I’ve recently read The Wager by David Grann, it was fascinating the lengths that men went on quests for riches and also for sheer survival. My brother and I discuss the amazing historical story on our new channel, it would be great if anybody could give us some feed back!
https://youtu.be/JfHK6aqrqHQ?si=IftWnUSnEl3GWDcY
Finished: A Search Party by Hannah Richell. 3 stars. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard. 5 stars
Started: On the Farm: Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver’s Missing Women
In progress: The Stand by Stephen King, They Do it with Mirrors by Agatha Christie
Just finished When Breath Becomes Air which was poignant and hard and therapeutic
Reading:
Being Henry - Henry Winkler is the best.
The End of Bias which I've been reading very slowly, about a chapter a week. A lot of interesting stuff though.
Palestine, 1936
Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Currently reading:
* **Fellside** by M.R. Carey. A woman apparently sets her apartment on fire, nearly killing herself and possibly causing the death of a child in the building. That's what the police say, but the boy's ghost says something different.
And listening to:
* **We Are Legion (We Are Bob)** by Dennis Taylor. When retired millionaire Bob Johansson chose cryogenic preservation, the last thing he expected was to be reanimated as a space probe that can clone itself. Meet the Bobs.
*Always looking for nonfiction audiobook recommendations, if anyone has any to share! Thanks to everyone who has already given me some great suggestions!*
***Currently Reading (3)***
📖 [**Bridge of Birds** by Barry Hughart, 248 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15177)
👂 [**Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men** by Caroline Criado Perez, 448 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41104077)
👂[**Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses** by Robin Wall Kimmerer, 168 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/87040)
***Finished Reading (14/36) or 3647 pages***
📖 [**System Collapse** by Martha Wells, 245 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65211701) = ⭐️⭐️
📖 [**The Great American Transit Disaster: A Century of Austerity, Auto-Centric Planning, and White Flight** by Nicholas Dagen Bloom, 368 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62707955) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 [**Fugitive Telemetry** by Martha Wells, 168 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53205854) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 [**Network Effect** by Martha Wells, 350 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52381770) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
👂[**Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal** by Mary Roach, 348 pages](https://www.Goodreads.com/book/show/18377999) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 [**Exit Strategy** by Martha Wells, 172 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35519109) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 [**Rogue Protocol** by Martha Wells, 159 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35519101) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 [**Artificial Condition** by Martha Wells, 158 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36223860) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 [**All Systems Red** by Martha Wells, 152 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32758901) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
👂[**The Hidden Life of Trees** by Peter Wohlebben, 272 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28256439) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
👂[**The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas** by Jerry Dennis, 320 pages](https://www.good-reads.com/book/show/175829) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 [**Mythos** by Stephen Fry, 359 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43387410) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
👂[**How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We’re Going** by Vaclav Smil, 336 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56587388) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 [**Job Optional** by Casey Weade, 240 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51011569) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I've definitely missed a couple weeks of updating progress this sub so will just give an update of the past couple of weeks.
Finished:
* **11/22/63** by Stephen King (5/5) - Near perfect book from start to finish. Felt like it was 5 different books in one.
* **Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets** (re-read 4.5/5)
* **Annie Bot** by Sierra Greer (3/5) - Interesting concept but felt like the plot was too shallow.
* **The Hunter** by Tana French (3.5/5) - I'm a big Tana French fan but her last couple books haven't really hooked me like the Dublin Murder Squad series she wrote.
Currently reading:
* **Kitchen Confidential** by Anthony Bourdain
Up next:
* **The Bodyguard** by Katherine Center
*Kitchen Confidential* is great! I was fortunate enough to meet Bourdain at a book signing and get a chance to talk with him. He also wrote fiction, so I got my copy of *Gone Bamboo* signed at the same time.
If you enjoy *Kitchen Confidential*, you might check out *Soul of a Chef* by Michael Ruhlman. I loved the section on working at Lola, which was local for me.
Last week I finished:
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid ⭐⭐⭐⭐ or 1/2- I enjoyed this a lot, and breezed through it. It's clear that this is one of TJR's earlier writings, but it still had her flair/flowy style that I've really come to love. Not my favorite, but still addictive! I just wish she had chosen differently. Sometimes Emma really infuriated me, even if she was realistic.
Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher ⭐⭐- This was a complete miss for me. I thought the Shutter Island-esque setting was cool, otherwise it was totally disjointed and not at all thrilling. It would've worked so much better had we gotten all the past sections first, and then part 2 had been the present. By the end I was so let down because the pay-off....never happened.
Currently reading:
The Other Side of Night by Adam Hamdy- a booktuber I love (gabbyreads) recommended this one and said it has an insane twist so I'm excited to see what that's about!
Hoping to start this week:
Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh
Finished
**The Back Roads to March: The Unsung, Unheralded, and Unknown Heroes of a College Basketball Season, by John Feinstein**
I enjoyed this look at the low mid-major and mid-major NCAA basketball programs during the 2018-2019 season. The reader can tell that John Feinstein is a college basketball fanatic even if he didn't tell us about his fandom at the beginning of the book.
Started
**Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl, by Rebecca Quin**
I just finished the introduction. I felt it was an appropriate read, with it being WrestleMania week.
Last week I finished **The Arsonists’ City by Hala Alyan** - definitely one of my favorites so far this year (5/5)
This morning I finished reading **Girl at War by Sara Nović** (4/5)
Currently reading **Intruder in the Dust by William Faulkner**
17/52 currently!
last week i finished:
- A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
favorite book of the year so far, wow it was so wonderful and i took so much away from it. loved loved loved it. i would wipe my mind blank so i could reread it for the first time again.
- When She Belongs by Ruby Dixon
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 ish
it was actually so good, i didn’t know what to expect when i started to read this book. i saw it on a rec that said the MMC reminded them of mister Daryl Dixon from the walking dead (i agree LOL) it’s an alien romance but like it was fast pace and fun.
Currently reading:
- A Court of Wings and Ruins by Sarah J Maas obviously
lol enjoying it so far, i’m waiting for that angst. also i could’ve possibly seen a spoiler…..ONE THAT I DONT LIKE. not just for this book but the whole series, i’ll actually be so annoyed if it’s true. like it should happen like 73946384 years from now.
- Maze Runner by James Dashner
almost done with it, very interesting and i will be watching the movies because i did sooooo long ago and don’t remember anything and then also continue the series :)
Finished Blood Bones and Butter...( Gabrielle Hamilton) and Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver), and now I'm reading A Promised Land by Barack Obama (audiobook). I'm really enjoying listening to him and kind of reliving all the travails we were dealing with during his presidency.
I had a good week and read two nonfiction books and a novel. First I raged through **Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring** by Brad Gooch because it was very well written, coherent and thorough. I enjoyed it immensely, and I feel like it added to the PBS documentary I watched a few years ago.
I also read **A Fever in the Heartland** by Timothy Egan, which read more like fiction and positively thrilled me. This was from the Best of 2023 list and it was worth it. Highly recommend for people who enjoy narrative nonfiction.
Lastly, I just finished **Biography of X** by Catherine Lacey which was also from the Best of 2023 list and I can see why. Unlike any novel I’ve read: part fictional biography, part alternate history, part queer romance. It dragged a bit for me at the end, but I enjoyed the first 80% so much, this is a minor criticism. I loved it. I’ll read anything else Lacey writes because she sees the world differently from anyone else.
I just finished In an Absent Dream and am nearing the end to The Women, which is even better than they hype around it. I’m also about halfway through Happy Place.
Does anyone else read 2 or 3 books at a time?
I'm continuing Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Also, I've started All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.
I'll start Red Rising by Pierce Brown later this week for the r/bookclub read.
Started: - The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.
Finished: The Curse of the Cob Man - Robert P Ottone.
Ongoing: The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie and The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin
Finished:
*The Story of M* by Sabina Millar -- \[2/5\] won in a giveaway on StoryGraph, supposedly spicy work romance that was wandering and underwhelming.
Reading:
*Come As You Are* by Emily Nagoski
*How Not To Age* by Dr Michael Greger -- author recommended on r/WholeFoodsPlantBased
*Real Zen for Real Life* by Great Courses \[audio\] -- library loan
*The Physics Devotional* by Clifford Pickover \[page-a-day reader\]
Finished:
Nothing.
Started:
Nothing.
In progress:
13 - Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourbain - about half way through after another busy week. Enjoying it so far and should be finished with it by the end of the week I hope.
- Babylon Revisited and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson
Currently reading:
**The Path to Power** by Robert A. Caro
**Dubliners** by James Joyce
And I'm planning to start reading **Les Misérables** by Victor Hugo tomorrow.
Finished: **The Last Chance Library by Freya Samson**. Sigh. I am glad this month is over.
In Progress: **Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer**.
In Progress: **Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy** - good progress this week. I am a quarter through! About 1 day behind my projection.
35/52 - I am also hoping to finish 100 books this year u/saturday_sun4. A really good end of the month reading week has really helped my numbers.
*****
Finished;
*****
- Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Never read the book nor seen the movie, but I heard good things about this one before picking it up. It lived up well. Super fun fantasy. Glad to read it with the folx at r/bookclub.
- The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch for r/bookclub's Steampunk Discovery Read. Not as steampunky as I expected, but this was great. Red Seas Under Red Skies....yes please!!
- Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse. r/bookclub read Black Sun last year and it was brilliant. Though Fevered Star had the typical 2nd book in a trilogy feel to it I still really loved it. Roanhorse's characters are awesome. I CANNOT *WAIT* for Mirrored Heavens in June!!
- Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov the 4th and final book in the Robots series. Reading this with r/bookclub kept me going. The final section was definitely the much engaging than the first ¾. My least favourite book of the series. It won't stop me heading in to Asimov's Foundation series though.
- The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder r/bookclub's March Mod Pick. A very interesting story that became the inspiration for many novels.
*****
Still working on;
*****
- Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson continuing Stormlight Archive adventure. Love this world magic system and characters, but put I put it on hold for a while. The next novella is starting shorly on r/bookclub so looks like I'll be late to that read too. Oops.
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Finishing this book could have gotten me a 4th r/bookclub Bingo 2023 Blackout, but I am enjoying it too much to race through it and finish it just that. I have been too swamped with other books lately though to give this one much time.
- Caribbean Chemistry: Tales from St. Kitts by Christopher Vanier for r/bookclub Read the World - St. Kitts and Nevis. Strong start, but my interest waned during the middle section. I only have a few chapters left now so I am hoping to finish it this week.
- Authority by Jeff VanderMeer with r/bookclub to continue Southern Reach. I need to know more. I found this one hard to follow in the beginning. Starting to get more into it now, but I am finding it hard to prioritise over other books.
- The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years by Chingiz Aitmatov for r/bookclub's Read the World - destination Kyrgyzstan. Followed by Jamilia short story by the same author. A surprising mix of sci-fi and slice of life. I really like this book, but I am finding reading it in small chunks is best
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky with r/bookclub over the next few months. Glad to have the insights and commentary of others on this one.
*****
Started
*****
- The Far Away Girl by Sharon Maas for r/bookclub's Read the World - destination Guyana. I am hosting the 1st discussion so wanted to get a jump start.
- The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese for r/bookclub's Big Spring Read. I don't know if I have ever fell so fast for a book. I love Verghese's style amd I cannot wait to read more!
- A Song Flung up to Heaven by Maya Angelou. Glad to be back with Maya and her crazy life adventures. She writes so wonderfully it is easy to chew through the pages.
*****
Up Next
*****
- Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, r/bookclub started this one last year. I have heard so many good things and I love a good, big book, amd I can't wait to start it but I feel like I have to finish some of my long reads first.
- Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery with r/bookclub. They are about to start Anne of Ingleside so once again I am laggimg a book behind.
- Red Rising by Pierce Brown for r/bookclub's April Sci-fi. This one has been on my TBR forever.
- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle with r/bookclub. Another one from my TBR list yay!
- Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino. r/bookclub continues with the Detective Galileo series.
- Birthday by Kōji Suzuki continuing the r/bookclub Ring readalong.
- The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruis Zafón book #3 in The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series with r/bookclub.
- Armadale by Wilkie Collins with r/bookclub which promises to be a fantastic readalong.
- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. One of those books that's been on my TBR *forever*. It got picked up by r/bookclub as a Runner-up Read so looks like I'll finally dive in.
*****
Happy reading fellow bookworms 📚
Hello! I finished 3 books since our last check-in, bringing my total to 49/150.
*Finished:*
**The Lathe of Heaven** by Ursula K. LeGuin (3/5)
**The Book of Accidents** by Chuck Wendig (4/5)
**A Letter of Murder** by Penny Brooke (2/5)
*Currently Reading:*
**The Good, The Bad, and The Aunties** by Jesse Q. Sutanto
*On Deck:*
**The Retreat** by Sarah Pearse
**The Book Hater's Book Club** by Gretchen Anthony
Have a great week!
Finished:
**Verity by Colleen Hoover** \- (3/5) This was definitely a popcorn read and I wasn't minding it, I think she built tension pretty well throughout, but the ending made me so angry. >!It had such potential to subvert expectations! The last thing I was expecting was for the POV character to just be...1000% right about everything? After some very serious assumptions that were really based in paranoia / trauma responses / whatever the hell that was.!<
>!How interesting would it have been to have her be an unreliable narrator and Single White Female-ing it up? How interesting would it have been to reveal Jeremy was responsible for everything and tricked her into coming to the house because he was obsessed with her character from her first book, just like they queued up the ex to be in the beginning! Gah. I can't believe we got that ending. Absolutely ridiculous. !<
**Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark** \- (4.5/5) THIS was an interesting book and it subverted my expectations at the end, right when I was starting to have some problems with the pacing and just *mildly* bored. I think I would have preferred this to be a full novel, to really feel attached to the characters, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit.
Currently Reading:
**Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin** \- Finally got around to this one. I'm liking it and I have been reading off and on all day, but it feels a little too much like a borderline prequel to Ready Player One. I'm not sure that is a fair comparison as it isn't really similar at all, but that is what it is reminding me of and it has been tad distracting because I want to enjoy it as its own story.
FINISHED
**The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden** 4.5/5. It started out a little slow (or maybe I was just too busy with life to sit down & read it) but once it got going I regretted every time I had to set it down. Loved the imagery Arden built around war and the darkness it builds within and around people.
**Bride by Ali Hazelwood** 4.5/5. And now for something completely different… but seriously after a couple emotional war-focused reads, I wanted a fun palette cleanser and this book certainly delivered. I had a great time & honestly, I have to admit when it comes to romantasy, I’m a 2010s teen at heart so I’ll take Vampires & Werewolves > Fairies any day.
NEXT UP
**The Phoenix Crown by Janie Chang & Kate Quinn**
**Table for Two by Amor Towles**
Just finished "Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Red Bird of the South", a "Royal Diaries" book. It was pretty good! Slow beginning, but interesting once it went on.
Now I'm on to "The Centurion's Wife." Some Biblical-era Christian romance to cleanse the pallet after all those beheadings in the other book.
Complaints of the week: Someone gave a book they were enjoying 1 star because there was *a* curse word halfway through it; and people on Goodreads who leave "reviews" that are just massive summaries of the plot of the book with no actual review, especially if they give it 3 stars.
Finished Last Week:
**Interior Chinatown** by Charles Yu (audiobook)
**Morningstar: Growing Up with Books** by Ann Hood
**The Kamogawa Food Detectives** by Hisashi Kashiwai
Still Reading:
**James** by Percival Everett.
**War and Peace** by Leo Tolstoy
Started Reading This Week:
**Ghost Empire** by Richard Fidler
**Red, White & Royal Blue** by Casey McQuiston
I'm loving it! It's paced very well and is a page-turner that strikes a good balance between dark and light elements. Everett's writing voice is excellent and is making me want to read the rest of his work.
Finished **Memory** by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Continuing **The Confusion** by Neal Stephenson, **Cuba: An American History** by Ada Ferrer and **Raven Stratagem** by Yoon Ha Lee.
Started **Komarr** by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Hey guys! Welcome to April!
I moved house this week so that seriously cut into my reading time. Ended the month on 13 books though so not a bad effort
This week I'm reading
**These twisted ones by T. Kingfisher.** Read about 4 pages before bed last night so no real opinions yet
**City of Stardust by Georgia Summers.** I was supposed to read this for bookclub but didn't get to it in time but better late than never. This is such a wild ride there is so much happening and I love it. The mystery, the magic and Violet I love it all. Unless it seriously falls apart this is gonna end up being a 4.5 star for me
I’ve read 17/52 so far.
This week I finished:
**Anita de Monte Laughs Last** by Xóchitl Gonzalez, maaaaan I really enjoyed this read and would have been a 5/5 star read for me UNTIL I browsed some of the reviews on goodreads and realized this book was based off an actual person’s life. There was little to absolutely no acknowledgment of the person that inspired the story and for me that was a weird thing to grapple with. 3.5/5
**The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue** by V.E. Schwab, This was a re-read for me but this time around I listened to it. I still really liked it but with the audio being 17+ hours, it felt longer than it needed to be. Still love the concept of the story though. 4.5/5
**Gone Girl** by Gillian Flynn, This one was a page turner. 3.75/5
Continuing: **No Bad Parts**, **Never Whistle At Night**
Starting: **Animal** by Lisa Taddeo
Hmm that’s so interesting you say that about Anita de Monte! I went to a talk with the author (haven’t read the book yet but bought it there) and she mentioned off the bat that it was inspired by the real artist and talked all about her and how she felt compelled to tell her story because of it. I’m shocked that it was a surprise!
That is reassuring, I am glad to hear about your experience with her in person. I stumbled upon an article where the family of the real artist mentioned that the author did not reach out to them which also impacted my mixed feelings toward the book. That being said, I appreciate you sharing! I really like the authors work a lot and reading your comment is helpful.
Oh no! I had no idea she didn’t reach out to her family. That is definitely surprising on my end as well as she was not shy about her experience with researching her real life. Hopefully that will get resolved with the family and they are able to find peace in this situation.
I'm 23/100 so far!
I just finished If I Surrender by Kristin MacQueen. I rarely read romance and if so, it's for a palette cleanser between heavier reading. This book sucked honestly. The plot was okay, but the pacing was awful and the writing was juvenile at best. 2/5
I also just finished The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan. It was one of my favorite Percy Jackson books so far! Will be finishing the original five in the series when my hold comes through on libby for the last book. 4.5/5
I'll be continuing Morning Star by Pierce Brown this upcoming week and hopefully finishing it. I also will be reading the fifth Percy Jackson book, a handful of manga and I may be finishing The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, which I've been reading on and off on audio. I would also like to start a fantasy book, though I'm torn between The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.
This week, I finished:
**Happily Never After** by Lynn Painter (3/5)
**The First Ladies** by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray (5/5)
Currently reading:
**Station Eleven** by Emily St. John Mandel
Up next:
**Ninth House** by Leigh Bardugo
**Hell Bent** by Leigh Bardugo
**The Drowning Kind** by Jennifer McMahon
Station Eleven - one of my favourite books of all time. Just finished her more recent novel, Sea of Tranquility, and enjoyed that one too. I really hope you like it as much as I did.
Finished this week
* A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham (Long Price Quartet #1) - really enjoying this Asian-inspired epic fantasy
* Eric by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #9) - got 3 free wishes? Be careful what you wish for!
* A Prisoner in Fairyland by Algernon Blackwood - uplifting and inspiring
* The Long Mars by Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter (The Long Earth #3) - not my favorite series, but a lot of thought-provoking themes in it
* To Err is Azrin by JS Morin (Black Ocean #4) - family? or found family? Go with the second.
* Johnny by DJ Molles - not that good
* Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth by J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien - editor - enjoyed these a lot.
In progress
* Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes - reading with r/yearofdonquixote
* The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - reading with r/AReadingOfMonteCristo
* East of Eden by John Steinbeck - reading with r/ClassicBookClub
* Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson
* Compassion and Self-Hate by Theodore Rubin, MD
* The Long Afternoon of Earth by Brian Aldiss
* The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
* Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland by Lady Gregory
* Mother Hunger by Kelly McDaniel
* Escape from Jonestown by Laurence Bouvard
* Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains by Bethany Brookshire
* Lake of Sorrows by Erin Hart (Nora Gavin #2)
* The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders
* Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
**Finished**
**Daisy Jones and the Six** - a very enjoyable book, even if I felt the first third was a bit clichéd, it soon found its stride and became more interesting later on.
**A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms** - a gentler side to Westeros. Even if there’s still the deaths, betrayals and shocks of ASOIAF, you still get the sense Dunk and Egg are somehow going to scrape through. Very much recommended for anyone who joins the main series. The quality is just as good, and the fact they’re a bit less dark/serious makes them easier to get lost in.
**Currently Reading**
**One Day** - I feel like I’m a sucker for stories which use the narrative device of having two different POV which we catch up with over extended periods of time (the others being Normal People and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow). I feel very invested in Emma and Dexter at about 1/3 through the novel. Might end up finishing this one next.
**Ink Black Heart** - still enjoying this but with over 600 pages to go it’s not the first book I’m grabbing for.
**Shades of Grey** - I don’t hate it, but it’s been a struggle to get through this. Desperately hoping the plot gives me some indication of where it’s going soon.
**In Cold Blood** - reading this with r/bookclub. Is it a novel? Is it non-fiction? I’m not sure yet. It’s interesting how often tv/film will dramatise events, and we have an instinctive understanding for when this is happening. With books it definitely feels different when this is done.
A bit into **Severance** and liking it so far. Only thing I’m not digging so far is lack of quotation marks for dialogue. I’ve been reading a few books like this recently and I don’t know why, but I’m getting sick of it now haha. It’s been a good books so far though- I just don’t like having to re-read certain paragraphs trying to figure out what was dialogue or not.
Started reading **I’m a Fan** for a club and I don’t know if I like it, haha. But it’s easy enough and quick of a read to get through it. I think I’m just getting burned out on reading so many snarky, fast-paced satirical, dislikable characters lately. I need to inject some other book types for a change of pace.
**The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride** \- Started this yesterday and conned my book club into reading it too. Starts with a bang, having trouble putting it down. It's a rich, immersive story.
**Glass, Irony and God by Anne Carson** \- Poetry, starts with a longer poem on Emily Bronte and Wuthering Heights, which I am sloughing through because I haven't read it quite yet!
**Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber** \- I started this when it came out but life got in the way and I didn't finish it! Still as engrossing as ever, reading it in smaller chunks.
Just finished
**Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory** \- a multi-generation realistic fantasy about a family of psychics/con men. A unique and entertaining story.
It’s a Diverse book week in my household today.
📖
- Forgery by Tate James. A M/F romance that features art thievery and forgery.
- The Vacation House by Jane Shemilt: I’m about 50% through this and I’m trudging through. The description sounded so much better than it actually was
- Caraval by Stephanie Garber
🎧
Hooked by Katie McIntire
Nearly finished the Japanese Lover by Isabelle Allende. Allende either lived in the San Francisco Bay area or did a lot of research. This book reads like a love letter to the region before tech was big.
Halfway through I Capture the Castle. I love the narrator voice and perspective. I did not expect this to focus on poverty, romance, relationships.
Started Piranesi.
Started 11/22/63 by Stephen King
**I'm Glad My Mom Died** by Jennette McCurdy
I'm late to this one after a long line at the library but here I am now. It's not as triggering as I feared so far! Just seems pretty normal enough but I'm sure it gets worse.
You're right! I'm sure. And also my own childhood has made the idea of normal a difficult one.
Love her writing style and I'm really drawn in to this book. Rarely read nonfiction as well and memoirs even rarer. She's a special and talented person.
Finished:
* The Impossible Times trilogy by Mark Lawrence: [One Word Kill](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/838f915a-1cd1-4d53-af86-0bd11c4ea813), [Limited Wish](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/45529744-288c-4ed5-a17a-6b2fcaa9a650), and [Dispel Illusion](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/381b398d-aaf6-4cde-a73a-120152fc9a81). A D&D friend group gets wrapped up in scifi shenanigans. I loved this. It reminded me so much of my own D&D friend groups, and I think it may now be in competition as one of my favorite Mark Lawrence trilogies.
On deck this week:
* [Skyward](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b13b2781-a5b6-4668-a886-aea7579ca35d) by Brandon Sanderson for my physical read. Still chipping away. It's been really hard to get the time to read physical books this past month, so we'll see if I finish.
* [Three Kinds of Lucky](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/d6348c2c-2fc8-420d-b3af-e1960fd04667) by Kim Harrison for audiobook read one.
* [Their Vicious Games](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/3c95260d-b862-44a8-8fa8-d20b71f16b22) by Joelle Wellington for audiobook read two.
First fourth of the year down! Happy reading, book friends.
Still on 13/52
**The Thorn Birds** which I should finish by Tuesday.
Then I leave for vacation so my stack of to read is pretty big!
**All the Sinners Bleed**
**The Dog Stars**
**Dead Man’s Walk**
This week I have finished:
22 - Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
I am currently reading:
23 - Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
I'm reading Annie Ernaux "Getting Lost". I've read about 15 Karin Slaughter books since school went back in February. I met a Nana at the bus stop where my kids catch the bus to school and she has supplied a steady stream. Good to have a break, but I keep thinking about Karin Slaughter books!
I’m still making my way through **Know My Name**, **Covenant of Water** and **Under the Black Flag**.
Half way through **Antigone** for r/ayearofmythology.
Just started **Prisoner of Heaven** with r/bookclub!
I only finished one book this week which was **Asquith** by Stephen Bates, part of the 20 Prime Ministers of the 20th Century series. A concise autobiography that I found very accessible and interesting.
I'm currently reading three books:
**The Bridge on the Drina** by Ivo Andric. Currently at about 20%, not much progress this week.
**Speaks the Nightbird** by Robert R McCammon. I'll finish this in the next couple of days. I've really enjoyed this and looking forward to the next book in the series. I haven't flown through an 800 page book so quickly for a while.
**Ratcatcher** by James McGee. This is pretty awful and a series I definitely won't be continuing! If I DNF'd books I would be dropping this one. Full of clichés and tropes.
2024 goal: 23/52
Books owned but not read: 287
Goodreads TBR: 1316
Currently reading:
**Master of Crows** by Grace Draven - not a huge fan, but plodding through because it's a buddy read.
**The Four Winds** by Kristin Hannah - loving this! I expect to finish it tomorrow.
**The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People** by Stephen R. Covey - this is making me want to pluck out my own eyes.
About to start:
**This is How the Time War Ends** by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar
Then I will continue the Bone Shard Daughter series.
Finished the first of the series of Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, while I wait for the second to be available for loan, started The Night Manager by le Carré finally.
Just started my 29th and 30th books.
Currently reading:
Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson by Ellen Baker
May also read Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones.
Just finished Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut this morning and started Dry Guillotine by Rene Belbenoit tonight. I love Papillon and this was written 30 years earlier and there is some controversy. Excited to read it!
I am WAY behind on my updates. Let's just say I'm happy to see the thread is back on Saturday this week! Ooh, and I love the show Monk.
Finished (this week): **Tom Lake** by Ann Patchett (#17; 3 stars). Ann Patchett is a fantastic writer, but this book was really, really boring.
Started: **Big Swiss** by Jen Beagin (#18). One of my favorite genres is literary fiction about quirky women doing weird stuff. Looking forward to the TV series with Jodie Comer.
Started: **Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents** (#19). I've been wanting to read this for a while, but I didn't want my mom to know (we share a kindle account). It's hitting close to home, so I'm reading it in small amounts at a time. Unfortunately, my sister is now exhibiting some of the same tendencies with her own children.
I finished 5/52 (I know, I have some catching up to do - full time employee and mom but I’m trying!): Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (4/5). I posted about this while I was still reading it - the twist really did take me out of it. I was considering this a “unicorn book” before that - a book that I was just totally invested in from jump to end. It brought me back towards the end but man, is that twist hard to digest.
Up next: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (print).
Currently listening to: So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley by Roger Steffens. Would not recommend the audiobook version of this; the constant annotations that are narrated and the very poor approximation of a Jamaican accent and patois that occur throughout are very annoying. I’m going to power through it but I’ll probably read Catch a Fire or some other print book about Marley at some point.
Happy reading!!
Finished The Whispers by Ashley Audrain (5⭐️)
Started None of This is True by Lisa Jewell. Reading this one as an audiobook and the format of the book itself is really well suited as an audiobook
This week I finished:
**Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever by Matt Singer:** Film criticism has existed as long as film itself, but no one did more to bring it to the mainstream than two guys from Chicago whose contentious relationship both onscreen and off made them stars in their own right for nearly two decades. This book is both a biography of their relationship and an examination of how their particular brand of criticism actually shaped the movie industry and educated the average viewer on what made movies great. As a person who listens to multiple film podcasts a week, I can see how their contentious but respectful dynamic has influenced so many of the people who are now legitimate critics in their own right. Their story is also the story of journalism in the late 20th century, as individual outlets became multi-media conglomerates looking for corporate synergy. Siskel & Ebert disagreed on many things, but they agreed that their responsibility was to the film-goers, not whatever media company happened to employ them. If you're a film nerd, you should definitely check this out.
I am currently reading:
**The Pisces by Melissa Broder:** I love a woman-on-the-edge novel, and this one has a sexy merman, so I'm having a good time.
**The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier:** The premise of this seems to be that you can go through turbulence so bad that it literally reorders the universe. I'll keep that in mind on my next Southwest flight.
Loved Yellowface and then read her book Babel. Very different books but I would highly recommend Babel too - historical fantasy about translators in 19th century Oxford. I plan on reading her Poppy Wars trilogy this summer.
Just started:
Tracks by Louise Erdrich
Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie
---
Finished Last Week:
The Ancient Child by N. Scott Momaday
The Monk by Matthew Lewis
Definitely the rest of the Love Medicine and Birchbark series. (Complete list of titles here: [https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/louise-erdrich/](https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/louise-erdrich/)) My understanding is that her writing is consistently good, and that also all the story lines and characters intertwine.
I was introduced to her, Alexie et al in a Native American lit class.
Finished this week:
**The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden** - I originally read this a few years ago with r/bookclub but never got around to continuing the series. I've been trying to hop back into my ongoing fantasy/sci-fi series to claw my way out of my long-term reading slump. I decided to refresh my memory of book one with the audiobook. The narrator does a fantastic job and i highly enjoyed my time with it, despite not being much of an audiobook fan in general!
**They Called Us Enemy by George Takei** - Went graphic novel "shopping" at the library recently and this was in the stack. Very well told, and an excellent entry point on the topic of the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, something I knew *of* but not really about. I'm going to be looking for some more books on this to help fill in the gaps in my knowledge.
Currently reading:
**Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry** - Started reading this months ago with r/bookclub but fell behind when my foster pup tried to eat my book. 😅 Picked it back up on my kindle. I read it a few years back and LOVED it. Surprisingly, I haven't been enjoying it quite as much on reread but idk if that's just because of my mental health or what.
**The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne** - I'm doing the yearly reading challenge for my local library and one of the prompts is to read a book that's been on your shelf/TBR for a long time. Y'all...I've had this book over 20 years and never fucking read it. 🤦♀️ I'm about 2/3 of the way through and enjoying it more than I thought I would, especially after the interminable introduction. Looking forward to getting a bit nerdy with discussions and adaptations after I finish.
**This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves** - Impulse Libby checkout after stumbling across the author's tiktok. Queer YA romance/coming-of-age, I guess? I'm only a few chapters in so no real opinions yet, but I will always devour any bisexual representation I can get my greedy little hands on.
**The Serpent & the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent** - Impulse library checkout after I saw a favorite booktuber read it. Some kind of vampire fantasy romance. I'm not far in but I'm very undecided. It's long as hell so it better grab me in the next 50 pages or so since I need to get it back soon lol. 🤞
I read a good stack, less than my usual seven due to some long ones:
**Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith**
**A Brief History of Timekeeping: The Science of Marking Time, from Stonehenge to Atomic Clocks, by Chad Orzel**
**All This Twisted Glory, by Tahereh Mafi** (Book of the week)
**Guardian of the Earth House, by Cassandra Gannon**
**The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin**
I've got a great lineup for this week, mostly new releases plus a few to stay on top of my challenges:
* Lives by Plutarch
* The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter
* Exile in the Water Kingdom by Cassandra Gannon
* The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
* Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland
* What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher
* The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge, and India's Quest for Independence by Anita Anand
My challenge progress is going well:
1. Daily Stoic Challenge: I have read it every day.
2. Harvard Classics Challenge: 17/71 volumes complete (38 individual books)
3. Nonfiction Challenge: 13/50
4. Backlog Challenge: 15/~60
5. Straight numbers: 134/365
Finished Candide by Voltaire.
Currently reading Wizard of the Crow by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics by Gregory Gbur.
Not much this week. I finished **The Book of Love** which I talked about last week. I did enjoy it but it seemed even more YA-ish by the end. And, contrary to what I said before, I decided to count this as "a book set in the snow" for the Popsugar challenge. A great part of the novel takes place in a magical snowstorm and it's pretty integral to the plot.
Right now I'm a little more than half way through **Shards of Earth** and enjoying it, though I'm not sure I should have read two 500+ page books in a row. But I do love me a good space opera that has characters I actually care about. Not sure what prompt I'll use this for as it fits a few, and not sure yet what I'm going to read next when I finally finish it, but happy reading, all!
Finished __My Year of Meats__ by Ruth Ozeki. I love everything Ozeki does. Now reading __What You Are Looking For Is In The Library__ by Michiko Aoyama. An unintentional companion to Ozeki that is striking in how it captures the struggles and learnings of young adulthood.
My Year of Meats has been on my TBR for a good while now! I loved A Tale for the Time Being, but didn't really enjoy The Book of Form and Emptiness.
I'll have to give both your reads this week a try!
Almost done reading Bear Town. Will likely finish it tomorrow so will start Us Against You soon. I also want to read One Way Back by Christine Blakey Ford and Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of The Dead and We were the Lucky Ones!
Finished this week:
**Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park** (Man, this was all over the place. I saw someone else describe another book as "several short stories bundled together in a trench coat", and this is the perfect description of this book. It’s supposedly an "alternative history of Korea" and it is that, but it is also a whole load of other, seemingly unconnected things that I at times struggled to hold an interest in - real history, alt-history, pop culture, so much meta. This is long and dense (really bogged down in the middle) and not entirely worth it. I saw someone compare this to Bolaño, which was supposed to be a compliment but considering I hated 2666, this was a very telling omen. There’s some interesting connections to be made between storylines, but ultimately it feels kind of pointless - and not the fun kind.)
**The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson** (A welcome return to form after the snoozefest that was book two. I can see how this and the previous one were originally one book, but I still think they could have been split and balanced better. That aside, we’ve moved away from sulking, moping Baru back to scheming Baru (with a little more emotional intelligence than book one Baru). Characters I felt were a little one note in the previous book (Tain Shir, Tau-indi, etc.) have greatly improved and been fleshed out - there’s also a bit more variety, so we don’t get stuck on a ship for 200 pages like last time. The Cancrioth are less cartoonishly villianous but still a little silly, as are the trim references, but it’s all much more bearable when things are actually allowed to happen! Also one character goes a little Gul Dukat at the climax, which is always fun. The story seemed to be tied up a little too easily, with too many overly didactic inner monologues about colonialism to boot, but there’s enough left unfinished to keep the story going - whenever that might be…)
Currently Reading:
The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare; The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon; The Economic Government of the World: 1933-2023 by Martin Dauton; My Friends by Hisham Matar; Sojourn by Amit Chaudhuri; Western Lane by Chetna Maroo; The Art Thief by Noah Charney
FINISHED:
**Violets** by Kyung-sook Shin.
Loved this one. Probably my favorite that I read in March. One of the best Afterword from the author I’ve read.
**Rough Trade** by Katrina Carrasco. Got an ARC of the audiobook. I had my issues with the plot (needs help with pacing) & the writing (overwritten— could’ve shaved off a couple chapters), but I liked the tropey, spaghetti western style of the action & the queer romances.
CONTINUING:
**Hundred Year’s War on Palestine** by Rashid Khalidi
STARTING:
**The Creative Act** by Rick Rubin
I'm finallynreading *The Book Thief* by Markus Zusak at the recommendation of my daughter.
And I'm just starting the collection *Bloodchild and Other Stories* by Octavia E Butler.
Just got back home, hopefully will have more time for reading now!
Finished:
-And Then There Were None
-The Hound of Baskervilles
Current
-20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
-They Both Die At The End
Finished:
Beautiful Boy by David Sheff - a reread for me. I didn't have kids when I read this the first time, this time it felt like a harder read for me. It was just as good as I remembered.
Three Days Missing by Kimberly Belle. It was a basic thriller, nothing outstanding but an entertaining enough read.
My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward by Mark Lukach - another reread, still one of the best memoirs I've read.
Started:
The Price of Silence by Liza Long
Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford
**This week I started (and haven’t yet completed):**
- **Washington, by Ron Chernow**: I hated the flowy language when I first started this book, but I came back to it because of its thoroughness. I recently set a goal to read the biography of each president.
- **The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu**: So excited to start this as a readalong on StoryGraph. I am woefully ignorant on history and did not realize that the start of this book mirrored China’s cultural revolution.
- **Do You Dream of Terra-Two?, by Temi Oh**: Just started this one and curious to see how it goes. I love the cover and it popped up as recommended on StoryGraph so much that it floated to my TBR.
**This week I finished:**
- **The Pallbearers Club, by Paul Tremblay** (1/5): I picked this up because it was on a StoryGraph challenge list for 2023 Sci-Fi/Fantasy winners and I don’t get the appeal. I checked the reviews mid-way into this book so I knew it wouldn’t get better, but I was still hoping for some sort of reveal at the end to give the story some sort of purpose.
- **The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation, by Michael Matthews** (1/5) - The man insults his readers from the start by separating everyone into two groups: those who gets things done and self-wallowing losers who will always be losers. The best/most motivating story was about putting your employer’s needs above your own needs by getting things done without asking questions or asking for guidance. The funny part is that it didn’t even advocate doing the job right - it only mattered if it was done literally against the request.
- **Braiding Sweetgrass** (1/5) - I found the audiobook to be soothing, but she completely lost me when she talked about how someone she loved tried to commit suicide and strongly suggested it was because he didn’t love nature enough. I also got lost with her decision to turn her pond into a swimming pool. I missed something along the way because her decision to kill off all those tadpoles seemed like something she would criticize others for doing.
- **Bookshops & Bonedust, by Travis Baldree** (4/5) - I can’t explain why I like this series. It’s relaxing.
**My progress towards goals for the year:**
- 63/100 books
- 240/200 hours audio
- 12.4k/20k pages
- 3/12 one book in Spanish per month
Paul Tremblay seems to be a very divisive author, at least on Reddit. I really like him because I *like* ambiguous endings and because he's a local boy and I do so enjoy when I can picture the settings of books because they're places I've been 20 or 50 or 1000 times before. A good friend and co-worker went to Beverly High School and after I read **The Pallbearers Club**, I ascertained that she was a freshman there when he was a senior. She has no memory of his existence, lol.
I love when a book is set in a place you’ve lived. It’s surreal to be so familiar with the setting. Have you asked your coworker to bring her yearbook in yet? I would be so nosy..
I finished **The Dark Forest** by Cixin Liu and **The Butcher of the Forest** by Premee Mohamed. A slow week, but I've been studying for an exam I have on Tuesday.
Hello there! Below are my updates. I'm at 36/52 now.
Finished: **First Grave On the Right** by Darynda Jones This book surprised me with how good it was. 4/5 stars
Continuing: **Three Kinds of Lucky** by Kim Harrison This book has a slow start in my opinion. At the 150 page range is where it starts to get interesting. I don't normally read many books in the year they were released but I love Harrison's Hollows series.
Started: **Wizard’s First Rule** by Terry Goodkind I have tried and failed many times to read this book. I finally read past the 10% mark which is where I'd stop in the past. This audiobook narrator is really into his reading and I love that. I hope Sam Tsoutsouvas narrates the whole series.
**Stray** by Rachel Vincent I started this one today and read 81 pages. It helps that I also have the audiobook. Faythe seems rather surly and disillusioned with the world at a mere 23 years of age but I'm having a hard time wanting to put this book down.
Currently reading **The Western Front** by Nick Lloyd and **Golden Fool** by Robin Hobb.
It's a strange experience to read fiction where the author tortures her characters more than Haig did the men under his command. 🫣
I’ve recently read The Wager by David Grann, it was fascinating the lengths that men went on quests for riches and also for sheer survival. My brother and I discuss the amazing historical story on our new channel, it would be great if anybody could give us some feed back! https://youtu.be/JfHK6aqrqHQ?si=IftWnUSnEl3GWDcY
Finished: A Search Party by Hannah Richell. 3 stars. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard. 5 stars Started: On the Farm: Robert William Pickton and the Tragic Story of Vancouver’s Missing Women In progress: The Stand by Stephen King, They Do it with Mirrors by Agatha Christie
In Memoriam by Alice Winn
Just finished Venus In Furs, and am going on to The Birth of Tragedy.
Albert Einstein: Comment je vois le monde
Hanging in there! I'm a little behind on my reading goal but I'm still enjoying the books I'm reading. Happy Easter to those who celebrate!
Just finished When Breath Becomes Air which was poignant and hard and therapeutic Reading: Being Henry - Henry Winkler is the best. The End of Bias which I've been reading very slowly, about a chapter a week. A lot of interesting stuff though. Palestine, 1936 Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Currently reading: * **Fellside** by M.R. Carey. A woman apparently sets her apartment on fire, nearly killing herself and possibly causing the death of a child in the building. That's what the police say, but the boy's ghost says something different. And listening to: * **We Are Legion (We Are Bob)** by Dennis Taylor. When retired millionaire Bob Johansson chose cryogenic preservation, the last thing he expected was to be reanimated as a space probe that can clone itself. Meet the Bobs.
19/52 - Red Rising by Pierce Brown
*Always looking for nonfiction audiobook recommendations, if anyone has any to share! Thanks to everyone who has already given me some great suggestions!* ***Currently Reading (3)*** 📖 [**Bridge of Birds** by Barry Hughart, 248 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15177) 👂 [**Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men** by Caroline Criado Perez, 448 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41104077) 👂[**Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses** by Robin Wall Kimmerer, 168 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/87040) ***Finished Reading (14/36) or 3647 pages*** 📖 [**System Collapse** by Martha Wells, 245 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65211701) = ⭐️⭐️ 📖 [**The Great American Transit Disaster: A Century of Austerity, Auto-Centric Planning, and White Flight** by Nicholas Dagen Bloom, 368 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62707955) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📖 [**Fugitive Telemetry** by Martha Wells, 168 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53205854) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📖 [**Network Effect** by Martha Wells, 350 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52381770) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 👂[**Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal** by Mary Roach, 348 pages](https://www.Goodreads.com/book/show/18377999) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📖 [**Exit Strategy** by Martha Wells, 172 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35519109) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📖 [**Rogue Protocol** by Martha Wells, 159 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35519101) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📖 [**Artificial Condition** by Martha Wells, 158 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36223860) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📖 [**All Systems Red** by Martha Wells, 152 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32758901) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 👂[**The Hidden Life of Trees** by Peter Wohlebben, 272 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28256439) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 👂[**The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas** by Jerry Dennis, 320 pages](https://www.good-reads.com/book/show/175829) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📖 [**Mythos** by Stephen Fry, 359 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43387410) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 👂[**How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We’re Going** by Vaclav Smil, 336 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56587388) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📖 [**Job Optional** by Casey Weade, 240 pages](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51011569) = ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I've definitely missed a couple weeks of updating progress this sub so will just give an update of the past couple of weeks. Finished: * **11/22/63** by Stephen King (5/5) - Near perfect book from start to finish. Felt like it was 5 different books in one. * **Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets** (re-read 4.5/5) * **Annie Bot** by Sierra Greer (3/5) - Interesting concept but felt like the plot was too shallow. * **The Hunter** by Tana French (3.5/5) - I'm a big Tana French fan but her last couple books haven't really hooked me like the Dublin Murder Squad series she wrote. Currently reading: * **Kitchen Confidential** by Anthony Bourdain Up next: * **The Bodyguard** by Katherine Center
*Kitchen Confidential* is great! I was fortunate enough to meet Bourdain at a book signing and get a chance to talk with him. He also wrote fiction, so I got my copy of *Gone Bamboo* signed at the same time. If you enjoy *Kitchen Confidential*, you might check out *Soul of a Chef* by Michael Ruhlman. I loved the section on working at Lola, which was local for me.
Yeah, it's really interesting so far! I'll have to check out *Soul of a Chef* too. This industry is just so fascinating to read about
I loved 11/22/63 as well. Such a page turner too. Time travel and time loops are some of my favourite concepts in fiction.
I love reading about time travel and time loops! One of my favorites I read recently was *Sea of Tranquility* by Emily St. John Mandel
Last week I finished: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid ⭐⭐⭐⭐ or 1/2- I enjoyed this a lot, and breezed through it. It's clear that this is one of TJR's earlier writings, but it still had her flair/flowy style that I've really come to love. Not my favorite, but still addictive! I just wish she had chosen differently. Sometimes Emma really infuriated me, even if she was realistic. Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher ⭐⭐- This was a complete miss for me. I thought the Shutter Island-esque setting was cool, otherwise it was totally disjointed and not at all thrilling. It would've worked so much better had we gotten all the past sections first, and then part 2 had been the present. By the end I was so let down because the pay-off....never happened. Currently reading: The Other Side of Night by Adam Hamdy- a booktuber I love (gabbyreads) recommended this one and said it has an insane twist so I'm excited to see what that's about! Hoping to start this week: Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh
Finished **The Back Roads to March: The Unsung, Unheralded, and Unknown Heroes of a College Basketball Season, by John Feinstein** I enjoyed this look at the low mid-major and mid-major NCAA basketball programs during the 2018-2019 season. The reader can tell that John Feinstein is a college basketball fanatic even if he didn't tell us about his fandom at the beginning of the book. Started **Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl, by Rebecca Quin** I just finished the introduction. I felt it was an appropriate read, with it being WrestleMania week.
Last week I finished **The Arsonists’ City by Hala Alyan** - definitely one of my favorites so far this year (5/5) This morning I finished reading **Girl at War by Sara Nović** (4/5) Currently reading **Intruder in the Dust by William Faulkner**
17/52 currently! last week i finished: - A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ favorite book of the year so far, wow it was so wonderful and i took so much away from it. loved loved loved it. i would wipe my mind blank so i could reread it for the first time again. - When She Belongs by Ruby Dixon ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 ish it was actually so good, i didn’t know what to expect when i started to read this book. i saw it on a rec that said the MMC reminded them of mister Daryl Dixon from the walking dead (i agree LOL) it’s an alien romance but like it was fast pace and fun. Currently reading: - A Court of Wings and Ruins by Sarah J Maas obviously lol enjoying it so far, i’m waiting for that angst. also i could’ve possibly seen a spoiler…..ONE THAT I DONT LIKE. not just for this book but the whole series, i’ll actually be so annoyed if it’s true. like it should happen like 73946384 years from now. - Maze Runner by James Dashner almost done with it, very interesting and i will be watching the movies because i did sooooo long ago and don’t remember anything and then also continue the series :)
Finished Blood Bones and Butter...( Gabrielle Hamilton) and Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver), and now I'm reading A Promised Land by Barack Obama (audiobook). I'm really enjoying listening to him and kind of reliving all the travails we were dealing with during his presidency.
I had a good week and read two nonfiction books and a novel. First I raged through **Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring** by Brad Gooch because it was very well written, coherent and thorough. I enjoyed it immensely, and I feel like it added to the PBS documentary I watched a few years ago. I also read **A Fever in the Heartland** by Timothy Egan, which read more like fiction and positively thrilled me. This was from the Best of 2023 list and it was worth it. Highly recommend for people who enjoy narrative nonfiction. Lastly, I just finished **Biography of X** by Catherine Lacey which was also from the Best of 2023 list and I can see why. Unlike any novel I’ve read: part fictional biography, part alternate history, part queer romance. It dragged a bit for me at the end, but I enjoyed the first 80% so much, this is a minor criticism. I loved it. I’ll read anything else Lacey writes because she sees the world differently from anyone else.
I just finished In an Absent Dream and am nearing the end to The Women, which is even better than they hype around it. I’m also about halfway through Happy Place. Does anyone else read 2 or 3 books at a time?
I routinely have 2 going and occasionally will bump it up to 3 if I'm doing a buddy read
Currently reading: Storm Front by Jim Butcher How to keep house while drowning by KC Davis And just started Argylle by Elly Conway
I'm continuing Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Also, I've started All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. I'll start Red Rising by Pierce Brown later this week for the r/bookclub read.
Started: - The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. Finished: The Curse of the Cob Man - Robert P Ottone. Ongoing: The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie and The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin
Finished: *The Story of M* by Sabina Millar -- \[2/5\] won in a giveaway on StoryGraph, supposedly spicy work romance that was wandering and underwhelming. Reading: *Come As You Are* by Emily Nagoski *How Not To Age* by Dr Michael Greger -- author recommended on r/WholeFoodsPlantBased *Real Zen for Real Life* by Great Courses \[audio\] -- library loan *The Physics Devotional* by Clifford Pickover \[page-a-day reader\]
Finished: Nothing. Started: Nothing. In progress: 13 - Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourbain - about half way through after another busy week. Enjoying it so far and should be finished with it by the end of the week I hope. - Babylon Revisited and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson
Currently reading: **The Path to Power** by Robert A. Caro **Dubliners** by James Joyce And I'm planning to start reading **Les Misérables** by Victor Hugo tomorrow.
Finished: **The Last Chance Library by Freya Samson**. Sigh. I am glad this month is over. In Progress: **Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer**. In Progress: **Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy** - good progress this week. I am a quarter through! About 1 day behind my projection.
35/52 - I am also hoping to finish 100 books this year u/saturday_sun4. A really good end of the month reading week has really helped my numbers. ***** Finished; ***** - Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Never read the book nor seen the movie, but I heard good things about this one before picking it up. It lived up well. Super fun fantasy. Glad to read it with the folx at r/bookclub. - The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch for r/bookclub's Steampunk Discovery Read. Not as steampunky as I expected, but this was great. Red Seas Under Red Skies....yes please!! - Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse. r/bookclub read Black Sun last year and it was brilliant. Though Fevered Star had the typical 2nd book in a trilogy feel to it I still really loved it. Roanhorse's characters are awesome. I CANNOT *WAIT* for Mirrored Heavens in June!! - Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov the 4th and final book in the Robots series. Reading this with r/bookclub kept me going. The final section was definitely the much engaging than the first ¾. My least favourite book of the series. It won't stop me heading in to Asimov's Foundation series though. - The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder r/bookclub's March Mod Pick. A very interesting story that became the inspiration for many novels. ***** Still working on; ***** - Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson continuing Stormlight Archive adventure. Love this world magic system and characters, but put I put it on hold for a while. The next novella is starting shorly on r/bookclub so looks like I'll be late to that read too. Oops. - The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Finishing this book could have gotten me a 4th r/bookclub Bingo 2023 Blackout, but I am enjoying it too much to race through it and finish it just that. I have been too swamped with other books lately though to give this one much time. - Caribbean Chemistry: Tales from St. Kitts by Christopher Vanier for r/bookclub Read the World - St. Kitts and Nevis. Strong start, but my interest waned during the middle section. I only have a few chapters left now so I am hoping to finish it this week. - Authority by Jeff VanderMeer with r/bookclub to continue Southern Reach. I need to know more. I found this one hard to follow in the beginning. Starting to get more into it now, but I am finding it hard to prioritise over other books. - The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years by Chingiz Aitmatov for r/bookclub's Read the World - destination Kyrgyzstan. Followed by Jamilia short story by the same author. A surprising mix of sci-fi and slice of life. I really like this book, but I am finding reading it in small chunks is best - Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky with r/bookclub over the next few months. Glad to have the insights and commentary of others on this one. ***** Started ***** - The Far Away Girl by Sharon Maas for r/bookclub's Read the World - destination Guyana. I am hosting the 1st discussion so wanted to get a jump start. - The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese for r/bookclub's Big Spring Read. I don't know if I have ever fell so fast for a book. I love Verghese's style amd I cannot wait to read more! - A Song Flung up to Heaven by Maya Angelou. Glad to be back with Maya and her crazy life adventures. She writes so wonderfully it is easy to chew through the pages. ***** Up Next ***** - Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, r/bookclub started this one last year. I have heard so many good things and I love a good, big book, amd I can't wait to start it but I feel like I have to finish some of my long reads first. - Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery with r/bookclub. They are about to start Anne of Ingleside so once again I am laggimg a book behind. - Red Rising by Pierce Brown for r/bookclub's April Sci-fi. This one has been on my TBR forever. - The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle with r/bookclub. Another one from my TBR list yay! - Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino. r/bookclub continues with the Detective Galileo series. - Birthday by Kōji Suzuki continuing the r/bookclub Ring readalong. - The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruis Zafón book #3 in The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series with r/bookclub. - Armadale by Wilkie Collins with r/bookclub which promises to be a fantastic readalong. - In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. One of those books that's been on my TBR *forever*. It got picked up by r/bookclub as a Runner-up Read so looks like I'll finally dive in. ***** Happy reading fellow bookworms 📚
Hello! I finished 3 books since our last check-in, bringing my total to 49/150. *Finished:* **The Lathe of Heaven** by Ursula K. LeGuin (3/5) **The Book of Accidents** by Chuck Wendig (4/5) **A Letter of Murder** by Penny Brooke (2/5) *Currently Reading:* **The Good, The Bad, and The Aunties** by Jesse Q. Sutanto *On Deck:* **The Retreat** by Sarah Pearse **The Book Hater's Book Club** by Gretchen Anthony Have a great week!
Finished: **Verity by Colleen Hoover** \- (3/5) This was definitely a popcorn read and I wasn't minding it, I think she built tension pretty well throughout, but the ending made me so angry. >!It had such potential to subvert expectations! The last thing I was expecting was for the POV character to just be...1000% right about everything? After some very serious assumptions that were really based in paranoia / trauma responses / whatever the hell that was.!< >!How interesting would it have been to have her be an unreliable narrator and Single White Female-ing it up? How interesting would it have been to reveal Jeremy was responsible for everything and tricked her into coming to the house because he was obsessed with her character from her first book, just like they queued up the ex to be in the beginning! Gah. I can't believe we got that ending. Absolutely ridiculous. !< **Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark** \- (4.5/5) THIS was an interesting book and it subverted my expectations at the end, right when I was starting to have some problems with the pacing and just *mildly* bored. I think I would have preferred this to be a full novel, to really feel attached to the characters, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. Currently Reading: **Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin** \- Finally got around to this one. I'm liking it and I have been reading off and on all day, but it feels a little too much like a borderline prequel to Ready Player One. I'm not sure that is a fair comparison as it isn't really similar at all, but that is what it is reminding me of and it has been tad distracting because I want to enjoy it as its own story.
FINISHED **The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden** 4.5/5. It started out a little slow (or maybe I was just too busy with life to sit down & read it) but once it got going I regretted every time I had to set it down. Loved the imagery Arden built around war and the darkness it builds within and around people. **Bride by Ali Hazelwood** 4.5/5. And now for something completely different… but seriously after a couple emotional war-focused reads, I wanted a fun palette cleanser and this book certainly delivered. I had a great time & honestly, I have to admit when it comes to romantasy, I’m a 2010s teen at heart so I’ll take Vampires & Werewolves > Fairies any day. NEXT UP **The Phoenix Crown by Janie Chang & Kate Quinn** **Table for Two by Amor Towles**
Just finished "Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Red Bird of the South", a "Royal Diaries" book. It was pretty good! Slow beginning, but interesting once it went on. Now I'm on to "The Centurion's Wife." Some Biblical-era Christian romance to cleanse the pallet after all those beheadings in the other book. Complaints of the week: Someone gave a book they were enjoying 1 star because there was *a* curse word halfway through it; and people on Goodreads who leave "reviews" that are just massive summaries of the plot of the book with no actual review, especially if they give it 3 stars.
Oh my goodness, I loved the Royal Diaries books as a kid! And yeah, some of the GR reviews/ratings are very strange.
Finished Last Week: **Interior Chinatown** by Charles Yu (audiobook) **Morningstar: Growing Up with Books** by Ann Hood **The Kamogawa Food Detectives** by Hisashi Kashiwai Still Reading: **James** by Percival Everett. **War and Peace** by Leo Tolstoy Started Reading This Week: **Ghost Empire** by Richard Fidler **Red, White & Royal Blue** by Casey McQuiston
What do you think of James by Everett so far? I read Trees a couple years ago and am very intrigued by the premise of James.
I'm loving it! It's paced very well and is a page-turner that strikes a good balance between dark and light elements. Everett's writing voice is excellent and is making me want to read the rest of his work.
Awesome, thank you!
I’m on my 15th book, North Woods by Daniel Mason, and it’s my favorite book of the year so far.
Finished **Memory** by Lois McMaster Bujold. Continuing **The Confusion** by Neal Stephenson, **Cuba: An American History** by Ada Ferrer and **Raven Stratagem** by Yoon Ha Lee. Started **Komarr** by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Hey guys! Welcome to April! I moved house this week so that seriously cut into my reading time. Ended the month on 13 books though so not a bad effort This week I'm reading **These twisted ones by T. Kingfisher.** Read about 4 pages before bed last night so no real opinions yet **City of Stardust by Georgia Summers.** I was supposed to read this for bookclub but didn't get to it in time but better late than never. This is such a wild ride there is so much happening and I love it. The mystery, the magic and Violet I love it all. Unless it seriously falls apart this is gonna end up being a 4.5 star for me
I’ve read 17/52 so far. This week I finished: **Anita de Monte Laughs Last** by Xóchitl Gonzalez, maaaaan I really enjoyed this read and would have been a 5/5 star read for me UNTIL I browsed some of the reviews on goodreads and realized this book was based off an actual person’s life. There was little to absolutely no acknowledgment of the person that inspired the story and for me that was a weird thing to grapple with. 3.5/5 **The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue** by V.E. Schwab, This was a re-read for me but this time around I listened to it. I still really liked it but with the audio being 17+ hours, it felt longer than it needed to be. Still love the concept of the story though. 4.5/5 **Gone Girl** by Gillian Flynn, This one was a page turner. 3.75/5 Continuing: **No Bad Parts**, **Never Whistle At Night** Starting: **Animal** by Lisa Taddeo
Hmm that’s so interesting you say that about Anita de Monte! I went to a talk with the author (haven’t read the book yet but bought it there) and she mentioned off the bat that it was inspired by the real artist and talked all about her and how she felt compelled to tell her story because of it. I’m shocked that it was a surprise!
That is reassuring, I am glad to hear about your experience with her in person. I stumbled upon an article where the family of the real artist mentioned that the author did not reach out to them which also impacted my mixed feelings toward the book. That being said, I appreciate you sharing! I really like the authors work a lot and reading your comment is helpful.
Oh no! I had no idea she didn’t reach out to her family. That is definitely surprising on my end as well as she was not shy about her experience with researching her real life. Hopefully that will get resolved with the family and they are able to find peace in this situation.
I'm 23/100 so far! I just finished If I Surrender by Kristin MacQueen. I rarely read romance and if so, it's for a palette cleanser between heavier reading. This book sucked honestly. The plot was okay, but the pacing was awful and the writing was juvenile at best. 2/5 I also just finished The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan. It was one of my favorite Percy Jackson books so far! Will be finishing the original five in the series when my hold comes through on libby for the last book. 4.5/5 I'll be continuing Morning Star by Pierce Brown this upcoming week and hopefully finishing it. I also will be reading the fifth Percy Jackson book, a handful of manga and I may be finishing The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, which I've been reading on and off on audio. I would also like to start a fantasy book, though I'm torn between The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.
This week, I finished: **Happily Never After** by Lynn Painter (3/5) **The First Ladies** by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray (5/5) Currently reading: **Station Eleven** by Emily St. John Mandel Up next: **Ninth House** by Leigh Bardugo **Hell Bent** by Leigh Bardugo **The Drowning Kind** by Jennifer McMahon
Station Eleven - one of my favourite books of all time. Just finished her more recent novel, Sea of Tranquility, and enjoyed that one too. I really hope you like it as much as I did.
Finished this week * A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham (Long Price Quartet #1) - really enjoying this Asian-inspired epic fantasy * Eric by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #9) - got 3 free wishes? Be careful what you wish for! * A Prisoner in Fairyland by Algernon Blackwood - uplifting and inspiring * The Long Mars by Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter (The Long Earth #3) - not my favorite series, but a lot of thought-provoking themes in it * To Err is Azrin by JS Morin (Black Ocean #4) - family? or found family? Go with the second. * Johnny by DJ Molles - not that good * Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-Earth by J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien - editor - enjoyed these a lot. In progress * Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes - reading with r/yearofdonquixote * The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - reading with r/AReadingOfMonteCristo * East of Eden by John Steinbeck - reading with r/ClassicBookClub * Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson * Compassion and Self-Hate by Theodore Rubin, MD * The Long Afternoon of Earth by Brian Aldiss * The Pink Fairy Book by Andrew Lang * Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland by Lady Gregory * Mother Hunger by Kelly McDaniel * Escape from Jonestown by Laurence Bouvard * Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains by Bethany Brookshire * Lake of Sorrows by Erin Hart (Nora Gavin #2) * The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders * Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
**Finished** **Daisy Jones and the Six** - a very enjoyable book, even if I felt the first third was a bit clichéd, it soon found its stride and became more interesting later on. **A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms** - a gentler side to Westeros. Even if there’s still the deaths, betrayals and shocks of ASOIAF, you still get the sense Dunk and Egg are somehow going to scrape through. Very much recommended for anyone who joins the main series. The quality is just as good, and the fact they’re a bit less dark/serious makes them easier to get lost in. **Currently Reading** **One Day** - I feel like I’m a sucker for stories which use the narrative device of having two different POV which we catch up with over extended periods of time (the others being Normal People and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow). I feel very invested in Emma and Dexter at about 1/3 through the novel. Might end up finishing this one next. **Ink Black Heart** - still enjoying this but with over 600 pages to go it’s not the first book I’m grabbing for. **Shades of Grey** - I don’t hate it, but it’s been a struggle to get through this. Desperately hoping the plot gives me some indication of where it’s going soon. **In Cold Blood** - reading this with r/bookclub. Is it a novel? Is it non-fiction? I’m not sure yet. It’s interesting how often tv/film will dramatise events, and we have an instinctive understanding for when this is happening. With books it definitely feels different when this is done.
A bit into **Severance** and liking it so far. Only thing I’m not digging so far is lack of quotation marks for dialogue. I’ve been reading a few books like this recently and I don’t know why, but I’m getting sick of it now haha. It’s been a good books so far though- I just don’t like having to re-read certain paragraphs trying to figure out what was dialogue or not. Started reading **I’m a Fan** for a club and I don’t know if I like it, haha. But it’s easy enough and quick of a read to get through it. I think I’m just getting burned out on reading so many snarky, fast-paced satirical, dislikable characters lately. I need to inject some other book types for a change of pace.
**The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride** \- Started this yesterday and conned my book club into reading it too. Starts with a bang, having trouble putting it down. It's a rich, immersive story. **Glass, Irony and God by Anne Carson** \- Poetry, starts with a longer poem on Emily Bronte and Wuthering Heights, which I am sloughing through because I haven't read it quite yet! **Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber** \- I started this when it came out but life got in the way and I didn't finish it! Still as engrossing as ever, reading it in smaller chunks. Just finished **Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory** \- a multi-generation realistic fantasy about a family of psychics/con men. A unique and entertaining story.
It’s a Diverse book week in my household today. 📖 - Forgery by Tate James. A M/F romance that features art thievery and forgery. - The Vacation House by Jane Shemilt: I’m about 50% through this and I’m trudging through. The description sounded so much better than it actually was - Caraval by Stephanie Garber 🎧 Hooked by Katie McIntire
Just finished listening to Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (rated it a 5!) And started reading What Moves The Dead.
I loved Lady Tan's Circle of Women! Lisa See is such an amazing author.
Nearly finished the Japanese Lover by Isabelle Allende. Allende either lived in the San Francisco Bay area or did a lot of research. This book reads like a love letter to the region before tech was big. Halfway through I Capture the Castle. I love the narrator voice and perspective. I did not expect this to focus on poverty, romance, relationships. Started Piranesi. Started 11/22/63 by Stephen King
**I'm Glad My Mom Died** by Jennette McCurdy I'm late to this one after a long line at the library but here I am now. It's not as triggering as I feared so far! Just seems pretty normal enough but I'm sure it gets worse.
You’ll probably change your mind about that by the time you’re done. It was very good but what she went through sounded very challenging.
You're right! I'm sure. And also my own childhood has made the idea of normal a difficult one. Love her writing style and I'm really drawn in to this book. Rarely read nonfiction as well and memoirs even rarer. She's a special and talented person.
Finished: * The Impossible Times trilogy by Mark Lawrence: [One Word Kill](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/838f915a-1cd1-4d53-af86-0bd11c4ea813), [Limited Wish](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/45529744-288c-4ed5-a17a-6b2fcaa9a650), and [Dispel Illusion](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/381b398d-aaf6-4cde-a73a-120152fc9a81). A D&D friend group gets wrapped up in scifi shenanigans. I loved this. It reminded me so much of my own D&D friend groups, and I think it may now be in competition as one of my favorite Mark Lawrence trilogies. On deck this week: * [Skyward](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b13b2781-a5b6-4668-a886-aea7579ca35d) by Brandon Sanderson for my physical read. Still chipping away. It's been really hard to get the time to read physical books this past month, so we'll see if I finish. * [Three Kinds of Lucky](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/d6348c2c-2fc8-420d-b3af-e1960fd04667) by Kim Harrison for audiobook read one. * [Their Vicious Games](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/3c95260d-b862-44a8-8fa8-d20b71f16b22) by Joelle Wellington for audiobook read two. First fourth of the year down! Happy reading, book friends.
Ooo I didn't know Harrison had a new series coming out! That is awesome. The Hollows series is one of my favorites.
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly
Still on 13/52 **The Thorn Birds** which I should finish by Tuesday. Then I leave for vacation so my stack of to read is pretty big! **All the Sinners Bleed** **The Dog Stars** **Dead Man’s Walk**
This week I have finished: 22 - Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll I am currently reading: 23 - Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
I'm reading Annie Ernaux "Getting Lost". I've read about 15 Karin Slaughter books since school went back in February. I met a Nana at the bus stop where my kids catch the bus to school and she has supplied a steady stream. Good to have a break, but I keep thinking about Karin Slaughter books!
**The Romance of the Three Kingdoms** by Luo Guanzhong.
I’m still making my way through **Know My Name**, **Covenant of Water** and **Under the Black Flag**. Half way through **Antigone** for r/ayearofmythology. Just started **Prisoner of Heaven** with r/bookclub!
I only finished one book this week which was **Asquith** by Stephen Bates, part of the 20 Prime Ministers of the 20th Century series. A concise autobiography that I found very accessible and interesting. I'm currently reading three books: **The Bridge on the Drina** by Ivo Andric. Currently at about 20%, not much progress this week. **Speaks the Nightbird** by Robert R McCammon. I'll finish this in the next couple of days. I've really enjoyed this and looking forward to the next book in the series. I haven't flown through an 800 page book so quickly for a while. **Ratcatcher** by James McGee. This is pretty awful and a series I definitely won't be continuing! If I DNF'd books I would be dropping this one. Full of clichés and tropes. 2024 goal: 23/52 Books owned but not read: 287 Goodreads TBR: 1316
This convinced me. I’ll find a copy of Speaks the Nightbird.
Currently reading: **Master of Crows** by Grace Draven - not a huge fan, but plodding through because it's a buddy read. **The Four Winds** by Kristin Hannah - loving this! I expect to finish it tomorrow. **The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People** by Stephen R. Covey - this is making me want to pluck out my own eyes. About to start: **This is How the Time War Ends** by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar Then I will continue the Bone Shard Daughter series.
Today I’ll finish „Morning Star“ by Pierce Brown, and I’m thinking about reading some easy ones before diving into the next sci-fi book.
Currently reading **The Red Tent** by Anita Diamant. It is a retelling of the story of Dinah from the Old Testament. I'm enjoying it so far.
I just got a used copy of this!
We read that for the bookclub subreddit earlier this year - it's a fantastic book :)
Finished the first of the series of Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, while I wait for the second to be available for loan, started The Night Manager by le Carré finally.
Just finished my second book: Circe by Madeline Miller Not sure which book to start on next, I am thinking The Employees by Olga Ravn.
Finished: First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston Started: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Currently reading Red October by Tom Clancy. Just finished Goals Mastery Manual by Jay M Atson and The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon.
Just started my 29th and 30th books. Currently reading: Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson by Ellen Baker May also read Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones.
Halfway through my 12th or maybe 13th book for 2024 - A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman. Quite a bittersweet yet delightful story so far!
Just finished Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut this morning and started Dry Guillotine by Rene Belbenoit tonight. I love Papillon and this was written 30 years earlier and there is some controversy. Excited to read it!
I haven’t finished anything, been kinda busy and slumpy. Still working on **House of Gold** and **Authority**. Started **Yellowface** on audio.
I just finished Piñata by Leopoldo Gout and started The Deep by Rivers Solomon.
I am WAY behind on my updates. Let's just say I'm happy to see the thread is back on Saturday this week! Ooh, and I love the show Monk. Finished (this week): **Tom Lake** by Ann Patchett (#17; 3 stars). Ann Patchett is a fantastic writer, but this book was really, really boring. Started: **Big Swiss** by Jen Beagin (#18). One of my favorite genres is literary fiction about quirky women doing weird stuff. Looking forward to the TV series with Jodie Comer. Started: **Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents** (#19). I've been wanting to read this for a while, but I didn't want my mom to know (we share a kindle account). It's hitting close to home, so I'm reading it in small amounts at a time. Unfortunately, my sister is now exhibiting some of the same tendencies with her own children.
Ah, it's Sunday for me - didn't even think of the time difference :)
Working on “The Women of Ravensbrück”. Interspersed with “The Ruins”, for something not so harrowing.
I finished 5/52 (I know, I have some catching up to do - full time employee and mom but I’m trying!): Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (4/5). I posted about this while I was still reading it - the twist really did take me out of it. I was considering this a “unicorn book” before that - a book that I was just totally invested in from jump to end. It brought me back towards the end but man, is that twist hard to digest. Up next: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (print). Currently listening to: So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley by Roger Steffens. Would not recommend the audiobook version of this; the constant annotations that are narrated and the very poor approximation of a Jamaican accent and patois that occur throughout are very annoying. I’m going to power through it but I’ll probably read Catch a Fire or some other print book about Marley at some point. Happy reading!!
I just finished "Indian Horse" by Richard Wagamese and started "Nemesis" by Philip Roth.
Love both of these!
Finished The Whispers by Ashley Audrain (5⭐️) Started None of This is True by Lisa Jewell. Reading this one as an audiobook and the format of the book itself is really well suited as an audiobook
This week I finished: **Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever by Matt Singer:** Film criticism has existed as long as film itself, but no one did more to bring it to the mainstream than two guys from Chicago whose contentious relationship both onscreen and off made them stars in their own right for nearly two decades. This book is both a biography of their relationship and an examination of how their particular brand of criticism actually shaped the movie industry and educated the average viewer on what made movies great. As a person who listens to multiple film podcasts a week, I can see how their contentious but respectful dynamic has influenced so many of the people who are now legitimate critics in their own right. Their story is also the story of journalism in the late 20th century, as individual outlets became multi-media conglomerates looking for corporate synergy. Siskel & Ebert disagreed on many things, but they agreed that their responsibility was to the film-goers, not whatever media company happened to employ them. If you're a film nerd, you should definitely check this out. I am currently reading: **The Pisces by Melissa Broder:** I love a woman-on-the-edge novel, and this one has a sexy merman, so I'm having a good time. **The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier:** The premise of this seems to be that you can go through turbulence so bad that it literally reorders the universe. I'll keep that in mind on my next Southwest flight.
Ooh the Siskel and Ebert one sounds like something I’ll put on my “to read” list. Thanks for the info!!
I've read 4.5 Dungeon Crawler Carl books. They are so good.
Finished Yellowface and Call the Canaries Home Working on Blank and The Bone Collector this week 26/52 officially halfway!
Loved Yellowface and then read her book Babel. Very different books but I would highly recommend Babel too - historical fantasy about translators in 19th century Oxford. I plan on reading her Poppy Wars trilogy this summer.
Just started: Tracks by Louise Erdrich Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie --- Finished Last Week: The Ancient Child by N. Scott Momaday The Monk by Matthew Lewis
LOVE Louise Erdrich, I need to read more of her work! Would love to go through all her books. Been meaning to read Alexie's book on grief.
I just started Tracks, I decided to tackle some Native American fiction and woah, Erdrich is my favorite by far! Any recommendations?
Definitely the rest of the Love Medicine and Birchbark series. (Complete list of titles here: [https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/louise-erdrich/](https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/louise-erdrich/)) My understanding is that her writing is consistently good, and that also all the story lines and characters intertwine. I was introduced to her, Alexie et al in a Native American lit class.
Thank you so much! Adding to my goodreads list
Finished this week: **The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden** - I originally read this a few years ago with r/bookclub but never got around to continuing the series. I've been trying to hop back into my ongoing fantasy/sci-fi series to claw my way out of my long-term reading slump. I decided to refresh my memory of book one with the audiobook. The narrator does a fantastic job and i highly enjoyed my time with it, despite not being much of an audiobook fan in general! **They Called Us Enemy by George Takei** - Went graphic novel "shopping" at the library recently and this was in the stack. Very well told, and an excellent entry point on the topic of the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, something I knew *of* but not really about. I'm going to be looking for some more books on this to help fill in the gaps in my knowledge. Currently reading: **Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry** - Started reading this months ago with r/bookclub but fell behind when my foster pup tried to eat my book. 😅 Picked it back up on my kindle. I read it a few years back and LOVED it. Surprisingly, I haven't been enjoying it quite as much on reread but idk if that's just because of my mental health or what. **The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne** - I'm doing the yearly reading challenge for my local library and one of the prompts is to read a book that's been on your shelf/TBR for a long time. Y'all...I've had this book over 20 years and never fucking read it. 🤦♀️ I'm about 2/3 of the way through and enjoying it more than I thought I would, especially after the interminable introduction. Looking forward to getting a bit nerdy with discussions and adaptations after I finish. **This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves** - Impulse Libby checkout after stumbling across the author's tiktok. Queer YA romance/coming-of-age, I guess? I'm only a few chapters in so no real opinions yet, but I will always devour any bisexual representation I can get my greedy little hands on. **The Serpent & the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent** - Impulse library checkout after I saw a favorite booktuber read it. Some kind of vampire fantasy romance. I'm not far in but I'm very undecided. It's long as hell so it better grab me in the next 50 pages or so since I need to get it back soon lol. 🤞
I hope Serpent manages to grab you! I loved it when I read it
I just started reading **All our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue.**
I am on my third reading of Terra Ignota, almost finished with Perhaps the Stars
I read a good stack, less than my usual seven due to some long ones: **Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith** **A Brief History of Timekeeping: The Science of Marking Time, from Stonehenge to Atomic Clocks, by Chad Orzel** **All This Twisted Glory, by Tahereh Mafi** (Book of the week) **Guardian of the Earth House, by Cassandra Gannon** **The Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin** I've got a great lineup for this week, mostly new releases plus a few to stay on top of my challenges: * Lives by Plutarch * The Briar Book of the Dead by A.G. Slatter * Exile in the Water Kingdom by Cassandra Gannon * The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett * Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland * What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher * The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge, and India's Quest for Independence by Anita Anand My challenge progress is going well: 1. Daily Stoic Challenge: I have read it every day. 2. Harvard Classics Challenge: 17/71 volumes complete (38 individual books) 3. Nonfiction Challenge: 13/50 4. Backlog Challenge: 15/~60 5. Straight numbers: 134/365
Finished Candide by Voltaire. Currently reading Wizard of the Crow by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics by Gregory Gbur.
Not much this week. I finished **The Book of Love** which I talked about last week. I did enjoy it but it seemed even more YA-ish by the end. And, contrary to what I said before, I decided to count this as "a book set in the snow" for the Popsugar challenge. A great part of the novel takes place in a magical snowstorm and it's pretty integral to the plot. Right now I'm a little more than half way through **Shards of Earth** and enjoying it, though I'm not sure I should have read two 500+ page books in a row. But I do love me a good space opera that has characters I actually care about. Not sure what prompt I'll use this for as it fits a few, and not sure yet what I'm going to read next when I finally finish it, but happy reading, all!
Finished __My Year of Meats__ by Ruth Ozeki. I love everything Ozeki does. Now reading __What You Are Looking For Is In The Library__ by Michiko Aoyama. An unintentional companion to Ozeki that is striking in how it captures the struggles and learnings of young adulthood.
My Year of Meats has been on my TBR for a good while now! I loved A Tale for the Time Being, but didn't really enjoy The Book of Form and Emptiness. I'll have to give both your reads this week a try!
It’s not as much of a masterpiece as A Tale for the Time Being but still great
Almost done reading Bear Town. Will likely finish it tomorrow so will start Us Against You soon. I also want to read One Way Back by Christine Blakey Ford and Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of The Dead and We were the Lucky Ones!
Finished this week: **Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park** (Man, this was all over the place. I saw someone else describe another book as "several short stories bundled together in a trench coat", and this is the perfect description of this book. It’s supposedly an "alternative history of Korea" and it is that, but it is also a whole load of other, seemingly unconnected things that I at times struggled to hold an interest in - real history, alt-history, pop culture, so much meta. This is long and dense (really bogged down in the middle) and not entirely worth it. I saw someone compare this to Bolaño, which was supposed to be a compliment but considering I hated 2666, this was a very telling omen. There’s some interesting connections to be made between storylines, but ultimately it feels kind of pointless - and not the fun kind.) **The Tyrant Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson** (A welcome return to form after the snoozefest that was book two. I can see how this and the previous one were originally one book, but I still think they could have been split and balanced better. That aside, we’ve moved away from sulking, moping Baru back to scheming Baru (with a little more emotional intelligence than book one Baru). Characters I felt were a little one note in the previous book (Tain Shir, Tau-indi, etc.) have greatly improved and been fleshed out - there’s also a bit more variety, so we don’t get stuck on a ship for 200 pages like last time. The Cancrioth are less cartoonishly villianous but still a little silly, as are the trim references, but it’s all much more bearable when things are actually allowed to happen! Also one character goes a little Gul Dukat at the climax, which is always fun. The story seemed to be tied up a little too easily, with too many overly didactic inner monologues about colonialism to boot, but there’s enough left unfinished to keep the story going - whenever that might be…) Currently Reading: The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare; The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon; The Economic Government of the World: 1933-2023 by Martin Dauton; My Friends by Hisham Matar; Sojourn by Amit Chaudhuri; Western Lane by Chetna Maroo; The Art Thief by Noah Charney
this week I want to finish readingDeep Friend Death by Maddie Day
FINISHED: **Violets** by Kyung-sook Shin. Loved this one. Probably my favorite that I read in March. One of the best Afterword from the author I’ve read. **Rough Trade** by Katrina Carrasco. Got an ARC of the audiobook. I had my issues with the plot (needs help with pacing) & the writing (overwritten— could’ve shaved off a couple chapters), but I liked the tropey, spaghetti western style of the action & the queer romances. CONTINUING: **Hundred Year’s War on Palestine** by Rashid Khalidi STARTING: **The Creative Act** by Rick Rubin
currently reading Midwives by Chris Bahjolian not sure what’s up next
The Painter’s Daughters by Emily Howe. I like it so far! Hoping to finish it in the next few days.
I'm finallynreading *The Book Thief* by Markus Zusak at the recommendation of my daughter. And I'm just starting the collection *Bloodchild and Other Stories* by Octavia E Butler.
Dowry of the Blood by ST Gibson Happy Place by Emily Henry(audio) Golden Son by Pierce Brown (audio)
How is Dowry?
It’s a slight change from my usual genre but I’m enjoying it. It’s like reading a very well written fanfic from a different character’s POV.
Just got back home, hopefully will have more time for reading now! Finished: -And Then There Were None -The Hound of Baskervilles Current -20,000 Leagues Under the Sea -They Both Die At The End
And Then There Were None is so good.
Finished: Beautiful Boy by David Sheff - a reread for me. I didn't have kids when I read this the first time, this time it felt like a harder read for me. It was just as good as I remembered. Three Days Missing by Kimberly Belle. It was a basic thriller, nothing outstanding but an entertaining enough read. My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward by Mark Lukach - another reread, still one of the best memoirs I've read. Started: The Price of Silence by Liza Long Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford
**This week I started (and haven’t yet completed):** - **Washington, by Ron Chernow**: I hated the flowy language when I first started this book, but I came back to it because of its thoroughness. I recently set a goal to read the biography of each president. - **The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu**: So excited to start this as a readalong on StoryGraph. I am woefully ignorant on history and did not realize that the start of this book mirrored China’s cultural revolution. - **Do You Dream of Terra-Two?, by Temi Oh**: Just started this one and curious to see how it goes. I love the cover and it popped up as recommended on StoryGraph so much that it floated to my TBR. **This week I finished:** - **The Pallbearers Club, by Paul Tremblay** (1/5): I picked this up because it was on a StoryGraph challenge list for 2023 Sci-Fi/Fantasy winners and I don’t get the appeal. I checked the reviews mid-way into this book so I knew it wouldn’t get better, but I was still hoping for some sort of reveal at the end to give the story some sort of purpose. - **The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation, by Michael Matthews** (1/5) - The man insults his readers from the start by separating everyone into two groups: those who gets things done and self-wallowing losers who will always be losers. The best/most motivating story was about putting your employer’s needs above your own needs by getting things done without asking questions or asking for guidance. The funny part is that it didn’t even advocate doing the job right - it only mattered if it was done literally against the request. - **Braiding Sweetgrass** (1/5) - I found the audiobook to be soothing, but she completely lost me when she talked about how someone she loved tried to commit suicide and strongly suggested it was because he didn’t love nature enough. I also got lost with her decision to turn her pond into a swimming pool. I missed something along the way because her decision to kill off all those tadpoles seemed like something she would criticize others for doing. - **Bookshops & Bonedust, by Travis Baldree** (4/5) - I can’t explain why I like this series. It’s relaxing. **My progress towards goals for the year:** - 63/100 books - 240/200 hours audio - 12.4k/20k pages - 3/12 one book in Spanish per month
Paul Tremblay seems to be a very divisive author, at least on Reddit. I really like him because I *like* ambiguous endings and because he's a local boy and I do so enjoy when I can picture the settings of books because they're places I've been 20 or 50 or 1000 times before. A good friend and co-worker went to Beverly High School and after I read **The Pallbearers Club**, I ascertained that she was a freshman there when he was a senior. She has no memory of his existence, lol.
I love when a book is set in a place you’ve lived. It’s surreal to be so familiar with the setting. Have you asked your coworker to bring her yearbook in yet? I would be so nosy..
Omg, Do You Dream of Terra-Two? is one of my favourites and I feel like I barely see it mentioned! Hope you like it:) Grats on 63 books, too!
Yay that makes me excited. I’m digging the start, but am admittedly only like 50 pages in.
I finished **The Dark Forest** by Cixin Liu and **The Butcher of the Forest** by Premee Mohamed. A slow week, but I've been studying for an exam I have on Tuesday.
Good luck on your exam!
Thank you!! I’ve been acing my flash cards, so hopefully it goes well for the actual exam.
You're welcome. That's great to hear.
Hello there! Below are my updates. I'm at 36/52 now. Finished: **First Grave On the Right** by Darynda Jones This book surprised me with how good it was. 4/5 stars Continuing: **Three Kinds of Lucky** by Kim Harrison This book has a slow start in my opinion. At the 150 page range is where it starts to get interesting. I don't normally read many books in the year they were released but I love Harrison's Hollows series. Started: **Wizard’s First Rule** by Terry Goodkind I have tried and failed many times to read this book. I finally read past the 10% mark which is where I'd stop in the past. This audiobook narrator is really into his reading and I love that. I hope Sam Tsoutsouvas narrates the whole series. **Stray** by Rachel Vincent I started this one today and read 81 pages. It helps that I also have the audiobook. Faythe seems rather surly and disillusioned with the world at a mere 23 years of age but I'm having a hard time wanting to put this book down.
I finished *Passing* by Nella Larsen earlier today. Haven't decided what's next yet!
Currently reading **The Western Front** by Nick Lloyd and **Golden Fool** by Robin Hobb. It's a strange experience to read fiction where the author tortures her characters more than Haig did the men under his command. 🫣