Gonna revisit Butcher's Crossing sometime soon. That'll probably be an annual re-read for me going forward
Started the Blackwing series by Ed Mcdonald. It tells the story of Ryhalt Galharrow and his increasingly desperate quest to save the Republic from an invasion by the Deep Kings, ancient inhuman sorcerers of near god-like power. Loving it so far.
Halfway through Demon in White (book 3 of Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio) and man, Hadrian Marlowe is rocketing up my list of favorite characters.
Taking a break from vampire books (for now) and about to start Little Heaven by Nick Cutter. I loved The Troop and this seems to be written in a completely different vein, so I’m excited to get going.
Surprised there isn't any talk about how Gaiman is sexual predator and a monster. https://www.vulture.com/article/neil-gaiman-allegations-controversy-amanda-palmer-sandman-madoc.html
I saw stories about the allegations months ago. Didnt realize there was a full article out diving into them. Terrible stuff.
The End of Loneliness: A Novel https://a.co/d/3ceuJwF Just finished this and it’s the best book I’ve read in many, many years. Don’t remember who recommended it to me but if it was someone on this board, thank you very much.
Started The Mercy of Gods by James S.A.Corey, the authors that wrote The Expanse series. Only on chapter 8 but enjoying it so far. Truman you’ve already read this, right?
I did. Those guys have such a unique writing style, it instantly felt nostalgic reading them again. We talked about the book a little bit in The Expanse thread, but prob should create it's own
Through Chapter 8, although its really an Expanse spoiler not a Mercy of the Gods one. Spoiler Not looking for answers but feels like they could easily be having this story take place in the same universe as The Expanse. The comment about humans not being native to Anjiin but the reason for them being there being lost to time would make sense if a colony had gone there before the gates were all closed.
!!! I made almost the same comment! A dumb theory I formed around chapter 10 - for anyone that ends up reading this. Spoiler Humans end up on Anjiin, then struggle to survive, and eventually co-survive on the planet with the native species. My crazy far-out theory - We're in The Expanse Universe. Humans traveled there via the Ring Network, got cut off and stayed there. Mercy of Gods takes place 1000s ??? of years later. Probably wrong. Probably dumb. But I will think this is the case until proven otherwise. Most likely by one of you that saw something completely obvious that I missed But rv12 said the authors said it's a different universe and they're done w The Expanse. Womp womp
Looking for a book about religion that was something, something, and a UFO in the title? Sounded interesting but I can’t remember the dang name.
2025 National Book Critics Circle Award finalists Fiction Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Godwin by Joseph O’Neill (Pantheon) James by Percival Everett (Doubleday) My Friends by Hisham Matar (Random House) Us Fools by Nora Lange (Two Dollar Radio) Nonfiction The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq by Steve Coll (Penguin Press) Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham (Avid Reader) The Freaks Came Out To Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture by Tricia Romano (PublicAffairs) Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood by Gretchen Sisson (St. Martin’s) We’re Alone by Edwidge Danticat (Graywolf) https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw...5-national-book-critics-circle-finalists.html
Stoker Award finalists were just posted as well. I probably read more horror than most on here (shoutout to Duval as well) but in case anyone is interested: https://bramstokerawards.horror.org...m-stoker-awards-preliminary-ballot-announced/
Just wrapped up the second book from the stormlight archive. Taking a break to read one or two standalone fantasy books. Was considering Blood over bright haven. Additional suggestions appreciated.
Anyone have any good recommendations for Day or the Jackal or The Killer type novels? I’m aware of the latter being in graphic novel form, but that kinda sucks on Kindle. Looking for something with detailed descriptions of place, planning, equipment, and execution with main character lacking remorse and simply doing a job he’s contracted to do. Past, present, or future doesn’t matter much. TIA.
I JUST finished Day of the Jackal an hour ago lol. So good. Also gave me greater appreciation for the show. Would also be interested in similar reads.
It's very good. My motivation for reading the book. They did a very good job of updating the story while staying faithful to the book.
I’m halfway through pale fire. I have no idea how this is on so many lists of must read books. It’s borderline unreadable. im convinced that some books are considered great and/or masterpieces because people don’t want to sound dumb saying that they don’t get it. Like, sometimes there is nothing to get and something is just garbage. Ulysses is the #1 unanimous hall of fame pick on that list
https://bookriot.com/2025-andrew-carnegie-medal-winners/ Established in 2012, the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction are awarded by the American Library Association to one adult novel and one adult nonfiction book every year. They are chosen by a panel of seven library experts who work with adult readers, and each winner receives $5,000. Here are this year’s winners Continuing its sweep of most of the major awards, the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction goes to James by Percival Everett. Allison Escoto, chair of this year’s selection committee, said, “Percival Everett has written a modern masterpiece, a beautiful and important work that offers a fresh perspective from the eyes of a classic character.” The 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction goes to A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko. Escoto calls this book an “unforgettable journey through the otherworldly depths of the Grand Canyon shows us the triumphs and pitfalls of exploration and illuminates the many vital lessons we can all learn from our precious natural world.” The other shortlisted titles for the 2025 the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction were Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang and Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar, and for Nonfiction, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham and Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum.
Would be curious to hear their thoughts. Hope your co-worker isn’t faint of heart, because sections of the book are, say, graphic.
Lol I read your review to her about 20 minutes ago and she said she stopped reading it after 28 pages
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2...uge-rise-in-science-fiction-and-fantasy-sales Maybe I'm misinterpreting this but looks like Fantasy and Sci-Fi sales increased by 41.3% between 2023 and 2024 these Rebecca Yarros books are completely dominating the bestseller lists right now. Heard someone refer to them as dragon smut, so not my cup of tea. But hey whatever gets people reading
And Sarah J Maas. I read the first Fourth Wing book just out of curiosity. It was pretty hilarious tbh. In all the ways it's not meant to be.
It's just so cheesy. Definitely a guilty pleasure if that's what you're into. But all the tension and conflict be solved by a 10 minute conversation between characters instead of just brooding in a corner. The plot is completely predictable with people making nonsensical choices ect. And the sex stuff is laugh out loud funny. Like I said - it's just not for me. I think part of it is just getting wrapped up in the silliness of it. There's actually a pretty cool story in there somewhere. But the author is completely uninterested in fleshing it out
My wife read the first one and wasn’t interested in continuing. All I know about Fourth Wing is this popped up in YouTube reels and it does seem like riveting prose