You were warned.

The Gunslinger, Book I of Dark Tower series by Stephen King (reread).

In progress: Mexican Gothic.

In progress: Deadly Education

jwhitlock3 said:

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In my opinion the Red Rising books just continue to get better and better with each one. If you enjoyed the first then I'd definitely recommend finish the first trilogy. The feel of the books starts to change with book 2, less Hunger games vibes and better character development.

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I just finished Red Rising, favorite thing was Pax Telemanus with his overt Leeeeeeeroy Jenkins energy, shouting his name as he attacks.

OMG, I never thought about it like that. Holy ****, that's fantastic.

"Dead and Breakfast" (Audible): Kate Kingsbury: C
"The Exiled Fleet: Albion Lost" Book 1(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: The Long March" Book 2 (Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood" Book 1: Brian McClellan: A (Really good book, hope 2&3 are as good!)
"Wizard for Hire" Book 1(Audible): Obert Skye: C-
"The Exiled Fleet: Finest Hour" Book 3(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: Point of Honor" Book 4(Audible): Richard Fox: A [Buyer beware: I thought this was the final book of series because there is no mention of any others even on the author's website. Zero inkling of when the story will be completed. I really enjoyed the series so far, just bummed that there seems to be no end in sight.]
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Crimson Campaign" Book 2: Brian McClellan: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Autumn Republic" Book 3: Brian McClellan: A-

Buzzy said:

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jwhitlock3 said:

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In my opinion the Red Rising books just continue to get better and better with each one. If you enjoyed the first then I'd definitely recommend finish the first trilogy. The feel of the books starts to change with book 2, less Hunger games vibes and better character development.

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I just finished Red Rising, favorite thing was Pax Telemanus with his overt Leeeeeeeroy Jenkins energy, shouting his name as he attacks.

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If you've ever read the John Carter books, or seen the movie, there is a great shoutout to Edgar Rice Burroughs in book 3. I'm about 85% finished with it.

How are the red rising books after the first three?

Recently read "The Starless Crown" by James Rollins. Have always liked his more modern thriller stuff, though I eventually got bored with the Sigma force stuff. It is his first foray into fantasy. I thought it was pretty well done. Not sure how many are planned but must be several.

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss in-progress

2nd Kingkiller was great as well. Not as good as the first since a few storylines were too long imo, but still great. Now my watch begins for the third. Unlike ASoIaF, I'm holding out hope that we actually get the end of this series.

Going to read the novella and short stories next to get a bit more from this universe. Seems people either love or hate the novella, but it's so short I'm assuming I'll be able to get through it no matter what.

The Air War - Adrian Tchaikovsky
Deadhouse Gates - Steven Erikson
Memories of Ice - Steven Erikson
House of Chains - Steven Erikson
Midnight Tides - Steven Erikson (started)

Trying to get through all of the Malazan books before I start anything else.

"Dead and Breakfast" (Audible): Kate Kingsbury: C
"The Exiled Fleet: Albion Lost" Book 1(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: The Long March" Book 2 (Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood" Book 1: Brian McClellan: A (Really good book, hope 2&3 are as good!)
"Wizard for Hire" Book 1(Audible): Obert Skye: C-
"The Exiled Fleet: Finest Hour" Book 3(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: Point of Honor" Book 4(Audible): Richard Fox: A [Buyer beware: I thought this was the final book of series because there is no mention of any others even on the author's website. Zero inkling of when the story will be completed. I really enjoyed the series so far, just bummed that there seems to be no end in sight.]
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Crimson Campaign" Book 2: Brian McClellan: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Autumn Republic" Book 3: Brian McClellan: A-
"The Last Dog On Earth" (Audible): Adrian Walker: B (told from two perspectives: owner and dog/beware: the dog is foul mouthed but pretty dang funny)

Heretics of Dune complete

On to Chapterhouse

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss in-progress

The novella was okay. Some parts were dull, but it did have a few tidbits that will likely tie into the overall story. It also sent me searching about a potential connection that led to a Reddit thread about WAY more theories about the main story.

Next up is a short story that I didn't realize I already own. It's part of a collection called Rogues that I originally bought for a short story by George RR Martin.

I found the novella an unenjoyable read but like you said, it did provide a couple of nuggets that explains a couple things.

Drawing of the Three: Book 2 of Dark Tower (reread).

Still in progress: Mexican Gothic

Still in progress: A Deadly Education

Books Finished in February

• Not Forgotten: Elegies For, and Reminiscences Of, a Diverse Cast of Characters, Most of Them Admirable by George Weigel - I enjoyed this work far more than I expected. It is a collection of anecdotes of a number of interesting individuals from a wide range of fields: politics, religion, journalism, entertainment, sports, etc., most from the 20th/21st centuries and many known personally by the author and some he called friends.. I personally enjoyed the ones about his boyhood sports idols (mostly Colts and Orioles since he grew up in Baltimore) and found the two for his parents and a son-in-law particularly moving.
• Dune by Frank Herbert - A reread but had not read it since high school. I had forgotten the richness and depth of this first segment of the Dune Chronicles. I remember enjoying the subsequent novels as well but not nearly as much as this one. Highly recommend it to those of you considering reading it due to the most recent movie adaptation.
• Endurance: My Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly - A solid memoir in which Kelly uses the his nearly year long stay at the ISS to relate his life story. I particularly enjoyed the segments in which he illustrated the differences of NASA and the Russian space agency. and the chapters that covered the NASA interview process and the Columbia breakup (Kelly was a good friend with Laurel Clark).
• Manufactured Witches by Michelle Rene - I decided to try this novel since my niece was enjoying this series and it was set in Texas. It is well written and I can see why its target audience would enjoy it but it wasn't for me. For me it simply was not as enchanting as the Harry Potter novels nor as nightmarishly bizarre as Something Wicked This Way Comes, works which I drew comparisons.

Previous books finished in 2022

• In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd
• The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
• Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Has anyone read either of John Darnielle's books?

Wolf in White Van and Devil House

I've read both recently and just want to talk about them because they are both so WTF. I couldn't in good conscience recommend either, but they might be worth reading if you want to try something different. I'd recommend Wolf over Devil House for sure... his writing style is so odd - I really can't explain it, but I've never read anything with 'cadences' like he uses.

The Bible in one year, third time through, first time to start it on January 1.
Dune Knew very little about this series before the movie came out, enjoyed the book.
Interview with the Vampire I read Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned, Tale of the Body Thief, and Memnoch the Devil a long time ago but for whatever reason never read the first book. Apparently a new TV series is coming out soon.
Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne (reread) about Quanah Parker and the rise and fall of the Comanches

Audible wish list because I'm on a western kick.

Journey to Texas 1833 Written by a German immigrant about his experience arriving and settling in TX
Oil In Texas by Diana Davids Hinton and Roger M. Olien about oil discovery in Texas in the early 20th century and the 50 years that followed.
XIT: A Story of Land, Cattle, and Capital in Texas and Montana by Michael M, Miller a history of the ranch that helped finance the construction of the state capital..
Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides about Kit Carson and his role in the battle between the US and Navajo Nation.
The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck. This dude and his brother traveled the 2,000 mile trail the old fashioned way in a covered wagon and wrote a book about it.

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss
Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham in-progress

The Kingkiller short story was definitely better than the novella, but it ended suddenly. One great line was "Get five or six," Bast said. "It's getting cold at night. Winter's coming." The innkeeper smiled. "I'm sure Martin will be flattered." GRRM was an editor of the collection, so I hope he chuckled at that line like I did.

Next up is a book that was recommended multiple times in a fantasy/sci-fi group. It's the debut novel for this writer, but the recommendations (and the awesome cover that reminds me a bit of Utopia) sold me on trying it out.

"Dead and Breakfast" (Audible): Kate Kingsbury: C
"The Exiled Fleet: Albion Lost" Book 1(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: The Long March" Book 2 (Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood" Book 1: Brian McClellan: A (Really good book, hope 2&3 are as good!)
"Wizard for Hire" Book 1(Audible): Obert Skye: C-
"The Exiled Fleet: Finest Hour" Book 3(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: Point of Honor" Book 4(Audible): Richard Fox: A [Buyer beware: I thought this was the final book of series because there is no mention of any others even on the author's website. Zero inkling of when the story will be completed. I really enjoyed the series so far, just bummed that there seems to be no end in sight.]
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Crimson Campaign" Book 2: Brian McClellan: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Autumn Republic" Book 3: Brian McClellan: A-
"The Last Dog On Earth" (Audible): Adrian Walker: B (told from two perspectives: owner and dog/beware: the dog is foul mouthed but pretty dang funny)
"Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: Crimson Alliance" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: The Jade Lord: A litRPG Adventure" (Audible): James Hunter: B

The Dog Lord said:

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The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss
Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham in-progress

The Kingkiller short story was definitely better than the novella, but it ended suddenly. One great line was "Get five or six," Bast said. "It's getting cold at night. Winter's coming." The innkeeper smiled. "I'm sure Martin will be flattered." GRRM was an editor of the collection, so I hope he chuckled at that line like I did.

Next up is a book that was recommended multiple times in a fantasy/sci-fi group. It's the debut novel for this writer, but the recommendations (and the awesome cover that reminds me a bit of Utopia) sold me on trying it out.

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Looks like a psychotic version of Watership Down

I looked for this on Audible but it was nowhere to be found.

This one is free on Kindle Unlimited if you have it. Currently about halfway through and enjoying it.

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss
Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham

Really enjoyed this one! Hard to describe it without giving too much away. This is part of the description from Amazon which does give away a part of the plot (but it happens in the first 35 pages or so): Winterset Hollow follows a group of friends to the place that inspired their favorite booka timeless tale about a tribe of animals preparing for their yearly end-of-summer festival. But after a series of shocking discoveries, they find that much of what the world believes to be fiction is actually fact, and that the truth behind their beloved story is darker and more dangerous than they ever imagined. It's Barley Day . . . and you're invited to the hunt.

Haven't decided on my next book yet, but it will likely be Starship Troopers by Heinlein.

Just saw a post from the author that it should be on audible as of 3/4.

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi
The Last Emperox by John Scalzi
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Lightning Tree by Patrick Rothfuss
Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein in-progress

Decided to read I Am Legend after seeing the discussion of a sequel to the Will Smith movie (I've owned it for a while but never got around to it). Despite owning it, I never realized how short it is (~150 pages). I knew the book was different, and I really liked the concept of some of the vampires being the traditional, intelligent being and others being zombie-esque.

"Dead and Breakfast" (Audible): Kate Kingsbury: C
"The Exiled Fleet: Albion Lost" Book 1(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: The Long March" Book 2 (Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood" Book 1: Brian McClellan: A (Really good book, hope 2&3 are as good!)
"Wizard for Hire" Book 1(Audible): Obert Skye: C-
"The Exiled Fleet: Finest Hour" Book 3(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: Point of Honor" Book 4(Audible): Richard Fox: A [Buyer beware: I thought this was the final book of series because there is no mention of any others even on the author's website. Zero inkling of when the story will be completed. I really enjoyed the series so far, just bummed that there seems to be no end in sight.]
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Crimson Campaign" Book 2: Brian McClellan: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Autumn Republic" Book 3: Brian McClellan: A-
"The Last Dog On Earth" (Audible): Adrian Walker: B (told from two perspectives: owner and dog/beware: the dog is foul mouthed but pretty dang funny)
"Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: Crimson Alliance" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: The Jade Lord: A litRPG Adventure" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"God of War" (Audible): J. M. Barlog; Cory Barlog: C
"Alias Hook" (Audible): Lisa Jensen: A- (Peter Pan told from Captain Hook's perspective; not a kid book, more adult oriented)

"Dead and Breakfast" (Audible): Kate Kingsbury: C
"The Exiled Fleet: Albion Lost" Book 1(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: The Long March" Book 2 (Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood" Book 1: Brian McClellan: A (Really good book, hope 2&3 are as good!)
"Wizard for Hire" Book 1(Audible): Obert Skye: C-
"The Exiled Fleet: Finest Hour" Book 3(Audible): Richard Fox: A
"The Exiled Fleet: Point of Honor" Book 4(Audible): Richard Fox: A [Buyer beware: I thought this was the final book of series because there is no mention of any others even on the author's website. Zero inkling of when the story will be completed. I really enjoyed the series so far, just bummed that there seems to be no end in sight.]
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Crimson Campaign" Book 2: Brian McClellan: A
"The Powder Mage Trilogy: The Autumn Republic" Book 3: Brian McClellan: A-
"The Last Dog On Earth" (Audible): Adrian Walker: B (told from two perspectives: owner and dog/beware: the dog is foul mouthed but pretty dang funny)
"Viridian Gate Online: Cataclysm" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: Crimson Alliance" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"Viridian Gate Online: The Jade Lord: A litRPG Adventure" (Audible): James Hunter: B
"God of War" (Audible): J. M. Barlog; Cory Barlog: C
"Alias Hook" (Audible): Lisa Jensen: A- (Peter Pan told from Captain Hook's perspective; not a kid book, more adult oriented)
"Witches Be Crazy" (Audible): Logan J. Hunder: B+ (would have been better I think with possibly a better reader, although I did warm up to him as the story progressed. Lots of bad puns and hokey stuff, had a very The Princess Bride feel)
"Cowboy Bebop: A Syndicate Story" (Audible): Sean Cummings: B
"High Strangeness" (Audible): Will Maclean: B

"Stonehenge" Bernard Cornwell; B- (love Cornwell's work, but this one dragged on)

"God Emperor of Dune" Frank Herbert; A- (just a fantastic series)
"Heretics of Dune" Frank Herbert; A (the first book without a Leto or Paul, about 4500 years after Dune... great new characters introduced that were fascinating to follow)
"Chapterhouse: Dune"; A (again following the same Characters - kind of - from Heretics; great series and the very ending was pretty humorous)

Looking forward to reading Witcher Will pick up Witcher after I finish the Knights Templar historical fiction series I started instead

"Daughter of War" Simon Turney - 30% in and liking it pretty well so far.

Read:

"Jenkins at the Majors" - Dan Jenkins: A good conglomeration of Jenkins' articles over the decades, a pretty neat read for a golf fan.

"Calamity" - Brandon Sanderson (Reckoners #3): Anything by Sanderson is good. This is definitely more YA than anything Cosmere but good nonetheless.

"The Weight of Glory" - C.S. Lewis: Similar to Sanderson, I'm going to give high marks to anything by Lewis.

"Cat's Cradle" - Kurt Vonnegut: Recommended by a friend. Definitely out there, but a quick, entertaining read with some dark laughs along the way as is Vonnegut's style.

"Skyward" (Skyward #1)
"Starsight" (Skyward #2) - Brandon Sanderson: Copy/paste the note from Calamity here. I probably like this series even a little more than Reckoners. Skyward has an Ender's Game academy/solving family drama vibe. Starsight is more of a spy, covert mission theme.

"Greenlights" - Matthew McConaughey: If you like McConaughey's schtick, you'll like his biography, if you hate his schtick you'll hate this book. It's definitely 100% him. For me it was an entertaining insight into the man, but definitely not the self-help book he would like it to be.

"Billy Boy" - Bud Shrake: Another must-read for a golf fan. Colonial is one of my favorite places (annual birthday trip to the PGA stop there with my brother), and Hogan is probably my favorite historical athletic figure. Quick read.

"Wuthering Heights" - Emily Bronte: I missed out on a lot of the classics in H.S. as we didn't read too many full books. I try to sprinkle these types in now and then so I'm not the only book-nerd in America who doesn't get references to classic literature. This one was OK. I didn't dislike it but didn't find myself anxious to get back to it either.

Currently Reading:

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" - Douglas Adams: I've seen Brandon Sanderson mention this one several times as inspiration for some of his one-off projects so I decided to give it a go!

2022 Goal Update: 09/36 (25%)

Lol.... Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is great. Are you going to read the entire series? Usually, you can just buy them all as a single volume.

If I like the first one, I definitely will! Just started it. It's bizarre, which isn't usually my cup of tea, but so far I am enjoying it. Definitely funny!

Unfortunately, I bought just the first one before I realized there was a series.

BryanAggie2013 said:

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Read:

"Jenkins at the Majors" - Dan Jenkins: A good conglomeration of Jenkins' articles over the decades, a pretty neat read for a golf fan.

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Read "Fairways and Greens" which is just a collection of his overall golf writings. One of the best collections I've ever read, I don't play golf, and that book made me want to go pick up a club.

Also, if you haven't read Jenkins' fiction, you're really missing out.