Just consumed The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton. You may recognize him as the author of the 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. This one is a post-apocalyptic murder mystery. It is jam-packed with questions and mysteries. While I had a few remaining questions about the apocalyptic event that happened prior to the story, every string related to the actual story was neatly plaited in a 1000-strand braid with a satisfying end. Love that author.
this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2025
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Just finally finished, Mountain of Black Glass, Tad Williams, and while I enjoyed it, it took me over two months of listening to get it done. The protagonists continued their way through the Otherland, and boy did Williams expound on the details in this book. There was a significant slump in the last third that didn't pick up until the very end. I'm hoping Sea of Silver Light, is a little quicker.
Other books I've finished lately:
- The Library at Mount Char, Scott Hawkins - wild, weird, and one of the darker books I've read as of like. Enjoyable, but hard to recommend.
- Audition For the Fox, Martin Cahill - somewhat unimpressed with this novella. The combination of very flowery language, and no stakes meant for a somewhat slow read for a very short book.
I'm currently reading Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil, Oliver Darkshire, which is very Pratchett-esc. Lots of witty footnotes, and fun village humor. Pretty light reading, but enjoyable!
Library at Mount Char is excellent, and a must-read for anyone into weird horror.
I think the >!repeated murdering of one character's forced children!< really got me. But I agree other than some pretty dark themes, it was very well written.
I'm almost done the second section of Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I'm enjoying it so far. At first it seemed almost like Lovecraftian horror but in space, but it started showing more depth as it progresses.
I’m listening to Babylon’s Ashes by James S.A. Corey. It’s the 5th book in The Expanse series.
I’ve read these books before, but I just really love them.
I LOVE The Expanse series. I was at a used bookstore over the weekend and a lady next to me was contemplating picking up the Leviathan Wakes. I told her she should grab it because it’s my favorite scifi book series of all time. She had watched the series and loved it, so I told her I think she would enjoy the books too.
There’s so much good stuff there!
Enshittification as a book and the second book of murderbot as an audio book
Both highly recommended
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Just finished Bone Yard by Jefferson Bass. Found a copy autographed by Bass at a Habitat For Humanity thrift store.
My other recent acquisition is Alice in Sunderland by Bryan Talbot. I don't usually seek out graphic novels, but got a good deal on this one because it was (mis-)classified as children's lit. It looks interesting, broad in scope, and a candidate for the 'beautiful cover' bingo square.
I read about the first fifth of Ghost Story (Dresden Files) this morning. According to my history it's been a little over 5 years since I last read this, it feels like so much less. To be as vague as possible, that first meeting with the Ragged Lady breaks my heart every time.
I also started The Fellowship of the Ring earlier this week. Only a couple of chapters in, so not much to say about that yet except that I find Hobbits very unpleasant.
I've continued Words of Radiance after a 8-9 month hiatus. This Graphic Audio thing is still rad, I've just been going through a reading reading phase rather than an audiobook one. I haven't gotten around to getting a physical copy yet because I have the previous book in the giant hardcover with (I think) the European art? My local fantasy bookshop hasn't had it in when I've been around and I haven't bothered to ask.
Finished the latest Incryptid, the last couple have been a bit disappointing. They never quite do it for me, what I really want is for the books to go for another chapter and let me see the family in the aftermath of the story, but they always end abruptly right as the climax resolves and there's no wind-down. You'd think after 14 books I'd be used to it but it always leaves me a little deflated. It's nice that we get to explore a little more of different characters each book, but I just want to see them together outside of an immediate crisis too.
What else... I'm near the beginning of The Death of WCW, we're still going through the history of wrestling in North America. I know a lot of it and don't really care, but it's necessary context so fair enough.
Oh and I still have a handful of other books on the backburner, Storygraph says I have 12 books going 🤷♂️ I'll finish some eventually.
that first meeting with the Ragged Lady breaks my heart every time.
I have only read it once, but I can fully understand that. It was a pretty emotional moment.
what I really want is for the books to go for another chapter and let me see the family in the aftermath of the story
I always want this too! Love it when books give that closure about how their life went on.
I’m almost done a short story compilation called men and machines, one of the forwards has a very interesting remark that could be written yesterday. It’s from 1968.
I finally got in touch with my brother, and got my next batch of Star Wars books, it includes a large X-Wing series so looking forward towards it. Sounds like it’s Top Gun in space.
Image of the forward
According to him, we would have at this point now made an intelligent being.
Heh, that does seem so relevant to today's world. We are still worried about the same things, but the problem with this kind of prediction is, one day we might actually be right 😀
I read so many of the 90s era Star Wars books so good. Really enjoyed Stackpole’s Rogue Squadron.
Nice, not sure if you’ve seen my other comments, but I’ve read in chronological order from the start. So I’ve done 90 or so legends books. They are obviously all over the place being different authors, but can’t say I hated any, some weren’t “enjoyable” as covered topics that weren’t particular interesting to me. But saying that, it’s interesting to see the different perspectives of how people write about their profession, like biology for example. Med-star was still interesting although dry as an example.
My brothers been ranting and raving waiting for me to get to it, it’s one of the ones he’s read himself.
That’s fun! I hadn’t remembered seeing your other posts.
I remember a lot of them fondly, and when I was updating my reading profile on a bunch of the tracking sites, it was fun remembering as many of the ones I had read that I could so that I could put them on there. There were a few that I had forgotten about reading until I was looking at a big list of them and they came right back.
In a single week what would be the style for multiple comments, respond to your own or make a new one?
Anyways. I finished the compilation and looked at my SW list a little closer I still have 5 stories to finish of the Era, the Rebellion, and after that is, the New Republic. There is a trilogy called “The Bounty Hunter Wars” to lead off the former with.
The XWing books make up the start of the New Republic era with Rouge Squadron being the lead.
Personally, I keep all the updates for next week's post, but nothing wrong with making another top level post, or if it's related to your previous post, replying to it.
For instance, if your first comment is you finished a book, and then want to make a new comment about what you are starting, you can just make a new top-level comment. On the other hand, if you second comment is an update on the book mentioned in the first comment, then just reply to your post.
Just my suggestions, there is no rule for this, so do as you like :-)
Totally fair. Maybe there was a semi established structure I’ve missed. I’ve gotten yelled at for posting too often in other places -.- where no one else posts.
Out of curiosity, how would you describe the Dresden Files or whatever it is, always looking for some newer stories as well to break stuff up.
I'm on a long re-read of the R.A. Salvatore Drizzt series. Right now it's: The Orc King (Transitions, Book1 - #17 in the wider series).
I was on vacation for a little over 2 weeks and went through 6 books on the trip. Trains, planes, coffee shops, and hotel room before bed. It's surprising how much reading can get done in-between exploring new cities.
How is the overall series? I am still on the first series, Icewind Dale one, 2 books down, last one to go.
I'm personally a huge fan of the series. I've been reading them for 20+ years by now. There are always up and downs, but the not good books are still better than others I've read. It's also great to see how characters have changed throughout the series and the wider Forgotten Realms / Faerun world has been affected by the books in connection with bigger D&D events.
Technically a prequel, but was written after Icewind Dale, there is The Dark Elf Trilogy which explores Drizzt's origins and escape from the Menzoberranzan. Definitely recommend if that's not what you started with.
The nice thing is that Salvatore released novels at a good pace. I've been waiting for the 3rd Kingkiller Chronicles book by Patrick Rothfuss for... 15 years I think?
I just whipped through A Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid which was a fun queer enemies to lovers story that I listened to driving back and forth across Pennsylvania this weekend.
I'm still working on Half The World by Joe Ambercrombie. I think I'm going to take a break on his stuff for a bit after I finish this one.
I really enjoyed Fable for the End of the World. I picked a copy up at the romance bookstore on a whim because the cover was really pretty and the summary on their card sounded interesting. It was a really good book.
I'm close to finishing the third Sector General novel by James White. I like a little Golden Age sci-fi now and then.
Someone in here recommended the Red Rising series and I’ve been enjoying it thoroughly. I’m on the third one now. The reader for the audiobooks is Tim Reynolds and he does a great job. Thanks for the recommendation, whoever you are!
Also physically reading Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, but it’s too soon to comment on.
Great series! I’ve heard all but the most recent books multiple times.
Sevro is something else, isn’t he?
Apparently, there is a live action in the works, but it’s been passed around between networks so I’m not sure it’ll ever happen.
I’m listening to The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch and reading A Wizard and Her Daughter by Matthew Runyon.
I just started A Wrinkle In Time.
I may be 40+ years too late but I am doing it anyway.
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I'm currently reading We Were Eight Years In Power by Ta-Nahisi Coates. I'm not going to finish it. I've read most of his Atlantic articles and I buy the thesis he's weaving, but I feel like we're past the point where awareness matters (or that I am insufficiently aware). People know the bad they're doing and want it. We're in the activist moment.
I'm next going to start Shift by Hugh Howey because I need some entertainment out of my reading.
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I just finished Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Diniman and now I'm reading John Dies at the End, by Jason Pargin / "David Wong".
If you know these stories (crazy reality twisting, real world + fantasy, a touch of sci fi) and have others in a similar vein, I would appreciate any suggestions.
my local library doesn't have more than the first dungeon crawler carl, and Google play only has the second so I haven't finished the series but I love it. princess donut is the GOAT.
I read John dies at the end a few years ago and didn't much care for it
I warn you. do not attempt to watch the movie. it is hot garbage.
Dungeon Crawler Carl is an Amazon/Audible exclusive. If the book is listed anywhere else, it’s a stolen copy.
Now, that a new publisher is putting out new editions of the books, I’m hoping more libraries get rights to the text.
The audiobook, which I HIGHLY recommend, will always be an Audible exclusive. The narrator is re-recording a full immersion version with a full cast and sound effects, but they release those in episodic format, rather than whole books.
Oh no, I watched the John Dies movie first, last week. I didn't think it was all that bad but yah, I get you.
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The Dresden Files are all fun reads! The audiobooks are particularly good too, with James Marsters doing a wonderful job!
I'm finishing up Rhythm of War in the Stormlight Archive series. It's my first foray into Brandon Sanderson, and I'm enjoying it so far, but there's so much that I don't know how into the Cosmere I'll end up going. On the non-fiction side, I'm reading Nate Silver's On the Edge and trying to work my way through my third (maybe fourth?) reading of Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter, which I always grasp a little bit more of each reread.
Don't worry too much about Cosmere, most series can be read stand alone, and while he intends to write some series that will bring everything together, there isn't one yet, so for now just read the ones that you like and ignore what you don't.
I started reading the Bobiverse trilogy (Dennis E. Taylor), just getting into the 2nd book.
The premise and arch is nothing short of stunning but I'm not sure about the development, or the storytelling. E.g.:
spoiler
Where is the author going to fall on Bob increasingly interfering in the development of a less-developed alien species? I sense more and more such dilemmas coming up, as a result of the whole thing branching out more and more, and I'm not sure how the author is going to gather it all again.
Definitely nice to read though, since I read the first book in just a few days.
I loved the Bobiverse books, but I think there are more books than a trilogy. I don't want to give spoilers though, so you'll have to see yourself how it plays out with these aliens.
TIL there's more books in the series. I had only seen it referred to as a trilogy and assumed I was done after book 3.
Looks like 4 and 5 are out, 6 has a completed first draft and a 7th is planned after that.
To the TBR list they go.
Looks like 4 and 5 are out, 6 has a completed first draft and a 7th is planned after that.
Sounds like the defining element of the books themselves.
Randomly picked The Will of the Many from a list of recommendations.
Still too early to judge but it has potential. Magic system seems interesting, and I'm very interested in the world building. The present tense is certainly a choice, but it works where it needs to.
On the other hand, I've never been terribly interested in fantasy Rome, the pyramid scheme magic system risks painfully on the nose allegory if not handled properly, and the prospect of this story moving to "the academy" has me wary due to my irrational hatred of stories set in schools.
Started reading "halted state" by Charles Stross, but the 2nd person narrative killed it for me. I also didn't find the theme of a crime in an open world game too appealing, so it went to the "didn't finish" pile. Stayed with the writer and read "escape from yokai land" next, which was a blast, I'm a huge fan of the Bob Howard books in the Laundry Files. Now reading "a conventional boy", the latest installment in this series. So far so good, but I'm only a few chapters in.
I spent most of the week craving a specific vibe, so I tried and put down a bunch of things that weren't quite it. Ended up settling on The Ways of Khrem by D. Nathan Hilliard, even though it's not what I wanted either; it's holding my interest, though, so I'm satisfied.
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Finished The Secret Servant by Gavin Lyall (Cold War thriller) | bingo: different continent, motion picture, war, alliterative, steppin' up HM, political
An Army Major is seconded to the Prime Minister's office, where he's directed to look into rumors surrounding a new member of the nuclear advisement committee.
Outside of the unusual premise, which I liked, this felt pretty bog-standard old-school spy thriller. Some chapters near the end could have been condensed into a few paragraphs, and a couple of bits haven't aged super well (but no slurs, for a change!). Overall, I found this 'fine', but nothing I'd recommend.
I'm reading The Tyranny of Faith by Richard Swan (Empire of the Wolf book 2). I like it so far. The plot is interesting and the way the story told from a future perspective so you get little hints at what is to come. I wish the romance was either better written or absent. It's not built up at all and feels like more of a plot device than genuine feeling from the characters.
Just wrapped up Fire of Heaven (Wheel of Time #5)!
Time to get into the alleged slog of the middle books I think.
Reading through the Wizard of Oz series with my kids. Currently on Jack Pumpkinhead. When I was young I only read the movie related books, reading more of the world is a fun experience to share with my kiddos.
Would recommend as a children's book, but not something I'd read absent their influence.
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