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I'm currently reading We Were Eight Years In Power by Ta-Nahisi Coates. I'm not going to finish it. I've read most of his Atlantic articles and I buy the thesis he's weaving, but I feel like we're past the point where awareness matters (or that I am insufficiently aware). People know the bad they're doing and want it. We're in the activist moment.
I'm next going to start Shift by Hugh Howey because I need some entertainment out of my reading.
Shift was great! It was probably my favorite of the series.
I started reading the Bobiverse trilogy (Dennis E. Taylor), just getting into the 2nd book.
The premise and arch is nothing short of stunning but I'm not sure about the development, or the storytelling. E.g.:
spoiler
Where is the author going to fall on Bob increasingly interfering in the development of a less-developed alien species? I sense more and more such dilemmas coming up, as a result of the whole thing branching out more and more, and I'm not sure how the author is going to gather it all again.
Definitely nice to read though, since I read the first book in just a few days.
I loved the Bobiverse books, but I think there are more books than a trilogy. I don't want to give spoilers though, so you'll have to see yourself how it plays out with these aliens.
I just started A Wrinkle In Time.
I may be 40+ years too late but I am doing it anyway.
Aw, it’s been a while, but I read it as a kid and then later as an adult and I felt it held up pretty well.
Randomly picked The Will of the Many from a list of recommendations.
Still too early to judge but it has potential. Magic system seems interesting, and I'm very interested in the world building. The present tense is certainly a choice, but it works where it needs to.
On the other hand, I've never been terribly interested in fantasy Rome, the pyramid scheme magic system risks painfully on the nose allegory if not handled properly, and the prospect of this story moving to "the academy" has me wary due to my irrational hatred of stories set in schools.
Just wrapped up Fire of Heaven (Wheel of Time #5)!
Time to get into the alleged slog of the middle books I think.
I started reading The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker based on a recommendation from a friend and I've been enjoying it!
The pacing and world building are well done, the characters are nuanced, and there's a vagueness in his writing that lends itself well to the fantasy world. Makes it seem more mysterious and interesting.
I’m reading Road to Ruin by Hana Lee. I picked this up at a romance bookstore the last book crawl because the cover and summary on the back seemed interesting. It was a good choice!
I’m really digging it. Kind of like a Mad Max type world where people use magic to keep their cities safe. The main character is a sparkrider who uses her magic to fuel a motorcycle she uses to deliver items between cities. I’m about a third of the way through and I am enjoying it a lot.
Started reading "halted state" by Charles Stross, but the 2nd person narrative killed it for me. I also didn't find the theme of a crime in an open world game too appealing, so it went to the "didn't finish" pile. Stayed with the writer and read "escape from yokai land" next, which was a blast, I'm a huge fan of the Bob Howard books in the Laundry Files. Now reading "a conventional boy", the latest installment in this series. So far so good, but I'm only a few chapters in.
The Dresden Files are all fun reads! The audiobooks are particularly good too, with James Marsters doing a wonderful job!
I'm finishing up Rhythm of War in the Stormlight Archive series. It's my first foray into Brandon Sanderson, and I'm enjoying it so far, but there's so much that I don't know how into the Cosmere I'll end up going. On the non-fiction side, I'm reading Nate Silver's On the Edge and trying to work my way through my third (maybe fourth?) reading of Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter, which I always grasp a little bit more of each reread.
Reading through the Wizard of Oz series with my kids. Currently on Jack Pumpkinhead. When I was young I only read the movie related books, reading more of the world is a fun experience to share with my kiddos.
Would recommend as a children's book, but not something I'd read absent their influence.
I'm currently reading Martyr! I'm about two thirds of the way through. I like it, but I definitely like all the other characters more than the main guy.
Just finished crime and punishment by Dostoyevsky, started with Notes from the House of the Dead. Both in Arabic. Couldn't understand them in English. lol
I'm reading The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan (Empire of the Wolf book 2). I like it so far. The plot is interesting and the way the story told from a future perspective so you get little hints at what is to come. I wish the romance was either better written or absent. It's not built up at all and feels like more of a plot device than genuine feeling from the characters.
I just read Clemens P Suter’s Two Journeys, and will start on the second installment Rebound. It’s an unusual sci-fi adventure, about real people, not superheroes, action packed lots of eye candy
Currently reading Paranormal Outcasts the complete series (Sean Fletcher), after this I have Butter Cookies and Demon Claws (Peter V. Brett) and Tailored Realities (Brandon Sanderson) as my next to reads and that will hopefully be enough for the rest of the year.
I spent most of the week craving a specific vibe, so I tried and put down a bunch of things that weren't quite it. Ended up settling on The Ways of Khrem by D. Nathan Hilliard, even though it's not what I wanted either; it's holding my interest, though, so I'm satisfied.
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An Army Major is seconded to the Prime Minister's office, where he's directed to look into rumors surrounding a new member of the nuclear advisement committee.
Outside of the unusual premise, which I liked, this felt pretty bog-standard old-school spy thriller. Some chapters near the end could have been condensed into a few paragraphs, and a couple of bits haven't aged super well (but no slurs, for a change!). Overall, I found this 'fine', but nothing I'd recommend.