with it, lots of DXM, but it's fine. It's fun.

Reading The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie, which is the fifth book in The First Law series. I'll throw a spoiler up here too, but I just finished a chapter that was really something else.

I am hot and cold on Joe Abercrombie, but I have learned to just keep reading, because he does some great things in his stories.

I found out there was an Old Man's War book 7, so I devoured that book. Kinda thought the series would end on book 6 since it was titled "The End of All Things" but book 7 was a happy surprise.

Then since I was reading John Scalzi I looked up some of his other books and settled on The Dispatcher series. I loved the premise to the series right away and enjoyed the mystery. The premise is

Already onto book 3 since they're fairly short and fast paced books.

There's another book called Dark Matter that's by Michelle Paver and creepy as heck.

I'm listening to Christie's Labours of Hercule Poirot (which is surprisingly dark) and reading Sam Neill's autobiography.

I also read dark matter the past month. It was decent. I am kinda over the whole multiverse idea because of marvel. But it's not a terrible book.

Now I'm reading A desolation called peace. I'm a quarter of the way through and it's finally getting interesting.

Just finished 'The Talisman" and am currently into "Black House'. Getting ready for the third King/Straub novel on October 6, 2026!

How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler by Ryan North.

Interesting and funny, but a bit light as a main read. Ideal for a quickie though, as it's arranged by topic.

I read Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted and now I'm reading Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, both old favourites. Reading them together feels right somehow, probably because they have a thematic connection. Next up I'll be reading Blindsight by Peter Watts. I don't know much about it, but someone mentioned it on here and I found it at my local library, so I'll give it a go.

Just finished 'God's Junk Drawer', by Peter Clines...

it was fine. not great, not bad, eh.

Network Effect in the Murderbot series - it’s so good! Way better than I expected. https://hardcover.app/books/network-effect

Just finished the audio drama "The Red Letter Day" starring Tom Baker as Sherlock Holmes. It's OK, not bad, but definitely only for people with nostalgia for the 80s series with Tom Baker as Sherlock Holmes.

I'm reading Real Tigers by Mick Herron. I'm a huuuuge John le Carré fan, and this series sort of scratches that itch, but it's not as "literary" or complex. It feels like a grittier, less action oriented version of the TV series "Spooks"

The Path of Ascension by C. Mantis - just started book 5