What have you been reading this week? [June 26-July 2, 2023]
What have you been reading this week? [June 26-July 2, 2023]
Finished: T. Kingfisher's The Twisted Ones, which was very easy reading - a folk horror kinda sequel to Machen's The White People. I read it straight after her The Hollow Places, and although both were engaging, the similarity of protagonists and overall story arc suggests that they are probably best not read in quick succession: too repetitive.
Continued: Finnegans Wake - reading it through the year. Just completed 'The Night Lessons' in book 2, which went from slightly comprehensible to utterly incomprehensible and back to slightly again, and added the columnar format with side notes by Shaun and Shem and footnotes by Issey just for fun...
Resumed: Robert Brightwell's Flashman and Madison's War - the fifth of his prequels to George McDonald Frasier's Flashman series. Although entertaining and well researched in general, this is perhaps the weakest of this series so far - which is probably why I had put it aside and not resumed until now, a couple of months after moving house, when I paused. The historical events that Flashy is involved in are scattered and episodic by nature which is probably the root of the problem with this book. Brightwell hasn't found a strong unifying arc to overcome that.
Started: The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten, but a chapter in I was not finding anything appealing to me, so abandoned it.
Started: Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time. A chapter in I am very intrigued at the setup and keen to continue.
Yes. Without the insights from TrueLit, the entire thing would be incomprehensible.
I can certainly see that FW and Ulysses would be far too much.
I've finally gotten around to "Fire and Fury: Inside the trump White House", and I have to say: this is an absolute drama story. Like, there's intrigue and scheming for days.
It's simultaneously hilarious and horrifying that what feels like reading a kind of soap opera or reality show is a legitimate account of what went on in the White House.
Finished Uprooted by Naomi Novik and absolutely loved it. Highly recommend if you're looking for a cozy fairy tale type of story.
Started reading The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. Haven't gotten very far but I'm liking it a lot.
Nearly done with Book of the Short Sun! Just started the last book in it. I really like the two-timeline structure of it, though I may be one of the minority who prefers Long Sun. Itās moreā¦idk, cosy. I like the religious themes.
I want to mention something else but not sure how to do spoilers here
Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The third book in an awesome space opera trilogy.
Mad Ship by Robin Hobb. Every book I read by her further makes her one of my favorite fantasy writers.
Iām almost done with Wyrd Sisters and my love for Pratchett only grows the more I read him.
Wyrd Sisters has a bit of a bumpy start (more like a few molehills) but once it hits itās stride it really flies. Every paragraph has a gem but they wizz by so fast that I find I canāt remember anything but the feeling.
Also lovely audiobook with Indira Varma narrating. They did great managing all the stage direction and other odd formatting in the book. And she does just the right amount with all the oddball voices.
Iāve read a few Discworld books here and there but this time I hope I can really dive in. Pratchett puts me in such a good headspace especially with gestures around generally
Currently reading Lords of Chaos about the history and influence of Black metal in Nordic countries. Super interesting stuff.
Iāve also been digging Kings of the Wyld, a fantasy book about a a group of old mercenaries who have to āget the band back togetherā to save the lost daughter of one of their members. Lots of fun ābandā and āmusicā references throughout, and itās also funny and has a lot of heart.
Iām going on vacation next week and looking to read some interesting - and easy- nonfiction. I guess you could say Iām looking for āpop nonfictionā or āairport nonfictionā. Stuff thatās informative and easy to read for the average reader. Recently, stuff Iāve enjoyed in this vein includes: An Immense World by Ed Yong, Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake, and Caste by Isabel Wilkerson.
^^anyone have any suggestions along those lines?