serfraserSo what are you all reading?
StriderRereading Lockwood and Co. I like reading YA books when I’m stressed and Stroud is quite clever.
Not familiar with that one but I read the first few Bartimaeus books when I was younger and thought they were great.
If you like teens fighting ghosts, with a little bit of interpersonal drama tossed in, it’s a fun romp. There’s a little of Stroud’s typical subtext about social class in there too.
Netflix had a show based on it a few years ago but of course they dropped it after one season, even though it was quite good IMHO.
Finally on Book 10 of the “Malazan: Book of the Fallen” series by Steven Erikson, “The Crippled God”. Been a long road getting through this series. Started at the end of June. It’s had it’s ups and downs. I adore Book 5 but hated books 2 and 3, and I’m not a fan of how many plots are surely going to be left unresolved at the end of Book 10.
…I guess that’s why there’s another 17 books in the series or whatever, but I’m likely done with it once Book 10 is done.
Impressive you soldered on after hating 2 & 3 (2 is my overall fav and I loved 3). It’s an epic finale, hope you enjoy it! I said I was done with the series too, but The God Is Not Willing drew me back in and now I’m sizing up the ICE novels.
My feelings on books 2 and 3 are complicated; but I hated book 2 because I saw the ending coming from a hundred pages in (“ohhh, this is gonna be tragic AF, right?”) and I just in general found 2 and 3 to be much darker than I like. I mean, those books are both SO dark.
But dark doesn’t mean they were badly written, or even badly plotted, and both books still had moments of incredible beauty, or stunning revelation, or twisted WTF that made me gawk.
It’s a good series; I just think Steven Erikson is too mean to his characters. ;)
It’s a heavy series, definitely. 2 and 3 are especially grim books tbf. In fact I hated 2 myself back when I read it the first time as a teen. It’s only when I went back in my 30s and tried again it became one of my favourite reads ever.
I had a similar issue with books two and three and unfortunately stopped reading after them. They were well written but I read to relax; I can deal with a little darkness but those books were downright bleak.
I am once again making my way through The Dresden Files - about half way through Side Jobs. I haven’t yet read the two latest books, so I’m excited to get into those.
I haven’t got round to Battle Ground yet. I read most of them all at once so when I’d caught up my momentum stalled a bit. And Peace Talks was okay but it didn’t wow me tbh.
ⓝⓞ🅞🅝🅔I read through these books entirely too quickly. Despite some aspects of Butcher’s writing that rub me the wrong way, I came to really love the world-building and the characters as they developed. It’s been a couple of years since I finished and I’ve been eagerly awaiting the next few books he has on the docket.
midnight_pukerI’m working my way through the Gentleman Bastard Sequence by Scott Lynch again. I’m about halfway thru Red Seas Under Red Skies and I’m looking forward to reading The Thorn of Emberlain. Also, I’ve been thinking about picking up the Coldfire series by C.S. Friedman.
Coldfire is one of those series I’ve seen people recommend for years but hasn’t really ever crossed my radar properly. I do love Locke, though. How do you rank the series so far? I find I’m in the minority in that RoT is my fav book while RSURS my least.
I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed the series. Red Seas is definitely the weak link for me so far, but still good fun. I don’t think anything else will top Lies of Locke Lamora for me, though. That book got its hooks in me almost immediately and I couldn’t put down the series until I finished Republic.
I totally understand people not liking RSuRS but I love it so much. It must just be because my dad genes require me to love Age of Sail/Exploration ships…
That’s fair, I remember really struggling with the sailing sections, they didn’t hook me like the heist stuff. But then I think the other two books are just paced much better overall. I’m definitely in the minority with my RoT love though.
Started the Stormlight Archive over xmas break. Just finished the novella Dawnshard this morning and have Rhythm of War queue up on my reader to start today. 💜
Making it so far into that series over one break is seriously impressive to my turtle reading skills
I may have a bit of an addictive personality when it comes to new things I like. My partner is quick to remind me of this. Often. 😏
Plus I was at my in-laws house for 2 weeks. I needed something to keep me disengaged from them. 🙃
I’m currently reading The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman. I’m not enjoying it as much as I did The Magicians books (my favourite books - and the ones that made me love the fantasy genre) but I really love LG’s writing style and storytelling. The story itself is awesome and well worth a look
Just added to my tbr, it sounds really fun!
NutomicLord of the Rings trilogy, after finishing The little Hobbit last week. Its the first time in years Im reading a book, and the last time I read those books 20 years ago. Its really so much better than the movies, knowing what the characters think or feel. And with so many small, important details which are left out of the movies.
I read the Silmarillion for the first time last year and it made me fall in love with Tolkien again after a few decades of neglecting his work. Written very differently from LOTR but I still highly recommend if you want more Tolkien and more details.
Animal farm. Dang, Napoleon is an asshole.
spoilerJustice for Boxer!
10/10 summary of the book right there
I’m on book 2 of Jim Butcher’s Cinder Spires series. Loving it, great swashbuckling adventure. Very disappointed he hasn’t written the 3rd one yet.
halyk.the.redJust started Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind
☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆The Mercy of Gods bookwyrm.social/book/1794611/s/the-mercy-of-gods
The Mercy of Gods - BookWyrm
<p>How humanity came to the planet called Anjiin is lost in the fog of history, but that history is about to end. The Carryx – part empire, part hive – have waged wars of conquest for centuries, destroying or enslaving species across the galaxy. Now, they are facing a great and deathless enemy. The key to their survival may rest with the humans of Anjiin. Caught up in academic intrigue and affairs of the heart, Dafyd Alkhor is pleased just to be an assistant to a brilliant scientist and his celebrated research team. Then the Carryx ships descend, decimating the human population and taking the best and brightest of Anjiin society away to serve on the Carryx homeworld, and Dafyd is swept along with them. They are dropped in the middle of a struggle they barely understand, set in a competition against the other captive species with extinction as the price of failure. Only Dafyd and a handful of his companions see past the Darwinian contest to the deeper game that they must play to learning to understand – and manipulate – the Carryx themselves. With a noble but suicidal human rebellion on one hand and strange and murderous enemies on the other, the team pays a terrible price to become the trusted servants of their new rulers. Dafyd Alkhor is a simple man swept up in events that are beyond his control and more vast than his imagination. He will become the champion of humanity and its betrayer, the most hated man in history and the guardian of his people. This is where his story begins.</p>
Currently in a sci fi “Consider Phlebas” by Iain Banks, after seeing a recommendation for his books involving an optimism for the future. This was the one book available at my local library. Not far enough in to make a judgment on it, but enjoying it so far.
I have Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez also out from the library as a next up.
Recently read Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood, which was a fun cozy urban fantasy. I think if I were to recommend such a book, I’d recommend The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches above it, or recommend Legends & Lattes or The Spellshop for cozy high fantasy choices, but if you’ve read all the popular ones and are looking for more it’s a great choice.
UltraGiGaGigantic
PolandIsAStateOfMind
tetris11The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
Kalevala. Pretty fun for a long ass poem, and the influences it have on Tolkien writing are quite obvious.
Unsheathed (also translated as Sword of Coming), a chinese xianxia novel with superb writing style, great lessons, and plots within plots.
KrikJust did A Magician’s Apprentice by Trudy Canavan. It’s not exactly what I hoped for (wanted more magic, got a war in a different universe instead).
Currently I’m reading Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett like OP does. It’s quite good so far. I feel entertained!
After that I either continue reading the other two following books or have a look at Imajica by Clive Barker or the Shades of Magic series by V. E. Schwab.
And after that I’ll probably turn to sci-fi for a change.
If you like a to completely immerse into a different culture, history and time then maybe Ascendance of a Bookworm by Miya Kazuki is something for you. Don’t let the manga style cover fool you it has really well thought-out world. It’s the story of a girl that died in our world and was reborn in another while remembering her past life. As a bookworm she struggles with the harsh reality that books are incredible expensive over there and attempts to remedy that - and clashes with the prevailing culture and social norms. Sometimes the MC is a bit silly or too much coming-of-age. But I read 24 volumes (270-330 pages each) out of like 32 so it can’t be too bad.
And yes they made an anime out of it.
Foundryside was so good, sometimes I think it sped by almost too quickly, I hope the next book let’s you get to know the supporting cast and setting a bit better, but it was still a really well put together story.
I’ve been rereading the first few chapters of Imajica for decades now until I feel too overwhelmed by how massive it is and give up again til my next reread attempt.
AdriusThe Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle. Some of the dialogue feels a bit dated but so far I’m enjoying it.
I’m struggling my way through the first book in the Dragonlance Chronicles, Dragons of Autumn Twilight.
I’m over halfway now, and I don’t like any of the main cast. The only character I like is Bupu, but she’s really only a side character, who’ll probably get left by the wayside, if she survives the encounter with the dragon that is.
And I downright hate smug and aloof but fragile Raistlin, and I don’t understand why the group would even travel with such an annoying person. And don’t get me started on the Kender…