1. The Gray Man by Mark Greaney (Gray Man Series #1) 7/10 2. Days of Rage by Brad Taylor (Pike Logan Series #6) 7.5/10 3. The First World War: A Brief History with Documents by Susan R. Grayzel 7/10 4. Persuader by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #7) 7/10 5. The Brusilov Offensive by Timothy C. Dowling 6/10 6. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger 7/10
1. Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Jungle City - Greg Grandin 2. On the Medieval Origins of the Modern State - Joseph R. Strayer 3. The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution - C.L.R. James 4. 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed - Eric H. Cline 5. The Bitter Road to Freedom: The Human Cost of Allied Victory in World War II Europe - William I. Hitchcock 6. Gengis Khan and the Making of the Modern World - Jack Weatherford 7. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome - Mary Beard 8. First as Tragedy, Then as Farce - Slavoj Žižek 9. Civil Wars: A History in Ideas - David Armitage 10. Songs of a Dead Dreamer - Thomas Ligotti 11. The Reivers - William Faulkner 12. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 13. Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism - Ha-Joon Chang 14. Lincoln in the Bardo - George Saunders
1. The Crippled God (The Malazan Book of the Fallen #10) - Steven Erikson (9/10) 2. Dune - Frank Herbert (7/10) 3. The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1) - Carlos Ruiz Zafón (9/10) 4. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (6/10) 5. The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) - Stephen King (7/10) 6. The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) - Stephen King (8/10) 7. The North Water - Ian McGuire (6.5/10) 8. The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) - Stephen King (7.5/10) 9. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole (7/10) 10. Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) - Stephen King (9.5/10) 11. Snapshot - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) 12. Blood and Bone (Malazan Empire #5) - Ian C. Esslemont (6/10) 13. A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments - David Foster Wallace (8/10) 14. The Heroes (First Law World #5) - Joe Abercrombie (8/10) 15. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman (8/10) 16. The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton (7/10)
1. The Gray Man by Mark Greaney (Gray Man Series #1) 7/10 2. Days of Rage by Brad Taylor (Pike Logan Series #6) 7.5/10 3. The First World War: A Brief History with Documents by Susan R. Grayzel 7/10 4. Persuader by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #7) 7/10 5. The Brusilov Offensive by Timothy C. Dowling 6/10 6. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger 7/10 7. Forty Years in the Big House: Michigan Tales from My Four Decades as a Wolverine by Jon Falk with Dan Ewald 6/10
1. The Gray Man by Mark Greaney (Gray Man Series #1) 7/10 2. Days of Rage by Brad Taylor (Pike Logan Series #6) 7.5/10 3. The First World War: A Brief History with Documents by Susan R. Grayzel 7/10 4. Persuader by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #7) 7/10 5. The Brusilov Offensive by Timothy C. Dowling 6/10 6. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger 7/10 7. Forty Years in the Big House: Michigan Tales from My Four Decades as a Wolverine by Jon Falk with Dan Ewald 6/10 8. Hallowed Ground by James McPherson 8.5/10
1. Poisonfeather (Gibson Vaughn #2) - Matthew FitzSimmons (7.5/10) 2. The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture - Glen Weldon (8.5/10) 3. Waking Gods (Themis Files #2) - Sylvain Neuvel (7.5/10) 4. Red Rising (Red Rising #1) - Pierce Brown (8.5/10) 5. Golden Son (Red Rising #2) - Pierce Brown (8.5/10) 6. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) - Pierce Brown (9/10) The way this started. The way it was in the middle. Or 75% in. Or 85%. Or 90%. Etc. I continued to be blown away all the way until the very end. What a series. So happy so many people recommended it to me. This is a rare series I got to start knowing I would see the ending whenever I chose to. No waiting around years for an ending to arrive (or perhaps not, as we've seen with some other stuff). Don't even want to say more because I don't want to spoil this for anyone.
1. Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Jungle City - Greg Grandin 2. On the Medieval Origins of the Modern State - Joseph R. Strayer 3. The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution - C.L.R. James 4. 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed - Eric H. Cline 5. The Bitter Road to Freedom: The Human Cost of Allied Victory in World War II Europe - William I. Hitchcock 6. Gengis Khan and the Making of the Modern World - Jack Weatherford 7. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome - Mary Beard 8. First as Tragedy, Then as Farce - Slavoj Žižek 9. Civil Wars: A History in Ideas - David Armitage 10. Songs of a Dead Dreamer - Thomas Ligotti 11. The Reivers - William Faulkner 12. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 13. Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism - Ha-Joon Chang 14. Lincoln in the Bardo - George Saunders 15. Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman
I enjoyed it. I never read a comprehensive telling of the norse gods. Gaiman's style of whimsy fits in really well the mythology.
1. Dune, by Frank Herbert (6.5/10) 2. The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry (7/10) 3. The Kill Artist (Gabriel Allon #1) by Daniel Silva (8.5/10) 4. The Templar Legacy (Cotton Malone #1) by Steve Berry (6.5/10) 5. Carve The Mark by Veronica Roth (6/10) 6. Master of Formalities by Scott Meyer (7/10) 7. Empires of the Sea, by Roger Crowley (9/10) 8. 1984 by George Orwell (8.5/10) 9. The North Water, by Ian McGuire (7/10) 10. The English Assassin (Gabriel Allon #2) by Daniel Siva (8/10) 11. Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance (9/10) 12. The Alexandria Link (Cotton Malone #2) by Steve Berry (7.5/10) 13. Star Wars: Empire's End (Aftermath #3) by Chuck Wendig (7.5/10) 14. Animal Farm by George Orwell (8/10) 15. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (7/10) 16. Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling (8.5/10) 17. Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (8.5/10) 18. Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (10/10) 19. Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling (9/10) 20. Nutshell, by Ian McEwan (7/10)
1. The Gray Man by Mark Greaney (Gray Man Series #1) 7/10 2. Days of Rage by Brad Taylor (Pike Logan Series #6) 7.5/10 3. The First World War: A Brief History with Documents by Susan R. Grayzel 7/10 4. Persuader by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #7) 7/10 5. The Brusilov Offensive by Timothy C. Dowling 6/10 6. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger 7/10 7. Forty Years in the Big House: Michigan Tales from My Four Decades as a Wolverine by Jon Falk with Dan Ewald 6/10 8. Hallowed Ground by James McPherson 8.5/10 9. The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-Day Sacrifice by Alex Kershaw 9/10
1. Poisonfeather (Gibson Vaughn #2) - Matthew FitzSimmons (7.5/10) 2. The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture - Glen Weldon (8.5/10) 3. Waking Gods (Themis Files #2) - Sylvain Neuvel (7.5/10) 4. Red Rising (Red Rising #1) - Pierce Brown (8.5/10) 5. Golden Son (Red Rising #2) - Pierce Brown (8.5/10) 6. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) - Pierce Brown (9/10) 7. Nutshell - Ian McEwan (4.5/10) Said this in the thread: While the storytelling was a unique idea, I really wasn't a huge fan of the book overall. I've read better thrillers with more interesting characters. And there was literally no likable characters in this book. I guess I don't hate that I read it - it was short enough to not feel like something that would waste time - but I can't say I would recommend it to anyone.
1. Commander In Chief - Greaney (Clancy) 7/10 2. The Devil in the White City - Larson 6.5/10 3. True Faith and Allegiance - Greaney 7.5/10 4. The Gray Man (Gray Man Series #1) - Greaney 7.5/10 5. Duty and Honor - Grant Blackwood 3/10 6. On Target (Gray Man #2) - Greaney 8/10 7. Ballistic (Gray Man #3) - 8.5/10 8. Dead Eye (Gray Man #4) - Greaney 9/10 9. Back Blast (Gray Man #5) - Greaney - 9.25/10 - Series keeps improving... *** Anyone have access to "Gunmetal Gray" - #6 in the series? It's not available on Bib & can only get it on Anom if you are a VIP?
1. Poisonfeather (Gibson Vaughn #2) - Matthew FitzSimmons (7.5/10) 2. The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture - Glen Weldon (8.5/10) 3. Waking Gods (Themis Files #2) - Sylvain Neuvel (7.5/10) 4. Red Rising (Red Rising #1) - Pierce Brown (8.5/10) 5. Golden Son (Red Rising #2) - Pierce Brown (8.5/10) 6. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) - Pierce Brown (9/10) 7. Nutshell - Ian McEwan (4.5/10) 8. The 50 Best College Football Teams of All Time - Bill Connelly (7/10) I liked going through the history to see teams that played a part in how the sport has been shaped, even if that didn't mean all of them won a national title (or even a conference title, in some cases). The one criticism I have is that some chapters felt like a literal recap of a season (in game 1 this happened, in game 2 this happened, etc.) vs. others that told us why they mattered in a big picture sense, while also hitting on what actually happened in the season. The best example of the latter is the Alabama team that went up against an integrated USC squad and how that changed things moving forward. That stuff was fascinating, while the season recap chapters were just meat and potatoes. And as the book went on, I definitely enjoyed it more as it started becoming teams I either (a) knew more about or (b) had watched growing up. Would definitely recommend to any fans of CFB.
1. The Crippled God (The Malazan Book of the Fallen #10) - Steven Erikson (9/10) 2. Dune - Frank Herbert (7/10) 3. The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1) - Carlos Ruiz Zafón (9/10) 4. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (6/10) 5. The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) - Stephen King (7/10) 6. The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) - Stephen King (8/10) 7. The North Water - Ian McGuire (6.5/10) 8. The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) - Stephen King (7.5/10) 9. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole (7/10) 10. Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) - Stephen King (9.5/10) 11. Snapshot - Brandon Sanderson (8/10) 12. Blood and Bone (Malazan Empire #5) - Ian C. Esslemont (6/10) 13. A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments - David Foster Wallace (8/10) 14. The Heroes (First Law World #5) - Joe Abercrombie (8/10) 15. Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman (8/10) 16. The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton (7/10) 17. It - Stephen King (9.5/10) 18. The Broom of the System - David Foster Wallace (6.5/10) 19. The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower #4.5) - Stephen King (6.5/10)
1. The Gray Man by Mark Greaney (Gray Man Series #1) 7/10 2. Days of Rage by Brad Taylor (Pike Logan Series #6) 7.5/10 3. The First World War: A Brief History with Documents by Susan R. Grayzel 7/10 4. Persuader by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #7) 7/10 5. The Brusilov Offensive by Timothy C. Dowling 6/10 6. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger 7/10 7. Forty Years in the Big House: Michigan Tales from My Four Decades as a Wolverine by Jon Falk with Dan Ewald 6/10 8. Hallowed Ground by James McPherson 8.5/10 9. The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-Day Sacrifice by Alex Kershaw 9/10 10. On Target by Mark Greaney (Gray Man Series #2) 8/10
1. Poisonfeather (Gibson Vaughn #2) - Matthew FitzSimmons (7.5/10) 2. The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture - Glen Weldon (8.5/10) 3. Waking Gods (Themis Files #2) - Sylvain Neuvel (7.5/10) 4. Red Rising (Red Rising #1) - Pierce Brown (8.5/10) 5. Golden Son (Red Rising #2) - Pierce Brown (8.5/10) 6. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) - Pierce Brown (9/10) 7. Nutshell - Ian McEwan (4.5/10) 8. The 50 Best College Football Teams of All Time - Bill Connelly (7/10) 9. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit - Michael Finkel (6.5/10) Enjoyed the book, didn't love the person whom it was written about. So in a way I'm treating it like fiction instead of non-fiction. Really good reporting.
I couldn't even find it on Goodreads. Who's the author? Edit: It's John Dies at the End. Author is David Wong. Never heard of it.
1. Poisonfeather (Gibson Vaughn #2) - Matthew FitzSimmons (7.5/10) 2. The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture - Glen Weldon (8.5/10) 3. Waking Gods (Themis Files #2) - Sylvain Neuvel (7.5/10) 4. Red Rising (Red Rising #1) - Pierce Brown (8.5/10) 5. Golden Son (Red Rising #2) - Pierce Brown (8.5/10) 6. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) - Pierce Brown (9/10) 7. Nutshell - Ian McEwan (4.5/10) 8. The 50 Best College Football Teams of All Time - Bill Connelly (7/10) 9. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit - Michael Finkel (6.5/10) 10. Behind Her Eyes - Sarah Pinborough (7/10) This is a weird review for me to write. The first 200 pages were excellent and I was 100% all in on the book. Didn't know exactly where it was going but I couldn't wait to find out. So, on one hand the book was a page turner. And the cover wasn't wrong when it said "you don't know the ending". But there was a part of the book that I didn't think was as fleshed out as it needed to be. Still enjoyed reading it and would prob recommend.
Caught up on all my favorite military sci-fi series (Frontlines, Odyssey 1, Man of War, and the Expanse). Anyone have something good in the pipes in that vein? I just grabbed Ninefox Gambit and The Oncoming Storm. First few chapters of each has failed to grab be and I desperately wish there were about thirty more Odyssey 1 books.
1. Golden Son (Red Rising #2) - Pierce Brown (8/10) 2. Morning Star (Red Rising #3) - Pierce Brown (8/10) 3. Scrappy Little Nobody - Anna Kendrick (6.5/10) 4. Dune (Dune #1) - Frank Herbert (7.5/10) 5. Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos #1) - Dan Simmons (9/10) 6. The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos #2) - Dan Simmons (9/10) 7. The Blade Itself (First Law #1) - Joe Abercrombie (8/10) 8. Before They Are Hanged (First Law #2) Joe Abercrombie (8/10) 9. Last Argument of Kings (First Law #3) - Joe Abercrombie (8.5/10) 10. Best Served Cold (First Law #4) - Joe Abercrombie (8/10) 11. Blood and Bone (Malazan Empire #5) - Ian C. Esselmont (7/10) 12. Nutshell - Ian McEwan (7/10) 13. The Heroes (First Law #5) - Joe Abercrombie (8.5/10)
No, it's on my to-read. I was hoping for more space opera and it seemed like a ground pounder dystopia. No?
It's not all ground pounding, but more planetary than space, although there are space battles. The first two books of the Confluence Trilogy are out. They're interesting, the final book will be make or break for the trilogy.
1. Commander In Chief - Greaney (Clancy) 7/10 2. The Devil in the White City - Larson 6.5/10 3. True Faith and Allegiance - Greaney 7.5/10 4. The Gray Man (Gray Man Series #1) - Greaney 7.5/10 5. Duty and Honor - Grant Blackwood 3/10 6. On Target (Gray Man #2) - Greaney 8/10 7. Ballistic (Gray Man #3) - 8.5/10 8. Dead Eye (Gray Man #4) - Greaney 9/10 9. Back Blast (Gray Man #5) - Greaney - 9.25/10 10. Gunmetal Gray (Gray Man #6) - Greaney - 9.25/10. Really entertaining series. Reading "The Coldest Winter - America and the Korean War" by Halberstam next... both of my grandfathers fought in Korea & I know little to nothing about the conflict.
Thanks. I'll do Red Rising after I get through these. Haven't heard of the Conference* Trilogy. Edit: because you said confluence. That would do it.
Confluence isn't a must read or anything, and has some eye roll worthy moments, but it scratches the space opera itch
1. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (8/10) 2. Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno (6/10) 3. Moonglow by Michael Chabon (7/10) 4. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (9/10)
1. Dune, by Frank Herbert (6.5/10) 2. The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry (7/10) 3. The Kill Artist (Gabriel Allon #1) by Daniel Silva (8.5/10) 4. The Templar Legacy (Cotton Malone #1) by Steve Berry (6.5/10) 5. Carve The Mark by Veronica Roth (6/10) 6. Master of Formalities by Scott Meyer (7/10) 7. Empires of the Sea, by Roger Crowley (9/10) 8. 1984 by George Orwell (8.5/10) 9. The North Water, by Ian McGuire (7/10) 10. The English Assassin (Gabriel Allon #2) by Daniel Siva (8/10) 11. Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance (9/10) 12. The Alexandria Link (Cotton Malone #2) by Steve Berry (7.5/10) 13. Star Wars: Empire's End (Aftermath #3) by Chuck Wendig (7.5/10) 14. Animal Farm by George Orwell (8/10) 15. Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (7/10) 16. Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling (8.5/10) 17. Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (8.5/10) 18. Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (10/10) 19. Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling (9/10) 20. Nutshell, by Ian McEwan (7/10) 21. Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (7/10) 22. Thrawn by Timothy Zahn (8/10) 23 Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (10/10)
1. The Gray Man by Mark Greaney (Gray Man Series #1) 7/10 2. Days of Rage by Brad Taylor (Pike Logan Series #6) 7.5/10 3. The First World War: A Brief History with Documents by Susan R. Grayzel 7/10 4. Persuader by Lee Child (Jack Reacher #7) 7/10 5. The Brusilov Offensive by Timothy C. Dowling 6/10 6. Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger 7/10 7. Forty Years in the Big House: Michigan Tales from My Four Decades as a Wolverine by Jon Falk with Dan Ewald 6/10 8. Hallowed Ground by James McPherson 8.5/10 9. The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-Day Sacrifice by Alex Kershaw 9/10 10. On Target by Mark Greaney (Gray Man Series #2) 8/10 11. No Fortunate Son by Brad Taylor (Pike Logan #7) 9/10
I used to read 100% fiction til I worked at an academic library for a few years and that swung me the other way. I dig both though. I've actually never read HP myself which is something i need to remedy
The Metamorphosis -- Franz Kafka (8/10) Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain -- Antonio Damasio (8/10) Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things -- Jenny Lawson (6/10) The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail But Some Don't -- Nate Silver (9/10) Thinking, Fast and Slow -- Daniel Kahneman (10/10) Travels With Charley: In Search of America -- John Steinbeck (8/10) That's my list of books completed this year. Right now I'm also about to complete/at least 50% done with: Kim-- Rudyard Kipling The Great Escape: Health, Wealth and the Origins of Inequality -- Angus Deaton A Natural History of the Senses -- Diane Ackerman The Mission of Art -- Alex Grey
1. The Professor in the Cage by Jonathan Gottschall (5/10) 2. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (7/10, would recommend to anyone in or interested in a creative field) Got a late start to the year but chewing on a few now, and Salems Lot for next month
Seen 2ish movies over the years with various gfs and such. But when you don't really know what's going on they don't make too much of an impact Idk how old yall are but I'm 33 and had a little sister 4 years younger. HP became hot when she was coming along so my immediate stance was lol fuck this if my little sister likes it. Years later I realized they were objectively classic books but have never gone back to actually read them
Seems like a good thing to do this summer. If I do I'll just hop into Truman's thread so it's not as look at me. Could be the HP virgin thread