Books

Just finished this little book - sir Pratchetts "shaking hands with death" a speech he gave

I'm partway through Red Rising per a recommendation from a friend. Taking a break from my charge through all of Brandon Sanderson's works to appreciate some different writing styles.

Seems like a small thing, but I really like Pierce Brown's use of the true first person perspective. It gives the book an almost poetic feel and its not something I've seen used very often in fiction.

Currently I am reading The Monk by Matthew Lewis, which is a gothic horror book. I guess the biggest themes are temptation, love and the concept of sin, but I have read only the first book out of three. Still light on the horror side of things, but all the elements are in their places for plot to start to unravel quite menacingly.

Other book is Mirabilis by Anni Kytömäki. I am struggling through, because it was loaned to my by a friend to discuss about.

I just finished "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer. Makes me NEVER want to get into mountain climbing as going up Everest sounds insane. Even if you remove the storm and the deaths, I don't want to spend weeks getting acclimatized to an environment where humans don't belong just so I can freeze my buns off.

I just started reading Killing in War by Jeff McMahan, and while it's a really difficult read, his views on liability to be attacked in a war are really interesting. I'd recommend if you're interested in ethics and morality to check it out!

Just about to finish Blindsight by Peter Watts. I'm ambivalent, since I love the big ideas it's built around, but the characters and their interactions are stunted and sometimes nonsensical. Plot isn't really very good either. It's the ideas that carry this book. I think I'm most impressed with Peter writing in a main character who has gone through hemispherectomy - a very real and dramatic medical procedure - as a child, since I never thought I'd see that. It's cool. But I struggle to call this book "hard sci-fi", even if a lot of the concepts are very real. Maybe it's the vampire character that feels like a total contrivance.

Was on holiday for the last three weeks, and didn't read anything in that time. Finished the latest DCC book "a parade of horribles" by Matt Dinniman. In my opinion it's one of the weaker books in the series (together with "the Butcher's Masquerade"), the races were kind of distracting from the overall story. Still an okay book though. I've now finally started reading "the wandering inn", I had been postponing it due to the sheer size of the book. So far I'm about 10-15% (eg. the size of a normal book) through, and I like it a lot. It will probably take some weeks to finish though.

Becoming the Pastor's Wife by Beth Allison Barr.

I'm about half way through To Kill a Mockingbird. I went in blind and I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long while.

I'm nearly done with Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. It's delightful, and I do love seeing more of the Librarian, but I'm a little confused about how much hype it gets. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's pretty great! I'm just not finding it better/more accessible/etc than the other Discworld I've read so far.

Still kinda in a reading slump, so probably grabbing something fast-paced next.

I just binged the entire Hitchhikers Guide series, so I took a couple of weeks off after finishing "And Another Thing" to digest everything.

This week I started listening to New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson.

This is the first audio book I've listened to with a cast of people each doing characters, and it's a bit different, so I'll see how I feel about it in the long run.

My desk book (for when I take small breaks and want a short story) is still The Martians by KSR, although I realized I never finished Asimov's The Complete Stories Vol 1 that used to be on my desk, so I think I may pull it back out next.

Currently reading Want Submitted by anonymous. Collected by Gillian Anderson.

I don’t read a lot of nonfiction but this one has been fantastic so far. The section On Fantasies was very interesting, I enjoyed seeing different women’s perspectives on what they fantasize about. I’m on the section Rough and Ready and it’s helped me feel like my thoughts are more normal than I realized. A line written by Gillian Anderson in the intro of the section made me feel like my perimenopausal brain is definitely normal “I’ve read that someone going through menopause, for instance - when their minds and bodies are sometimes experiencing terrifying upheaval - is more likely to fantasize about BDSM than pretty much anything else”. Some of the letters are like they took thoughts directly from my brain, which is incredibly refreshing.

I recommend this to any woman out there who was taught women should be ashamed of being sexual or sometimes feels her thoughts are abnormal, because they definitely are not. Or honestly, just any woman should read this book!

Beginning The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin as someone who loves some of her other books I am excited and liked the first chapter decently.

On chapter 50/77 of DCC book #5, The Butcher’s Masquerade.

Had a few months break from DCC to re-listen (3rd time) to Project Hail Mary before the movie came out and a few others. Back at it and loving it again.

Just started book six in the Dresden files. It's funny because a cell phone is both expensive and very small.

Got a lot of reading in this week actually! Finished up DCC 6 and am already halfway through (Star Wars legends) book 2 of the black fleet crisis, Shield of Lies.

It’s an interesting difference in story telling from the first book, the first book was your “standard” change between the 3 storylines wherever, maybe every chapter as a good average. But this book, parts 1/2/3 and maybe 4. First part of the book was all Landos storyline, while Part two so far is Luke.

After this, I’m diving into DCC #7 (edit) and that’s just south of 900 pages, so it’ll take the week+ likely.

Recently finished Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle. I felt called out by the main character, especially what tips her decision in the climax. I felt like there was something missing in the book, but I did really enjoy its message and found it solidly enjoyable. It was never boring, although I would have preferred more outlandish deaths.

Recently started the final Marvel What If? book series (the DOOM one). It's been okay. It's been a minute, but compared to the previous book (at least in my memory), this version of Kitty Pryde feels like it's pulling from Evolution instead of the comics. I'm also incredibly dissatisfied with a certain happening fairly early into the book, and hoping that won't be the permanent state of affairs, but as is usual when it comes to these superhero things, it probably will be.

Also, just from a writing perspective. I feel like writing Doom has to be a blast for the author. I know I'd be having fun with it.

I’m about a quarter of the way through Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski. He’s the guy who did House of Leaves

It’s an updated take on the western genre (I love McMurty, McCarthy and Michener…) set in the 80s. Fantastic writing.

Last week I finished:

• Biological War by Annie Jacobsen. Not quite as thrilling a start as her Nuclear War but ended in a much more concerning place
• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stand. I liked the constrained storytelling conceit. I wish it were longer…
• Unsouled by Will Wight. I did not really like it… I thought Lindon was a weasel

I just finished Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. It was not what I was expecting and I didn’t really enjoy it. I thought the Octopus would have been more than just a plot device, the book was very boring and predictable.

Currently re-reading the Hunger Games trilogy. I read it when it first came out and it was the first real post apocalyptic dystopian fiction I was introduced to and really enjoyed it but I couldn’t make it through the movies.

I am close to the end of book 4 of Shirtaloons "He Who Fights With Monsters"

When I first went into book one I wasn't too sure about it in general but I am now completely hooked and so glad I still have more to go as I am enjoying it a lot!

I'm on vol. 3 of "Y the last man". Pretty good so far, though some of the commentary is a little dated

Hikikomori by Saitō Tamaki

The english translation foreword has an interesting point about them staying at home in Japan vs youth homeless in the west.

1/4 of the way through

Finished A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett. Really enjoyed it, can't wait for the next in there series.

I'm about half way though Principles of Product Development Flow and The Sleepwalkers. Just finished Lean Customer Development and tomorrow I write a review on it and start Lean Enterprise.

Demon Crown - James Rollins. I just love how deep he gets into biology while still keeping it exciting. His latest Trust No One was absolute fire for those who aren't into the Sigma series

Just finished “The Buried Giant” by Kazuo Ishiguro a couple of minutes ago. Still need to sit with it, my main impression is that I wish it was a bit longer. Had been worried it would be more distressing than it was in reality.

Also about 40% of the way through “Romola” by George Eliot.

The vanished birds. Simon Jimenez... Pretty good so far.