Christmas reading! I have a bunch of the Christmas Little Golden Books from the late 70s/early 80s that I got when I was little, and I still read them every year. I can knock out 6 or 7 of them in one sitting now :tears:

I'm reading The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures by Sarah Clegg for my non-fiction selection. It's great; she has some really interesting theories about why and how Christmas and creepy creatures became a thing.

And finally, I am savoring my yearly re-read of Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. All due respect to Mr. Dickens, but Hogfather is my definitely my favorite Christmas story by far. :delight:
 
Finished "Abraham's violin"by Laurence Benveniste. It imagine the story of a young musician from Carpentra's "messilah" (jewish ghetto) around 1670 as he travels to Venise, and presents a history of barroco music + jewish lives in different cities of Italy. It is well written, and a good insight into music and Jewish history. I am also partial to it because ittouches on the story of the Jewish-Portugese families, which is a part of my lineage.
 
Nudge. The final edition. By Thaler and Sunstein. About behavioral aspects of decision and architecture of design. Excellent book. I highly recommend. It shows how my instinct idea to simply leave my excersice mat constantly on the floor helps to excersice more :)
 
Finished a few more books since my last post. Psychology and Batman: A Dark and Stormy Knight, being one of them. Currently listening to an audiobook about reiki healing, its quite interesting. Might get back to fiction after im done. Is the To Kill a Mockingbird sequel worth the read? Heard Atticus is problematic?
 
NightWolf714 said:
Oh, I've heard of that book and the others by that author! What'd you think of it?
Click to expand...
I really enjoyed it! The person has a lot of insight into all of the main characters, including all of the Robins and the main villians
 
JJakaSquirrel said:
Finished a few more books since my last post. Psychology and Batman: A Dark and Stormy Knight, being one of them. Currently listening to an audiobook about reiki healing, its quite interesting. Might get back to fiction after im done. Is the To Kill a Mockingbird sequel worth the read? Heard Atticus is problematic?
Click to expand...
Disclaimer : this is only my own personal opinion, and others may have valid different views. TKAMB is a book I really loved and that made me really ponder things, found it very powerful. So a follow-up was bound to be difficult.
But ... Oh my. I could not even finish it (and it's rare I can't bring myself to finish a book I picked). The characters are not coherent with the original, everybodys is just complicated and not nice to each other, and ... No. That's definitly not the Jean and Arricus I knew from the original book. Nope. To me it felt like trying to break down characters I had turned to love, and for what ? No lesson suggested, nothing shown except "what you thought was great is garbage if you really look" feeling .So I would heartily dis-recomment the sequel.
 
PetiteSheWolf said:
Disclaimer : this is only my own personal opinion, and others may have valid different views. TKAMB is a book I really loved and that made me really ponder things, found it very powerful. So a follow-up was bound to be difficult.
But ... Oh my. I could not even finish it (and it's rare I can't bring myself to finish a book I picked). The characters are not coherent with the original, everybodys is just complicated and not nice to each other, and ... No. That's definitly not the Jean and Arricus I knew from the original book. Nope. To me it felt like trying to break down characters I had turned to love, and for what ? No lesson suggested, nothing shown except "what you thought was great is garbage if you really look" feeling .So I would heartily dis-recomment the sequel.
Click to expand...
Damn, well, thanks for that. I'll find something else to fill up my time. Just gotta find the right one!
 
AquaMarie said:
Christmas reading! I have a bunch of the Christmas Little Golden Books from the late 70s/early 80s that I got when I was little, and I still read them every year. I can knock out 6 or 7 of them in one sitting now :tears:

I'm reading The Dead of Winter: Beware the Krampus and Other Wicked Christmas Creatures by Sarah Clegg for my non-fiction selection. It's great; she has some really interesting theories about why and how Christmas and creepy creatures became a thing.

And finally, I am savoring my yearly re-read of Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. All due respect to Mr. Dickens, but Hogfather is my definitely my favorite Christmas story by far. :delight:
Click to expand...
I LOVE this!! I have many childrens books that were either mine or I read to my kids. Been saving to read to grandkids...which may, or may not happen. But in the meantime, I'm going to just read them to myself, or the cats. Reading them always brings happy memories.
 
Currently reading Lethal White, a Comoran Strike novel by Robert Galbraith
Just finished The Wedding People by Alison Espach - not at all what I had expected but I did enjoy it. Made me contemplate and ponder some things about myself and where I stand in life.
 
I'm trying to spend less time on screens as a resolution/experiment so I'm reading a bunch of stuff;
I started reading A Wrinkle in Time because Stranger Things
Then I came across the first Skullduggery Pleasent book in a Charity shop, so I started that
Then I'm also reading The Green Witch which is more of a reference book for a story in writing
Then yesterday I happened into the library and stumbled across Queer Villains of Myth & Legend and The Ukulele Handbook
I'm also working my way through some Gabor Mate on audiobook...
 
I decided (once again) to attempt the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. I found in past years that even when I do not complete the challenge, I manage to still read books that stretch me out of my comfort zone.
I recently finished a book that I started in December, Church of the Wild by Victoria Loorz.
I'm up to the first chapter of Volume II of Frankenstein.
I'm also listening to One Life by Megan Rapinoe.
 
Gonna try to read The Dark Tower series before my birthday on Feb. 4th. Already finished The Gunslinger and got a good piece out of The Drawing of Three, can't wait to see what else is in store for Roland, Holy F***! 😨
 
  • La hija del apocalipsis by Patrick Graham (re-reading)
  • Estoicismo cotidiano by Ryan Holiday
  • La pluma mágica de Gwendy by Stephen King
Looking for a book to re-read because the current one is almost finished.
 
I'm in the middle of Crooked Cross, a book written in 1934 by a British author who lived in Germany and tells the story of a normal Bavarian family from Christmas 1932 to summer 1933. It's beautifully written and very powerful. Hard.
 
Don't think I'm gonna be able to finish all of The Dark Tower before my bday, but hopefully I can get it done before I move in a few months
 
We have one special Christmas book that is kind of a tradition with the kids (but will likely phase out as they get older). It's called Sammy Claws the Christmas Cat and I love snuggling on the couch to read it with them.

Right now I have 2 books that I'm proof listening to in order for Librivox: Billy Topsail MD and The Silent Alarm, and I'm reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow for some Goodreads bookmarks.
 
Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher. Anything T. Kingfisher writes is a must-read for me, even the horror books. Her settings and worldbuilding are great, and her characters are fantastic! This book is easily one of the better ones - Grandma Billy is a delight, and Selena is such a good protagonist. I'm really loving it.
 
I started two books this year:
'Zorg' (litterally translated 'care') by a Dutch writer Miquel Bulnes which I read already 4 times I think, it's really a humoristic easy read.
And 'Eeny Meeny' by Arlidge, some detective, I'm a bit afraid it will hold a lot of specific horrible details so I'm reading that one only during the day. The first part seems fine though.
 
Just finished rereading Gideon the Ninth :scull:and look forward to starting Harrow the Ninth, both by Tamsyn Muir. I think these where already mentioned somewhere earlier in the thread.

Or maybe I'll take a little break from necromancers and finish The Ways We Hide, by Kristina McMorris, because that one has to go back to the library :sweat:
 
AgentDragon said:
I’ve been trying to read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and while I quite enjoy it, my ADHD has made it especially hard for me to focus on and enjoy reading lately.
Does anyone have advice on how to love reading again?
Click to expand...
I've got ADHD and feel this. I lean into audiobooks + crafting to keep my hands busy. I highly recommend Trevor Noah's "Born a Crime" and Andy Weir's "Project Hail Mary" for audiobooks.

I'm also finding that first person, present tense is better at keeping me engaged because the action feels "live."
 
I'm currently reading "He's Gone" by Deb Caletti and listening to "The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell" by Robert Dugoni and I'm totally into both. I'm also listening to "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir but I've restarted it three times because every time my kids walk in they want me to start over so they can listen. It's really excellent.
 
Recently read The Deep Dark graphic novel. Wonderful story featuring young LGBTQ+ characters. <3 At it's core is a story of self-acceptance, exploring guilt and trauma, and personal growth. But artistically, it's very beautiful as well. But honestly, I'd recommend this, if for nothing else, but for one section that really nails what it's like to experience a situation where what someone experiences doesn't match reality. (I don't want to spoil it since it's near the climax.) But yeah, definitely recommend as I greatly enjoyed reading it.

Currently slowly going through Iron Widow #2 - Heavenly Tyrant. I enjoyed the first book and that enjoyment is carried over to this one. It's got a different feel, as it's dealing with some MAJOR consequences from the first one. And all of the characters are troubled and struggle in their own ways. But definitely a good read. (Plus, the first has a polyamorous romance, so there's that.) The short version is this is an extremely loose retailing of one of China's most famous empresses ... if she was a teenager in a sci-fi future setting piloting giant mecha robots while fighting metallic alien bug things while trying to change the world to not be as misogynistic, capitalistic, etc. (That said, do check out the content warnings on this one.)
 
My audiobook listening has been strong already this year. Reading is a little slower. I've already finished:
* The Running Man by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) (listening) - first King book I've read. I really enjoyed it.
* Prey by Michael Crichton (re-read) (listening) - narrator wasn't really jiving for me, but the material was good.
* Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (listening) - :hheart:
* Dragon Rider by Cordelia Funke (reading) (re-read) - re-read for book club. Definitely worth it.

Current books:
* Golden Age by James Maxwell (listening) - I'm loving the pacing of this one.
* Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert (reading) - I'll finish this up one of these days.

I've read a few other things, but they weren't anything to write home about.
 
NancyTree said:
I started two books this year:
'Zorg' (litterally translated 'care') by a Dutch writer Miquel Bulnes which I read already 4 times I think, it's really a humoristic easy read.
And 'Eeny Meeny' by Arlidge, some detective, I'm a bit afraid it will hold a lot of specific horrible details so I'm reading that one only during the day. The first part seems fine though.
Click to expand...
Eeny Meeny was in the end not that detailed, so had no problems. A nice plot, not really expected so that is a big plus.


Started now with Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) and The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins). Read The Hunger Games before, but it'll be my first time reading Pride and Prejudice.

In the past I couldn't read 2 books at the same time, but maybe it works right now because I know the storyline already? 🤷🏼‍♀️
 
Ah, Pride and prejudice, a real good moment chuckling at Elisabeth and Darcy's errors and tiptoeing around each other! Have fun. I kinda prefer 'Sense and sensibility", but it may be because the movie adapation (Alan Richman!) was so good.
colin firth tea GIF
 
AquaMarie said:
Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher. Anything T. Kingfisher writes is a must-read for me, even the horror books. Her settings and worldbuilding are great, and her characters are fantastic! This book is easily one of the better ones - Grandma Billy is a delight, and Selena is such a good protagonist. I'm really loving it.
Click to expand...
I recently read Nine Goblins by this author, and I LOVED it. One of the closest things to Terry Pratchett's Discworld (a favorite of mine) that I've come across. I don't consider myself a person who enjoys horror, but your endorsement and the website blurb have me SO intrigued!
 
I finished Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings series and a few other random books throughout last year and rounded out December by getting sucked into the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman. As mentioned above, my most recent read was Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher which really put me in the mood for a Terry Pratchett Discworld reread. In years past I had read all 40 of the ebook available titles, and it's always bothered me, my white whale as it were, that no. 27 The Last Hero was never part of that. So, I finally splurged and bought the physical copy and am reveling in the anticipation by rereading the entire series in order up to that point before I get to read it. :3
 
FinallyMeRB said:
I recently read Nine Goblins by this author, and I LOVED it. One of the closest things to Terry Pratchett's Discworld (a favorite of mine) that I've come across. I don't consider myself a person who enjoys horror, but your endorsement and the website blurb have me SO intrigued!
Click to expand...
Nine Goblins is so good! I love the elf veterinarian and his opinion of unicorns. Makes me laugh every time. :haha:

Since you enjoyed that one, I think you'd like Kingfisher's middle grade books, too, especially Castle Hangnail. The World of the White Rat books are really fun, too, if you don't mind road trips and slow-burn romances.

Sorry, I can't resist giving recommendations when someone says they enjoyed one of my favorite authors. :happy: Happy reading!
 
Aaaaaallmost done with That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis. This is a re-read, technically, but I last read it over 10 years ago, so I barely remember it. :tears: I listened to the first book in the trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet) during a reading retreat, so I decided to read the other two (Perelandra and That Hideous Strength) to refresh my memory.

It's okay; it's a fast read with an interesting premise, but he does like to stop all the action so the characters can monologue about philosophy (which irks me in an otherwise fast-paced story). Not my favorite of his works by any means - that would be The Screwtape Letters - but engaging enough to get me to finish the book.
 
Just finished The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. I'm a sucker (ha!) for a vampire story, and I did enjoy how the author played with vampire lore and the uniqueness of the setting. The structure of the book wasn't my favorite, though. Story within a story is okay, but this was story within a story within a third story, and that was just overkill, in my opinion. The third story wasn't fleshed out enough to be necessary, and it didn't really add anything to the overall themes and ideas of the book. It wasn't a bad read, though. If you like vampires and/or body horror, it would be worth picking up. :whaa:
 
NancyTree said:
@PetiteSheWolf I never read or watched Sense and Sensability. Maybe this year will be my English Classics Year; also have Gulliver's Travels on the shelve waiting, so maybe I should add some more
Click to expand...

Finished both Pride&Prejudice and the Hunger Games. I liked Pride&Prejudice, but it didn't really catch me emotionally, I found it sort of distant.

I found a beautiful edition of Sense and Sensibility, and 1984 in our local bookshop. So I have to read it 🙃

But first I started The Wedding People (Alison Espach). I have no idea yet where the storyline goes, but it reads really easy.

And I bought Atalanta (Jennifer Saint)


1000050484.jpg
 
@NancyTree , I can understand your feeling of emotional distance re. Jane Austen - it's England after all, and even the characters , due to social norms, often keep quite a curtain between emotions and outward action (well, there is a certain Elinore Dashwood who'd disagree with me, but that what she is there for, LOL).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.