Books

Almost 1/2 way through project Hail Mary. I liked the Martian so I expected to like PHM, but I didn't realize to what degree I would like. As a Molecular Biologist myself, I feel quite connected to Ryland.

I'm just about to finish Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson. I've enjoyed it very much.

I'm also reading two others for my book clubs, but can't remember the titles. Have to look at my ereader.

I completed book 8 of Dungeon Crawler Carl yesterday and now I’m on to the new Dresden novella OutLaw.

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, the first book in The Expanse series. I'm roughly half way in, and it's enjoyable so far.

I've been relistening to the Jumper series by Steven Gould, it is fun and interesting to see how something written not all that long ago is from a totally different world. The way technology worked in the 90s is so different to how it works now and many of the problems in a science fiction book with teleportation can be solved by a mobile phone.

Also, I just finished the Murderbot series given the release of the newest book, the Bobiverse series, and the Children of Time series with the latest installment Children of Strife.

I also have a massive fanfic called The Winter Of Widows which is based in Westeros from A Game Of Thrones. It is really fun and interesting and the writing is honestly fantastic. Definitely publishable level of writing skill. It is based on the idea of a modern person with some knowledge of things like four field crop rotation and coplanting going into that medieval world and making things work as much as possible. Very cool, very fun.

I should be finishing up both The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebeca Skloot, and Small Gods by Terry Pratchett this week. Not sure what's next yet.

Finished reading Dennis E Taylor's Bobiverse series for the second time, waiting on the new book to be published. For now it's audiobook only, and I like reading it myself. Just started reading Martha Wells' "Platform Decay", Murderbot being one of the other series I found last year that I really liked.

I just started reading The Gathering Storm by Brandon Sanderson, book twelve of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series. I've never read any Sanderson before, so it'll be interesting to see the tonal differences in writing.

Free ride, what an adventure. She is incredible.

(Itchyboots / Noraly Schoenmaker)

Kind of scattered these past few weeks, so I'm about halfway through Murakami's After the Quake, on story two of Three by Tey, and on the first fifth of Terry Pratchett's The Truth

The spear cuts through water. I've never seen an author break so many literary conventions so masterfully before.

Been reading Fiber Fueled during work breaks. Wanting to take extra steps to dial in my gut health.

I haven't listened to it in a while, but I'm pretty far into the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Really great listen, kind of a dark comedy, numbers go up (it's a lit rpg), and there's a bit of moral complexity in the plot.

Should also note, Jeff Hays is now my favorite audiobook narrator.

Reading the Age of Dread trilogy. I haven’t read anything in a while so I’m proud to be on the third book.

The Deluge by Stephen Markley. Didn't know what I was getting into. Would not have listened to it if I knew. Now can't stop listening.

My 10 year old daughter is reading Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief.

And asked me to read it with her. So that's what I'm reading now. And I have to say... I'm really enjoying it so far. Plus doing a mini book club with my daughter is pretty much the best.

About 2/3 through "Paladin of Souls" by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Having just jumped through the first 15x "Penric & Desdemona" stories, it's interesting to see how her magic system has evolved over time through this series ("The World of the Five Gods"), and how it's definitely improved. One more book left in the series, then on to other things!

I just finished Whalefall by Daniel Kraus.
Oof what a ride. I went in blind so all I knew was "diver trapped in a fight between a giant squid and a whale".
I was not prepared for the

I'm also halfway thru The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin.
Le Guin's stories are like the opposite of page turners for me but in the best possible way. I just want to sit with each page, there's so much to chew on. (Even tho I have bounced off this and some of her other books because the begginings are rough for me for some reason. Too much to chew I guess haha)

My brother has been encouraging me to read The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie for a long time, and I’ve started it a few times and always got distracted.

Something clicked this time though, and I’m totally absorbed.

It’s also the first fiction I’ve read in a while, and I forgot what an escape it can be. What a weird thing to forget.

I grabbed "The Shadow Out Of Time" by H.P. Lovecraft in the new section of my local library and holy shit!!

Oryx and Crake, entertaining so far.

Tried “The Housemaid”. Gave up. I don’t understand the hype around this book.

I just finished up The Expanse with the final novella after restarting the series on book 7 last week and now I'm back into fantasy land with book 10 of The Wheel of Time, Crossroads of Twilight. Sadly this is the lowest rated of the series and supposedly the "final boss" of "the slog" between books 6 and 11. Robert Jordan is just so easy to read and/or listen to though so I'm still having a good time, even if not a lot happens. I'll probably plan on polishing off the remaining 4 books after this and then I need to decide what series I'll start next.

This week I finished James Herbert's Rats trilogy. I was getting pretty bored with the 3rd book so halfway through I skipped to the last chapter to see how it ended. Nothing about the ending was a surprise and I'm glad I did. The first two books are far better at half the length.

I also started Eisenhorn by Dan Abnett (WH40k). I did not get on with the writing style and dropped it quickly.

I'm now reading Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams which is an account of her years at Facebook. It's as awful as you might imagine and sometimes worse. I can't stop reading it though, like not being able to look away from a car crash.

Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub

Audiobook

Echo of Worlds by M. R. Carey

I just started reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass yesterday. I realized a while ago I never actually read it, and only had seen the various adaptations. I have to say, it’s quite different than what I grew up on.

I’m also disturbed that Charles Dogson (Lewis Carroll) is basically described as being a pedophile for his “love” of a 10-yo little girl (Alice Liddell, the daughter of his boss, for whom the story is told) whom he wanted to marry while he was in his 30s.

Next up I plan to read Blue Are the Hills: The Final War for Humanity. I expect it to be completely different than Alice of course.

That’s just how I roll.

Been busy with the yard and house. So I’m still only half way through I, Jedi still it’s a longer one at near 600 pages as well.

How do you like October Days so far? I know my wife enjoyed those.

I’m in the middle of Mossflower, the second redwall book. It’s taking me far longer than I expected to read. I like the writing style but something about it puts me to sleep right away so I’m only reading like 2 pages a night.

I’m also listening to Accomplice to the Villain which is just light and fluffy.

I'm finishing Count Zero on my jailbreak kindle and a starter bushcraft guide by Dave Canterbury on physical

I finished Dungeon Crawler Carl’s Gate of the Feral Gods over the weekend. While I enjoyed the first four books I’m looking forward to sinking my teeth into what other readers generally consider the more popular titles of the series.

In the meantime I’ve started reading Haruki Murakami’s The City and its Uncertain Walls while I wait for the remainder of the DCC books to become available at my library.

I am just starting on book 4 of the Lee Harden series which follows on from The Remaining by DJ Molles.

I am really enjoying it so far and it makes the book "Abe" that I disliked before make a lot more sense. I don't know why the reading order I had suggested to do Abe at the end of the original remaining series of books as it makes absolutely no sense there and was part of the reason I disliked it at the time.

These books are less about the infected in general but follow all the characters that I got to know and like from The Remaining books so I am liking it and it bought tears to my eyes again because of that damn dog! I don't know how but well played Molles!

Not sure what I'm going to listen to once these are all wrapped up though. Haven't got anything specific lined up.

Re-reading The Wasp Factory for the first time in a long time for the next podcast episode. After that, it'll be The Red Winter by Cameron Sullivan.

I'm reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

I'm not sure how much I like it. It does a very good job of giving a look into African society around the time of slavery and missionaries, so I can see why it is touted as such an important novel. That said, I don't love the writing style or the characters.

I just finished reading all (as of current date) 8 books of Home for Horny Monsters by Annabelle Hawthorne, and the spinoffs. Very good lore and worldbuilding and character development and plot, and as the title implies good smut too.

can't wait for book 9.

Finished Metro 2033 the other day, so now I'm continuing with Metro 2034.