Books

Still working my way through The Rose Field by Phillip Pullman. It’s not the book, I just haven’t felt like reading much in general lately. I try to at least get in 5-10 minutes before bed, but this week had exciting things going on so I was distracted.

I'm reading Games: Agency As Art after seeing it referenced in another book. It's a little dry but all the ideas are explained clearly. A lot of it is just about how much the author likes playing board games with his wife.

Finished Dungeon Crawler Carl. I liked it, simple, fun, amd a bit absurd. Will probably start other books once i knock out a few books i picked up about the same time.

Started Disquiet Gods audiobook. Really glad I stuck with the Sun Eater series. First book had me frustrated as it felt like a mish mash of a number of other books and movies. And maybe it still is but I feel like series really grew on me.

Also started reading Sunrise of the Reaping, the latest Hunger Games book. I enjoyed the series and first prequel. Had not realized there was another one or I did and totally forgot until I saw it in store. Its nothing crazy good but comfy.

I've been reading The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. I am so much on board with this rendition of grimdark fantasy!

Reading "the stainless steel rat's revenge" by Harry Harrison. I like this one better than the first book in the series. I'm about 80% through, so I'll have to take look which is the next title.

I am currently reading Neuromancer by William Gibson. This novel is often credited with starting the cyberpunk genre. It's a novel that is so iconic that when you read it today, it feels a little generic. If I didn't know the history, I would say someone wrote a book version of Cyberpunk 2077. It is interesting because he actually uses real life brands, instead of being forced to invent brands for the book (like what Cyberpunk 2077 did).

I dont read books much, but right now, I have been reading Arsene Lupin, and I am planning to read the other story of Arsene Lupin vs Sherlock Holmes.

I am reading Circe by Madeline Miller. I was never a big greek lore nerd but the author makes it easy to understand - really enjoying it so far!

In an attempt to preserve my own sanity I’ve been reading the entire Discworld series since about October. Just finished Lords and Ladies, which I don’t think I read before and am now re-reading Mort for maybe the 5th or 6th time.

Just finished up book 5 of the Star Wars XWing series. It’s the first one of the saga written by a different author and also a slightly different cast. Was a little more difficult to follow for that reason.

Next is a sci-fi anthology from 1977, it’s the sixth “Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year”. Ive been enjoying the Hugo and Nebula ones, I’ve got a bunch from book fairs and planning to get more this year, this one though is a single persons take instead of being award winners.

After this it’ll be book 6 of X-Wing then I’ll switch up the anthologies for the Three Body Problem series.

I'm nearly done with Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, and it's really working for me.

I had been planning on reading As I Lay Dying next, but maybe I'll pick something with a more straightforward POV before jumping to Faulkner.

I've just finished The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, which was a charming little adventure.

My book club is reading Less by Andrew Sean Greer. It's about an aging writer who decides to accept a bunch of random invites to events around the world simply to avoid going to his ex-lover's wedding. I've just started it, but it seems fun so far!

I'm currently listening to Todd Purdum's Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television. This comes after listening to Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball and A Book by Desi Arnaz. It draws very heavily from Arnaz's book, but also adds additional bits of context. I'll probably be looking for another book on the history of television (and likely radio), probably on the development of the various networks.

My previous book was Sophie Aldred's Doctor Who: At Childhood's End. I have to confess I haven't watched the Sylvester McCoy episodes in a long time, and dropped off watching NuWho shortly before Jodie Whittaker took over, but the book is thorough and engaging, and delves much more into character relations than a lot of Doctor Who books (that, plus their tendency to not have a lasting impact) is a reason I tend not to read many of them, but this was a worthwhile read, and I enjoyed the writing.

Before that was Robert Heinlein's The Door Into Summer. It's an engaging enough time travel(ish) book, but .... what? After much time travel, various shenanigans and all the characters aging by various methods, the hero ends up marrying his business partner's daughter, whom he had met and established a friendship with when she was 11 years old, and whom he doesn't seem to have had much significant contact with later on. I may not be doing it justice, but that part kinda gave me the ick.

Before that was Me by Elton John. It was an interesting account of his life and the various advances they made in music, but not a lot of it has stuck with me. It did made me grab a couple books about Harry Nilsson, which are now on my TBR pile.

I have no idea how they're going to fit into my Bingo card, but I'll figure that out closer to the date.

I just finished Lute by Jennifer Thorne. I picked this up for the Judge a Book by its Cover bingo square. It wasn't too bad. I liked how atmospheric and creepy it was, and how the world felt broader than the book's immediate setting. There was one aspect that I felt was very poorly done, but it's a bit of a spoiler so I won't go into detail.

Now I'm reading Slow Horses by Mick Herron. I'm surprised by just how faithfully the show followed this book. There are some differences of course, but many scenes feel practically copy/pasted. This will get me the Jerk with a Heart of Gold square.

Squres still remaining: independent author, saddle up, and cozy read. Open to recommendations for all 3, but especially saddle up!

Finished up The wandering inns last book. Might take a break. Looking for a distraction book.

I had less time to read this week than I hoped because I’ve been putting preliminary stuff together for this year’s bingo challenge as well as getting and assembling a 3D printer.

I’m still on Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman as well as my re-listen through of Dungeon Crawler Carl. I’m now on The Gate of the Feral Gods.

I'm about 3/4 through The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. It's a very enjoyable read, similar in feel to his other books.

I'm currently struggling to get into City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett. I really enjoyed the first two books in his Leviathan series, so I'm hoping this gets better. Right now I just haven't connected with the characters or the world.

I haven't been reading much, so I'm only about halfway through 1984. I really like all the world building, but the actual plot kinda drags so far. Maybe that's about to change?

I also barely started Threads of Malice by Tamara Siler Jones, which I can already tell will be engrossing. Holding off on reading more of it til I finish 1984.

Just started Revenge Of Odessa and the book seems interesting. It started a bit odd but eventually got good, I’m about 60-70 pages in.

Just finished Red Country by Joe Abercrombie. Best book of his so far (I'm reading them in release order). I liked his other books enough to keep going but on average they were just below 4/5 for me. This one though was a 5/5.

Today I'm starting Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.