So, What Are You Reading?

Iv been getting back into W H40k. Shroud of night, right now.

Managed to get Queen of the Blazing Throne by Claire Legrand. It's one of those interquel novellas, so there was more of an emphasis on worldbuilding than an actual plot. However, since I love reading about lore, that was far from a deal breaker.

A couple weeks back I read The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish. It's one of those books that'll bore you to tears unless you have a vested interest in its subject matter and its characters. Since I found both engaging, I didn't have much of a problem with it, though I do think some of it could've been cut down.

I also finished Vols. 14 and 15 of the Spice and Wolf by Isuna Hasekura. Currently on the 16th with just the epilogue left, then I'll finally have completed the original run. I've already read the manga adaptation, so it'll be interesting to see how that differs from its source, if it does at all.

I'm also reading The Teaberry Strangler by Laura Childs. I've been slowly working my way through the Tea Shop Mysteries series since last year. This isn't the best cozy mystery series (or even the best mystery series period), but it's a pleasant break whenever I want something light and short inbetween the heavier novels I usually dabble in (both figuratively and literally).

Edited by Oratel on Feb 25th 2023 at 4:01:12 AM

~ ♪ I know I’m playing with your heart / And I could treat you better but I’m not that smart ♪ ~

I've started reading the original Dune, partly in preparation for the upcoming movie. The biggest reason, though, is to see why some of my friends hate the Lynch movie so much and why they are so incredibly happy about the recent trailer, using the word "finally" to describe it. So far I've gotten to the point where Paul officially gets the name "Muad'dib".

Queen of the Blazing Throne sounds interesting, but I was a bit so-so on Sawkill Girls even though I loved the premise.

Still, I added Furyborn to my list of books to check out at some point.

"But if that happened, Melia might actually be happy. We can't have that." - Handsome Rob

Getting caught up with the October Daye novels, as well as the Wells of Sorcery by Django Wexler. Also working through the Sharpe novels and hopefully I'll get around to the Dragon Republic now that the sequel is out.

QotBT was a participation reward for entering a sweepstakes for pre-ordering Lightbringer, so it isn't technically available to the public. (I say technically because, well, illegal uploaders; wouldn't be surprised if you could find it on some pirate site by now.)

Cool! I hope you end up enjoying it. ^_^

~ ♪ I know I’m playing with your heart / And I could treat you better but I’m not that smart ♪ ~

I just finished The Thin Executioner. It was epic.

Discord: Waido X 255#1372 If you cant contact me on TV Tropes do it here.

With webfictionguide going down I started looking back at my favorite serials again. After typical rereads like the entire Wildbow slate of Worm, Pact etc I got up to one of my obscure favs, The Solstice War, and saw the author is writing something new. So I got hooked on that for a bit.

Finally finished The Name of the Rose, excellent writing all around and a fascinating conclusion that definitely left me with some things to think on.

My primary point of contention against the novel is that I found the romance utterly mediocre and uninteresting, it's not very engaging even with Adso/Eco harping on the tragedy as much as possible, definitely not helped by how utterly lacking in detail the girl is.

Anyway, guess I'll read Eighty Six or NieR: Automata YoRHA Boys next.

Still reading Dune and it keeps getting more difficult to read on, because the experience is not really to my liking. The actual writing is good and I can appreciate the effort of Herbert's world-building, but I don't really like the story, the characters or even the universe. This means that I'm reading more out of principle than because I like the book. But I have to respect that the book has a strong influence on much later sci-fi, particularly Star Wars and Warhammer 40K, with the Feudal Future and desert setting. However, unfortunately the original product isn't as enjoyable to me as its derivatives.

Recently finished reading the third book in The Ranger's Apprentice series. There's something really charming about these books. I mean, the series is not really innovative or a breakthrough when it comes to the fantasy genre but nevertheless it gave me a good read.

Recently started reading Altered Carbon book 2, great so far

The second Nancy Drew book, The Hidden Staircase.

I do not understand how this could get published. It's like a textbook example of a work by an aspiring novelist who thinks she's written like a Real Writer but keeps making obvious mistakes.

• There's always an unnecessary adverb with the dialogue tags. Like "I hate you!" Nancy said angrily.
• The narration switches arbitrarily between writing out lines and just referring them. Like this:

Instead of writing "Quickly she explained that Miss Flora was her aunt's mother" they could have just written "Miss Flora is my aunt's mother."

• Some sentences are just awkward. Like when the narration states that "This was indeed a tough problem for Mr. Drew!" That's like something you'd expect from a twelve-year-old writing a story. Another one: "Nancy was thoughtful for several seconds before making a comment."

I could go on.

I'm reading the novelization to Alien. Never read the novelization of a movie you've seen half a dozen times, it turns the book into a slog.

Never trust anyone who uses "degenerate" as an insult.

I've just started reading The Witcher

Still working on the Spice and Wolf series by Isuna Hasekura; all that's left is the epilogue book and then I'll be finally finished... with the original run at least.

Completed The Teaberry Strangler by Laura Childs. It was a standard entry for the series.^* Still waiting for the day where Childs writes a decent mystery.

Currently on Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey. I've already read the previous two entries, and I enjoyed them a lot, mostly because the worldbuilding is stellar. I'm happy to see that the subplot concerning Hyacinthe has come back around; he's my favorite character and I was sad to see him be put on the bus at the end of the first book. Still annoyed that Melisande is still a thing, though it seems like this time around, she isn't behind anything. Or at least, that's what Carey wants us to belive. I fully expect Melisande to be behind this latest plot. I hope I'm proven wrong.

Edited by Oratel on Feb 25th 2023 at 4:03:08 AM

~ ♪ I know I’m playing with your heart / And I could treat you better but I’m not that smart ♪ ~

Waechter der Schatten, still. I wish the author knew how to keep the plot moving. I'm sixty pages in and the real plot hasn't even started yet.

The Peacemakers, a short post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel and part of my experiment with genre fiction from the 1960s.

The Bone Clocks, a Christmas gift from a few years ago that I'm only now reading. It's still too early for me to have a good impression, but I'm curious about the book's ambitious scope.

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, a nonfiction book about the Battle off Samar, and a book I've been wanting to read for years just because of how much I love that title. It's a great read.

Nach jeder Ebbe kommt die Flut.

Why read them if you don't think she can write all that well?

Huh, my to read list has a bit of overlap with Oratel.

I've got the post epilogue books from Spice and Wolf on my shelf to read.

Plus the second Kushiel book has been on my list for ages.

"But if that happened, Melia might actually be happy. We can't have that." - Handsome Rob

I read them for the character interactions; the main trio has a dynamic that I find enjoyable. Plus, the more lighthearted nature of the series is a refreshing break from my usually dour fair.

Fancy that. xD

Edited by Oratel on Dec 19th 2020 at 6:36:49 AM

~ ♪ I know I’m playing with your heart / And I could treat you better but I’m not that smart ♪ ~

Now reading some non-fiction history on corporate advertising; one about the now retired Aunt Jemima brand (Slave in a Box: The Strange Career of Aunt Jemima) and the other about cigarettes and how systems of capitalism and imperialism leech off one another for their own benefit (Cigarettes Inc.).

I finished The Stand a few weeks ago. Weirdly enough, the ending with the impromptu Christmas celebration actually made me feel honest-to-God hope for the future for the first time since before I found out I was a Last Het Romance.

Edited by iowaforever on Jan 18th 2021 at 9:17:34 AM

Finally finished the original run of Spice and Wolf by Isuna Hasekura and have moved on to the sequels. Seeing the main cast in this new environment warms my heart. It's just so good to see how they've adapted and their new dynamics.

Completed Kushiel's Avatar by Jacqueline Carey yesterday. It wasn't nearly as strong as the first two, mostly because 80% of it was just following the main lead while she travels. Sure, it's neat that we get to experience more of this world, but it got kinda boring after a while. Still, I'm (more or less) satisfied with the way it ended and this first set of trilogies does make for a engaging read as a whole.

Edited by Oratel on Feb 25th 2023 at 4:05:03 AM

~ ♪ I know I’m playing with your heart / And I could treat you better but I’m not that smart ♪ ~

I've just started the Nevermoor series.

I bought the first book a few years ago, but I read the first 3 chapters then just stopped for some reason.

But I'm really glad I went back to it after impulse buying books 2 and 3 when I saw them discounted at the store.

The series is described on the cover as Alice in Wonderland crossed with Harry Potter, and that is true. But I feel like summing it up as that does it a disservice. The first book really has heart.

I really enjoyed it and ended up reading the whole thing in a single evening after planning on reading a few chapters.

"But if that happened, Melia might actually be happy. We can't have that." - Handsome Rob

Read Portrait of Peril by Laura Joh Rowland a few days ago. After the bungled execution of The Woman in the Veil, I was worried that Rowland was loosing her touch. Thankfully, this felt more like a return to form. Maybe not completely (this series isn't nearly as good as her earlier work, imo), but definitely better than what happened in the previous installment.

One book I eagerly await for is Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard. I'd read her previous series and really dug it, plus the premise for this one sounds intriguing.

Edited by Oratel on Feb 25th 2023 at 4:05:52 AM

~ ♪ I know I’m playing with your heart / And I could treat you better but I’m not that smart ♪ ~