Books What Are You Reading or Listening To?

[rc0101]

26 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

This one is widely-regarded as the definitive biography for Napoleon:

 

Napoleon by Andrew Roberts: 9780143127857 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

WWW.PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.COM

---

The definitive biography of the great soldier-statesman by the acclaimed author of Churchill and The Last King of America—winner of the LA Times Book prize, finalist for the Plutarch prize,...

 

 

Thank you!

[CastlevaniaNut18]

So yeah, reading got way off track last month with traveling and all. I'm about a third of the way through Black House now, but it's picking up. Also reading Wolfhunter River by Rachel Caine on my Kindle.

 

I did read A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand since I got back, but didn't like it. Basically billed as a sequel to Shirley Jackson's Hill House, but this just wasn't good. I hated all the characters and honestly wanted them all to die by the end.

[EternallDarkness]

4 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

 

 

I did read A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand since I got back, but didn't like it. Basically billed as a sequel to Shirley Jackson's Hill House, but this just wasn't good. I hated all the characters and honestly wanted them all to die by the end.

 

 

then I guess I'll wait on that one for a while

[CastlevaniaNut18]

29 minutes ago, EternallDarkness said:

 

 

then I guess I'll wait on that one for a while

Yeah, I just found it mediocre. You might like it, who knows. But the characters were insufferable. 

[EternallDarkness]

On 11/7/2023 at 10:47 PM, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Yeah, I just found it mediocre. You might like it, who knows. But the characters were insufferable. 

 

 

I'll check it out eventually but you're the second person to say they were thrilled with it

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Reading The Exchange by John Grisham. Still working on Black House. Reading is starting to pick back up some now that I'm not as busy on the go.

[EternallDarkness]

3 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Reading The Exchange by John Grisham. Still working on Black House. Reading is starting to pick back up some now that I'm not as busy on the go.

 

 

Reviews haven't been stellar so interested to see what you think since I loved The Firm. 

[Dre801]

The latest "Prey" novel, "Judgement Prey" by John Sanford.

[Chris-]

I've been reading The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow and it has been just as thought-provoking, playful, and inspiring as all the different blurbs and testimonials attest. It's actually changed my perspective as to how I view and feel about much of the world.

[Chris-]

I'm also reading 'Killing Commendatore' by Haruki Murakami and so far it is just 'OK', really just more of the same from him but it is done well.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

18 hours ago, EternallDarkness said:

 

 

Reviews haven't been stellar so interested to see what you think since I loved The Firm. 

I'm about halfway through and it's just okay. Honestly, it doesn't really feel like a sequel to The Firm. It does a recap of the prior events in the first 10%, then switches over to something else entirely. Could have been done with any random character.

 

Makes me wanna go back and  reread The Firm, though.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Well, I finished The Exchange at work last night. My least favorite from Grisham in a while. This just didn't really feel like an actual sequel, it felt tedious, and ultimately an unfulfilling ending.

 

But I did start a reread of The Firm before bed this morning and even though I've read it probably a dozen times over the years, that first chapter still grips me.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Started Trinity by Leon Uris on my Kindle this morning. Wanted some HF and Ireland seemed like a good place to go.

[gamer.tv]

The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb as my actual reading book and morbidly, Matthew Perry’s autobiography on Spotify. 

[thewhyteboar]

I read Death Comes to the Archbishop, by Willa Cather. I really liked it. It’s about two Catholic priests from France who are sent to take charge of the new diocese in southwestern America. It’s told through a bunch of different vignettes; each chapter is almost like a separate short story. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

On 11/18/2023 at 12:03 PM, Chris- said:

I've been reading The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow and it has been just as thought-provoking, playful, and inspiring as all the different blurbs and testimonials attest. It's actually changed my perspective as to how I view and feel about much of the world.

 

An absolutely fantastic book and it still saddens me greatly to this day that Graeber didn't live to see its publication.

 

Also,

 

 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Currently reading Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right-Wing Extremism by Jeffrey Toobin. 
 

I was a kid when the OKC Bombing occurred and I’ve honestly never read just a ton about it. It’s a really fast read. 

[CitizenVectron]

Just finished the Age of Madness trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, which is a sequel series to The First Law trilogy. It was fantastic, I like how he doesn't conform to most tropes of the fantasy genre...although by this point you could say he conforms to his own tropes (good guys get exactly what they want, only to find out that they're worse off than when they started, and the world hasn't really changed).

 

I would highly recommend both series.

[rc0101]

On 11/6/2023 at 11:09 AM, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

This one is widely-regarded as the definitive biography for Napoleon:

 

Napoleon by Andrew Roberts: 9780143127857 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

WWW.PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.COM

---

The definitive biography of the great soldier-statesman by the acclaimed author of Churchill and The Last King of America—winner of the LA Times Book prize, finalist for the Plutarch prize,...

 

 

Nearly finished with this. I really enjoyed it and am realizing how much I didn’t know of Napoleon. It’s amazing how much of the British propaganda about him is still believed today.
 

Now I’m probably going to go down a rabbit hole of reading about the battles in more detail. Might just do that in order starting with his Italian campaign. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Still early in Trinity, but I also started Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Finished Iron Flame, still working on Trinity, though. Think I'm gonna start Sterling House by Alix Harrow. Also need to start a nonfiction and I've got Kissinger's Shadow by Greg Gradin lined up.

[EternallDarkness]

On 9/15/2023 at 9:23 PM, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

I kinda wonder if you'll like it because of the politics and covid. It's probably the most heavy-handed one on politics I've read from him, except maybe Elevation. The covid stuff makes sense at least, because of how Holly is as a person. We know she'd be neurotic about it.

 

I still love Holly Gibney and they villains were great.

 

 

Only half a dozen chapters or so in but you weren't kidding about the heavy handed politics. Definitely annoying as it pulls you out of the story with the mini rants, but the underlying story so far is dang interesting so I've no doubt in the end I'll end up enjoying it. As for Elevation I can't remember if we ever discussed that one. I honestly don't recall feeling like that one was all that preachy at all. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

6 hours ago, EternallDarkness said:

 

 

Only half a dozen chapters or so in but you weren't kidding about the heavy handed politics. Definitely annoying as it pulls you out of the story with the mini rants, but the underlying story so far is dang interesting so I've no doubt in the end I'll end up enjoying it. As for Elevation I can't remember if we ever discussed that one. I honestly don't recall feeling like that one was all that preachy at all. 

Yeah, I mean I align with SK's politics, but it took me out of the story at times. Still really enjoyed it, the villains were truly memorable. I gave it 4/5.

 

Looking forward to his short story collection next year.

[EternallDarkness]

5 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Yeah, I mean I align with SK's politics, but it took me out of the story at times. Still really enjoyed it, the villains were truly memorable. I gave it 4/5.

 

Looking forward to his short story collection next year.

 

An author's personal politics rarely bothers me unless they make it a priority over the story they are trying to tell. And as we've seen over the years King is a talented writer, completely able to weave his feelings/beliefs into his work to make it feel a natural part of the narrative, but at least in these opening chapters he's practically raving, full TDS on display. As I said, the underlying story so far has me intrigued. It's just a shame I keep getting pulled out of the story. For a character he loves so much and has spent so much time letting us get to know, he's doing her a disservice. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Failed to update, but I just finished the River We Remember by William Kent Krueger and I've got a new favorite. That was a great piece of historical fiction.

 

Now gonna read I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai.

[thewhyteboar]

I read a decent murder mystery set in Montana by A.B. Guthrie called Wild Pitch. The sheriff has a teenage sidekick who is a pitching prospect, hence the title.

 

I also read The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones, by Charles Neider. It's a retelling of the Billy the Kid story, this time set in California. You can see a lot of what inspired Sam Peckinpah in it. Some gorgeous and brutal writing. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Started Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane.

[gamer.tv]

I stopped reading my previous book as after a chat with a mate, he confirmed that the trilogy I bought was the final trilogy of a series of 14 books, each with their own, various series. So instead I’m reading Oliver Twist and I’m struggling to get past how many times the phrase, ‘the Jew’ is used. 

[Chris-]

I got a copy of Dune for Christmas and started it against my better judgment, and wouldn’t you know I really like it so far? I still maintain that it has some ridiculously unnecessary terminology (‘Orange Catholic Bible’ will always and forever be a deeply unserious thing to name something of significance), but the writing is really good and I’m very invested in the characters. I’m only around 120 pages in but I can’t wait to see where things go from here. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Small Mercies was fantastic. Definitely gonna read more of Lehane. With that completed, I'll end the year with 118 books read. A new record. I was on paces for a lot more, but starting with vacation in October, I slowed down a lot the last few months.

 

Started  The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon last night. A promising historical fiction.

[EternallDarkness]

hope to finish up Holly by the end of the day tomorrow

[Nokra]

8 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Small Mercies was fantastic. Definitely gonna read more of Lehane. With that completed, I'll end the year with 118 books read. A new record. I was on paces for a lot more, but starting with vacation in October, I slowed down a lot the last few months.

 

Started  The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon last night. A promising historical fiction.

Damn, 118 in a year is still impressive, IMO. My personal best was something like 60 and you blew that completely out of the water! 

 

This year I'm at something like 10 books or less. Working life sucks, man. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

1 hour ago, Nokra said:

Damn, 118 in a year is still impressive, IMO. My personal best was something like 60 and you blew that completely out of the water! 

 

This year I'm at something like 10 books or less. Working life sucks, man. 

Funny enough, it’s my work these days that allows even more time for reading. Most nights the patients go to bed early and if they’re quiet, I just sit down with a book once I’m done charting and just do my hourly rounds until time for them to get up. 

[Nokra]

16 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Funny enough, it’s my work these days that allows even more time for reading. Most nights the patients go to bed early and if they’re quiet, I just sit down with a book once I’m done charting and just do my hourly rounds until time for them to get up. 

That's a great way to get some reading done! Makes me miss my student days in Germany when I could set my own schedule, so it almost always included sitting by the river and reading for an hour every day. Now my 8-5 (plus 1.5 hour total commute) M-F doesn't  leave me much free time during the week and I've been prioritizing gaming. Then, at least in good weather I try to get out and do some hiking and such on the weekends. But it's the rainy season, so maybe it's the reading season.

 

Anyway... Probably a hard question, but: What would be your top picks for 1)nonfiction and 2) fiction books you read this year? 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

10 minutes ago, Nokra said:

That's a great way to get some reading done! Makes me miss my student days in Germany when I could set my own schedule, so it almost always included sitting by the river and reading for an hour every day. Now my 8-5 (plus 1.5 hour total commute) M-F doesn't  leave me much free time during the week and I've been prioritizing gaming. Then, at least in good weather I try to get out and do some hiking and such on the weekends. But it's the rainy season, so maybe it's the reading season.

 

Anyway... Probably a hard question, but: What would be your top picks for 1)nonfiction and 2) fiction books you read this year? 

That's always a tough one, but for nonfiction, I'd probably say Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe and fiction Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane or All the Sinners Bleed by SA Cosby.

 

And yeah, those dark and dreary winter months after the holidays are a great time for reading. My gaming also really picked back up this year and I'm happy for that.