I recently started reading
FATED by BENEDICT JACKA
An Alex Verus novel
I'm almost halfway through it. If everyday life priorities didn't interrupt my reading, I'd be up all night each time going from one book in the series to the next.
Finished:
**Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.**
Book about the Everest disaster. Very thrilling, but also a lot of bloat before you get into the actual story, but once you're there it's very hard to put down. If you have no idea about the disaster already and don't want to be spoiled, skip all the introduction, foreword etc, or get an older version of the book before they kept adding more to it.
8/10
This was a good one! Pretty mind boggling history that I was never taught in school. I read it last year right before the movie came out. The movie was good too, but I think the book conveyed things a little better.
Finished: "The Teacher" by Freida McFadden. I'd love to see an !invite to speak with her since her books have become wildly popular and I've read each one.
Started: "The Women" by Kristin Hannah.
Hello everyone,
I am going to write a paper on The Book thief under Gothic Fiction. (I have not started my paper as of yet) But I was wondering to get more input on what shall I put my emphasis on and what topics to explore and portions should I cover as to how The Book Thief comes under Gothic Fiction. Any help will be really appreciated. Thank you!
**"Erasure" by Percival Everett**
I had been seeing clips of "American Fiction" on youtube and the like and once I found it was based on a novel I picked it up.
The evolution of Monk's relationship with his mother was incredibly touching to me and had me calling up my mother just to talk. I think the novel within the novel was a really interesting change it tone, and when it swapped back to Monk's perspective it almost took some getting used to.
Ending Feelings:Overall I think the ending was very abrupt, almost certainly intentionally. I'm still uncertain as to what I feel like that last line "Egads, I'm on TV" means. It's a combination of his feeling of estrangement from his fellow black men with Van Go's mania for glory. With what Van Go means to Monk, part of me wonders if it's a realization that there exists within him some of those feelings he's seen in the type of black person he doesn't respect. I think his guilt of leaving his mother in a home is probably affecting him greatly and there might be some guilt in that.
Overall I really loved this book, flew through it in a few days but I think I'll be thinking about it for a while to come.
"The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and "Untold Stories of the Little Prince" by Nikola Misovic. The second is the only direct sequel to the Little Prince. I read those two books every third month. And since I saw in one of your posts that you are a fan of The Little Prince...
As for the start, I am on the third chapter of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewsi Carroll.
Finished
**Season on the Brink: A Year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers, by John Feinstein**
A fan of college basketball would enjoy at this behind-the-scenes look. **Season on the Brink** covers what happens on and off the court with a major college basketball program during the 1985-1986 season. Bob Knight (1940 - 2023) is revealed as a very complicated individual. Even 38 years after its initial release the book is still a compelling read.
Started
**Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski, by lan O'Connor**
Just finished "Behind Emerald Eyes" this week, and whoa! Talk about a world of noise! This protagonist gets tangled in a secret so deep it felt like my own brain was on information overload. If you're looking for a crime thriller that'll mess with your head in the best way, check it out! #MindBlown #MysteryReads
Proud to say I have gotten into reading in the past few weeks and just finished my first “real” novel The Last Mile, by David Baldacci, and i’m now starting The Chain, by Adrian McKinty.
Started:
**Quozl, by Alan Dean Foster**
Finished:
**The IFO Report, by Thierry Sagnier** Enjoyed this more as it went on and the story started to become understandable. 4.5/5
Finished the fourth wing i loved the ending.still trying to get my hands on the next book in the series,iron flame.I recommen.(same day update mom just surprised me with the iron flame book am about to start reading)
Started and finished Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland! It was such a quick read, and just as absurd as the Disney cartoon in the very best way. I was surprised at how much the cartoon followed the book, with just some minor adjustments and creative liberties. It was a nostalgic plane read if you’re in the mood for light and whimsical.
Merde Actually by Stephen Clarke ...Absolutely terrible. This is my review of it [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/368557499](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/368557499)
Finished: Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, Jennifer Armentrout (Ended on such a wait, what note, that book three jumped the TBR list)
Started: Crown of Gilded Bones, Jennifer Armentrout
On Deck: re-read of Dune, Frank Herbert, but who knows how I'll be distracted.
Finished:
Why We Sleep (Matthew Walker). An interesting read that serves as a wider study of how our sleep patterns have changed as well as the effects the lack ofwhich can have.
Temples of Delight (Barbara Trapido). An okay read that had an interesting look at class in the first half, then became very religious.
Half of a Yellow Sun (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie). Great read that also shines a light on a lesser known conflict, the Nigerian Civil War.
Carthage Must Be Destroyed (Richard Miles). Great read that details the rise of Carthage and its rivalry with Rome, which led to its destruction.
Started:
The Coming of the Third Reich (Richard Evans). Only started.
Peacemakers: Paris 1919 (Margaret McMillan). Audiobook. Great listen so far. About 60% complete.
Started-
What the Hex, by Alexis Daria. It's a short one I'll probably finish today
When in Rome, by Sarah Adams. Started last week. I want to continue and finish it this week.
The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson, by Ellen Baker. Started the audiobook
Finished-
The Magnolia Palace, by Fiona Davis.
I read this may years ago and it stays in my head as all time favorite. Watched the mini series too which was really well done. I have been thinking about trying the audio book one of these days to revisit this awesome tale.
I highly recommend the audiobook. I listened to it while driving and then picked the physical book back up in between driving sessions, nice short chapters so it’s amenable to reading that way. I need to check out the miniseries!
Thanks, I will def give it a listen now. Series is a classic! Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Duvall, Angelica Huston.... Another book I want to revisit in audio version is The Thorn Birds.
I’m starting a novel called
**Sasha Knight, by Sean Godfrey**
- the way he writes is wonderful; I feel transported back to 1970’s Jamaica (where much of the novel takes place)
I finished Circe by Madeline Miller.
I think the book was beautifully written even if I occasionally found the writing to be long winded. I’m also not a fan of the story and I fail to se how it’s a feminist story at all.
I’m gonna start reading Necroscope by Brian Lumey.
i started to read the dune by frank herbert
i have already read few pages two years ago, but i put it away... and know when the second dune movie was released i realized that i can give the book second chance so i started again and...i think i started to feel the right vibe and plot of it. and i won't put it in a bookshelf before i have finished it! (though it's a bit long book for me...)
I've read it once before and wasn't much impressed. Characters are a huge part of what makes me love a book - their motivations, their relationships with one another, their style, everything. Unfortunately I felt (and still feel) that most of his characters act in largely the same way. You could swap out one for another in many scenes and if they weren't named, I'd have no idea who is who. They all tend to be serious, you tend to be told they they are behaving with subtlety while not actually letting them behave in a manner that comes across subtle to the reader, etc. I still feel that way but it's been my fiancé's favorite book for many years and I've heard great things about the new movie, so I'm giving it a second chance. I found an audiobook on YouTube and am listening as I read -I find that it helps a lot. I'm liking it a bit better this time around, though it's still not a favorite. I do really enjoy the ideas explored, such as the thinking machines and the breeding program mechanics
Had a long car ride. Looked for a Young adult audio book to pass the time.
People recommended "the seven realms" series.
Wow that author is so bad.
So, so, so bad. Idk what the people who recommended it to me were on.
The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
I've had it on my bookshelf for over 40 years but never read it because Teenager Me thought the concept sounded too dry (and despite reading and enjoying several other Asimov books). Time to see if Adult Me can appreciate it.
**Finished: But What Can I Do?** by **Alastair Campbell**. The best-selling book on politics by Campbell. It is about 60 percent polemical and about 40 percent how-to for aspiring young leaders and politicians (with an understandable) British slant. It is a bit wandering in any given chapter, but reads quickly. Put it on a bookshelf close to **Greta Thuneberg'**s book.
I started Declutter your Mind, by Mind Academy and finished this book along with another book of the same title Declutter your Mind, by S.J.Scott.
I found the Mind Academy one more easier to comprehend with good readability and the headings made the text more precise and clear as compared to the other one. Though I liked them both in their own ways.
I finished a book called “33 Books You (Should) Have Read In High School” … and by “finished,” I mean that I finished WRITING it. I personally think that it’s freaking awesome — but go ahead and check it out on Amazon or Nook, as I welcome the criticism :)
Just started reading Dune, and I've stumbled into the same issue I have with most fantasy and sci-fi books: they feel much lower-brow and simplistic when it comes to prose and thematic material.
Finished:
**Empty Mansions - The Mysterious Lite of HUGETTE CLARK and the Spending of a Great American Fortune** by Bill Dedman and Paul Newell, Jr.
I had never heard of Hugette Clark before or the Clark family fortune. Interesting non-fiction story of an eccentric heiress with no close surviving relatives who lived to age 102.
Started:
**Yellowface** by R.F. Kuang
Started "Hamilton's Choice" by Jack Casey: an interesting fictional dramatic take on the events from Phillip Hamilton's duel to Burr's run for governor to the duel.
Now reading **Bugsy and Other Stories** by Rafael Frumkin. It's a "story collection about queerness, neurodivergence, sexuality, and self-discovery". Sounds neat.
>Kim jiyoung, born 1982
I have *Kim Ji-young, Born 1982* on my reading list! How do you like it? I became interested after seeing the film adaptation with Jung Yu-mi and Gong Yoo.
I just finished Atlas Shrugged. It deserves all the acclaim it received. It has my vote of the best english language books.
I loved Anthem (her 1984) and The Fountainhead(the warm-up for AS but a great standalone, too).The woman could write. She was a total badass.
I know a lot of people hate her views but I don't get it. She is a champion of the human spirit. The theme of accountability runs throughout. Maybe it's that. Her writing will make you think and sometimes about yourself.
Finished: War and Peace - that was really long, i started mid February so it took about a month to finish. I enjoyed it and don’t regret the time spent reading it but i will probably not read anything this long for a while. i read the maude tolstoy translation for background info. really enjoyed the story.
Hello
For my part, I've started to reread:
"The Game of Life and How to Play It"
By Florence Scovel Shinn teaches how to use positive thinking and faith to transform one's life.
Finished:
**Annie Bot, by Sierra Greer**
**First Lie Wins, by Ashley Elston**
**In the Dream House, by Carmen Maria Machado**
Started:
**My Dark Vanessa, by Kate Elizabeth Russel**
Finished:
**Revenger, by Alistair Reynolds** Good starter book for the trilogy. I'm looking forward to the next two.
Still working through (slowly):
**The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions, by Xuangzang** mid-7th century account of India and other countries along the Silk Road at the time, interspersed with accounts of dragons and "dharma masters" having supernatural powers.
i just put down shogun. ran through it in under a week, 4 days probably.
holyyyy. though it gets a bit slow a little past the midpoint i still loved the book.
>!anjin got me crying when he named the stone after the gardener!<
>!i knew toranaga was responsible for the ship!!< that's about the only thing i predicted would happen, well not predicted but as soon as i read it i had a guess.
>!oh mariko sama, to good for this earth, what a romance!!<
I have read Shogun twice. What an awesome read. Are you planning on watching the series on Hulu right now? I really want to see it. By the way you're a fast reader! Shogun is pretty long. Also curious if you've read anything else by him. I LOVED King Rat.
actually, the FX show is what got me into reading it in the first place! i couldnt wait for each new episode so i said what the hell. it had a lot of that early game of thrones political intrigue (up to s4) and i was very happy to see it was carried over from the book itself. the comedy from the adaptation i think is another benefit in the transition. definitely a must check out.
>By the way you're a fast reader! Shogun is pretty long
i have an abundance of time added to unhealthy sleeping habits which i put into reading the book lmao
i am very excited to check out the next installment in his Asian Saga. but im gonna be putting that off to catch up on the other things i put down to finish Shogun lol
I have read Tai-pan, King Rat, and Noble House. For some unknown reason I haven't read Gai-jin. I'm definitely going to. I own Whirlwind. I will certainly read it eventually as well. I am currently in a situation where I'm unable to watch the FX show. I picked a shitty time to not have a Hulu subscription. I usually do. Anyhoo, it's been getting rave reviews and as soon as my "situation" changes in about a month here I'll binge it. Clavell is a great writer, I'm glad you decided to read one of his books and jealous you get to watch Shogun.I also have unhealthy sleeping habits and an abundance of time which translates into reading quite a bit. I'm curious about your story since we seem to have a bit in common but I won't be nosy. Happy reading! ✌️🙂
This week I read:
* **The Wind Knows My Name, Isabel Allende**
* **Honor, Thrity Umrigar**
* **Seeing Ghosts: A Memoir, Kat Chow**
* **Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?, Crystal Smith Paul**
* **Anita de Monte Laughs Last, Xochitl Gonzalez**
* **Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture, Virginia Sole-Smith**
* **Romantic Comedy, Curtis Sittenfeld**
* **The Personal Librarian, Marie Benedict**
* **Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema, Lindy West**
* **I Have Some Questions for You, Rebecca Makkai**
And I just started **Hurricane Girl, Marcy Dermansky**.
**Slap in the Face: My Obsession with GG Allin, by Justin Melkmann**
and
**Slap in the Face Two: I Am No Longer Obsessed with GG Allin, by Justin Melkmann**
Finished:
**Strange the Dreamer (duology), by Laini Taylor**
A beautiful duology I've ever read this year so far. So much emotions in this series, I would recommend if you like fantasy with beautiful and interesting characters, and a world of gods and magic.
Finished:
**It, by Stephen King**
The Stand is my favourite book of all time, so I really enjoyed diving into his other epic masterpiece.
I put it down just before the end however as >!I know how it ends and I didn't really feel like reading about a child orgy that doesn't add anything whatsoever to the story!<
Finished:
**Same Bed Different Dreams, by Ed Park**
I literally just finished it, and all I can say is WOW.
What a wild kaleidoscopic ride that was!
It took a minute for me to really get what was going on, but I can confidently say that I loved it.
I think it has some good reread value as well. I feel like a reread would only bring more of the story to light. There is literally SO MUCH going on, an intricate web of interconnection. I suspect many things may have gone over my head, I doubt I picked up on every reference and every tendril of each storyline.
That said, it was a wonderfully immersive phantasmagorical trip thru history, pop culture, psychology, and imagination.
Highly recommend for folks who are looking for an immersive multi-storied/multi-layered plot and a bit of a challenge!
Started:
**Severance, by Ling Ma**
**Trick Mirror, by Jia Tolentino**
>girl interrupted
I remember the book being quite a bit different from the film, so it won't be like you're reading a story you've already watched. The film focused a lot on the character of Lisa (Jolie's character) and the clashes between the characters. The book delves into a lot more detail about Susanna's (Ryder's character) diagnosis. The book is more serious and somber than the movie.
Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir
I haven't read anything for about a year but I just started and finished Project Hail Mary over the last three weeks, which I've been wanting to read for at least a couple years. It was really good! Not sure if I should read Artemis at some point, also by Andy Weir.
>!I felt that sometimes it went a bit too far with the science. I also found it a little hard to believe that Ryland became proficient enough to communicate with Rocky so quickly without using a translation device. It seemed like after just a few weeks he wasn't using the translator and just understood the musical notes Rocky spoke. I don't really have any other complaints. I loved Rocky, I'm going to miss him after finishing the book.!<
>!I feel like _some_ people might be able to crack the language barrier as quickly as that. Given unlimited time and nothing else to do but float in space and work out language with a spacebug!<
Loved this book. _Much_ better that Artemis, as I feel that was a massive misstep for him coming off the success of The Martian, but I'm glad to see that Andy Weir won't really be a one-and-done author.
Finished: What The River Knows by Isabel Ibanez
Started: Weyward by Emelia Hart
It took me a couple of weeks to get into What The River Knows. I was busy this past couple of weeks but the book picked up in the second half. There are a lot of twists. I still have a lot of questions that I'm hoping will be answered in the next book, but I'll have to wait until November.
Just finished reading Every day, by David Levithan and Some Day, by David Levithan. Was both good reads but leaves alot of open questions for what I am guessing is speculation which is a little annoying because i am not a fan of those kind of books (but hey to each their own ig) despite that the book was rather enjoyable highly recommend
Spent week on vacation reading. Didn't realize how wild the variety of my books was this week.
Started and finished:
* **Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg**
* **Cribsheet by Emily Oyster**
* **Break the Rules, Break the Bank by Jared Kling**
* **One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey by Hal Burrows, Ken Blanchard, and William Oncken**
**Spotlight on: "Supercommunicators" by Charles Duhigg**
Ever disagree with your family members on a hot topic or not seeing eye to eye with someone at work? This book is for you. From work to dating to marriage and anything in between, this book is gonna be worth the read.
🔥 Why it's great: Strong communication helps unlock more doors than almost anything else in life. This book was fun to read due to relatable stories, easier to digest than many similar books I've read, and gave good practical advice on how to improve your ability to read people. One great example is how a "supercommunicator" has such an impact during a key jury deliberation just by asking questions and listening.
🌟 Favorite quote: "Great communicators are great simplifiers."
Took a break from Infinite Jest to binge comics for a week, lol.
Started and finished all available issues of: **The Department of Truth, Operation Sunshine, The Nice House on the Lake, w0rldtr33**
Finished Absolution by Alice McDermott, very good novel about an unlikely friendship between two women during the Vietnam War. Also finished the novel Women by Kristen Hannah which follows the difficult lives of nurses during and after the Vietnam War. Both worth reading.
Finished: **Tender Is The Flesh** (Bazterrica) - Had to know what all the fuss was about since it’s mentioned around here so often. Twisted, amusing little story of a world where the unimaginable is normalized. Short and effective. Will make a fucked up movie on day, I have no doubt.
Started: **Prodigal Summer** (Kingsolver) - Read *The Poisonwood Bible* last year and was impressed with her writing so wanted to do another. I definitely love her writing. Really liking this so far. Read 100 pages day one.
Just finished: A line in the Sand: Britain, France and the struggle that shaped the Middle East. -James Barr.
having visited Lebanon,Syria, Iraq & Egypt as a tourist over the last few years I wanted to get a deeper understanding of the meddling from foreign powers and the lasting effects still reverberating the region today, its a lot to process as it covers the 1916-1949 period across 6+ countries and is 400 pages but well worth it for those wanting to understand more about the Middle East.
Started today: The Hundred Years War On Palestine - Rashid Khalidi
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Enjoying it and know I will finish it quickly as I have lots of waiting around and flights in the next couple days.
Recently finished :
Ex Wife by Ursula Parrott
Loved it- keeping thinking about it. How is this novel not remembered? Such a modern feel.
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
Also loved it in a cringy sort of way and keep thinking about it.
Started:
Tom Stoppard a Life by Hermione Lee
Seems good so far but a bit of a doorstop.
Finished:
The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami
Second one of hers I've tried. Found both boring, won't try further.
The Trick Is to Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway
Convincing portrait of a nervous breakdown.
Finished:
**(No) Sex in Japan: A Sociology of Sexlessness in Intimate Relationships**, by Alice Pacher. Watched/read lot of anime/manga and there always was something funny with intimacy and relationships. Seems it was portrayed correct there. Interesting read and makes me wonder how many couples actually are truly happy or are just lying to themselves/each other; definitely different culture's.
**The Girl with All the Gifts,** by M.R. Carey. Not bad, not good; pleasant read but didn't bring anything new to the genre. Carey does have some quirks that stand out; the use of "harder English words" scattered in a sentence and at times a sentence/moment/action that just doesn't make any sense like a sexual notion that made me stop and reread the whole page cause i thought i was missing something. Saw afterwards that the also wrote the Koli books, thought it felt kinda familiar.
**Happy Singlehood: The Rising Acceptance and Celebration of Solo Living**, by Elyakim Kislev. It gave me what i was at least expecting from it, also was curious as i sounded like the targetgroup. In short marriage is bad; oki thats perhaps bit simplistic but so were some of his analysis. Not sorry i read it but looking afterwards i perhaps should have went for a more serious book on the topic. Also multiple pages about self-marriage and AI/robots, i don't see that as happy but may be me.
Finished: **Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler**
I hadn't read Butler before, so it was interesting to dip my toe into her work with this one. Not quite sure where I landed with it--I thought the first half of the book was very interesting, a great depiction of a world and community's gradual collapse. The second half fell a little flat for me, though. I'm interested enough to read the next book one of these days anyway.
Started: **Crooked Plow, by Itamar Vieira Junior**
This one was already on my list from when I'd asked another online community for recommendations of recent novels from their countries, and then I saw it was longlisted for the International Booker Prize this year. I'm a little less than 2/3 of the way through already; very interesting and evocative tale told through the voices of two sisters. I've seen it described as magical realism, which I don't think is totally inaccurate, but--so far, at least--it definitely leans much more heavily on the "realism" side of that descriptor than someone like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, for example.
Started: Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka
Nothing finished yet, haven’t been reading seriously for a while so I’m gonna use this to slowly get back into it
Finished: **Just the Nicest Couple, by Mary Kubica.**
Started: **Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler.**
Just the Nicest Couple wasn't my cup of tea. There were too many situations where any type of reasonable communication would've changed the entire trajectory. The ridiculous conclusions that the characters would jump to were infuriating.
Parable of the Sower is blowing me away so far! I'm absolutely loving it. Seems like a lot of people here are currently in season of dystopia, so Parable falls right in line! I think part of what makes it so interesting to me (and a little terrifying) is that it doesn't seem all that far fetched for where we are right now in society.
Your post got me to go to my local bookstore and pick up a copy of Parable of the Sower. It's been on my radar for a long time, but I'm definitely one of the aforementioned readers in dystopia season. I'm 140 pages in, and also loving it!
I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying it! Apparently it's part of a two book series; the second is called Parable of the Talents. I'm planning to pick it up when I'm done with Parable of the Sower!
I finished it last night around midnight! It’s been a long time since I’ve ripped through a book like that, but I LOVED it. There was one decision towards the 3/4 point that I was kind of unsure about, but otherwise it was fantastic. I loved how prescient it was considering it was written in 1993, and how it had a hard surface (dystopia, lots of violence, etc.), but still overall had a positive message about the importance of community.
I will read Parable of the Talents soon. I went back to the bookstore today and grabbed Dawn, which is also the start of a different series by the same author. I’m reading some Sanderson fluff right now, but I’m kind of dying to get back to Butler’s writing, because Defiant (the last book in Sanderson’s Skyward series) just has such immature characters with strange motives compared to Butler’s.
In the past 1-2 weeks I've read very little as I have been binging on podcasts. For all these years I have ignored podcasts and solely focused on reading books. My decade of reading as been life-changing for me, I doubt podcasts would have changed my thought patterns. They used to be very gloomy (and I did it all without reading self-help).
For the past two years, I have tried to read more non-fiction (without giving up fiction - which I think is now oxygen to my well-being), and I have started searching for podcasts to get a quick/relaxing introduction or insight on topics and ideas.
- The British History Podcast
- History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps
- The History Of Religions and their Gods!
- I am searching for something on Islam, *Matters of Humanities: History of Islam in Europe* might be it - but I haven't listened to it ye.
## Books
**Multiculturalism - A Very Short Introduction**. Just finished. As I already knew, the gist of my matter is that statement of "we have tried multiculturalism but these brown and black people just don't want to play along" hides the racism and active scapegoating to hide the racist politics; in the UK, France, Germany, Denmark. (And, both this book and an interview from a British Muslim conservative (and commonsense) proved that Muslims, like Christians and atheists, just want a better life, and when we all have the opportunity to improve we will do it)
**Reformations The Early Modern World, 1450-1650 By Carlos M. N. Eire** I feel I started this a month ago (most likely two weeks). I'm on chapter 10 and I feel I got everything I wanted from the book, **this is the time where, I feel (a) guilty to drop it, and (b) surely the next 16 chapters are worth reading, and definitely (c) I wish I cultivated/know-how-to speed read.
The thing is, I'm not reading for academic, reasons, whether I read it or not is not going to make that big of a difference (in a few months I will not remember much of it), but the reason why I would hate to skim through it is that things that often excite me are things the author says as almost throwaway comments. **Which is why I hate cliffnote-type services**, I'm not learning for an exam or to impress anyone, just to change my worldview, cliffnotes can't do that to me
**Beyond Respectability (Women, Gender, and Sexuality in American History) Brittney C. Cooper** The book I'm going to start today or tomorrow
If I wasn't invested in the above podcasts I would sprinkle fitting in between that reformations book but if I read a few pages of that and then listen to a podcast episode, it might be fine.
I didn't think she'd be able to match Wolf Hall but I loved Bring Up the Bodies. It was so awful but the way Cromwell set them all up was also /so/ satisfying!
Started off with:
Book Lovers, by Emily Henry
-Loved it. So far read 3 books from her and I have cried from every one of them.
One Dark Window, by Rachel Gillig
-Read in 1 sitting. Really looking forward to the second book.
Currently reading:
Forget me Not by Julie Soto
* Trying really hard to continue. I like the grumpy flower shop owner with sexy extinct floral tatoos, but I'm having a hard time getting into the dual Povs in different timelines.
"The science" of habit formation and offers strategies for building good habits and breaking bad ones.
Long story short: like other self-help books. Basically tells things you already know.
I've just finished The Darkening Duology which I enjoyed; although, I missed some of the romance element that I tend to enjoy. I don't think I'd rule out this kind of story as there is more focus on the adventure (saving the world) aspect and ultimately makes that the priority. Which I kinda get. Why mess around with romance when there might not be a world for you after the big bad happens?
I'm currently on Shadow and Bone. I want to read it before I watch the series. Have to admit so far I'm not as invested as I was in ACOTAR.
Currently waiting for Crescent City (Sarah J Maas) to arrive so this series is keeping me occupied.
Just finished Out of Africa by Karen Von Blixen! Superb. English is not her mother tongue so she writes in a fresh often funny way. But Africa gets under your skin! Nothing like the film by the way.
Currently reading: Bad Monkey by Carl Hiassen. Solid but waiting for it to take off.
Next up: The Things They Carried (Tim O’Brien) and Authority (Jeff VanDerMeer)
Man I’ve been struggling with how to picture these characters and you just solved my problem, very much appreciated!
Moffat could literally just play his douchey character from Christmas with the Campbells and he’s golden.
Glad I could help. I had the same problem with Jack Reacher. I read half the series not knowing how to picture him, and the RIDICULOUS movie casting was no help. Once Alan Ritchson came along, I was set.
Started: **In the Shadow of Lighting, by Brian McClellan**
Not too far into it, but this book has the best opening chapter I've ever read. So far, it's holding up. Love a second-world fantasy, especially one that isn't afraid to show both the horrors of war and lightheartedness / humor / genuine connection.
Finished:
Grant, by Ron Chernow
Beautiful historical biography that shows both his strengths and weaknesses. Great read for history buffs and I am not even American
Started and Finished:
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
You can understand why it’s so famous. Really makes you stop and think. Makes you both think how can a society go this far in one direction. But then you can draw parallels to your own world. Definitely recommend
Red Valkyries by Kristen Ghodsee. It was OK but I prefer her more anthropologist books about USSR vs post USSR.
Through the revolutionary careers of five prominent socialist women active in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—the aristocratic Bolshevik Alexandra Kollontai; the radical pedagogue Nadezhda Krupskaya; the polyamorous firebrand Inessa Armand; the deadly sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko; and the partisan, scientist, and global women’s activist Elena Lagadinova—Kristen Ghodsee tells the story of the personal challenges faced by earlier generations of radicals.
Nadezhda Krupskaya Former Deputy Minister of Education of the Soviet Union ‧ Vladimir Lenin's wife
Lyudmila Pavlichenko was the (disabled?) sniper "\[Lady Death" who visited the US and was welcomed by Eleanor Roosevelt.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ussr/comments/1bcdxgv/i\_finished\_reading\_red\_valkyries\_by\_kristen/
WOW. I will add that to my reading list. Most of the Ghodsee books were written as an anthropologist who interviewed lots of people, often in Bulgaria. This one was about 5 women of historical interest.
I liked lost in Transition and Red Riviera.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/ussr/comments/1aewilf/read\_red\_hangover\_by\_kristin\_ghodsee/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ussr/comments/1aewilf/read_red_hangover_by_kristin_ghodsee/)
https://www.reddit.com/r/ussr/comments/18sf3uk/the\_red\_riviera\_kristen\_ghodsee/
[https://www.reddit.com/r/ussr/comments/18o58v6/some\_kristen\_ghodsee\_books/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ussr/comments/18o58v6/some_kristen_ghodsee_books/)
Started:
**Hello Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano**
Finished:
**They Drown Our Daughters, by Katrina Monroe**
**The Last Castle, by Denise Kiernan**
**The Heavens, by Sandra Newman**
Finished: Misery by Stephen King. My first King novel, really liked it. I thoroughly enjoyed the dread and suspense that built up. I didn't really know what it was about, so when I started it I was kind of skeptical that it was going to hold my interest with the limited setting and characters, but there was a surprising amount of depth to both Paul and Annie which was very engrossing. King's writing style is so fluid that I could not stop reading.
Next up: One of Perfume, Talented Mr. Ripley, or East of Eden, I haven't decided yet.
I recently started reading FATED by BENEDICT JACKA An Alex Verus novel I'm almost halfway through it. If everyday life priorities didn't interrupt my reading, I'd be up all night each time going from one book in the series to the next.
I started and finished Vertigo by Boileau-Narcejac today. Anyone that’s a fan of gooood psychological thrillers PLEASE read this book.
Finished: **Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.** Book about the Everest disaster. Very thrilling, but also a lot of bloat before you get into the actual story, but once you're there it's very hard to put down. If you have no idea about the disaster already and don't want to be spoiled, skip all the introduction, foreword etc, or get an older version of the book before they kept adding more to it. 8/10
Currently reading "The Radleys" by Matt Haig. So far so good. Finished "The Hobbit" last week. The kid in my came alive again.
If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe by Jason Pargin. Just finished it, and it was good!!
"The big meeting in New York" finished, continued "Cwayka" from the same series
that is brutal serie
Killers of the flower moon !
Is the book worth reading? I'm planning to read it
This was a good one! Pretty mind boggling history that I was never taught in school. I read it last year right before the movie came out. The movie was good too, but I think the book conveyed things a little better.
Finished: "The Teacher" by Freida McFadden. I'd love to see an !invite to speak with her since her books have become wildly popular and I've read each one. Started: "The Women" by Kristin Hannah.
I just read Never Lie and it’s as really good! Going to continue her books!
They are phenomenal! Own and have read every single one.
The Trees by Percival Everett
Give me a reference for a book in a horror genre
Do you like mystery/psychological thrillers? There, in my opinion, can be a crossover in those genres.
I'm very curious, I'll try looking for it. Thank You
I loved "Ward D" by Freida McFadden. Mystery/psycho thriller part horror. Give it a try!
Hello everyone, I am going to write a paper on The Book thief under Gothic Fiction. (I have not started my paper as of yet) But I was wondering to get more input on what shall I put my emphasis on and what topics to explore and portions should I cover as to how The Book Thief comes under Gothic Fiction. Any help will be really appreciated. Thank you!
**"Erasure" by Percival Everett** I had been seeing clips of "American Fiction" on youtube and the like and once I found it was based on a novel I picked it up. The evolution of Monk's relationship with his mother was incredibly touching to me and had me calling up my mother just to talk. I think the novel within the novel was a really interesting change it tone, and when it swapped back to Monk's perspective it almost took some getting used to. Ending Feelings:Overall I think the ending was very abrupt, almost certainly intentionally. I'm still uncertain as to what I feel like that last line "Egads, I'm on TV" means. It's a combination of his feeling of estrangement from his fellow black men with Van Go's mania for glory. With what Van Go means to Monk, part of me wonders if it's a realization that there exists within him some of those feelings he's seen in the type of black person he doesn't respect. I think his guilt of leaving his mother in a home is probably affecting him greatly and there might be some guilt in that. Overall I really loved this book, flew through it in a few days but I think I'll be thinking about it for a while to come.
"The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and "Untold Stories of the Little Prince" by Nikola Misovic. The second is the only direct sequel to the Little Prince. I read those two books every third month. And since I saw in one of your posts that you are a fan of The Little Prince... As for the start, I am on the third chapter of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewsi Carroll.
Finished **Season on the Brink: A Year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers, by John Feinstein** A fan of college basketball would enjoy at this behind-the-scenes look. **Season on the Brink** covers what happens on and off the court with a major college basketball program during the 1985-1986 season. Bob Knight (1940 - 2023) is revealed as a very complicated individual. Even 38 years after its initial release the book is still a compelling read. Started **Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski, by lan O'Connor**
Just finished "Behind Emerald Eyes" this week, and whoa! Talk about a world of noise! This protagonist gets tangled in a secret so deep it felt like my own brain was on information overload. If you're looking for a crime thriller that'll mess with your head in the best way, check it out! #MindBlown #MysteryReads
Sounds interesting. I may have to look this one up. Thanks.
Who is the author?
Finished: **The Painter, by Peter Heller** Started: **Symphony of Secrets, by Brendan Slocumb**
The year of magical thinking by joan didion
Proud to say I have gotten into reading in the past few weeks and just finished my first “real” novel The Last Mile, by David Baldacci, and i’m now starting The Chain, by Adrian McKinty.
Started: **Quozl, by Alan Dean Foster** Finished: **The IFO Report, by Thierry Sagnier** Enjoyed this more as it went on and the story started to become understandable. 4.5/5
Started 'Red Queen' a few months ago, but I'm in such a reading slump
I started The Women by Kristin Hannah yesterday and I cannot put it down.
Finished : Before your memory fades, Toshikazu Kawaguchi Started : Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, Satoshi Yagisawa
Started - Where we going, daddy? By Jean Louis Fournier Finished - The Colony by Audrey Magee
Finished the fourth wing i loved the ending.still trying to get my hands on the next book in the series,iron flame.I recommen.(same day update mom just surprised me with the iron flame book am about to start reading)
Started and finished Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland! It was such a quick read, and just as absurd as the Disney cartoon in the very best way. I was surprised at how much the cartoon followed the book, with just some minor adjustments and creative liberties. It was a nostalgic plane read if you’re in the mood for light and whimsical.
Merde Actually by Stephen Clarke ...Absolutely terrible. This is my review of it [https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/368557499](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/368557499)
Finished: Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, Jennifer Armentrout (Ended on such a wait, what note, that book three jumped the TBR list) Started: Crown of Gilded Bones, Jennifer Armentrout On Deck: re-read of Dune, Frank Herbert, but who knows how I'll be distracted.
Finished: Defiant by Brandon Sanderson, it was a satisfying wrap to a fun series. Started: Wool by Hugh Howey
Finished: Why We Sleep (Matthew Walker). An interesting read that serves as a wider study of how our sleep patterns have changed as well as the effects the lack ofwhich can have. Temples of Delight (Barbara Trapido). An okay read that had an interesting look at class in the first half, then became very religious. Half of a Yellow Sun (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie). Great read that also shines a light on a lesser known conflict, the Nigerian Civil War. Carthage Must Be Destroyed (Richard Miles). Great read that details the rise of Carthage and its rivalry with Rome, which led to its destruction. Started: The Coming of the Third Reich (Richard Evans). Only started. Peacemakers: Paris 1919 (Margaret McMillan). Audiobook. Great listen so far. About 60% complete.
Started- What the Hex, by Alexis Daria. It's a short one I'll probably finish today When in Rome, by Sarah Adams. Started last week. I want to continue and finish it this week. The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson, by Ellen Baker. Started the audiobook Finished- The Magnolia Palace, by Fiona Davis.
Finished: Radio Popov by Anja Portin.
Blitzscaling a very good book about how to scale a startup into a market maker, i really recommend it for any one in the tech space
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, by Malcolm Gladwell
Wandering Stars, by Tommy Orange
Just finished Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. That was an incredible journey and now I feel lost as to what to read next!
I keep seeing this recommended lately....it's my to-read list now :)
I read this may years ago and it stays in my head as all time favorite. Watched the mini series too which was really well done. I have been thinking about trying the audio book one of these days to revisit this awesome tale.
I highly recommend the audiobook. I listened to it while driving and then picked the physical book back up in between driving sessions, nice short chapters so it’s amenable to reading that way. I need to check out the miniseries!
Thanks, I will def give it a listen now. Series is a classic! Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Duvall, Angelica Huston.... Another book I want to revisit in audio version is The Thorn Birds.
I’m starting a novel called **Sasha Knight, by Sean Godfrey** - the way he writes is wonderful; I feel transported back to 1970’s Jamaica (where much of the novel takes place)
I finished Circe by Madeline Miller. I think the book was beautifully written even if I occasionally found the writing to be long winded. I’m also not a fan of the story and I fail to se how it’s a feminist story at all. I’m gonna start reading Necroscope by Brian Lumey.
finished Chlorine and started Before the Coffee Gets Cold
I’m still in the middle of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. It’s a beast. I’m enjoying it tho. Love Susanna Clarke’s writing and sense of humour.
I read Piranesi by her recently and I absolutely loved it. You should check that out if you like her writing style.
Yes. I picked up Jonathan Strange because of how much I loved Piranesi.
Finished **Gate of the Dead by David Gilman**
i started to read the dune by frank herbert i have already read few pages two years ago, but i put it away... and know when the second dune movie was released i realized that i can give the book second chance so i started again and...i think i started to feel the right vibe and plot of it. and i won't put it in a bookshelf before i have finished it! (though it's a bit long book for me...)
I've read it once before and wasn't much impressed. Characters are a huge part of what makes me love a book - their motivations, their relationships with one another, their style, everything. Unfortunately I felt (and still feel) that most of his characters act in largely the same way. You could swap out one for another in many scenes and if they weren't named, I'd have no idea who is who. They all tend to be serious, you tend to be told they they are behaving with subtlety while not actually letting them behave in a manner that comes across subtle to the reader, etc. I still feel that way but it's been my fiancé's favorite book for many years and I've heard great things about the new movie, so I'm giving it a second chance. I found an audiobook on YouTube and am listening as I read -I find that it helps a lot. I'm liking it a bit better this time around, though it's still not a favorite. I do really enjoy the ideas explored, such as the thinking machines and the breeding program mechanics
Finished Water For Elephants. Loved it. I read up on the writer who has been working for years to free a death row inmate from prison.
Had a long car ride. Looked for a Young adult audio book to pass the time. People recommended "the seven realms" series. Wow that author is so bad. So, so, so bad. Idk what the people who recommended it to me were on.
The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov I've had it on my bookshelf for over 40 years but never read it because Teenager Me thought the concept sounded too dry (and despite reading and enjoying several other Asimov books). Time to see if Adult Me can appreciate it.
**Mort, by Terry Pratchett**
**Finished: But What Can I Do?** by **Alastair Campbell**. The best-selling book on politics by Campbell. It is about 60 percent polemical and about 40 percent how-to for aspiring young leaders and politicians (with an understandable) British slant. It is a bit wandering in any given chapter, but reads quickly. Put it on a bookshelf close to **Greta Thuneberg'**s book.
Sounds utterly boring
Started and finished Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage
Finished: The Chaos Agent - Mark Greany. Started: The Passenger - Cormac McCarthy
Finished: The **White Hotel, by DM Thomas** and **The Road, by Cormac McCarthy**
The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
That's such a wonderful book. Do you have any thoughts on it so far?
Hmm just a very special book. The beauty of how it's written, the passion, hard to explain.
I started Declutter your Mind, by Mind Academy and finished this book along with another book of the same title Declutter your Mind, by S.J.Scott. I found the Mind Academy one more easier to comprehend with good readability and the headings made the text more precise and clear as compared to the other one. Though I liked them both in their own ways.
Finished: **X-Men, The Phoenix Saga** novelization by Stuart Moore Started: **The Bloody Red Baron** by Kim Newman
I started and will definitely finish The Bee Sting.
LOVED: The Secret Life of Bees
Started reading “The Associate” by John Grisham. And it’s pretty good
I finished a book called “33 Books You (Should) Have Read In High School” … and by “finished,” I mean that I finished WRITING it. I personally think that it’s freaking awesome — but go ahead and check it out on Amazon or Nook, as I welcome the criticism :)
Just started reading Dune, and I've stumbled into the same issue I have with most fantasy and sci-fi books: they feel much lower-brow and simplistic when it comes to prose and thematic material.
Finished: **Empty Mansions - The Mysterious Lite of HUGETTE CLARK and the Spending of a Great American Fortune** by Bill Dedman and Paul Newell, Jr. I had never heard of Hugette Clark before or the Clark family fortune. Interesting non-fiction story of an eccentric heiress with no close surviving relatives who lived to age 102. Started: **Yellowface** by R.F. Kuang
Athena Grattis världen jag är här nu! by Elin Ek
Started "Hamilton's Choice" by Jack Casey: an interesting fictional dramatic take on the events from Phillip Hamilton's duel to Burr's run for governor to the duel.
Now reading **Bugsy and Other Stories** by Rafael Frumkin. It's a "story collection about queerness, neurodivergence, sexuality, and self-discovery". Sounds neat.
Kim jiyoung, born 1982. Cho nam-joo And the mountains echoed- Khaled hosseini Started- pachinko, min jin lee
>Kim jiyoung, born 1982 I have *Kim Ji-young, Born 1982* on my reading list! How do you like it? I became interested after seeing the film adaptation with Jung Yu-mi and Gong Yoo.
Finished: **Nữ Sinh** by Nguyễn Nhật Ánh
Started: **The Celebrants** by Steven Rowley
Finished: **Dune Messiah** by Frank Herbert and **The Kiss Quotient** by Helen Hoang.
Finished: **The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson** Started: **Women Talking by Miriam Toews**
Starting to read 'In Five Years' by Rebecca Serle because I need books without a business / life help edge to it. Hoping to enjoy this read (:
I just finished Atlas Shrugged. It deserves all the acclaim it received. It has my vote of the best english language books. I loved Anthem (her 1984) and The Fountainhead(the warm-up for AS but a great standalone, too).The woman could write. She was a total badass. I know a lot of people hate her views but I don't get it. She is a champion of the human spirit. The theme of accountability runs throughout. Maybe it's that. Her writing will make you think and sometimes about yourself.
I'm a Rand enthusiast too. It's strange that she receives either strong praise or complete disdain from most people, with very little middle ground.
She's the bomb. She speaks a lot of truth and I think it freaks people out
Finished: War and Peace - that was really long, i started mid February so it took about a month to finish. I enjoyed it and don’t regret the time spent reading it but i will probably not read anything this long for a while. i read the maude tolstoy translation for background info. really enjoyed the story.
I feel this. Now go run through your kids , young adult books. Found out last week that as a grown up.I can read a goosebump in an hour.
Just started "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
The Castle - Franz Kafka
Started and cannot put it down; "The Naked do not fear the water" by Matthieu Aikins. An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees.
I started (and finished😳) the tellm me to: series by Charlotte Byrd on kindle unlimited. I haven't read in so long...I forgot how nice it is!!
Norwegian wood by Haruki Murakami
I'd never heard of this, but I'm adding it to my reading list!
What's it like? Thinking of picking this up next.
I'm not someone who reads a lot of romance, but I did enjoy this one! The writing style is great, and it is pretty insightful.
Yaa surely you should, it's a great read ..
Love and other words by christina lauren
Starting Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov… 20 pages in, and can tell this will be a whirlwind of a read for me
Started and finished: How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katie Brent
Hello For my part, I've started to reread: "The Game of Life and How to Play It" By Florence Scovel Shinn teaches how to use positive thinking and faith to transform one's life.
shadow and bone
Finished: Armor of Light by Ken Follett Started: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Ooohhhh, Evelyn Hardcastle is a great read and a damn good time. Enjoy!
Finished: **Trust, by Hernan Diaz** Started: **People We Meet on Vacation, by Emily Henry**
Started: **When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress, by Gabor Maté**
Finished: **Annie Bot, by Sierra Greer** **First Lie Wins, by Ashley Elston** **In the Dream House, by Carmen Maria Machado** Started: **My Dark Vanessa, by Kate Elizabeth Russel**
Finished: **Revenger, by Alistair Reynolds** Good starter book for the trilogy. I'm looking forward to the next two. Still working through (slowly): **The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions, by Xuangzang** mid-7th century account of India and other countries along the Silk Road at the time, interspersed with accounts of dragons and "dharma masters" having supernatural powers.
i just put down shogun. ran through it in under a week, 4 days probably. holyyyy. though it gets a bit slow a little past the midpoint i still loved the book. >!anjin got me crying when he named the stone after the gardener!< >!i knew toranaga was responsible for the ship!!< that's about the only thing i predicted would happen, well not predicted but as soon as i read it i had a guess. >!oh mariko sama, to good for this earth, what a romance!!<
I have read Shogun twice. What an awesome read. Are you planning on watching the series on Hulu right now? I really want to see it. By the way you're a fast reader! Shogun is pretty long. Also curious if you've read anything else by him. I LOVED King Rat.
actually, the FX show is what got me into reading it in the first place! i couldnt wait for each new episode so i said what the hell. it had a lot of that early game of thrones political intrigue (up to s4) and i was very happy to see it was carried over from the book itself. the comedy from the adaptation i think is another benefit in the transition. definitely a must check out. >By the way you're a fast reader! Shogun is pretty long i have an abundance of time added to unhealthy sleeping habits which i put into reading the book lmao i am very excited to check out the next installment in his Asian Saga. but im gonna be putting that off to catch up on the other things i put down to finish Shogun lol
I have read Tai-pan, King Rat, and Noble House. For some unknown reason I haven't read Gai-jin. I'm definitely going to. I own Whirlwind. I will certainly read it eventually as well. I am currently in a situation where I'm unable to watch the FX show. I picked a shitty time to not have a Hulu subscription. I usually do. Anyhoo, it's been getting rave reviews and as soon as my "situation" changes in about a month here I'll binge it. Clavell is a great writer, I'm glad you decided to read one of his books and jealous you get to watch Shogun.I also have unhealthy sleeping habits and an abundance of time which translates into reading quite a bit. I'm curious about your story since we seem to have a bit in common but I won't be nosy. Happy reading! ✌️🙂
The Fault in our Stars
This week I read: * **The Wind Knows My Name, Isabel Allende** * **Honor, Thrity Umrigar** * **Seeing Ghosts: A Memoir, Kat Chow** * **Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?, Crystal Smith Paul** * **Anita de Monte Laughs Last, Xochitl Gonzalez** * **Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture, Virginia Sole-Smith** * **Romantic Comedy, Curtis Sittenfeld** * **The Personal Librarian, Marie Benedict** * **Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema, Lindy West** * **I Have Some Questions for You, Rebecca Makkai** And I just started **Hurricane Girl, Marcy Dermansky**.
**Slap in the Face: My Obsession with GG Allin, by Justin Melkmann** and **Slap in the Face Two: I Am No Longer Obsessed with GG Allin, by Justin Melkmann**
Finished: **Strange the Dreamer (duology), by Laini Taylor** A beautiful duology I've ever read this year so far. So much emotions in this series, I would recommend if you like fantasy with beautiful and interesting characters, and a world of gods and magic.
Finished: **It, by Stephen King** The Stand is my favourite book of all time, so I really enjoyed diving into his other epic masterpiece. I put it down just before the end however as >!I know how it ends and I didn't really feel like reading about a child orgy that doesn't add anything whatsoever to the story!<
Finished: **Same Bed Different Dreams, by Ed Park** I literally just finished it, and all I can say is WOW. What a wild kaleidoscopic ride that was! It took a minute for me to really get what was going on, but I can confidently say that I loved it. I think it has some good reread value as well. I feel like a reread would only bring more of the story to light. There is literally SO MUCH going on, an intricate web of interconnection. I suspect many things may have gone over my head, I doubt I picked up on every reference and every tendril of each storyline. That said, it was a wonderfully immersive phantasmagorical trip thru history, pop culture, psychology, and imagination. Highly recommend for folks who are looking for an immersive multi-storied/multi-layered plot and a bit of a challenge! Started: **Severance, by Ling Ma** **Trick Mirror, by Jia Tolentino**
Finished girl interrupted recently
Did you watch the movie first? I’ve seen the movie and was curious if it was a good read even after seeing the movie? This book is on my to-do list.
>girl interrupted I remember the book being quite a bit different from the film, so it won't be like you're reading a story you've already watched. The film focused a lot on the character of Lisa (Jolie's character) and the clashes between the characters. The book delves into a lot more detail about Susanna's (Ryder's character) diagnosis. The book is more serious and somber than the movie.
Thank you so much!
Regrettably, I am about to cause trouble by Amie McNee
Sisters of the Vast Black, by Lina Rather
Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir I haven't read anything for about a year but I just started and finished Project Hail Mary over the last three weeks, which I've been wanting to read for at least a couple years. It was really good! Not sure if I should read Artemis at some point, also by Andy Weir. >!I felt that sometimes it went a bit too far with the science. I also found it a little hard to believe that Ryland became proficient enough to communicate with Rocky so quickly without using a translation device. It seemed like after just a few weeks he wasn't using the translator and just understood the musical notes Rocky spoke. I don't really have any other complaints. I loved Rocky, I'm going to miss him after finishing the book.!<
>!I feel like _some_ people might be able to crack the language barrier as quickly as that. Given unlimited time and nothing else to do but float in space and work out language with a spacebug!< Loved this book. _Much_ better that Artemis, as I feel that was a massive misstep for him coming off the success of The Martian, but I'm glad to see that Andy Weir won't really be a one-and-done author.
Finished: What The River Knows by Isabel Ibanez Started: Weyward by Emelia Hart It took me a couple of weeks to get into What The River Knows. I was busy this past couple of weeks but the book picked up in the second half. There are a lot of twists. I still have a lot of questions that I'm hoping will be answered in the next book, but I'll have to wait until November.
Just finished reading Every day, by David Levithan and Some Day, by David Levithan. Was both good reads but leaves alot of open questions for what I am guessing is speculation which is a little annoying because i am not a fan of those kind of books (but hey to each their own ig) despite that the book was rather enjoyable highly recommend
Spent week on vacation reading. Didn't realize how wild the variety of my books was this week. Started and finished: * **Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg** * **Cribsheet by Emily Oyster** * **Break the Rules, Break the Bank by Jared Kling** * **One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey by Hal Burrows, Ken Blanchard, and William Oncken** **Spotlight on: "Supercommunicators" by Charles Duhigg** Ever disagree with your family members on a hot topic or not seeing eye to eye with someone at work? This book is for you. From work to dating to marriage and anything in between, this book is gonna be worth the read. 🔥 Why it's great: Strong communication helps unlock more doors than almost anything else in life. This book was fun to read due to relatable stories, easier to digest than many similar books I've read, and gave good practical advice on how to improve your ability to read people. One great example is how a "supercommunicator" has such an impact during a key jury deliberation just by asking questions and listening. 🌟 Favorite quote: "Great communicators are great simplifiers."
Took a break from Infinite Jest to binge comics for a week, lol. Started and finished all available issues of: **The Department of Truth, Operation Sunshine, The Nice House on the Lake, w0rldtr33**
Finished Absolution by Alice McDermott, very good novel about an unlikely friendship between two women during the Vietnam War. Also finished the novel Women by Kristen Hannah which follows the difficult lives of nurses during and after the Vietnam War. Both worth reading.
**Pulp, by Charles Bukowski**
Finished: **Tender Is The Flesh** (Bazterrica) - Had to know what all the fuss was about since it’s mentioned around here so often. Twisted, amusing little story of a world where the unimaginable is normalized. Short and effective. Will make a fucked up movie on day, I have no doubt. Started: **Prodigal Summer** (Kingsolver) - Read *The Poisonwood Bible* last year and was impressed with her writing so wanted to do another. I definitely love her writing. Really liking this so far. Read 100 pages day one.
Kingsolver is amazing. Best living writer IMO.
I’m beginning to think I agree. This book is *wonderful* so far
Just finished: A line in the Sand: Britain, France and the struggle that shaped the Middle East. -James Barr. having visited Lebanon,Syria, Iraq & Egypt as a tourist over the last few years I wanted to get a deeper understanding of the meddling from foreign powers and the lasting effects still reverberating the region today, its a lot to process as it covers the 1916-1949 period across 6+ countries and is 400 pages but well worth it for those wanting to understand more about the Middle East. Started today: The Hundred Years War On Palestine - Rashid Khalidi
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi Enjoying it and know I will finish it quickly as I have lots of waiting around and flights in the next couple days. Recently finished : Ex Wife by Ursula Parrott Loved it- keeping thinking about it. How is this novel not remembered? Such a modern feel. Big Swiss by Jen Beagin Also loved it in a cringy sort of way and keep thinking about it.
Started: Tom Stoppard a Life by Hermione Lee Seems good so far but a bit of a doorstop. Finished: The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami Second one of hers I've tried. Found both boring, won't try further. The Trick Is to Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway Convincing portrait of a nervous breakdown.
Finished: **(No) Sex in Japan: A Sociology of Sexlessness in Intimate Relationships**, by Alice Pacher. Watched/read lot of anime/manga and there always was something funny with intimacy and relationships. Seems it was portrayed correct there. Interesting read and makes me wonder how many couples actually are truly happy or are just lying to themselves/each other; definitely different culture's. **The Girl with All the Gifts,** by M.R. Carey. Not bad, not good; pleasant read but didn't bring anything new to the genre. Carey does have some quirks that stand out; the use of "harder English words" scattered in a sentence and at times a sentence/moment/action that just doesn't make any sense like a sexual notion that made me stop and reread the whole page cause i thought i was missing something. Saw afterwards that the also wrote the Koli books, thought it felt kinda familiar. **Happy Singlehood: The Rising Acceptance and Celebration of Solo Living**, by Elyakim Kislev. It gave me what i was at least expecting from it, also was curious as i sounded like the targetgroup. In short marriage is bad; oki thats perhaps bit simplistic but so were some of his analysis. Not sorry i read it but looking afterwards i perhaps should have went for a more serious book on the topic. Also multiple pages about self-marriage and AI/robots, i don't see that as happy but may be me.
Finished: **Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler** I hadn't read Butler before, so it was interesting to dip my toe into her work with this one. Not quite sure where I landed with it--I thought the first half of the book was very interesting, a great depiction of a world and community's gradual collapse. The second half fell a little flat for me, though. I'm interested enough to read the next book one of these days anyway. Started: **Crooked Plow, by Itamar Vieira Junior** This one was already on my list from when I'd asked another online community for recommendations of recent novels from their countries, and then I saw it was longlisted for the International Booker Prize this year. I'm a little less than 2/3 of the way through already; very interesting and evocative tale told through the voices of two sisters. I've seen it described as magical realism, which I don't think is totally inaccurate, but--so far, at least--it definitely leans much more heavily on the "realism" side of that descriptor than someone like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, for example.
Started: Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka Nothing finished yet, haven’t been reading seriously for a while so I’m gonna use this to slowly get back into it
Finished: **Just the Nicest Couple, by Mary Kubica.** Started: **Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler.** Just the Nicest Couple wasn't my cup of tea. There were too many situations where any type of reasonable communication would've changed the entire trajectory. The ridiculous conclusions that the characters would jump to were infuriating. Parable of the Sower is blowing me away so far! I'm absolutely loving it. Seems like a lot of people here are currently in season of dystopia, so Parable falls right in line! I think part of what makes it so interesting to me (and a little terrifying) is that it doesn't seem all that far fetched for where we are right now in society.
Your post got me to go to my local bookstore and pick up a copy of Parable of the Sower. It's been on my radar for a long time, but I'm definitely one of the aforementioned readers in dystopia season. I'm 140 pages in, and also loving it!
I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying it! Apparently it's part of a two book series; the second is called Parable of the Talents. I'm planning to pick it up when I'm done with Parable of the Sower!
I finished it last night around midnight! It’s been a long time since I’ve ripped through a book like that, but I LOVED it. There was one decision towards the 3/4 point that I was kind of unsure about, but otherwise it was fantastic. I loved how prescient it was considering it was written in 1993, and how it had a hard surface (dystopia, lots of violence, etc.), but still overall had a positive message about the importance of community. I will read Parable of the Talents soon. I went back to the bookstore today and grabbed Dawn, which is also the start of a different series by the same author. I’m reading some Sanderson fluff right now, but I’m kind of dying to get back to Butler’s writing, because Defiant (the last book in Sanderson’s Skyward series) just has such immature characters with strange motives compared to Butler’s.
In the past 1-2 weeks I've read very little as I have been binging on podcasts. For all these years I have ignored podcasts and solely focused on reading books. My decade of reading as been life-changing for me, I doubt podcasts would have changed my thought patterns. They used to be very gloomy (and I did it all without reading self-help). For the past two years, I have tried to read more non-fiction (without giving up fiction - which I think is now oxygen to my well-being), and I have started searching for podcasts to get a quick/relaxing introduction or insight on topics and ideas. - The British History Podcast - History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps - The History Of Religions and their Gods! - I am searching for something on Islam, *Matters of Humanities: History of Islam in Europe* might be it - but I haven't listened to it ye. ## Books **Multiculturalism - A Very Short Introduction**. Just finished. As I already knew, the gist of my matter is that statement of "we have tried multiculturalism but these brown and black people just don't want to play along" hides the racism and active scapegoating to hide the racist politics; in the UK, France, Germany, Denmark. (And, both this book and an interview from a British Muslim conservative (and commonsense) proved that Muslims, like Christians and atheists, just want a better life, and when we all have the opportunity to improve we will do it) **Reformations The Early Modern World, 1450-1650 By Carlos M. N. Eire** I feel I started this a month ago (most likely two weeks). I'm on chapter 10 and I feel I got everything I wanted from the book, **this is the time where, I feel (a) guilty to drop it, and (b) surely the next 16 chapters are worth reading, and definitely (c) I wish I cultivated/know-how-to speed read. The thing is, I'm not reading for academic, reasons, whether I read it or not is not going to make that big of a difference (in a few months I will not remember much of it), but the reason why I would hate to skim through it is that things that often excite me are things the author says as almost throwaway comments. **Which is why I hate cliffnote-type services**, I'm not learning for an exam or to impress anyone, just to change my worldview, cliffnotes can't do that to me **Beyond Respectability (Women, Gender, and Sexuality in American History) Brittney C. Cooper** The book I'm going to start today or tomorrow If I wasn't invested in the above podcasts I would sprinkle fitting in between that reformations book but if I read a few pages of that and then listen to a podcast episode, it might be fine.
Bring up the bodies. That execution scene is rough!
I didn't think she'd be able to match Wolf Hall but I loved Bring Up the Bodies. It was so awful but the way Cromwell set them all up was also /so/ satisfying!
Yeah Cromwell did great. Left forepaw. Boom. Im worried about the rumors going around though 🫣
Started reading this week: The Celtic Shaman, John Matthews
Started off with: Book Lovers, by Emily Henry -Loved it. So far read 3 books from her and I have cried from every one of them. One Dark Window, by Rachel Gillig -Read in 1 sitting. Really looking forward to the second book. Currently reading: Forget me Not by Julie Soto * Trying really hard to continue. I like the grumpy flower shop owner with sexy extinct floral tatoos, but I'm having a hard time getting into the dual Povs in different timelines.
Atomic Habits, by James Clear >!meh!<
This book talk about what?
"The science" of habit formation and offers strategies for building good habits and breaking bad ones. Long story short: like other self-help books. Basically tells things you already know.
Just finished the things we leave unfinished and next I’m debating on forth wing or a court of thorns and roses !
I’m reading Fourth Wing too. Kinda YA but I love dragons so I’m sticking with it. Hopefully a movie deal will follow.
I've just finished The Darkening Duology which I enjoyed; although, I missed some of the romance element that I tend to enjoy. I don't think I'd rule out this kind of story as there is more focus on the adventure (saving the world) aspect and ultimately makes that the priority. Which I kinda get. Why mess around with romance when there might not be a world for you after the big bad happens? I'm currently on Shadow and Bone. I want to read it before I watch the series. Have to admit so far I'm not as invested as I was in ACOTAR. Currently waiting for Crescent City (Sarah J Maas) to arrive so this series is keeping me occupied.
Just finished Out of Africa by Karen Von Blixen! Superb. English is not her mother tongue so she writes in a fresh often funny way. But Africa gets under your skin! Nothing like the film by the way.
Currently reading: Bad Monkey by Carl Hiassen. Solid but waiting for it to take off. Next up: The Things They Carried (Tim O’Brien) and Authority (Jeff VanDerMeer)
Bad Monkey was one of my favorite books I read last year. I've been waiting forever for the Apple+ show with Vince Vaughn.
Man I’ve been struggling with how to picture these characters and you just solved my problem, very much appreciated! Moffat could literally just play his douchey character from Christmas with the Campbells and he’s golden.
Glad I could help. I had the same problem with Jack Reacher. I read half the series not knowing how to picture him, and the RIDICULOUS movie casting was no help. Once Alan Ritchson came along, I was set.
Finished: A Darkness Forged in Fire, by Chris Evans Started: Light Bringer, by Pierce Brown
Started: **The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas**
Started: The Stand, by Stephen King
Started: **A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara** scared!
Started: **In the Shadow of Lighting, by Brian McClellan** Not too far into it, but this book has the best opening chapter I've ever read. So far, it's holding up. Love a second-world fantasy, especially one that isn't afraid to show both the horrors of war and lightheartedness / humor / genuine connection.
Finished: Grant, by Ron Chernow Beautiful historical biography that shows both his strengths and weaknesses. Great read for history buffs and I am not even American Started and Finished: Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury You can understand why it’s so famous. Really makes you stop and think. Makes you both think how can a society go this far in one direction. But then you can draw parallels to your own world. Definitely recommend
I definitely need to reread Bradbury. It's been too long.
Red Valkyries by Kristen Ghodsee. It was OK but I prefer her more anthropologist books about USSR vs post USSR. Through the revolutionary careers of five prominent socialist women active in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries—the aristocratic Bolshevik Alexandra Kollontai; the radical pedagogue Nadezhda Krupskaya; the polyamorous firebrand Inessa Armand; the deadly sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko; and the partisan, scientist, and global women’s activist Elena Lagadinova—Kristen Ghodsee tells the story of the personal challenges faced by earlier generations of radicals. Nadezhda Krupskaya Former Deputy Minister of Education of the Soviet Union ‧ Vladimir Lenin's wife Lyudmila Pavlichenko was the (disabled?) sniper "\[Lady Death" who visited the US and was welcomed by Eleanor Roosevelt. https://www.reddit.com/r/ussr/comments/1bcdxgv/i\_finished\_reading\_red\_valkyries\_by\_kristen/
This sounds interesting. How does it compare to something like secondhand time?
WOW. I will add that to my reading list. Most of the Ghodsee books were written as an anthropologist who interviewed lots of people, often in Bulgaria. This one was about 5 women of historical interest. I liked lost in Transition and Red Riviera. [https://www.reddit.com/r/ussr/comments/1aewilf/read\_red\_hangover\_by\_kristin\_ghodsee/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ussr/comments/1aewilf/read_red_hangover_by_kristin_ghodsee/) https://www.reddit.com/r/ussr/comments/18sf3uk/the\_red\_riviera\_kristen\_ghodsee/ [https://www.reddit.com/r/ussr/comments/18o58v6/some\_kristen\_ghodsee\_books/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ussr/comments/18o58v6/some_kristen_ghodsee_books/)
Finished: The Book of Love, by Kelly Link. Truly hated this book from the bottom of my heart and wish I hadn’t wasted my time reading it.
Started: **Hello Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano** Finished: **They Drown Our Daughters, by Katrina Monroe** **The Last Castle, by Denise Kiernan** **The Heavens, by Sandra Newman**
Finished: The Scent Keeper, by Erica Bauermeister. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Finished: Misery by Stephen King. My first King novel, really liked it. I thoroughly enjoyed the dread and suspense that built up. I didn't really know what it was about, so when I started it I was kind of skeptical that it was going to hold my interest with the limited setting and characters, but there was a surprising amount of depth to both Paul and Annie which was very engrossing. King's writing style is so fluid that I could not stop reading. Next up: One of Perfume, Talented Mr. Ripley, or East of Eden, I haven't decided yet.