New Year, New Thread. Now with asterisks!

Oh... thank god this one has asterisks... I can't believe we went a whole year without anyone complaining to the mods to add them, lol.

I'm doing the audio book thing and should have Blood Rites (Dresden Files) coming soon.

Just started A Feast for Crows.

Currently reading Devil in the White City. Loving the HH Holmes portion... but the portions of the architecture for the Chicago World Fair is kind of a snooze. But who doesn't love a good (and true) serial killer story!?

Just started The Passage by Cronin on audiobook, and I hate the narrator. He tries his hardest to make everything sound epically somber. A big contrast after just finishing Ready Player One.

P.S. Ready Player One was the tits.

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Just started A Feast for Crows.

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I finished it yesterday, granted most of it was read in 2014.

Now I need to start A Dance with Dragons.

I'm glad to see this thread being renewed and thriving each year. I think I started the original many years ago...my lasting (and only) contribution to TexAgs lore!

I just finished Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. I haven't read much King, and I'm not sure I'll read much more. He is really one twisted, perverted piece of work.

I just started American Sniper by Chris Kyle. I've read a number of books from the genre; this one has been on my shelf for awhile and I would like to finish it before seeing the movie. So far, so good.

I've got The Passage on iBooks, but I haven't started it yet. Everything I've read about it is that it's a fantastic read.

Happy New Year!

I'm hoping for new Ted Bell and Clive Cussler novels this year

Just started Moby Dick.

Among the Dead and Dying by A.R. Wise-- it was okay. I give it a B-

Currently reading The Pact.

Just finished Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar. I'm interested in the historical event, and the book shed a little new light on it. But I can't honestly say I recommend the book.

working on Back to Blood - Tom Wolfe. his character development is unique

Read "Off To Be the Wizard" and "Spell or High Water", two books in the Magic 2.0 series by Scott Meyer. Despite the names, there's no real magic in the books. The premise is that the world and everything and everyone in it is just part of a computer simulation. The protagonist figures this out and starts to change things. The books are pretty short and I enjoyed them both. Solid B's for them.

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Currently reading Devil in the White City. Loving the HH Holmes portion... but the portions of the architecture for the Chicago World Fair is kind of a snooze. But who doesn't love a good (and true) serial killer story!?

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Love that book.

Just finished Dresden #4 (Summer Knight). Pretty good, but it as good as #3 (Grave Peril). Probably a B- or so.

I read 10:04 by Ben Lerner this week. Very meta book that blurred the lines between the authors real life and reality. The novel takes place in NYC in the year between Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy. I lived in NYC during this time and really enjoyed the way Lerner described the city.

Just finished "Lirael" which is the second book and "Abhorsen" which is the third (and final) book of the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix: http://oldkingdom.com.au/. Pretty good young adult fantasy series with an interesting approach to magic and Life/Death. There's a prequel I'll probably tackle at some point.

Battle Royale. I had seen the movie years ago, and ran across the book randomly. Couldn't put it down once I started.

1. Blood Rites (Dresden Files Audiobook) - Jim Butcher.
Been listening through the series as my second read through. Loving them just as much as I did the first time and not remembering every little detail still makes it exciting.

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Just started A Feast for Crows.

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I finished it yesterday, granted most of it was read in 2014.

Now I need to start A Dance with Dragons.

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Read both last year. Feast of Crows was decent but by far the slowest/weakest in the series. Dance with Dragons picks things up and really sets the stage for the next book.

Which makes it all the more painful that there is no clue in site as to when the new book will be released.

1. Fool Moon - Jim Butcher A
2. Grave Peril - Jim Butcher B+
3. Summer Knight - Jim Butcher B
4. Death Masks - Jim Butcher B

Started off the year with a nice vacation and knocked books 2-5 of the Dresden Files out. Solid series so far, definitely a page turner with very little fluff. I love the main character and the books make me laugh frequently. I've read that the books improve as the series goes along so I'm excited to keep reading.

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Just started A Feast for Crows.

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I'm sorry. Definitely the weakest of the 5.

Finished so far:

1) A Feast for Crows (Yawn...)

Reading:
2) The Billionaire and the Mechanic
3) A Dance with Dragons

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1. Fool Moon - Jim Butcher A
2. Grave Peril - Jim Butcher B+
3. Summer Knight - Jim Butcher B
4. Death Masks - Jim Butcher B

Started off the year with a nice vacation and knocked books 2-5 of the Dresden Files out. Solid series so far, definitely a page turner with very little fluff. I love the main character and the books make me laugh frequently. I've read that the books improve as the series goes along so I'm excited to keep reading.

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I am on Dead Beat right now... probably my 3rd or 4th favorite of the series and loving my second go through.

The Burning Room - Michael Connelly C-

I was unimpressed. It wasn't nearly as good as the other ones in the Harry Bosch series. I did like the last 5 pages, but it couldn't make up for the rest of the novel.

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Currently reading Devil in the White City. Loving the HH Holmes portion... but the portions of the architecture for the Chicago World Fair is kind of a snooze. But who doesn't love a good (and true) serial killer story!?

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Loved this book and especially the architecture stuff. Of course I'm a wannabe architect who made a poor career decision back in Aggieland.

Isaacs Storm was even better by the way.

1 & 2) "Lirael" which is the second and"Abhorsen" which is the third (and final) book of the Old Kingdom
series by Garth Nix: http://oldkingdom.com.au/.Pretty good young adult fantasy series with an interesting approach to magic and Life/Death. There's a prequel I'll probably tackle at some point.
3 & 4) Finished up the 1stPercy Jackson series reading books 4 and 5.

Station Eleven

Post-apocalyptic tale that follows members of an acting troupe/symphony who put on performances of Shakespeare intercut with what led them to that point. Flu strain wiped out 99% of the population. Engaging read, though not quite "McCarthyesque" which one of the back cover blurbs suggested.

Reading The Bully of Order now.

My New Year's resolution is to read more this year (at least a book a month). Started off strong by finishing off a tome: "Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires" by Selwyn Raab.

I bought it after seeing an engrossing Mafia documentary on NatGeo a few weeks back. I wanted to learn more. The author is one of the foremost historians on the mob.

A solid (and relatively quick) history read: A

I just finished "Andersonville" by MacKinlay Kantor. It was a lengthy, rather depressing, but engaging read.

I plan to crack open "A Death in the Family" by James Agee tonight before I go to bed.

Deadhouse Gates. Excellent