Last book was “The Catcher in the Rye” (yes i’m late…) Can’t really recommend but i’ll definitely never forget that one. Currently: Looking for Alaska. So many memories of my youth overwhelmed me. (banned in the US!?!?) 🤦
Last: Undivided, by Neal Shusterman This is the 4th/last in his series that begins with Unwind. I really enjoyed the whole series and recommend for anyone who enjoys dystopian themes and doesn’t mind a touch of body horror.
Current: Mort, by Terry Pratchett. I’d read a bunch of the Rincewind Discworld novels ages ago and this is my jumping back in point for that universe. Would recommend to those who like silly fantasy and British humor.
Just finished Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky, very much enjoyed that. I’ve just started Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin. It’s off to a cracking start - Rebus is in prison, what the what now?
As ever though I’m reading dozens of books. Most disappointing is John & Paul, A Love Story in Songs, by Ian Leslie. I bought it after going to a talk by the author. I’m a Beatles fan since childhood, so I thought it would be interesting. Well I guess I’m not a REAL Beatles fan, because I’m finding it tedious. Chapter 7 and it’s still only 1962! I mean sure, it’s fascinating that as a child, George Martin’s family shared a communal lavatory with three other families, but please can we get back to the main subject?
Best of the rest is The Rise and Reign of the Mammals, by Steve Brusatte. Section 4 and we’re only up to the Cretaceous, lol. I love this book, not just for the critters, but for the paleontologists, some amazing characters with epic stories of working with teeny tiny bones.
Last book I read was Bee Speaker by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I normally love his stuff, and I loved both Dogs of War and Bear Head, but Bee Speaker was awful. Such a disappointment.
Currently I’m reading Old Man’s War by John Scalzi.
Oh no, I’m sad to hear Bee Speaker disappointed. It’s on my list - I also loved Bear Head. I’ve just finished Empire of Black and Gold, first book in his Shadows of the Apt series. It was pretty good, good enough for me to try the next Apt book.
I am always reading one of Jarod K Anderson’s collections of poems and I recommend them to everyone.
Currently reading, “The Bullet Swallower” by Elizabeth James García. Yes, I would recommend it to any fans of magical realism and/or Cormac McCarthy.
Last book I read was “The Mirror and the Light” by Hilary Mantel. I would recommend it only to history nerds like me lol
Reading: Vladimir Bartol, Alamut Arguably the best Slovenian book ever. It has a lot to say about power, manipulation, faith etc. Would 100% recommend.
Finished the fifth wheel of time book last week, about done with the sixth. They are awesome books. I cant wait till the main characters start fucking things up. Its coming… i can feel it in my bones with every page.
Jesus the rings of fire and death at the end. 5 outta 7 for that book right there. God i wish the show wasnt canceled.
Last was war and peace, would recommend.
Currently “reading” Wisconsin • Minnesota | Midwest Bouldering Guidebooks to plan for an upcoming trip to devils lake. If you plan to go climbing there the book is awesome if not it would still be cool to page through if you are interested in climbing.
Currently working my way through the He Who Fights With Monsters audiobook series. It’s a LitRPG, so it comes with all of the trappings that entails. The main character can be a little insufferable at times, but it’s at least self-aware enough to recognize that and call it out. There have been several laugh-out-loud moments from references that I wasn’t expecting. It’s clear the writer is a big nerd with a fetish for bad 80’s films and philosophy. The narrator (Heath Miller) is fantastic.
My biggest complaint is more about the audiobook format; The series frequently rehashes character abilities. In a regular book, this wouldn’t be a problem. You could just turn the page and skip reading it. But for an audiobook, you can try skipping ahead but you’ll still inevitably end up listening to the same ability description that you have heard twenty times before. It also frequently rehashes things that just happened. That’s more a symptom of it gradually being released on the writer’s Patreon, before it is compiled into a full book. Rehash at the start of a chapter makes sense when you’re only reading a chapter per week. But when you’re listening to the entire book, the rehashes can get redundant.
Overall, I’d suggest it if you enjoy the genre. Even with the complaints, those are relatively minor and I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far.
I just finished Jonathan Maberry’s Kagen the Damned trilogy. If you’re into epic fantasy it’s a good read.l, even if feels a little rushed in places and the short chapters irked me slightly.
Now I’m starting How to Survive in Ancient Rome by Robert Garland.
Listened to the audiobook version of Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. I’d read it long ago and was surprised how differently I experienced listening to it. Recommended.
Currently finishing a read of the (British) Rough Guide to Cult Pop (2004) … a book about pop/rock music and its makers from the 50s forward to to 20 years ago. Broken up into many sections, put together by a crew of Brit-wits, many interesting facts and stories about a half-century of chart hits. Strong recommend IF you’re into that sort of thing, appreciate a bit-o-snark, and know most of the names already (or want to).
FYI, there is an instance that asks this every week!
But to answer your question,
My last read was Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. Its a historical fiction about a few generations of a Korean family. It was solid.
I’m currently on vacation and have been reading Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone … Picked it up since it was available and supposed to be an easy read… Which it is. Its just a whodunit. Idk how I feel about it yet.
If audiobooks count, I just finished listing to AlienIII by William Gibson.
It is a script for Alien III and it is voice acted by Michael Biehn and Lance Hendricksen and many more.
It was great.
The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein, and now onto Invasion of the Body Snatches by Jack Finney. After that I will then read Village of the Damned by John Wyndham.
Last read was Closing Time by Joseph Heller. It’s the sequel to Catch 22, and while not quite as dazzling as that book, I still really enjoyed it, and found some of the writing hilarious and/or deeply moving. It’s got a bit of a poor reputation, but it’s excellent IMO.
Have just started reading Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami - only a few chapters in, but I’m enjoying it. I’ve read quite a lot of HM’s work, so the style is enjoyably familiar. Also, it came with some cool stickers inside for some reason 😁
