First Quarter 2022 Reading

[Fragile Bird]

Has anyone else read The Ruin of Kings and the other 3 books in the series? It took a while to get into to it but now that I’m more than half way through it, I’m really enjoying it.

I was interested to read that author Jenn Lyons was a writer in the gaming industry before deciding to write the books. The 5th and final book comes out in a month or two, I appreciate the fact she’s managed to get them written so quickly.

[Jaxom 1974]

On 1/7/2022 at 10:43 AM, LongRider said:

Right after New Year's I finished the historical fiction novel, Ceasar, by Colleen McCullough and now reading the last book of this series, Antony and Cleopatra.  This series, The Masters of Rome, has been excellent as was mentioned by others and while the series is seven doorstopper books, it was worth the time and effort.  Very good writing. 

 

You went from Caesar to Antony and Cleopatra?  You skipped book 6? The October Horse?

 

In any case, while I'm trying to read the final.Expanse novel, I'm apparently going to start reading The Hobbit for the first time ever as my 6th Grader is about to read it for class, and he enjoys me reading some things along with him...

[LongRider]

2 hours ago, Jaxom 1974 said:

You went from Caesar to Antony and Cleopatra?  You skipped book 6? The October Horse?

Opps!  I did read the October Horse before A & C.   Brain fart.   

[polishgenius]

12 hours ago, Fragile Bird said:

Has anyone else read The Ruin of Kings and the other 3 books in the series? It took a while to get into to it but now that I’m more than half way through it, I’m really enjoying it.

I enjoyed the first one enough that I recommended it round to a number of people. Somehow, ground out a bit on the second one, though I will get back to it - I suspect it was more of a case of what I was in the mood for at the time than anything with the book itself. Hadn't realised there were already five, that's an almost Tchaikovsyish pace. 

[john]

I also read and largely enjoyed the first one, then read half the second one last year before stopping (probably something came out don’t remember).

The second book is about an entirely different main character, which I wasn’t expecting. There’s nothing wrong with the character, if anything she’s better than the first guy, but I found it a little hard to get into for that reason.

It is very impressive to get an epic fantasy series of this length and this kind of huge scope out in this timescale. Clearly she has been working on the project for a while.

[ljkeane]

I've read the first one and remember enjoying it but I can't seem to remember anything about it, which is an obstacle to getting around to reading the next book.

I finished Leviathan Falls which was a good read. Not the best book in the series I'd say but still a solid ending for the series as a whole.

Next up I'm going to read Hawkwood's Sword by Christian Cameron.

[Peadar]

Christopher Buehlman's "Those Across the River" was very good. That's the second book of his I've read and have enjoyed both. Will definitely try another. For now, though, my next read will be Chris Beckett's Tomorrow.

[LongRider]

After finishing the Masters of Rome series, I decided a palate cleanser was in order and Terry Pratchett's Small Gods was the perfect choice.  This was a re-read as I read this as my first Discworld book on recc's from I don't even remember now.  And I just didn't 'get' it.   Kept reading Pratchett over the years and grew to really enjoy his books, his sense of humor, satire and all. 

The re-read of Small Gods was now a pleasure and I really enjoyed Pratchett's little satire on gods and his idea that gods need believers to exist.  Don't think this was a new idea, but I sure liked his approach.  I think I'll put more Discworld on the menu.

[Lord of Oop North]

I finished Bernard Cornwell's Sword of Kings & War Lord. This is the conclusion of his Saxon Stories, and brings Uhtred's adventures to an end. Although I thought he said the same about Sharpe, and I see that he released a new novel last year.

Anyway, nothing too out of the ordinary. These books definitely have a formula, but I always find they execute it well, and are satisfying. Cornwell is like my literary drug, so maybe I am bit bias.

Next up, I am going to catch up on Abercrombie with The Trouble With Peace, and The Wisdom of Crowds.

 

[Leofric]

Spent the beginning of this year reading through the Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbø.   Harry is definitely a flawed individual and a fun read.    After 12 books, I decided its not safe being a a police officer in Norway and i was getting to used to the red herrings and suspense building, so wasn't getting fooled, so good to take a break from reading more from him for awhile, though may get back to his stand alone books in the future.  

Next up is The Necromancer's House by Christopher Buehlman and then possibly Ada Palmer's latest book.

[thegoldbering]

On 1/3/2022 at 11:15 AM, Wilbur said:

I am enjoying James D. Hornfischer's Neptune's Inferno - the US Navy at Guadalcanal.  This book does a better job than most of keeping the reader on track with who is doing what and where.  The Southern Pacific theater had so many actors, and the region is so unfamiliar to most Americans, that the majority of books about the time and action there are messy, but this one stays on course nicely.

Two nice video series that complement it nice include the following.

 

I hadn't heard about these so thank you for the recommendation.

I am all about historical /military of some kind reads, I can't wait to got get me a copy now. 

[Iskaral Pust]

On 1/13/2022 at 1:04 PM, Leofric said:

Spent the beginning of this year reading through the Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbø.   Harry is definitely a flawed individual and a fun read.    After 12 books, I decided its not safe being a a police officer in Norway and i was getting to used to the red herrings and suspense building, so wasn't getting fooled, so good to take a break from reading more from him for awhile, though may get back to his stand alone books in the future.  

Next up is The Necromancer's House by Christopher Buehlman and then possibly Ada Palmer's latest book.

I thought the first couple of Harry Hole books were well written but then I got tired of the covert antagonist in books three and four and could not go any further.

[RhaenysBee]

This is really 21Q4 and a bit of 22Q1 and almost all audiobooks because my audible addiction seems to have flared.

12 Rules for Life was while most interesting and insightful, a tad bit too religious for me. And even though I agree with so many of Peterson’s ideas, the narration was so preachy it nearly triggered my reverse psychology. Still, I do recommend this book just be mindful what you are getting into. If you don’t like Peterson or are by principle an atheist, it may not be your cup of tea. 

MI6 by Gordon Corera was not what I expected but still shockingly fascinating. I never expected to find out so much about my own country’s history from a book about the history of the British secret service. I really liked this one, and even if you don’t share my obscure and intense interest in spying, it’s an incredibly informative read just for the historical perspective. 

Animal Societies is a lovely collection of knowledge about all classes of animals and their social organizations. As embarrassing and simple as it may be, I’m way more enthusiastic about mammals or reptiles than birds or insects. So I can’t say the whole book was equally interesting. But it’s a pleasantly interesting and peaceful listen. 

Factfulness was a fascinating must-read/listen. The core idea is that individual and systematic approach to understanding the world should be fact based, rather than emotional, instinctive and thus distorted. The perspective both strengthened some beliefs I already had and challenged what I already thought at times. It’s a fresh, beneficial book with incredible methodology. Absolutely loved it and highly recommend it to everybody. 

And then there is my Christmas present book collection, which aren’t really reading materials, but ingenious anyway.  They made me so happy, best gifts ever. 

The Great British Sewing Bee Techniques is exactly the amazing, sewing for dummies book I needed. It’s very well structured, easy to navigate and easy to understand through short but focused descriptions and illustrations. 

Dinner with Mr Darcy is a recipe book inspired by Jane Austen novels. The recipes are wholesome and they come with both historical and literary context. It’s delightful. Even to just read without attempting a single meal. I will be bold enough to attempt some of the simpler dishes though. 

Snacking Cakes is a collection of dessert recipes that require no special ingredients or equipment. The claim is that they are able to be mixed in a single bowl, which should be great for people like me who kill their kitchen equipment like flies. I have yet to try it. 

 

[williamjm]

I read Ken MacLeod's Beyond the Hallowed Sky. I've read most of MacLeod's previous books and there are definitely some familiar elements here, but also enough new plot ideas to be interesting. It does cover a lot of ground, from exploration of Venus to interstellar travel to enigmatic alien artefacts to a world locked into something of a Cold War between three different blocs while struggling with the impact of rising sea levels. It does move at a good pace, possibly some plot points could have had a bit more time spent on them. As the first book in a trilogy I think it's a decent start but there's so much left unexplained that it's difficult to really judge it without reading the full trilogy.

I've now started Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots, which seems interesting so far.

[Astromech]

I finished Colin G. Calloway's One Vast Winter Count: The Native American West before Lewis and Clark. Interesting and informative read about the peoples and places of this vast region pre-19th Century.

[TheLastWolf]

The Phantom of the Opera, no words to describe it

[Peadar]

I'm starting Ken Macleod's Beyond the Hallowed Sky. I liked the start.

[Wilbur]

Lois McMaster Bujold's Knot of Shadows became available on the library system, so I charged up the Kindle and read it this past weekend.

The tone is one of great sadness.  The winter setting sets that tone, and the deaths and their circumstances that Penric and Desdemona investigate continue that throughout.  I think maybe this is best read during the heat of the summer.

[Peadar]

I enjoyed Ken Macleod's Beyond the Hallowed Sky, although it did seem to end all in a rush. Will definitely buy the sequel whenever it comes out.

[Starkess]

I read The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. This was a Christmas gift from a couple years ago that I hadn't gotten around to, and I finally picked it up. Given it deals with winter-related fairy tales, it's a good time of the year for it! I found the book quite charming, it had a sort of simplistic writing style that I associate with fairy tales (maybe simplistic is the wrong word, but like very straightforward?) and definitely drew me in to the historic Rus' feel. Felt that after all the buildup the ending was a bit rushed and like "huh, it's over?", but it is the first book of a trilogy so we'll see.

I also finished listening to Wild Seed by Octavia Butler. I didn't dislike this book, but I didn't love it either. Two superhuman immortal beings have competing moral codes and argue about it across centuries, sometimes having sex. It was at times a bit slow and the ending was not at all what I was expecting. After finishing, I discovered this is apparently a prequel? I like to read books in publication order, so that's a bit disappointing, but I guess it did help me have no clue what was going on. I might give one of the sequels a try since apparently they're set far in the future, so I'm guessing quite different.

I was halfway through Appleseed, which I was kind of torn on, when my loan ran out at the library. I'm back on the hold list but the wait time is 7 weeks. Ha! That's way too long to remember basically anything. Regretting that I didn't download the damn thing when I had it checked out so at least I could have finished listening.