I don't come around here often anymore, but had to come and share about a series that's surprisingly not in this thread anywhere.

I've been reading the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruochhio, and it's amazing. I just finished book 3 of 5, the fifth comes out in december, and it's my new number 1. The series is Science Fiction, but with some fantasy stylings. I highly recommend everyone check it out.

Also, book 1 I read in two parts, took a long break but don't really remember why. Book 2 and 3, I couldn't put down and read much more every day than normal.

Just finished a total reread of the Wheel of Time series. 14 books plus 1 prequel. Read series first time over about 25 years. While I enjoyed it I would forget many plot lines and character histories between book publications. This time reading it all in less than a year I actually enjoyed it more and things made a lot more sense. I started reread to just get through first 3 books getting ready for season 2 of the Amazon Prime series, but kept going. Think going forward I'll wait until series are completed before starting to read them.

Read:
Ballistic, Gray Man book 3, by Mark Greaney
Dead Eye, Gray Man book 4, by Mark Greaney
Back Blast, Gray Man book 5, by Mark Greaney
Gunmetal Gray, Gray Man book 6, by Mark Greaney
Agent in Place, Gray Man book 7, by Mark Greaney
Pay or Play, Charlie Waldo book 3, by Howard Michael Gould

Listened to:
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
In The Blood, The Terminal List book 5 by Jack Carr
Tough by Terry Crews
Term Limits by Vince Flynn
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
The Black Echo by Harry Bosch book 1 by Michael Connelly
The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter

Currently reading:
Mission Critical, Gray Man book 8 by Mark Greaney
The Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate

Currently listening to:
The Black Ice, Harry Bosch book 2 by Michael Connelly

I keep telling myself I'm done with the Gray Man books but every time I finish one I want to move on to the next.

"Dead and Breakfast" (Audible): Kate Kingsbury: C
"The Exiled Fleet: Albion Lost" Book 1(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: The Long March" Book 2 (Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood" Book 1: Brian McClellan: A
"Wizard for Hire" Book 1(Audible): Obert Skye: C-
"The Exiled Fleet: Finest Hour" Book 3(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: Point of Honor" Book 4(Audible): Richard Fox: A [Buyer beware: I thought this was the final book of series because there is no mention of any others even on the author's website. Zero inkling of when the story will be completed. I really enjoyed the series so far, just bummed that there seems to be no end in sight.]
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Crimson Campaign" Book 2: Brian McClellan: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Autumn Republic" Book 3: Brian McClellan: A-
"The Last Dog On Earth" (Audible): Adrian Walker: B (told from two perspectives: owner and dog/beware: the dog is foul mouthed but pretty dang funny)
"Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: Crimson Alliance" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: The Jade Lord: A litRPG Adventure" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"God of War" (Audible): J. M. Barlog; Cory Barlog: C
"Alias Hook" (Audible): Lisa Jensen: A- (Peter Pan told from Captain Hook's perspective; not a kid book, more adult oriented)
"Witches Be Crazy" (Audible): Logan J. Hunder: B+ (would have been better I think with possibly a better reader, although I did warm up to him as the story progressed. Lots of bad puns and hokey stuff, had a very The Princess Bride feel)
"Cowboy Bebop: A Syndicate Story" (Audible): Sean Cummings: B
"High Strangeness" (Audible): Will Maclean: B
"A Dog Called Demolition" (Audible): Robert Rankin: C
"Memory's Legion: The Complete Expanse Story Collection" (Audible): James S. A Corey: A
"Midnight at the Well of Souls" (Audible): Jack L. Chalker: C+/B-
"Goon Squad-Year One-" (Audible) Jonathon L. Howard: B+
"Warbound: Book III of the Grimnoir Chronicles": Larry Correia: A+
"Two Necromancers, A Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems-" (Audible) L. G. Estrella: B+ (Similar to Witches be Crazy)
"Firefly: Carnival" (Audible) Una McCormack: A-
"The Screwtape Letters" (Audible) C.S. Lewis: B+ (Wanted to give it highest grade but having it read to you makes it very dry, content is amazingly accurate, could've been written today and applied to current times, definitely a worthwhile read)
"Fata Morgana" (Audible) Steven R. Boyett and Ken Mitchroney: A- (WWII B-17 crew gets knocked into another world after coming off of a bombing run over Germany)
"Mr Monk Goes To Hawaii" (Audible) Lee Goldberg: B+
"A Reluctant Druid" The Milesean Accords Book 1 (Audible) John R Osborne: C+ (decent but a little too much nerd pron for my liking but not as bad as some I've listened to)
"A Demon in Silver" Book One of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"The Hangman's Gate" Book Two of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"The Spear of Malice" Book Three of the War of the Archons (Audible) R S Ford: A
"Shadow and Bone" Grisha Book One (Audible) Leigh Bardugo A-
"Siege and Storm" Grisha Book Two (Audible) Leigh Bardugo A-
"Ruin and Rising" Grisha Book Three (Audible) Leigh Bardugo B+/A-
"The Priory of the Orange Tree" (Audible) Samantha Shannon: C I am so tired of authors cramming homosexuality and porn into Fantasy books, if I wanted homosexual romance novels or just a romance novel in general, that is what I would seek out.
"The Aeronauts Windlass" (Audible) Jim Butcher: A
"The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down" (Audible) Colin Woodard: A- (Different author but very akin to how Empire of the Summer Moon was written; on par)
"The Lies of Locke Lamora" Gentleman ******* Book 1 Scott Lynch: A (that's funny, it censors "illegitimate born")
"Red Seas Under Red Skies" Gentleman ******* Book 2 Scott Lynch: A
"The Republic of Thieves" Gentleman ******* Book 3 Scott Lynch: A
"Bounty Hunter: Lone Gunfighter of the Wastelands" Book 1 Rachel Aukes: A- (poor man's "Firefly" meets "Mandalorian")
"Bounty Hunter: Dig Two Graves" Book 2 Rachel Aukes: B+
"Bounty Hunter: Nothing to Nobody" Book 3 Rachel Aukes: B
"Bounty Hunter: Rake and Scrape" Book 4 Rachel Aukes: B
"He Who Fights with Monsters" Book 1 Travis Deverell: B+/A- (slow to get behind main character early but builds momentum as story progresses)
"Skyward" Brandon Sanderson: A-
"He Who Fights With Monsters" Book 2 Travis Deverell (Shirtaloon): A-
"He Who Fights With Monsters" Book 3 Travis Deverell (Shirtaloon): A-
"He Who Fights With Monsters" Book 4 Travis Deverell (Shirtaloon): A-
"The Seventh Son" Tale of Alvin Maker Book 1 Orson Scott Card: B- (very slow build up)
"House of Blades" The Traveller's Gate Trilogy Book 1 Will Wight: A
"The Crimson Vault" The Traveller's Gate Trilogy Book 2 Will Wight: A
"City of Light" The Traveller's Gate Trilogy Book 3 Will Wight: A
"Morgan is my Name" (Audible) Sophie Keetch: B (it wasn't bad and maybe deserves a higher grade but I was expecting more King Arthur type fantasy and ended up being more romance novel)
"The Written" Emaneska Book 1 (Audible) Ben Galley: A-
The Powder Mage Novella Collection" (Audible) Brian McClellan: A
"Death's Mantle" (Audible) Harmon Cooper: B+
"Sandstorm" Sandstorm Book 1-2 (Audible) T.W. Piperbrook: B
"The Terminal List" Book 1 Terminal List Book Series Jack Carr: A+
"Red Prophet" Tale of Alvin Maker Book 2 Orson Scott Card: B+ (either I'm getting used to the style or the series is getting better)
"Prentice Alvin" Tale of Alvin Maker Book 3 Orson Scott Card: B+/A- (Definitely warming up to it)
"Junkyard War" Shining Smith Book 3 (Audible) Faith Hunter: B-
"He Who Fights With Monsters" Book 5 Travis Deverell (Shirtaloon): A-
"Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Demon" (Audible) James Lovegrove B
"Alvin Journeyman" Tale of Alvin Maker Book 4 Orson Scott Card A-
"Heartfire" Tale of Alvin Maker Book 5 Orson Scott Card A-
"The Sum of All Men" The Runelords Book 1 (Audible) David Farland A-

Read:
Ballistic, Gray Man book 3, by Mark Greaney
Dead Eye, Gray Man book 4, by Mark Greaney
Back Blast, Gray Man book 5, by Mark Greaney
Gunmetal Gray, Gray Man book 6, by Mark Greaney
Agent in Place, Gray Man book 7, by Mark Greaney
Pay or Play, Charlie Waldo book 3, by Howard Michael Gould

Listened to:
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
In The Blood, The Terminal List book 5 by Jack Carr
Tough by Terry Crews
Term Limits by Vince Flynn
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
The Black Echo, Harry Bosch book 1, by Michael Connelly
The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter
Killing Floor, Jack Reacher Book 1, by Lee Child

About to start listening to Cant Hurt Me by David Goggins (again) to prepare for his follow-up Never Finished releasing Dec 6.

For anyone who is a Chuck Klosterman fan his new book The Nineties is a decent read. I still don't think he has been able to return to form (IV, Sex, Lies, CocoPuffs, Eat the Dinosaur) which are all brilliant, but much better that Black Hat and some of his other recent outputs.

Completed:
Dune Messiah (Dune #2) - Herbert
Auberon (The Expanse 8.5) - Corey
Leviathan Falls (The Expanse 9) - Corey
Restoration of Faith (The Dresden Files 0.1)
Vignette (The Dresden Files 5.5)
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - Edmund Morris (Audible)
Children of Dune (Dune #3) - Herbert
Vicious (Villain's #1) - V.E. Schwab (Audible)
Falling Upward - A Spirituality of the Two Halves of Life - Richard Rohr
The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Centralized Banking - Saifedean Ammous

New Reviews
God Emperor of Dune (Dune #4) - Herbert
I really enjoyed this one and thought it was better than books 2 and 3. Can't really compare it to original Dune. This one takes place 3,500 years after the first three books and was meant to be a bridge book against the first trilogy and the second trilogy (latter was never finished by F. Herbert). Again, though, there is almost no action in this book just like books 2 and 3. It's a philosophical book on essentially what is omnipotent tyranny played out to its end game. Pretty much all dialogue between antagonist and the characters that surround him. A very intriguing read considering where we are headed in this country and globally.

Rise of Empire (The Riyria Revelations #3-4)
Loving this series. Read books 1 and 2 last year and just knocked this out on Audible. The third and fourth books flesh out the two main characters (Hadrian and Royce) in more detail and you start to learn more of their backstory. They are really fun characters and kind of the classic buddy cop duo in a very light, fantasy setting. War, intrigue, love, politics, light magic, elves treated as second class citizens...there is nothing ground breaking here but it's done really well. Now listening to books 5 and 6 which will complete the series.

I never really post on here since I read a lot. Legitimately average 200+ books a year.

But going to finally dig into Malazan I think. Have them all but keep putting it off because I am scared of commitment… which means I still won't post here often if I did. Even at my rate pretty sure it'd take a year plus.

Any of y'all multi book readers? As in read several simultaneously? I used to when I was younger and my sister still does. I've moved over to mono reading over the years though but again, the thought of reading just one series for so long is off putting to me and may dabble in others at the same time. Just curious as to y'all's habits.

I like to have one fiction and one non fiction going at a time if possible

I'll typically have three different e-books going at once. One on my IPad, one on my Kindle and one on my phone. Usually they are different genres so one of them doesn't get to be too much of a focus. Occasionally I'll start a print book as well, but not as much right now.

Also, to all the people that recommended the Expeditionary Force series, thank you. I've hardly put them down since starting them. So much so that it has impacted my reading of the Ian Fleming James Bond series. I had gotten to Goldfinger when I started them, and I'm only half-way through it still. I haven't picked up the Kindle in several weeks.

Eliminatus said:

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I never really post on here since I read a lot. Legitimately average 200+ books a year.

But going to finally dig into Malazan I think. Have them all but keep putting it off because I am scared of commitment… which means I still won't post here often if I did. Even at my rate pretty sure it'd take a year plus.

Any of y'all multi book readers? As in read several simultaneously? I used to when I was younger and my sister still does. I've moved over to mono reading over the years though but again, the thought of reading just one series for so long is off putting to me and may dabble in others at the same time. Just curious as to y'all's habits.

---

How many hours a day do you read? Assuming you do some form of speed reading, which method do you use?

Eliminatus said:

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I never really post on here since I read a lot. Legitimately average 200+ books a year.

But going to finally dig into Malazan I think. Have them all but keep putting it off because I am scared of commitment… which means I still won't post here often if I did. Even at my rate pretty sure it'd take a year plus.

Any of y'all multi book readers? As in read several simultaneously? I used to when I was younger and my sister still does. I've moved over to mono reading over the years though but again, the thought of reading just one series for so long is off putting to me and may dabble in others at the same time. Just curious as to y'all's habits.

---

I read a lot. Oddly coincidentally enough I was always a one at a time type of reader (OCD anyone?) but over the last couple of years would read multiple books, up to three fully engaged at one time. I'm actually in the process of saying screw that and in turn finishing off each one I'm currently ready one at a time.

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss
Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington
An Echo of Things to Come by James Islington
River of Souls (WoT short story by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
How Old Holly Came to Be by Patrick Rothfuss
The Light of all That Falls by James Islington
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham in-progress


Completed the Licanius Trilogy. Mentioned this for the other books, but it can be a little confusing due to flashbacks, characters having aliases, and certain other aspects of the magic system that can create confusion (for the characters as well). I'm not up for a re-read right now, but I imagine a lot of it would be much easier to follow the second time through.

It's not the best written series ever, but it's great for his first novels ever. I really liked the mythology/history of the story as well. It's similar to WoT, ASoIaF, NotW, etc. in that I immediately wanted to start reading theories on a few things after finishing. I'm really hoping he will write more books in this world because there are definitely some pieces he could expand on. I did see that he is eventually going to publish a companion novel that follows some characters during the events of the trilogy. He meant to include it in book 3, but it ended up being too long (about 300-400 more pages added to an already 800+ page book). He also felt like it would just slow things down too much. It's unclear if that story will include much other than that side of the story though.

The Day of the Triffids might be my last book for 2022. It's fairly short, and I may need a break before tackling the Cosmere in 2023.

Eliminatus said:

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I never really post on here since I read a lot. Legitimately average 200+ books a year.

But going to finally dig into Malazan I think. Have them all but keep putting it off because I am scared of commitment… which means I still won't post here often if I did. Even at my rate pretty sure it'd take a year plus.

Any of y'all multi book readers? As in read several simultaneously? I used to when I was younger and my sister still does. I've moved over to mono reading over the years though but again, the thought of reading just one series for so long is off putting to me and may dabble in others at the same time. Just curious as to y'all's habits.

---

usually have one audiobook and one paperback going, try to have different genres, so one might be scifi, one non-fiction

what kind of recall do you have on 200 books? i might read a tenth of that, and still sometimes can't remember books i read last year

This year I began my "better late than never" quest to catch up on all of the reading I've spent my whole life not doing. I've tried to focus on shorter, high bang-for-buck books that allow me to easily keep track of characters, plot, themes etc. (The Passenger excluded). Here's what I've read so far this year since around March. Should be a few more before the calendar flips.

The Pearl - John Steinbeck
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane
All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
Hatchet - Gary Paulsen
The Passenger - Cormac McCarthy

Nice! I really enjoyed Hatchet when I read that as a kid.

I was a huge Gary Paulsen fan in middle school. I read all of the Hatchet books and the Francis Tucket series. I was just on a camping trip in Big Bend a few weeks ago and somehow Hatchet was downloaded on my Kindle app. Figured I might as well go back through it.

Started using Goodreads around March based on the recommendations of friends and this is what I have come December:




Books I'd recommend to friends:

• The Quiet American
• Crying in H Mart (lived in Korea growing up so think that made me enjoy this more.)
• Sapiens (first half, second half was okay)
• Cloud ****oo Land
• Home Going
• Between the World and Me

Atomic Habits - James Clear (Great book... wish I could implement what I learned)
Apocalypse Never - Michael Shellenberger (How well intentioned environmentalists screw up)
The War of Art - Steven Pressfield (I enjoyed the first section of the book about "Resistance" more than the rest which got a little too spiritual & weird for me)
Endurance - Alfred Lansing (Amazing book about Shackleton's failed Antarctic expedition. Probably my favorite Non-Fiction this year)
Range - David Epstein (How trying lots of different things makes you more well rounded & enables you to solve problems that specialists cannot.)
The Botany of Desire - Michael Pollan (Cool backstory on 4 plants: Apples, Tulips, Potatoes & Weed)
Deep Survival - Laurence Gonzales (Stories & characteristics of people who survive horrible situations)
Loserthink - Scott Adams (Adams advices you to think in different ways when analyzing things.. like a historian... engineer.. psychologist etc. to make you see things from a broader point of view. Interesting concepts)
Old Man's War - John Scalzi (GREAT Sci-Fi. Are the rest of the books in the series as good?)
A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson (Funny story about hiking the Appalachian Trail. Made me not want to hike it, actually.)
The Psychology of Money - Morgan Housel (Money management book)
The Body - Bill Bryson (In Progress - Bryson reads this himself & I can't stand his voice/accent. The book is interesting enough, but there is information overload for sure)

"Cheating" a bit this year & listening to a lot of these on Audiobooks.
I used to scoff at them, but I'm on the road so much & with 2 kids at home I don't have much time to read. Better than nothing!

Eliminatus said:

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I never really post on here since I read a lot. Legitimately average 200+ books a year.

But going to finally dig into Malazan I think. Have them all but keep putting it off because I am scared of commitment… which means I still won't post here often if I did. Even at my rate pretty sure it'd take a year plus.

Any of y'all multi book readers? As in read several simultaneously? I used to when I was younger and my sister still does. I've moved over to mono reading over the years though but again, the thought of reading just one series for so long is off putting to me and may dabble in others at the same time. Just curious as to y'all's habits.

---

Almost 4 books a week is simply unbelievable to me. Are you retired and single? I'm not disputing it; I just can't comprehend it.

For a few years now, I typically have an audio book going that I listen to exclusively when driving or flying and then a hardback/softback in the house. Thus, two books at once generally.

YouBet said:

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Eliminatus said:

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I never really post on here since I read a lot. Legitimately average 200+ books a year.

But going to finally dig into Malazan I think. Have them all but keep putting it off because I am scared of commitment… which means I still won't post here often if I did. Even at my rate pretty sure it'd take a year plus.

Any of y'all multi book readers? As in read several simultaneously? I used to when I was younger and my sister still does. I've moved over to mono reading over the years though but again, the thought of reading just one series for so long is off putting to me and may dabble in others at the same time. Just curious as to y'all's habits.

---

Almost 4 books a week is simply unbelievable to me. Are you retired and single? I'm not disputing it; I just can't comprehend it.

For a few years now, I typically have an audio book going that I listen to exclusively when driving or flying and then a hardback/softback in the house. Thus, two books at once generally.

---

Indeed. Just a fast reader and I have zero issues spending a lot of my time reading. During free days, I average a novel a day. Caveat to that though is what is occurring in my life of course. I am doing some off hour learning for job stuff currently so unfortunately I am down to about 2 books a week. Last weekend I said F it though and read the first three books of the Emperor series by Igguldon starting Friday night and finishing around midday Sunday. As an example.

I am also one of those freaks though that has been reading their entire life and is my favorite past time and it is not even close. I haven't even owned a tv in the past decade. My sister reads even more than I do actually.

And single, no kids, and no longer drink. Amazing how much more time I have when not bar hopping or hung over...

Still haven't started Malazan yet btw. It is so damn daunting.

Eliminatus said:

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YouBet said:

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Eliminatus said:

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I never really post on here since I read a lot. Legitimately average 200+ books a year.

But going to finally dig into Malazan I think. Have them all but keep putting it off because I am scared of commitment… which means I still won't post here often if I did. Even at my rate pretty sure it'd take a year plus.

Any of y'all multi book readers? As in read several simultaneously? I used to when I was younger and my sister still does. I've moved over to mono reading over the years though but again, the thought of reading just one series for so long is off putting to me and may dabble in others at the same time. Just curious as to y'all's habits.

---

Almost 4 books a week is simply unbelievable to me. Are you retired and single? I'm not disputing it; I just can't comprehend it.

For a few years now, I typically have an audio book going that I listen to exclusively when driving or flying and then a hardback/softback in the house. Thus, two books at once generally.

---

Indeed. Just a fast reader and I have zero issues spending a lot of my time reading. During free days, I average a novel a day. Caveat to that though is what is occurring in my life of course. I am doing some off hour learning for job stuff currently so unfortunately I am down to about 2 books a week. Last weekend I said F it though and read the first three books of the Emperor series by Igguldon starting Friday night and finishing around midday Sunday. As an example.

I am also one of those freaks though that has been reading their entire life and is my favorite past time and it is not even close. I haven't even owned a tv in the past decade. My sister reads even more than I do actually.

And single, no kids, and no longer drink. Amazing how much more time I have when not bar hopping or hung over...

Still haven't started Malazan yet btw. It is so damn daunting.

---

It is but it's damn awesome.

To answer your question about Old Man's War, the rest of the books are very good to good. I think OMW is the best, but you get some interesting bits in the other books. If you enjoyed the first book, you should enjoy the rest of them.

Just be careful about what you buy. Amazon has excerpts listed for sale from the first few books and I accidentally bought a chapter or section from a book that I'd already read.

YouBet said:

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Eliminatus said:

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YouBet said:

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Eliminatus said:

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I never really post on here since I read a lot. Legitimately average 200+ books a year.

But going to finally dig into Malazan I think. Have them all but keep putting it off because I am scared of commitment… which means I still won't post here often if I did. Even at my rate pretty sure it'd take a year plus.

Any of y'all multi book readers? As in read several simultaneously? I used to when I was younger and my sister still does. I've moved over to mono reading over the years though but again, the thought of reading just one series for so long is off putting to me and may dabble in others at the same time. Just curious as to y'all's habits.

---

Almost 4 books a week is simply unbelievable to me. Are you retired and single? I'm not disputing it; I just can't comprehend it.

For a few years now, I typically have an audio book going that I listen to exclusively when driving or flying and then a hardback/softback in the house. Thus, two books at once generally.

---

Indeed. Just a fast reader and I have zero issues spending a lot of my time reading. During free days, I average a novel a day. Caveat to that though is what is occurring in my life of course. I am doing some off hour learning for job stuff currently so unfortunately I am down to about 2 books a week. Last weekend I said F it though and read the first three books of the Emperor series by Igguldon starting Friday night and finishing around midday Sunday. As an example.

I am also one of those freaks though that has been reading their entire life and is my favorite past time and it is not even close. I haven't even owned a tv in the past decade. My sister reads even more than I do actually.

And single, no kids, and no longer drink. Amazing how much more time I have when not bar hopping or hung over...

Still haven't started Malazan yet btw. It is so damn daunting.

---

It is but it's damn awesome.

---

You two are going to make me try it again. Grrr!

13B said:

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YouBet said:

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Eliminatus said:

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YouBet said:

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Eliminatus said:

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I never really post on here since I read a lot. Legitimately average 200+ books a year.

But going to finally dig into Malazan I think. Have them all but keep putting it off because I am scared of commitment… which means I still won't post here often if I did. Even at my rate pretty sure it'd take a year plus.

Any of y'all multi book readers? As in read several simultaneously? I used to when I was younger and my sister still does. I've moved over to mono reading over the years though but again, the thought of reading just one series for so long is off putting to me and may dabble in others at the same time. Just curious as to y'all's habits.

---

Almost 4 books a week is simply unbelievable to me. Are you retired and single? I'm not disputing it; I just can't comprehend it.

For a few years now, I typically have an audio book going that I listen to exclusively when driving or flying and then a hardback/softback in the house. Thus, two books at once generally.

---

Indeed. Just a fast reader and I have zero issues spending a lot of my time reading. During free days, I average a novel a day. Caveat to that though is what is occurring in my life of course. I am doing some off hour learning for job stuff currently so unfortunately I am down to about 2 books a week. Last weekend I said F it though and read the first three books of the Emperor series by Igguldon starting Friday night and finishing around midday Sunday. As an example.

I am also one of those freaks though that has been reading their entire life and is my favorite past time and it is not even close. I haven't even owned a tv in the past decade. My sister reads even more than I do actually.

And single, no kids, and no longer drink. Amazing how much more time I have when not bar hopping or hung over...

Still haven't started Malazan yet btw. It is so damn daunting.

---

It is but it's damn awesome.

---

You two are going to make me try it again. Grrr!

---

You just have to get through the first book. All is ultimately revealed. It's admittedly confusing as hell until you get a few books into it but it's so big and badass though.

Still love Chain of Dogs as one of my favorite series books I've read in the last few decades.

frenchtoast said:

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I set a goal last year to read 30 books and had to scramble the last months of the year to find short books to meet my quota. This year, my goal is a lot less ambitious (12 books) to allow me time to make more purposeful reading choices instead of reading for volume. Fiction is my preferred reading, but I have been making an effort to work more non-fiction into my rotation. I am diving back into urban design, which has always been one of my main interests. The list below includes the rating I gave each book on Goodreads.

Super Sushi Ramen Express by Michael Booth (4/5)
Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild by Charles Marohn (4/5)
Better Buses, Better Cities by Steven Higashide (2/5)
Walden by Henry David Thoreau (4/5)
Walkable City by Jeff Speck (5/5)
The Floating World of Agnes Viridian by Kimberly Richardson (5/5)
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (4/5)

In progress:

The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1) by Robert Jordan

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Funerals are Fatal by Agatha Christie (3/5)
The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1) by Robert Jordan (5/5)
Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town by Charles Marohn (5/5)
Tactical Urbanism: Short-Term Action for Long-Term Change by Mike Lydon (4/5)
The Great Hunt (Wheel of Time #2) by Robert Jordan (5/5)
The Dragon Reborn (Wheel of Time #3) by Robert Jordan (4/5)
The Naked Civil Servant by Quentin Crisp (3/5)
Haunted Vancouver, Washington by Pat Jollota (3/5)
Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz (5/5)

In progress:

The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols

I hope to dive back into the Wheel of Time series next year.

Great selection!

Going to make a concerted effort to plan/log my reading this upcoming new year and hope to contribute more to this thread instead of just semi lurking. Books are my life but it is a chaotic life and need more structure in it. I have memory issues and with the rate I read, a lot of stuff is starting to blur together so digitizing may help in that regard.

Also, for those with this problem, it is ok to DNF. Did Not Finish. I had it in my head that once I opened a book and got at least a quarter of the way into it, I had to finish it. No matter what. So stupid. Just now forcing myself to not do that. Thanks to the Forest by Edward Rutherford for finally letting that sink in. Lord, what a drudge that was. I've wasted so much time reading crap I didn't actually enjoy in my life and have so many regrets now.

Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates (4/5)
A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (3.5/5)
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (5/5)
The Story of the Latter Day Saints by James B. Allen (4/5/5)
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (5/5)
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh (4/5)
The Wages of Destruction by Adam Tooze (4.5/5)
The ****s by Dennis Cooper (4/5)
Americana by Don DeLillo (4/5)
Consider the Lobster and other Essays by David Foster Wallace (4.5/5)
Jazz by Toni Morrison (4/5)
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (5/5)
Truman by David McCullough (4/5)
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (3.5/5)
Junky by William Burroughs (4/5)
Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry (4/5)
Blue Heaven by Joe Keenan (3.5/5)
The Life and Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee (4.5/5)
The Years by Annie Ernaux (5/5)
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (4.5/5)
The Idiot by Elif Bautman (3.5/5)
Warlock by Oakley Hall (4/5)
Monty: A Biography of Montgomery Clift by Robert LaGuardia (4/5)
The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs (4.5/5)
A Primate's Memoir by Robert Sapolsky (4/5)
The Loser by Thomas Bernhard (4.5/5)
Patriotic Gore by Edmund Wilson (4/5)
Sexual Personae by Camille Paglia (3.5/5)
The South: Jim Crow and its Afterlives by Adolph Reed (4.5/5)
The Collected Stories of Isaac Babel (4/5)
City of Quartz by Mike Davis (4/5/5)
2666 by Roberto Bolaño (5/5)

I just started The Passenger (by Cormac), and hopefully it closes out a great year of reading. I didn't read a single bad book for the first time ever in a given year which is remarkable.

The Pearl - John Steinbeck
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane
All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
Hatchet - Gary Paulsen
The Passenger - Cormac McCarthy
Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
Stella Maris - Cormac McCarthy
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

That'll do it for this year. Looking forward to more in 2023.

Capybara said:

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I just started The Passenger (by Cormac), and hopefully it closes out a great year of reading. I didn't read a single bad book for the first time ever in a given year which is remarkable.

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Finished both The Passenger and Stella Maris. I really enjoyed them. Stella Maris in particular. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews and I understand why a typical reader might be bored or uninterested in these.

If you have any math, science, or psychology background or have an interest in what lies beyond the explainable, these may be the most thought provoking, mind melting, heart breaking books out there. I finished SM two weeks ago and I'm still reeling.

jellycheese said:

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Capybara said:

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I just started The Passenger (by Cormac), and hopefully it closes out a great year of reading. I didn't read a single bad book for the first time ever in a given year which is remarkable.

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Finished both The Passenger and Stella Maris. I really enjoyed them. Stella Maris in particular. I've seen a lot of mixed reviews and I understand why a typical reader might be bored or uninterested in these.

If you have any math, science, or psychology background or have an interest in what lies beyond the explainable, these may be the most thought provoking, mind melting, heart breaking books out there. I finished SM two weeks ago and I'm still reeling.

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Yeah I'm looking forward to continuing it. Idk if I'll have much downtime through this weekend, but I made sure to bring it along with me.

jellycheese said:

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The Pearl - John Steinbeck
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane
All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
Hatchet - Gary Paulsen
The Passenger - Cormac McCarthy
Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
Stella Maris - Cormac McCarthy
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

That'll do it for this year. Looking forward to more in 2023.

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Nice list. I love A Christmas Carol a lot more than any of its TV/film adaptations, and I'll cherish it forever because it's been passed down from my great grandfather.

Moonraker (James Bond (Original Series) Book 3) Ian Fleming. I got the original 14 books last year from Amazon for $1 each on the Kindle. I had not read them before, despite having seen all of the movies at least once.
Diamonds Are Forever (James Bond (Original Series) Book 4) Ian Fleming
Morning Star Pierce Brown
Iron Gold Pierce Brown
Dark Age Pierce Brown
*The Sum of All Fears Tom Clancy Started a re-read of the Clancy books since I had not read them in many years
Land So Strange Andres Resendez This was recommended on one of threads this year and sounded interesting. Worth the time if you haven't read it yet. It's an amazing tale of survival and endurance.
*Debt of Honor Tom Clancy
One Full Trip Around The Sun: One Pilot's Year with the "Hornets" 116th Assault Helicopter Company Cu Chi, Vietnam Glenn W. Herpst - Glenn served with my brother in Viet Nam. If you have any interest in Helicopter usage during the war, it is worth reading.
The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend - Glenn Frankel Another book found on the lists from TexAgs
*All Systems Red; The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells (novella) If you haven't read any of these, they are highly recommended. very entertaining and I'm anxiously awaiting the new one, due out in early 2023
*Artificial Condition; The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells (novella)
*Rogue Protocol; The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells (novella)
*Exit Strategy; The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells (novella)
*Network Effect; The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells (novel)
*Home: Habitat, Range, Niche Territory: A Tor.com Original Murderbot Diaries Short Story Martha Wells
*Fugitive Telemetry; The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells (novella)
From Russia with Love (James Bond (Original Series) Book 5) Ian Fleming
*Rainbow 6 Tom Clancy
Columbus Day (Expeditionary Force Book 1) Craig Alanson All I can say is "holy cow". A friend recommended the series, and I was hesitant. A couple of folks indicated they are worth the time, and were they right. If you are thinking about reading them, definitely give book 1 a shot. I put almost everything else on hold to finish the series, which I did on Saturday.
SpecOps (Expeditionary Force Book 2) Craig Alanson
Dr. No (James Bond (Original Series) Book 6) Ian Fleming
Paradise (Expeditionary Force Book 3) Craig Alanson
Trouble on Paradise novella (Expeditionary Force Book 3.5) Craig Alanson
Black Ops (Expeditionary Force Book 4) Craig Alanson
Zero Hour (Expeditionary Force Book 5) Craig Alanson
Mavericks (Expeditionary Force Book 6) Craig Alanson
Renegades (Expeditionary Force Book 7) Craig Alanson
Armageddon (Expeditionary Force Book 8) Craig Alanson
Valkyrie (Expeditionary Force Book 9) Craig Alanson
Critical Mass (Expeditionary Force Book 10) Craig Alanson
Brushfire (Expeditionary Force Book 11) Craig Alanson
Breakaway (Expeditionary Force Book 12) Craig Alanson
Fallout (Expeditionary Force Book 13) Craig Alanson
Match Game (Expeditionary Force Book 14) Craig Alanson
Along Came A Spider (Alex Cross book 1) James Patterson
Failure Mode (Expeditionary Force Book 15) Craig Alanson
(* - indicates a re-read)

In Progress
Goldfinger (James Bond (Original Series) Book 7) Ian Fleming
The Way of Kings Stormlight Archive Book 1 Brandon Sanderson I was reading this when I started the Ex Force series, and frankly, didn't enjoy it that much. Someone please tell me they get better.
Homefront: An Expeditionary Force Audio Drama Special Craig Alanson Audiobooks normally don't do it for me unless I have read the book already. This is only in audiobook format, and I don't really care for it. Not sure if the audiobooks of the novels are done the same way, like a drama, or a standard audiobook format. The guy that recommended the series to me has not listened to this yet.

Instead of how many books people have read, I'm more interested in what the best book you've read over the last year. What is favorite that you would consider a MUST READ? And if you have to think about it, than it doesn't qualify. Who has the full proof recommendation?