VLogan said:
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.
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I have been reading these as well. I just finished The Ink Black Heart. 🖤
 
VLogan said:
Personally, some days I really like the YA books....taps into my younger brain
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I'm not rlly sure I want to tap into my younger brain lol. Actually, this one did that for me and I didn't fully enjoy the experience emotionally but it was a good book. I'm trying to figure out how it was different for me from a lot of YA books that I've been reading lately. I do get the "annoyed at teenage characters' choices" feeling I didn't get when I was actually YA age but I got it in this one as well. Maybe it's just that Laurie Halse Anderson knows how to write rlly rlly well.
 
Just finished Sargassa by Sophie Burnham. I liked it! It's a political drama with some romance thrown in. It's a little cliché in spots, and I did figure out the twist at the end before I got to it. It was a very delicious twist, though (opens up all kinds of storytelling possibilities), so I felt more satisfied than disappointed when I was right. :LOL: I liked the characters, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.
 
Current reads:
Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver
The Ferryman and His Wife - Frode Grytten
What Does it Feel Like - Sophie Kinsella
Recent reads:
Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne
 
I'm currently reading Winds of Fate/Mercedes Lackey (which is technically a re-read, but I either dnf'ed this one or the next one in this trilogy cause I was too young for them when I first attempted), and also The Yiddish Policemen's Union/Michael Chabon, which is soooo depressing but also very good.
 
Since my gallery at work is themed around it (I work at a public aquarium), and it's been over a decade since I read it, I decided to re-read Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It's definitely odd. It almost feels unfinished, or more unedited, like Verne didn't have enough time to polish it up before he had to get it to the publisher; but maybe I just haven't read enough books from the 1860-70s and that's just the way they sound. It was entertaining, though; recognizing a critter in the lists (and lists and lists) of scientific names always made me happy.
 
I'm currently "reading" (or rather, experimenting) " Osho's "The Book of Secrets". It is more of a guide to visit chapters as desired, rather than a book to devour, in my opinion.


It contains 112 meditations and reflections that make eastern spiritual traditions and concepts very easy to understand and to experience.

I didn't know about him before, and I love his style. He's nonchalant, very straightforward and direct to the point, and explains abstract concepts in very logical and natural ways.
He makes the topic very accessible.

If you struggle with meditation, find it boring, love meditating, haven't tried meditating before, or worry that it requires a lot of time and cannot be done throughout your day, I can recommend this book.
Some techniques can actually be done during isometrics, when things get spicy, and they make the experience of exercising much more holistic.
 
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. I'm reading lots of classics this year. I bought a reading-themed sticker book for Christmas that has 20 portraits of classic authors (and another 300+ stickers of bookish goodies), and I thought it would be fun to read something I haven't read by each author this year and put the portrait sticker in my reading journal. Austen will bring me up to 40% of my goal. :yas:

Northanger Abbey is so funny. I love gothic novels, and I love how Austen parodies the tropes and trends of the genre. I had to look up an article about the city of Bath in Victorian and Regency times, though. The 'Pump Room' is definitely not the name I'd associate with a place to socialize :tears:.
 
Hey everybody,

The day before yesterday, I started "The Penguin Book of Norse Myths“ by Kevin Crossley-Holland. It’s so cool. It’s the „real“ old norse myths, translated in a congenial way. Plus scientific comments at the end of the books.
I was totally surprised to find in one of the myths (written down around 1300 AD) the names of the dwarves that Tolkien uses (was it Balin, Dalin, Bombur, Bifur ?, sth like that , but I can’t find the exact names right now.) Many of the details and larger outline of those stories must clearly have inspired Tolkien in his writing of The Hobit and Lord of The Rings. That’s so cool to notice … :-)

I was drawn to get this book after having finished the big history whopper book of Neil Price’s „DIe Wahre Geschichte der Wikinger“. I think it doesn’t exist in English (????) A 600+ page history that tries to get into the hearts and souls of the people at the time. Very interesting. Price is British historian/archeologist based in Uppsala, Sweden…

Crazy as I am, I now ordered this book „Wiking Language 1: Learn Old Norse, Runes and Icelandic Sagas, by Jesse L. Byock“ to learn old Norse. Let’s see how far I get.

cheers, everybody, Martin

P.S.

edit — I found the place in the book. The translated sentence is :“There he found Nar and Nain and Niping and Dain and Bifur and Bafur and Bombor and Nori and hundreds of others, …"
 
Who Is Government? edited by Michael Lewis. Really cool book about the everyday people that work in the federal government and the projects they work on. My favorite was the lady that spearheaded the National Archives going digital.

This was one of the books President Obama posted as his 'summer reading' in 2025. I was intrigued that he posted his reading, movies, and music lists during his presidency; and I put quite a few books on my reading list every year. Generally, I don't share his taste in fiction, but I do like his non-fiction picks. :tears: I wish more presidents would do that.
 
In April, I read:

When The Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka (excellently written, poignant, and extremely relevant)
The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida (quietly intense, written in present simple tense so you feel like you're living the events)
The Orphanage by the Lake by Daniel G. Martin (picked it up blindly expecting a paranormal mystery, ended up sad and feeling icky because it dealt with human trafficking and child SA)

In May, I am reading:

The Taster by V.S. Alexander
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
Remembering Shanghai by Isabel Sun Chao
 
Anek said:
I just finished a lovely book, "In the company of witches". It's a cozy fantasy meet cozy murder, and it's really good.
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This sounds delightful. Adding it to my TBR list right away.
 
Just finished reading a novel called darkoath or to be more clear. I should say listening to because the way I read is by listening to audiobooks on my commute it's a really good novel. It's in the Warhammer fantasy series
 
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. The last time I read it was 10 years ago, according to Goodreads, and I don't remember a bit of it. Probably because I wasn't much fond of it back then. :tears: It's not really my thing now, either, but it's short, and I'm only halfway through. Maybe it'll grow on me.
 
AquaMarie said:
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. The last time I read it was 10 years ago, according to Goodreads, and I don't remember a bit of it. Probably because I wasn't much fond of it back then. :tears: It's not really my thing now, either, but it's short, and I'm only halfway through. Maybe it'll grow on me.
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Isn't it remarkable that some books can live in our memories forever, whilst others can be so uninteresting to us as to be entirely forgettable? Alternately, I have been shocked to find that certain books I read under compulsion (ie; High School literature requirements) that I absolutely hated as a teenager, I reread as an adult with adult perspective, and my mind was blown at how much more I related or understood the subject matter. I distinctly remember this happening with Main Street by Upton Sinclair; as a teen, I speed-read through it to finish. As an adult, I cried.
 
@SweetPotato so true! I seriously disliked 1984 as a teenager and it's now one of my favorite books.

I'm currently reading "Plastic, Inc." and it's so enraging. Why are we so stupid as a species?
 
"The Mind illuminated", by Culadasa (John Yates PhD), Matthew Immergut PhD and Jeremy Graves.

It is a complete meditation guide that integrates neurology and buddhist wisdom to train your mind and reach enlightened states (or for the secular ones, to master your mind and stay happy). It is not a tool for relaxation. It is a life manual that can be applied to all life areas.

They have a section that covers the 5 hindrances or reasons we avoid meditating (from buddhist theory), but it can be applied to other areas like exercise. They also explicitly and clearly state solutions that work. I am surprised this isn't more applied in psychotherapy or other areas like coaching, but it genuinely requires a lot of commitment and consistence, so perhaps it is because it doesn't promise shortcuts, and there are certain points of the practice where psychological issues will come up, and you have to deal with them as training.
Not for the faint hearted.

It's almost 500 pages long, and it has very explicit steps and S.M.A.R.T. goals and exercises to track your progress and improving. It is measured in "steps" or "levels" (think of it as a videogame), where each level gets harder, as the achievements from previous levels bring on new challenges you didn't know would come until you sit down to meditate further.

For the people new to meditation and feeling they "suck at it", this is a breeze of fresh air that will streamline their practice.
For the usual practitioners of meditation who think they know what they're doing and are good at it, this will humble them, brutally.

This is a book to study, not to read. I am currently advancing as I go with my practice, highlighting and making notes, going over some chapters multiple times to digest the info.

It is also very scientific, and it lacks the typical mindfulness and new age approach that other guides have, so you're warned.
 
I finished 'The War of Wyverns' by S.F. Williamson. It is the second book in a new series, part one is 'A Language of Dragons'. I have mixed feelings about it. The writing is not really good, the plot is a bit forced, but I like the theme and the story was interesting enough to keep me engaged. And for my post-pregnancy-and-sleep-deprived-brain it was the easy read I need.
 
@NancyTree I felt the same with the first book and decided not to continue, so I'm glad to see you think the same and it was the right decision!

Currently reading "Brigands & Breadknives", the third in the series of Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust. It's fun, cozy, and can be read as a standalone.
 
@Anek thanks for the info about a third part! I enioyed the first two parts and surprisingly my mom did as well :LOL:

I finally finished my reread of Harrow the Ninth and now started reading Nona the Ninth. I'm enjoying it a lot so far!
 
I finished The Summer War by Naomi Novik. It took me a bit to get into the story, but then I was really enjoying the read. I liked how the plot unfolded, not exactly what I expected, and it was a nice short book (144 pages).

I also finished re-reading The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson (read it 4.5 years ago). I had to get used to his writing (look through the language he uses), but I still like the message.
 
I started a new series, "Dungeon Crawler Carl", and it's a lot of fun. My partner has been reading it for longer and he keeps laughing through it. I finished the first book yesterday, let's see if the next one is as good.
 
Currently reading An Actor Prepares. I'm trying to be better in my performances. So far seems pretty good, but you have to accept that it's 90 years old, and so doesn't necessarily line up with modern morality, there's some blackface in the first chapter.
 
Anek said:
I started a new series, "Dungeon Crawler Carl", and it's a lot of fun. My partner has been reading it for longer and he keeps laughing through it. I finished the first book yesterday, let's see if the next one is as good.
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Currently reading the fifth one. Yes, it varies from good to absolutely awesome, but it was never boring yet
 
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