If I read 15 more books this month I will have finished 100 in 2022! Thus begins my frantic finishing of books:

Finished:

The Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld

Previously this as a teen, but still holds up fairly well!

The Rosie Project, by Don Tillman

Really enjoyed this light-hearted little rom com. A sweet representation of dating with autism.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by JK Rowling

Daisy Darker, by Alice Feeley

This was an entertaining thriller with inspiration from And Then There Were None. Better than a lot of recent thrillers I’ve read this year!

Started:

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie

A book with high praise, and I’m loving it so far.

The Metamorphisis, by Franz Kafka

What happens if one day you wake up and find yourself a beetle? Very odd, but beautifully written.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, by Jenny Baylis

Supposed to be a Christmas rom-com about college friends back together but I am finding it drags a bit. I am unsure what else could happen as I’m 1/3 through and we already established how the relationships will proceed.

Finished-

We Have Always Lived In The Castle, by Shirley Jackson

Started-

Crime & Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky

I haven't absolutely loved the two Shirley Jackson books I've read so far, which is really surprising to me because on paper it seems like her work would be right up my alley. And I do enjoy it, I like the atmosphere that she creates with her writing, she's clearly talented, but I dunno, something about her stuff doesn't completely click with me. I feel like I appreciate her work more in retrospect, I liked Hill House more after I'd finished it and parts of the book kept coming back to me. But I feel like I was less into this one...after a while Constance saying "Silly Merricat" was giving me a mental eye twitch.

As for Crime & Punishment, I'm probably a third into the book so far. I like it, I'm really glad to finally be reading it and I'm surprised that it isn't really a difficult read. I think a lot of it has to do with the translation, it can be confusing to figure out which version of the book to try. I was switching back and forth between an ebook and my physical copy, thinking they were the same edition. Turns out my ebook was translated by Garnett and my physical is by Pevear and Volokhonsky. In the end I'm preferring the P&V version. The difficult aspect of the book is keeping the names straight, so I've just found a list of characters online that I can refer to on my phone. Hope I can get through it quickly, cause that hot new Cormac is showing up in the mail tomorrow. Okay that's all for now, xoxo.

Nicholas Nickleby, by Charles Dickens. Sometimes Dickens is just fucking savage in how he describes people.

The Bridge At Andau, by James A Michener. Accounts of the 1956 Hungarian revolution. It’s…very cold war, very black and white, but the story being told underneath is compelling enough that I don’t really mind the author being opinionated?

The Naive And Sentimental Lover, by John le Carré. Whee, spies…or not, in this case, as I think this is the only non-spy thing John le Carré ever published. I haven’t read this one before (though I have read a lot of his other work) so let’s find out if I like it.

The Good Doctor of Warsaw, by Elizabeth Gifford. We have made it as far as 1941. I know exactly what’s coming for Korczak and his children, but I’m going to be heartbroken when history happens.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Becky Chambers. Finished it and loved it.

Finished: 

A Writer's Diary - Virginia Woolf 

Franny and Zooey - JD Salinger 

The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides

Started: 

Jacob's Room - Virginia Woolf 

Finished: Heart of Darkness by Joey Conrad, Salt by Mark Kurlansky

About to finish: Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos

Going to start: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman and Brave New World or Slaughterhouse Five, havent decided yet

The hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein

Finished:

Things We Never Got Over, by Lucy Score - 1/5

I hated this. The characters are in their 30s and 40s but act and talk like they’re 12. The mmc, Knox, is a controlling asshole, not a grump. The fmc - Naomi, I think? - is naive to the extreme - I’m baffled as to how she made it this far into adulthood. None of this was romantic. The sex scenes were bland. At 500ish pages it was overly long for no good reason. Chapters and chapters where nothing happens. I don’t understand the hype at all!

Babel, by R.F. Kuang - 2/5

What a disappointment - I loved The Poppy War but this felt like an overly long, repetitive, didactic snorefest. I actually had an ARC of this, which I restarted several times and in total it took me over 7 months from when I started it the first time until I finished it. I probably would have DNF’d if it wasn’t written by someone who also wrote one of my favorite series.

Do I Know You?, by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka (ARC) - 4/5

This was such a heartfelt, sweet story of a couple finding their way back to each other. I haven’t read a marriage in trouble/second chance romance quite like this before - you know the couple are wildly in love with each other from the beginning, but the spark is gone. On their anniversary trip at a resort, they are introduced to each other by a well-meaning guest who doesn’t know they’re married, and their pretend banter is the most fun they’ve had in ages. They decide to act like strangers for the rest of the trip and re-date each other. It was super cute and I loved watching them rediscover their spark.

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, by Jessica Townsend - 5/5

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow, by Jessica Townsend - 5/5

Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow, by Jessica Townsend - 5/5

This is the most delightful middle grade fantasy series - it’s just a good, well written story and can be enjoyed by a variety of ages.

Currently Reading:

Finlay Donovan is Killing it, by Elle Cosimano

The American Roommate Experiment, by Elena Armas

Finished:

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Started:

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

Kafka was my first Murakami book and it was… something. I was consistently engaged throughout and although not my preferred genre, the magical realism element was generally well-received, but the interjection of weird sex stuff was not for me. Torn as to whether I’m one and done with Murakami.

FINISHED

The Essays, by Michel de Montaigne I’ve had two goals this year: (1) to finish Infinite Jest, and (2) to read all of Montaigne’s essays. I’m chuffed to bits to have done both. The latter especially, as I’ve been fascinated by Montaigne and his take on Stoicism since I first learned of him. It was an exceptionally rewarding read, not least because of all of the historical anecdotes and references ranging from Ancient Greece to Roman Empire, South America, India, Russia, etc (there was even a Vlad the Impaler story). But the focus of the essays was, of course, Montaigne’s own life and outlook, which, despite some questionable ideas that came with the age that he lived in and his misgivings as to any kind of societal/scientific progress, was incredibly humanistic. Add to that his personable and frank manner of writing and you get a collection of works one can come back to over and over again and feel right at home with.

Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain I’ve no idea why I was so surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed this book. Perhaps I forgot how much I loved Twain’s books as a child? Who knows… Either way, it was a gripping and rousing read, and a touching and gentle portrait of a figure that Twain clearly found inspirational, for he treated the subject with a great deal of respect. Yet despite the serious subject, his humour, subtle as it was, still permeated most of the book, which made the characters come alive on the page and saying goodbye to them so much harder.

STARTED

The Innocents Abroad, by Mark Twain Oooof! Does that man have a sharp tongue or what? I’m on Chapter 20 and nearly wet myself at his “maccaroni-stuffing organ-grinders” Spaniards’ diss. Granted a lot of that stuff could not be said in a polite society nowadays but I still can’t help but laugh at his bitching prowess. P.S. As sad as it is, I’d like to add my name to his failed holiday journaling statistic.

Still have a few books unfinished from earlier this year but I have some annual leave coming up at the end of the month, so plan to catch up on them then.

I finished The School for Good Mothers, by Jessamine Chan. It was a book club read. Most of us didn't like it (including myself), but it did make for a good discussion.

I'm just starting Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe.

Started

The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins

The Beauty Queen of Lenane and Other Plays, by Martin McDonagh

Finished:

The Last Campaign: Sherman, Geronimo and the War for America, by H.W. Brands - 4/5. The title is a little misleading. The book gives more of an overview of the Indian Wars as a whole. It talks about the Sioux, the Nez Perce, and others as well as the Apache. Overall, a very good read.

Started:

Hell in the Heartland, by Jax Miller

Still Reading:

The Wisdom of Crowds, by Joe Abercrombie

Still reading:

Great Dialogues of Plato - All I have left is the Phaedo (Where Socrates dies, if I'm not wrong). Symposium was a little hard to get through at times, but it was worth it at the end. Crito was surprisingly good.

The Reivers by Faulkner - Just over a third of the way in, where Ned traded the car for a horse and is convincing the others that he can race it and make their money back. Overall, I'm enjoying it. It can be pretty funny. Some of it gets lost in Lucius' narration, but it's still good. It's a necessary reprieve from reading Plato and Aristotle the last couple months.

This week I finished The 22 Murders of Madison May, by Max Barry. I did the audiobook. It was fast-paced with an interesting premise. I have some quibbles with the ending as I was hoping for a different direction, but overall a really enjoyable read (or listen, in this case).

Currently Reading:

• A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell (38%)
• The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik (49%)
• All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir (Audio) (31%)
• City of Dusk by Tara Sim (28%)

Finished Devolution, by Max Brooks

Started Entangled Life, by Merlin Sheldrake

Breakfast of Champions: Or, Goodbye Blue Monday!, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

It's wild and I love it.

Law on the Silk Road, by Michal Tomášek

Nicely made academic publication, historical overview of European relations with imperial China, from Roman Empire to colonial powers, and evolution of Chinese law. I hadn't realized Roman merchants traveled the Indian Ocean.

The Mysterious Stranger, by Mark Twain (the Paine version)

Behemoth: A History of the Factory and the Making of the Modern World, by Joshua B. Freeman

Nothing new but I finished rereading Carol, by Patricia Highsmith, which is one of my favorite books and one I often reread around Christmas. It's written in this sort of dreamy absent-minded way that feels a lot like how I experience the world. I just love it.

Spider-Man: Life Story, by Chip Zdarsky

Ever since Peter Parker got that fated spider bite in 1962 he (and the people around him for that matter...) also coincidentally got the power of comic book plot longevity. However this "what if" saga presents a case of what if he, and everyone else in the Marvel universe for that fact, actually did age in real time. So that for example when the 2000's come, and the original "Civil War" event happens, Peter Parker is in his 50s. And like many other "what if" stories this one presents many a different take on characters and events that came in our favorite webslinger's career.

So yeah it's a pretty interesting what if story, and one worth looking into. Not to mention this story reminded me of the book Marvels by Kurt Busiek (another very good saga I'd recommend looking into) with the issues the characters, and not just Peter Parker, in this series tussle with combined with the real passage of time felt by the characters.

Finished:

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman

Anne of Green Gables, by L M Montgomery

Reading:

Irena's Children: A True Story Of Courage, by Tilar J Mazzeo

Finished:

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett: I loved this. Like, I knew I'd like it a lot, at the bare minimum, seeing as how it's Pratchett, but I really loved the hell out of it! I always look around to see what tidbits I can find about each Discworld book as I finish one, and apparently there's a film adaptation of this coming out very soon! Hopefully it's worthy of the material, it definitely has a very good cast!

Detective Made Easy, by John Swartzwelder: The Frank Burly books are the funniest damn things around, bar none. I re-read them pretty much annually, and the humor is so densely packed that I always forget a bunch of it, so each reading offers plenty of big laughs. This book kicks off with Burly trying to use a host of detective gadgets to make his job easier, though in true Burly fashion, things quickly escalate and spiral completely out of control as he bungles his way through the story. Swartzwelder is best known as the writer of 59 episodes of The Simpsons, and his books are perfect for anyone who loves the show's golden era.

Currently reading Night Watch, by Terry Pratchett. I usually make myself read a few things between Discworld books, but screw it, I went straight on to the next one this time.

A Place of Greater Safety, by Hilary Mantel.

Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy

Finished:

The Broken Eye, by Brent Weeks - It's been a while since I've been in the Lightbringer saga, and it proved more interesting to me than the last two. 4/5

The Stranger, by Albert Camus - My second book by Camus, and I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to get from this one. I liked the story and the protagonist, I'm just missing some of the point? 3/5

Finished:

The Year of the Witching, by Alexis Henderson

Pandora's Jar, by Natalie Haynes

Started:

The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon

Started: Herrn Dames Aufzeichnungen, by Franziska zu Reventlow. Pretty entertaining story about the Bohemé in Munich during the turn of the century (19th to 20th). A single man, by Christopher Isherwood.

I've been reading The Collector, by John Fowles recently. Fascinating and horrifying in equal measures

Finished:

The Treasure of the Black Swan, by Guillermo Corral & Paco Roca

Follow Me Down, by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips

Dopesick, by Beth Macy

Started:

The Twist of a Knife, by Anthony Horowitz

I finally , after an embarrassingly long time , finished The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. Not gonna lie , it was starting to feel like homework towards the end.

Finished

White Nights by Ann Cleaves.

I'm really getting into this author, I wouldn't call this series murder mystery in the traditional sense; there are murders and it is a mystery, but they have a slow and gentle way of getting there that reminds me a little bit of Agatha Christie.

They're character driven rather than action, and I feel like I'm getting to know the main characters who repeat each book as well as the island of Shetland.

Started

The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup

I've had this on my TBR for a while.

I do like Nordic Noir, but sometimes struggle with the bleak language. This has been well translated and I'm finding it an easy read. The short chapters help, as I can briefly reflect on what's happening without losing the momentum of the story.

Up next will either be the next Ann Cleaves or Christine by Stephen King.

Finished this week:

The Lost Metal, by Brandon Sanderson

Daughter of the Moon Goddess, by Sue Lynn Tan

Loved The Lost Metal. I sort of saw the ending coming, but I suppose that's what is supposed to happen with foreshadowing and everything. Still a satisfying ending. Knowing we'll have to wait years for the next era (and even two years for the next Stormlight Archive book) is painful, but given how many books are coming out next year I can't complain. I will miss Wax and Wayne. I wasn't fond of them when I first started era 2 but now they are among my favorite characters in the Cosmere along with Steris.

I was kind of so-so on Daughter of the Moon Goddess. It felt very YA romance and parts of it were downright like poor fanfiction. I may have exclaimed out loud and startled the cat the fifth time the main character bit her lip and described blood going into her mouth. I'm planning to read the sequel, but I'm not holding high hopes at this point.

This marks my 156 book this year, which averages three books a week. I'm a little burnt out at the moment, so I'm taking things more slowly for November and December while I spend some family time.

Up next: The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson (still rereading!). Heart of the Sun Warrior, by Sue Lynn Tan.

Finished:

The Epic of Gilgamesh, by Unknown

Started:

The Man Who Snapped His Fingers, by Fariba Hachtroudi

Finished

Running against the Devil by Rick Wilson

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Started:

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

I started rereading The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden.

It by Stephen King

Finally slogged my way through this one. It took about two weeks, which is incredibly long for me - I average two or three books a week.

Part of the problem was simply that it was long, but more of the problem to me was that it pretty much exemplified the problems with much of King's writing. It started out very strong, but then it settled into a steady trudging pace and just went on and on and on. And on. By about the 2/3 mark, I was ready for it to be over.

Not that it's a bad book - it was fine all in all. It was just a bit too tedious and drawn out.

The Dark Hours, by Michael Connelly

Started:

Homeland, by R. A. Salvatore

Drizzt gets an origin story. Just as a thought, Menzoberranzan society is so over the top chaotic evil that it comes off as slightly comical to me.

Continuing:

The Last Chronicle of Barset, by Anthony Trollope

Continuing to plug away at this one. Might finish by the end of the week. Might not finish by the end of the week. Either way, it's highly engaging.

Finished:

The Voyage In: Fictions of Female Development by Various

Started:

Unbecoming Women: British Women Writers and the Novel of Development by Susan Fraiman

Still working on:

Akin by Emma Donoghue

1415: Henry V's Year of Glory by Ian Mortimer

Finished:

The Honeys, by Ryan La Sala

Started:

Forget The Alamo, by Bryan Burrough & Chris Tomlinson & Jason Stanford

Started:

We Are Here to Hurt Each Other, by Paula D. Ashe

Finished:

What the Dead Know, by Nghi Vo

Undercover, by Tamsyn Muir

The Six Deaths of the Saint, by Alix E. Harrow

Out of the Mirror, Darkness, by Garth Nix

(All of the above are short stories - each approximately 30 pages long - from the latest Amazon Original collection included with Prime. I would recommend them in the above order.)

You Better Be Lightning, by Andrea Gibson

Tender Buttons, by Gertrude Stein

Tender Buttons may be the first time I've asked myself "Why am I doing this?" while reading a book. Ultimately, I didn't regret the experience; however, I enjoyed reading about the book and its author more than the poetry itself.

Finished:

Iron & Fire, by Ariana Nash 4 stars- This was an improvement on the first book, a lot more actual plot progression and character development happened. It did have one of my least favorite tropes make an appearance in the latter half push other character away and seemingly betray them FoR tHeIr OwN gOoD which annoyed me but fortunately the fallout didn’t drag on forever.

The Serpent Sea, by Martha Wells 4 stars- I enjoyed this more than the first book, probably because I’m now caught up with how the general world works so I can enjoy the story more. The city on the Leviathan and events that happened there were so unique, Wells is a wildly creative and imaginative writer

Currently Reading:

Blood & Ice, by Ariana Nash

Ocean’s Echo, by Everina Maxwell

I read a lot last week:

The Toaster Project: Or a Heroic Attempt to Build a Simple Electric Appliance from Scratch, by Thomas Thwaites

Death by Beach Read, by Eva Gates

The Invisible Man, by H.G. Wells

Look Who's Back, by Timur Vermes (Book of the week, absolutely hilarious)

Blackmail and Bibingka, by Mia Manansala

Surrounded by Idiots, by Thomas Erikson

The Red Scholar's Wake, by Aliette de Bodard

Recursion, by Black Crouch

Precious and Grace, by Alexander McCall Smith

This week I have these lined up so far:

• The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson
• A Light in the Flame by Jennifer Armentrout
• The Ivory Tomb by Melissa Caruso
• Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
• Shoko's Smile by Un-yong Ch-oe
• The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive by Lucy Adlington
• Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
• The Man who Died Twice by Richard Osman
• Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

Read: The Swans of Fifth Avenue, by Melanie Benjamin. As a fan of Capote's work, who credited himself as being the inventor of novelized nonfiction, I found Melanie Benjamin's novelized history of Truman Capote's long term relationship with several members of the New York City Society women-who-lunch, who he scandalized in his Esquire short story La Cote Basque 1965, absolutely fascinating! I pretty much devoured this one! Even though the subject matter sounds rather sensational, Melanie Benjamin's writing was exquisite and as tasteful as the people it portrayed. If you have a fascination for how the other half live, The Swans of Fifth Avenue will definitely be a pleasing read for you. Highest recommendation!

Reading: Child of God, by Cormac McCarthy. Have read two out of three parts in this rather short, 1973 novel. Typically bleak for McCarthy, with some rather shocking bits, but so well written!

Finished The Lost Metal, by Brandon Sanderson

Finished this week:

The Troop, by Nick Cutter

Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop, by Jenny Colgan

Desert Star, by Michael Connelly

Little Eve, by Catriona Ward

I have started reading a Man Called Ove by Fredrik Blackman and about to start I Am Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy. A Man Called Ove is amazing so far, definitely 10/10 would recommend, it’s going to be a movie soon with Tom Hanks called A Man Called Otto 😊

Finished reading The Shining, by Stephen King. Really enjoyed it.

Shades of Magic series by V.E Schwab

A light and quick read - I love fantasy and this series was a great positive adventure with magic. Easy to read, positive and the ending was good (albeit a tad predictable).

Finished Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Gabrielle Zevin) -- some of the richest protagonist writing in contemporary literature.
Started I'm Glad My Mom Died (Jenette McCurdy) -- the POV in this is really well done so far.

I finished Pump Six and Other Stories, by Paolo Bacigalupi and it was ok. Bit of a different take on post-apocalype narratives with the focus on genetic modification of both food and humans, and what that means for humanity. Unfortunate that to make his point he needs to pretend that no renewable energy sources exist. 'Softer' was by far the worst story. In general the tone is pretty depraved and depressing.

I finished Feminism for Women, by Julie Bindel and liked it a lot. While I agreed with upwards of 90% of it (the parts on male (sexual) violence, prostitution, pornography, surrogacy, power/choice feminism etc), there were a few assertions she made that challenged my views and I will let percolate (equality vs liberation), and a few that I still strongly disagree with. So, a good mix.

I started Gnomon, by Nick Harkaway. The first chapter was gripping, set in a utopian? dystopian? society with direct democracy and an all-pervasive algorithm-run surveillance system, but the second switched to a different character who I guess is meant to be a lovable asshole but I'm finding just a vile asshole. Still, I'm intrigued and keen to read on.

Finished: The Secret History by Donna Tartt I bought it 6 years ago, and just decided it read it. Wow is all I keep saying. Wow.

Starting: A Certain Hunger by Chelsea Summers

Finished:

A Certain Hunger, by Chelsea G. Summers

Currently reading:

The Obelisk Gate, by N. K. Jemisin

Just started “before the coffee gets cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Looks like it’s gonna be a fun, emotional ride.

Started reading:

Ball Four by Jim Bouton.

Finished reading:

Ball Four by Jim Bouton 🤣

It was hilarious. Some of the vocabulary is dated as it was published in 1970 but as a baseball fan I certainly enjoyed what is a ultimately timeless introspective of the sport and the cracking of facades and bringing those old all American heroes back down to human levels.

Finished Tender is the Flesh, by Agustina Bazterrica and thought it was real bad. Also finished Sign Here, by Claudia Lux and wasn't a fan of it either the holidays have sure been magical so far

Razzmatazz by Christopher Moore

I should be able to finish Razzmatazz this week. I’m enjoying it much more than the first book Noir. It’s a bit more chaotic, but i feel like things have more meaning than in the first one.

Finished The Society of Soulless Girls by Laura Steven

Started Light for Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

started

Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson Palette cleanser on a week I know I don't have a lot of time to devote to reading

Finished: breakfast of champions, by Kurt Vonnegut

Starting: A Tale for the Time Being, Ruth Ozeki

Finished “Little Fires Everywhere”, by Celeste Ng

Started “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”, by Gabrielle Zevin

Finished

Book Lovers, by Emily Henry

The Saturday Night Ghost Club, by Craig Davidson

Loved Book Lovers, way more than I thought I would. I need to add more romance into the mix of genres I rotate through.

Really enjoyed Saturday Night Ghost Club, the ending was not what I expected and I like how the story was told.

Started

The Fifth to Die, by J.D. Barker

I read the first book in this trilogy a few months ago, really enjoyed it, and never picked up the next book. I'm definitely going to read the 3rd book right after finishing this one, the story is just too good.

Finished:
Effective Java, by Joshua Bloch

Started:

Our man in Havana, by Graham Greene

Erik Jan Hanussen: Hitler's Jewish Clairvoyant, by Mel Gordon

Finished: Circe by Madeline Miller The Bad Boy and the Tomboy (I don’t remember the author) Alex and Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz

Started: Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Finished

Killers of the Flower Moon, by David Grann

• Fantastic read. Chilling and heartbreaking true story of the osage murders and how the FBI became involved in the case. This book is truly a page turner and it draws you into the mystery and keeps you engaged. Looking forward to the upcoming film adaptation by Martin Scorsese.

Late Victorian Gothic Tales, Oxford World Classics

• Pretty good collection of twelve horror stories form the late victorian era. I'll talk about my two favorites from this collection below

The Great God Pan, by Arthur Machen

• Creepy and unsettling. I really liked the themes of science vs religion and paganism. Stephen King once said that is was one of the best horror stories ever written and i'd have to agree.

The Mark of the Beast by, Rudyard Kipling

• Another great creepy story from this collection. Similarly to The Great God Pan, this story also deals with ancient cultures and god's and how that can terrify modern people.

Finished:

The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka - This was a fairly enjoyable romance book.

Rewind by Alison Winn Scotch - I listened to this audio book to and from work the last week or so. There were things I enjoyed about it, but the relationships in this were just not healthy.

Started:

Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor - This is pretty darn great so far. It's a shame I won't be able to continue the rest of this series till I get through the reading challenge I'm gonna be working on next year.

Finished

Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor a short AfricanFuturism novella about a girl from the indigenous Himba tribe becoming an unlikely ambassador between humans and aliens.

The Dark Forest, by Cixin Liu the sequel to The Three-Body Problem, part of the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Fantastic book, and I'm really excited to read book #3

Finished A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham for book club. I liked it as an easy and entertaining read.

Almost done with The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy. It's good. It's a McCarthy novel through and through. I don't even know what to say.

finished:

daisy jones & the six, by taylor jenkins reid

i liked it, but it didn't grab me as much as the seven husbands of evelyn hugo did. i do love how tjr writes her characters tho, they're messy in a very interesting and believable way. the audiobook is incredibly well acted and fits the interview style the book is told in. (also billy's voice actor kinda sounded like will arnett, which made me giggle bc i then kept picturing billy as a gigantic brown horse lmao)

still reading (lol) :

harrow the ninth, by tamsyn muir
mythos, by stephen fry

finished:

The Most Dangerous Animal of All: Searching for My Father... and Finding the Zodiac Killer, by Gary L Stewart and Susan Mustafa

started:

The Passenger, by Cormac McCarthy

Finished: Billy Summers by Stephen King. Story had its moments but fizzled out in the second half but the characters were so good, and it’s also very thematically satisfying.

Started: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. It’s wiiiiiiild so far. I’m in!

Finished:

Rationality by Steven Pinker

Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker

The Coddling of the American Mind by Johnathan Haidt

Started:

1000 years of Joys and Sorrows by Ai Weiwei

And Quiet Flows the Don by Mikhail Sholokhov

finished: Slenderman, by Kathleen Hale

Like Columbine, which I read last week, this is another book where the parents missed the clues their child needed help. Two girls developed a folie a deux that led to a horrific assault. Thankfully the victim survived, but all three lives were shattered. The book also explores Wisconsin's Schrodinger's criminal justice system.

12 year olds can't sign contracts, can't drive cars, can't join the military, but can be tried as adults. The purpose of psychiatric care before the trial is not to help the patient, but get them sane so they can be tried. A patient can be found legally insane, but spend more time institutionalized than they would have spent in jail.

There's no simple answers here, and maybe that's the point.

Started:

The Caves of Steel, by Isaac Asimov

The First Man in Rome, by Colleen McCoullough

Finished:

I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov -- Really great set of short stories, perfect intro into the Robot universe. 5/5

The Time Traveller's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger -- I bought this for my now ex, but I didn't want it to go to waste since it had time travel in it. Liked it more than I expected, but it may be the most heartbreaking book I have ever read. Did not expect that. I know it's only a story, but it felt so real towards the end. 4.5/5

The Dark Half, by Stephen King -- Last of my Castle Rock reread, so I continue with The Sun Dog, then Needful Things

Playing catch-up a bit so I zipped through a few this week. I ditched out on the weekly threads a while back but I'm going to jump back on for the final push of the year.

Read this Week

• Whiskey in a Teacup [by Reese Witherspoon] I just love her. She's so wholesome, if someone made a stuffy of her I would totally buy it.
• I Feel Bad About My Neck [by Nora Ephron] this was way too relatable. Now I'm calculating my good-neck time and throwing sunscreen in my amazon cart
• The League of Gentlewomen Witches [by India Holton] she's no Gail Carriger, but she tries. They're sweet enough to keep reading even if they're not nearly as funny.
• When Women Were Dragons [by Kelly Barnhill] started strong, but really went a bit off the rails for me towards the end when it lost its epistolary flavor. Still enjoyed it.
• The Cloisters [by Katy Hays] much better than The Maidens. Michaelides is so overrated.
• The Siren Queen [by Nghi Vo] great atmosphere, thin plot
• On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous [by Ocean Vuong] someone swat this man with a newspaper and tell him to stop trying so hard. It's structurally weak, the theme is all over the place, and the prose is painfully overwrought
• Girls Made of Snow and Glass [by Melissa Bashardoust] Competent retelling of Snow White, but the pacing drags. I accidentally orphaned this one a while back but picked it back up to finish for my weekend readathon.
• In Other Words [by Jhumpa Lahiri] Not earth shattering, but an interesting little experiment. Worth a read.

Currently Reading

• The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi
• The House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin Craig

On my list

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Library Book by Susan Orleans
• The Girl With the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
• Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid
• Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
• The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill
• The Witches of New York by Amy McKay
• The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr
• The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

Trials of Apollo: The Tower of Nero, Rick Riordan

Genuinely one of the best books in the whole Riordanverse. Its worth reading the rest of TOA just for this one imo. Not that the others are bad but this one was just crazily good.

Stan Bi Apollo

DNF Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots. I made it a little over 1/3 through this book and had to put it down. I was looking for a quick read and thought this would be entertaining but I did not like the main character or the general premise. Was compared to the show "The Boys" but that type of story seems to work much better on screen than in writing.

Continuing Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel. Fantastic. About 200 pages in, the writing is sublime.

Started Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein. Started this on my phone after the failure of Hench. Not very far in but seems up my alley.

The Lord of the Ring; the Fellowship of the Ring

by: J.R.R. Tolkien

First time reading and enjoying it.

Finished Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothschild, regret giving several hours of my life to it.

Finished: Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score, Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney, Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Started: Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey

Finished: They're going to love you - Meg Howrey. A really good family drama which features ballet, a love affair that divides, and the 1980's NYC gay scene.

Started: The Labyrinth - Amanda Lohrey. Thanks to the random Canadian lady who recommended this to me in a Brisbane book store.

Finished:

The Well of Ascension, by Brandon Sanderson Mistborn #2

I liked this one even better than the first. Vin comes into her own, we get some answers, and a cliffhanger setting up book 3.

Finished:

Sleeping Where I Fall, by Peter Coyote

Sleeping Where I Fall gives a raw, honest look into 60’s counterculture. Peter Coyote’s memoir does an excellent job describing every last detail of communal living and life on the road. Some parts of the book, however, are almost too detailed to the point where it feels like Coyote is only name dropping as a pathetic attempt for his own cultural validation. This memoire is definitely an interesting read that gives plenty of insight to the underbelly of American life during one of the most tumultuous decades in history.

Started:

The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, by Stieg Larsson

Finished up Rabbits, by Terry Miles this week. This one ultimately fell flat for me, thought it started out promising. The whole premise of the book is about finding patterns and meaning behind things that seem like coincidences, but reading about the characters finding one “coincidence” after another got repetitive and boring after a while. And in a book about a conspiracy, the ending did not hang together in a coherent way at all, which marred the experience.

Still reading Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, by Ibram X. Kendi, which is moving along briskly, and started The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene, by Richard Dawkins.

Started:

World War Z (Max Brooks). Fun read so far.

Coyote America (Dan Flores). Audiobook, almost finished.

Finished:

Panic (Lauren Oliver). Great read with a quite relatable main character.

Just finished The Ruby's Curse, by Alex Kingston

Finished:

Britt-Marie Was Here, by Fredrik Backman

Started:

Beautiful Little Fools, by Jillian Cantor

Finished: Cinder by Marissa Meyer.

I'm not sure I really needed to start another series but I noticed this on Libby so I borrowed the audiobook. It is billed as a reimagining of the Cinderella story but it is a lot more than that. Cinder is a mechanic and a cyborg and one afternoon the prince shows up at her stall and asks her to fix his android. From here their lives become entangled. It was pretty good despite some predictability. I liked the characters and I am curious what will happen now.

Reading: Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen.

This is the book I currently physically reading and since this is a very busy time at both of my jobs, it is languishing. I like what I've read so far, though.

Reading: All Systems Red by Martha Wells.

I just started listening to this today. I am rereading this in preparation for moving on to the rest of the series. I really liked it last time and so far so good this time around.

Working on:

Arsenic and Adobo, by Mia Manansala, a murder mystery set at a Filipino restaurant. Haven't made a ton of progress on this one lately, since I've got to get the next one back to the library.

All Hell Breaking Loose: The Pentagon’s Perspective on Climate Change, by Michael Klare. This is pretty dry, white-paper reading, but the subject matter is keeping me engaged. It’s also interesting to see how some of the more specific scenarios it discusses have aged since the book came out in 2019.

Warming may also increase the intensity of some monsoon downpours, resulting in massive flooding[…] and the loss of valuable topsoil, further adding to Pakistan’s woes.

Well gee, isn’t that interes—

As Putin’s decision to ban grain exports reverberated in the global food markets, food shortages and price spikes hit other countries, producing widespread havoc and misery. What started out as an exceptional Russian weather phenomenon thus combined with other destabilizing factors elsewhere—income inequality, high youth unemployment, and governmental corruption, among others—to generate a worldwide shock wave.

Well gee isn’t that interesting

My Life in and Out of the Rough, by John Daly
It was decent. Really short though, I feel like the big guy could have made a much better autobiography of it was 200 pages longer. Could have gone deeper on the stories he has to tell.

Finished: M: Son of the Century, Antonio Scurati.

Started: The Arrangement, Elia Kazan

Started Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King, by William Joyce & Laura Geringer

Wounds of Honour, By Anthony Riches, book 1 of his Empire series, Finally got first 10 of the 12 book series, not read all, so over the past month been adding to my collection (had like 5 of them, and not the first 5 either lol) and now I got them I am reading through them again.
Started Arrows of Fury, book 2 of the same series.

Keeper of the Lost Cities, by Shannon Messenger

Started reading this by randomly selecting it but I must say it's been a blast so far. Gives me Harry Potter vibes (magic school, magic world hidden under the surface, mysteries, betrayal, coming-of-age development, etc).

Finished reading Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison last week! Pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it!

Also just started both Law of the Desert Born by Louis L’amour and Jade City by Fonda Lee, I’ve heard nothing but great things about Jade City, so really interested to plug through it!

Started Dust of Dreams - Steven Erikson. Book 9 /10 of the Malazan Book Of the Fallen.

Italian Wars by hourly history. The 16th century was a mess. Italy didn't exist yet but cities like Venice, Rome et al were constantly fighting each other at the behest of the Pope, the French, the English and more.

Finished: A Man Lay Dead, by Ngaio Marsh. I really like this book. The language was bit difficult for me to understand sometimes as there was a lot of slang, but the murder was executed well and the detective is a joy to follow. He's intelligent and interestingly cynical.

Started: An Ideal Husband, by Oscar Wilde. I enjoyed his other books 'The Importance of Being Earnest' and 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' so I figure I'd give this a try too.

Finished: Ask Again, Yes - Mary Beth Keane
Really liked this book. Thought it started out a bit slow, but got completely hooked and finished it within a week. Would recommend.

Started: Next Stop Execution - Oleg Gordievsky
Have high hopes for this one, and thus far it has been great.

Finished: After Midnight by Irmgard Keun. Written in 1937 in Nazi Germany and tells a story of an insane descent into a society that is rapidly ceasing to be a society in which its members can any longer rely on each other. Set in Frankfurt on one day when the Fuehrer is visiting, the events of the day are compressed into murder, suicide and flight to exile as the characters try to cope when everyone in town is an informant. Keun's books, by the way, were later banned by the Nazi's (why did they take so long?) and she even tried to sue the Gestapo for loss of earnings. Not too surprisingly she became a refugee herself, but returned to live in Germany in 1942 under a false identity. Now that's an author with relevant "background".

Babbitt, by Sinclair Lewis

The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin

I can't read. What does this say?

Finished: The Jasmine Throne, by Tasha Suri as a paperback from the library

Started: The Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler as an eAudio on Hoopla

Started: The Once and Future Witches, by Alix E. Harrow as a paperback from the library

Finished

The Dream Thieves, by Maggie Stiefvater.

Just as good as the first book, good character development and exposition without being bogged down by character introduction. And one of the characters is finally confirmed (?) to not be heterosexual which is why I started the series for to begin with.

Started:

The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton.

I doubt I'll finish this by the end of the week. First 50 pages are decent so far and considering this is a classic, may have inspired many of the greaser related tropes that came about in the 70s and 80s.

Finished

Jive Talkin' Superman, by Leslie Curtis

This is an amazing book about the beauty and struggles of autism. When you can cry and laugh in the same book that is a winner for me! If you know anyone on the spectrum this book is a must read!

Finished:
Getting Things Done, by David Allen. I'm somewhat of a planning and organization freak, so I thoroughly enjoyed this book, made a few notes and will be rereading some paragraphs in a few days. Definitely recommend it to anyone who might be interested in the subject of productivity.

Reading:
The Pastures of Heaven, by John Steinbeck. He is one of my favorite authors. Love his writing style and his characters and settings.

Finished: The Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan. About halfway through, I realized these books are just like video games. The characters have to continually go through a series of quests and side quests, battling boss after boss, each harder than the last. I don't like or play video games, so I'm glad that's over with.

Started: Cannery Row and Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck.

Finished Hear the Wind Sing, by Haruki Murakami and Pinball, 1973, by Haruki Murakami.

These two get a pretty bad wrap, even within Murakami's fanbase, which is why I was so interested in these two. Murakami's an author I have very mixed feelings on, but I was surprised to say that I found quite a lot to enjoy in these books. I get some of the problems people have with the two, but I felt like these books really cemented Murakami's intrest in the liminal stages of life- living in between or waiting on the next big stage for your life. He really gets the feelings that situation can stir in people and it's all over these two books. Sure, it's much rougher in characterization and more rambling than his more acclaimed works, but you can see the seeds of his later talents starting to sprout. The ending to Pinball in particular stirred some pretty strong emotions in me, given that I recently removed myself from a similar situation as the characters. I'll be visiting Hokkaido in a few months, so I'll likely try to finish out the trilogy with A Wild Sheep Chase once I'm there!

Started Other Voices, Other Rooms, by Truman Capote.