Ok now we are moving.

Finished up The Strength of the Few to start the year and just finished the first Mistborn book - The Final Empire.

Going to move on to Mistborn book two - The Well of Ascension then probably a reread of Project Hail Mary in advance of the movie coming out in March.

The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne - A-

People really like this author's battle sequences, half of this book felt like a battle sequence.

boy09 said:

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I think I'm going to try to jump back into Suneater (DNF'd Empire of Silence at about 50% last year)

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Finished Empire of Silence. The pacing of that book is brutal, but it drew me in by the end of it. Went straight into Holwing Dark and burned through that in about a week and a half, which if you know my reading pace, that's pretty unbelievable. It was great. I'm fully bought in now. There's a lot of other books i want to get into, but it's going to be really tough not to just go straight into Demon in White now.

Lathspell said:

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Morbo the Annihilator said:

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rich1232 said:

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I've read low to mid 20s. Apparently Twelve Months wasn't a part of the original outline and Peace Talks/Battleground was supposed to be one. Someone on reddit thinks 25 is the current projection outside of further adjustments.

Mirror Mirror is the next novel, no idea on the timeline for that.

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He said at a signing in Houston last week that there would be 22 with a trilogy wrapping the whole thing up, so 25.

Mirror Mirror is 1/3 done.

Streaming series coming with a showrunner who is a fan and won't "WOT it up."

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There was a signing in Houston?!?!?!

WTF, fellow nerds! Why isn't one of you asshats posting this on the Dresden thread!

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My bad. In my defense, it sold out the day it was announced.

Great use of the meme. It took me at least 4 tries to finally finish it, and I never went back for a reread.

Finished Forever Odd by Dean Koontz. I had read it 20 years ago, but it was memorable enough to want to revisit.

Odd Thomas, and his surrounding cast of characters throughout the series (like the ghost of Elvis), is a great character.

On to Brother Odd!

I need read this series.

Dr. Mephisto said:

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Finished Forever Odd by Dean Koontz. I had read it 20 years ago, but it was memorable enough to want to revisit.

Odd Thomas, and his surrounding cast of characters throughout the series (like the ghost of Elvis), is a great character.

On to Brother Odd!

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I watched the movie years ago, then finally decided to read the book. For whatever reason, Koontz's writing style has never clicked with me, and this book is no different. I think I was halfway through it before I took a break. I may need to go back and finish it.

Just finished Empire of Silence. Quite the introduction to a new sci-fi universe. It's hard for me to get into new books like this. The one hooked me in from the beginning. I'm excited for the rest of the series.

January
5*
o Advise and Consent by Allen Drury (reread) Read this as a teen and been picking up others in series when seen in ebook deals. As good as I remember. Wouldn't it be great if politicians actually didn't vote in lock step.

4*
o Proven Guilty (#8 Dresden Files)
o White Night (#9 Dresden Files)
o Small Favor (#10 Dresden Files)
By Jim Butcher
Making my way through enjoyable series.

3*
o Annapolis by William Martin - ok history of US Navy through short stories linked by family genealogies.

I read Uncle Tom's Cabin. Never read it before. Knew it was written by a Christian abolitionist and was borderline propaganda on both fronts.

Modern readers probably already understand the horror of slavery. This book is definitely a product of its time.

Essentially, Alcott took every archetype regarding slavery and threw it together in a semi-cohesive story. The loyal slave. The cruel slave master. The escape story. And so on.

I'm glad I read it. It was a very important book. But I wouldn't put in my must-read classics.

I would recommend 12 Years a Slave if I wanted a dive deep into the subject. I always believe the smaller stories do a better job depicting the big issues.

birdman said:

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I read Uncle Tom's Cabin. Never read it before. Knew it was written by a Christian abolitionist and was borderline propaganda on both fronts.

Modern readers probably already understand the horror of slavery. This book is definitely a product of its time.

Essentially, Alcott took every archetype regarding slavery and threw it together in a semi-cohesive story. The loyal slave. The cruel slave master. The escape story. And so on.

I'm glad I read it. It was a very important book. But I wouldn't put in my must-read classics.

I would recommend 12 Years a Slave if I wanted a dive deep into the subject. I always believe the smaller stories do a better job depicting the big issues.

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You need to go to the Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. I learned a lot at the museum and it's an all day museum.

https://freedomcenter.org/

also this is a very good short story about a slave ship

I've slowly morphed into non fiction on audiobook (although I will sometimes reference the physical version too if I have it) and then for my physical books, Ive been reading literature and classics.

And finally, for what I consider just "fun" novels, I'll read them on my iPad.

So currently respectively I am listening to Charlemagne by Johannes Fried - a 35 hour audiobook on a man we have to mostly guess and infer what he was like. 9 hours left. Of course, the books more about the time period 700-800s and Christianity in the region. This book leaves no stone unturned though, with frequent references as far flung as India and China and how they were impacted, even if minimally. No way I'd have the time or fortitude to get through this in a physical volume.

Classic - Don Quixote. About 60% done now.

iPad book - girl with the dragon tattoo. 50% done.

BenFiasco14 said:

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I've slowly morphed into non fiction on audiobook (although I will sometimes reference the physical version too if I have it) and then for my physical books, Ive been reading literature and classics.

And finally, for what I consider just "fun" novels, I'll read them on my iPad.

So currently respectively I am listening to Charlemagne by Johannes Fried - a 35 hour audiobook on a man we have to mostly guess and infer what he was like. 9 hours left. Of course, the books more about the time period 700-800s and Christianity in the region. This book leaves no stone unturned though, with frequent references as far flung as India and China and how they were impacted, even if minimally. No way I'd have the time or fortitude to get through this in a physical volume.

Classic - Don Quixote. About 60% done now.

iPad book - girl with the dragon tattoo. 50% done.

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You might want to check this Great Course out on Charlemagne: Charlemagne: Father of Europe on The Great Courses Plus it's 12 lectures.

The professor is

Thanks, I've never heard of this website and now I'm very intrigued

BenFiasco14 said:

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Thanks, I've never heard of this website and now I'm very intrigued

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It's great way to learn more on a subject and great thing no test.

Finished A Game of Thrones as a reread. On to a Clash of Kings

Finished Wayard, Book 2 of Wayward Pines (Blake Crouch). Fun read. Full of plot holes, but doesn't hold the entertainment back. As others have said, definitely one to recommend.

gcracker13 said:

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Finished A Game of Thrones as a reread. On to a Clash of Kings

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Maybe by the time you're done with aDwD tWoW will be published

King Sorrow by Joe Hill - A+

Standalone horror, fantasy, thriller, coming of age slow burn mash up that centers on a group of college/hs friends (late 1980s) that sell their souls to the devil...err...dragon.

I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment but I've seen the HBO series and I can't be anymore disappointed than I was with that ending

The Beast in the Clouds

Story of Ted Jr and Kermit Roosevelt's expedition to China/Tibet to find and bring back the first Panda specimen for a museum.

Just completed S. King's Eyes of the Dragon.

Only my second King book.

Was entertained, but wish there was more pages devoted to the protagonist getting a pound of flesh from the antagonist.

Same with King's The Institute.

Next up J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy

American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback by Seth Wickersham. Really incredible book about the history of the quarterback and what it takes to play that position. Highly recommend for any football fans.

gcracker13 said:

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I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment but I've seen the HBO series and I can't be anymore disappointed than I was with that ending

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Well, since GRRM didn't get past book 5 of 7 planned books, you don't have to worry about it. The reason the HBO series went off the rails is the showrunners ran out of his material and had to improvise. Obviously,they don't have his talent for writing. Unfortunately, I've given up on him finishing the series.

lurker76 said:

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gcracker13 said:

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I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment but I've seen the HBO series and I can't be anymore disappointed than I was with that ending

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Well, since GRRM didn't get past book 5 of 7 planned books, you don't have to worry about it. The reason the HBO series went off the rails is the showrunners ran out of his material and had to improvise. Obviously,they don't have his talent for writing. Unfortunately, I've given up on him finishing the series.

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Completed: The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson, first volume of his trilogy on the Revolution. Excellent, excellent book that at once gives a bird's-eye view of the Revolution while also providing life to many of the major and minor players via extensive quotes. Atkinson also has an eye for showing the brutality and messiness of Revolutionary combat; for example, in describing one skirmish, he states "A mortally wounded regular had been harpooned with an iron musket ramrod under the chin and out through the nose, apparently fired at close range by a gunman who was interrupted while reloading."

Up next: The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm familiar with the high points of the story but have never actually read it cover to cover. I received a very nice hardcover copy (illustrated by Ted Nasmith) for Christmas and am looking forward to diving in.

On the horizon:

• We Pointed Them North: Recollections of a Cowpuncher by E.C. Abbott - autobiography of a cowboy who rode the range from Texas to Montana
• The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America by Margaret O'Mara - history of Silicon Valley, recommended to me by one of the senior IP attorneys at my job
• The Mabinogion translated by Sioned Davies - Welsh folklore, inspired by my lifelong love of Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles.

rich1232 said:

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King Sorrow by Joe Hill - A+

Standalone horror, fantasy, thriller, coming of age slow burn mash up that centers on a group of college/hs friends (late 1980s) that sell their souls to the devil...err...dragon.

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It's on my shelf right now waiting to be read. Glad to hear you loved it! I'm excited to crack it open!

Little known fact: "Joe Hill"'s real name is Joseph Hillstrom King....yes, that King. His dad is Stephen lol.

A review I saw pointed out the Joe Hill King Sorrow element to the cover and there are apparently a number of homages throughout. Although I think I noticed a handful, I can only directly confirm one that crops back up periodically (ymmv) on your enjoyment to it, I liked it but have seen others who didn't enjoy it as much.

There were a couple of things that I thought could've been handled differently to maximize my overall enjoyment, but that didn't detract from the fact that I was completely glued to the Kindle app and/or Audible for the almost 900 pages.

The special edition hard cover makes me wish I had thousands in disposable income to drop on books every year.

Haha funny enough, I actually asked my wife to get me the signed limited edition copy of King Sorrow from Goldsboro books with the foil cover+printed edges for Christmas. I put a dust jacket on the cover so that's why it looks glossy but it's a beautiful edition and I'm stoked to read it (soon hopefully).

Looked up King Sorrow and it is on kindle unlimited right now if you have that. Gonna give it a shot.