2023 Books Read

55,449 Views | 533 Replies | Last: 26 days ago by Chipotlemonger
Eliminatus
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AG
Just got the email line is shipping
Another Doug
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Btw, I just read sunlit man, it's a good read for fans of the cosmere.
cmk10
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Well i finally got around to reading 1984 and now realize half of rage against the machines songs are basically about this book…
RED AG 98
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RED AG 98 said:

Wool (Hugh Howey) - I'd already watched S1 of this on Apple TV+ prior to picking this one up so I was familiar with the story. I enjoyed the TV show enough that I just bought the whole trilogy; I didn't realize how much additional content was in book 1 versus S1 so that was a pleasant surprise. Really enjoyed this one. Easy listen, slow burn, good character development and a unique story. 4 out of 5. (Also really cool backstory on Howey writing this story as a set of serials published directly to Amazon while working at B&N, not unlike Weir's story.)

Shift (Hugh Howey, Silo book 2). I actually enjoyed this more than Wool, maybe because I was totally blind without the benefit and/or detriment of the tv series. I rated Wool 4/5, and while this was better it's not 5/5 so call it something like 4.25 / 5 .
Trajan88
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First Conspiracy the Secret Plot to Kill George Washington by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch

Good, interesting, quick read on G. Washington and the plot to capture or assassinate him (by some in his security detail) at the start of hostilities vs the British in Manhattan.
YouBet
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Read YTD:
  • The Last Resort: Adrian's March Part Two (AUD Book #10) - Kindle
  • No God: Adrian's March Part Three (AUD Book #11) - Kindle
  • Heir of Novron (The Riyria Revelations #5-6) - Michael J Sullivan - Audible
  • Dead Cities: Adrian's March Part Two (AUD Book #12) - Chris Philbrook - Audible
  • Ghosts: Adrian's March Part Two (AUD Book #13) - Chris Philbrook and Carl Meadows - Audible
  • The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness #2) - Joe Abercrombie - Hardback
  • Supernova in the East I - Dan Carlin - Hardcore Histories Podcast
  • Supernova in the East II - Dan Carlin - Hardcore Histories Podcast
  • The Archer's Tale (The Grail Quest #1) - Bernard Cornwell - Kindle
  • All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) - Kindle
  • The PARA Method (Simplify, Organize, and Master Your Digital Life) - Tiago Forte - Hardback
  • The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis - Paperback

Recently Completed:
Supernova in the East III - Dan Carlin - Hardcore Histories Podcast

This one gets into the Philippines (Bataan) and Gen MacArthur. I did not realize how much of a diva that guy was, so it was interesting to hear much more about him and his decisions and behavior leading the Philippines campaign. And what those guys had to endure...holy cow. The European campaign was bit of a cake walk relatively speaking.

Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2) - Martha Wells - Kindle
Blast of a sci-fi series. Short, fun reads. Highly recommend.


Currently Reading:
Supernova in the East IV - Dan Carlin - Hardcore Histories Podcast
Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3) - Martha Wells - Kindle
Black Autumn - A Post Apocalyptic Saga (Black Autumn #1) - Jeff Kirkland - Kindle
  • I have paused reading this one. It's too close to reality right now and will just depress you at how futile things will be if we ever get to an apocalyptic scenario.
Philo B 93
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Flatlander said:

Philo B 93 said:

I've always wanted to read more science fiction, but over the years I've realized I'm a dialogue guy.

The Expanse is a great sci-fi series with really good dialog and character development. Not first-person, but follows the character-PoV-per-chapter format.


Just finished Leviathan Wakes (Expanse #1). It was right up my alley. I was ready to throw the towel in on Sci-fi after Hyperion earlier this year, but Expanse has shown me that great space opera sci-fi can be had without needing a dictionary and notepad.
YouBet
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Recently Completed:
Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3) - Martha Wells - Kindle

Still fun.
Flatlander
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Philo B 93 said:

Flatlander said:

Philo B 93 said:

I've always wanted to read more science fiction, but over the years I've realized I'm a dialogue guy.

The Expanse is a great sci-fi series with really good dialog and character development. Not first-person, but follows the character-PoV-per-chapter format.


Just finished Leviathan Wakes (Expanse #1). It was right up my alley. I was ready to throw the towel in on Sci-fi after Hyperion earlier this year, but Expanse has shown me that great space opera sci-fi can be had without needing a dictionary and notepad.

Funny that you just circled back on this post. I am actually in the middle of reading Hyperion right now. Definitely a contrast of styles.
YouBet
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Philo B 93 said:

Flatlander said:

Philo B 93 said:

I've always wanted to read more science fiction, but over the years I've realized I'm a dialogue guy.

The Expanse is a great sci-fi series with really good dialog and character development. Not first-person, but follows the character-PoV-per-chapter format.


Just finished Leviathan Wakes (Expanse #1). It was right up my alley. I was ready to throw the towel in on Sci-fi after Hyperion earlier this year, but Expanse has shown me that great space opera sci-fi can be had without needing a dictionary and notepad.
Both are great. I sort of disagree with Hyperion being space opera but I'm not going to get in a fight over it.
Philo B 93
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YouBet said:

Philo B 93 said:

Flatlander said:

Philo B 93 said:

I've always wanted to read more science fiction, but over the years I've realized I'm a dialogue guy.

The Expanse is a great sci-fi series with really good dialog and character development. Not first-person, but follows the character-PoV-per-chapter format.


Just finished Leviathan Wakes (Expanse #1). It was right up my alley. I was ready to throw the towel in on Sci-fi after Hyperion earlier this year, but Expanse has shown me that great space opera sci-fi can be had without needing a dictionary and notepad.
Both are great. I sort of disagree with Hyperion being space opera but I'm not going to get in a fight over it.
I misspoke. I don't think Hyperion is Space Opera at all, either. So we agree on that.

Hyperion is heavy sci-fi that was a little disappointing to me because it ended up reading more like 7 short stories instead of one novel. I decided not to continue on with that series. I'll read some more Expanse after a Sci-Fi break.
lurker76
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The whole Expanse series is fantastic. Fortunately for you, all of the books have been published, so, unlike ASOIAF, you get closure. When I started the series, only the first six books were out. It was a long wait for the last book.
Although not essential, the short stories fill in some gaps and provide background on characters that help you to understand them better. I suggest you read those as well.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the series.
birdman
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I rate Hyperion as exceptional. Leviathan is very good.

I just finished Swan Song. You have to compare it to The Stand. Both are very good but I like King's book better.
bangobango
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AG
birdman said:

I rate Hyperion as exceptional. Leviathan is very good.

I just finished Swan Song. You have to compare it to The Stand. Both are very good but I like King's book better.


Ha, I just finished The Stand this week.
YouBet
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birdman said:

I rate Hyperion as exceptional. Leviathan is very good.

I just finished Swan Song. You have to compare it to The Stand. Both are very good but I like King's book better.


Agree. Just read Swan Song last year.
The Dog Lord
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Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn #1: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn #2: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn #3: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn Era 2 #1: The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn Era 2 #2: Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn Era 2 #3: The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
The Eleventh Metal (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn: Secret History (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
The Emperor's Soul (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
The Hero of Elantris (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Stormlight #1: The Way of Kings
Stormlight #2: Words of Radiance
Edgedancer (Arcanum Unbounded story) by Brandon Sanderson in-progress

And just to make sure I don't misstep, I'm including my planned reading order for the rest below
  • Stormlight 3
  • Dawnshard
  • Stormlight 4
  • The Lost Metal
  • Other short stories


Another great one. Like WoK, there was a bit of a struggle getting through the early part of the book. That's my one big gripe about Sanderson, but it's also just been a more difficult year for me in terms of reading (might be too exhausted at night to read more than a chapter even when into it). Overall though, I'm super intrigued (and confused) by everything going on in Stormlight and how it connects to the rest of the Cosmere. Stormlight definitely has more ASoIaF vibes to it than the other Cosmere stories in terms of all of the underlying things going on. Random comments to follow.

Didn't expect Jasnah to die so suddenly. Felt like the kind of death that won't last though, and sure enough the last chapter confirmed it.

Sebarial just playing along with being Shallan's uncle was pretty funny.He was a great comic relief character in general.

The "montage" chapter of Shallan and Kaladin really breathed some life into the story. And then Adolin's big duel scene not long after was pretty awesome. I know that he is known for the Sanderlanche style, but it would be nice to get a bit more like this in earlier parts of the books.

Interesting seeing some darker scenes and themes with the characters. Won't mention any here even in spoiler tags to be safe, but I'm sure some can remember some from this book. That is also partially what made me think Stormlight is leaning closer to ASoIaF than some others.

After Eshonai transformed into Stormform, she knew something wasn't right and that she had changed. She would feel some type of compulsion to stop thinking certain things or feeling certain ways though like she was being controlled. Was very reminiscent of Ruin from Mistborn.

Not sure how I feel about the Shallan-Kaladin connection. I like the interactions between them, but I don't want it to be a problem with Adolin. Seems like their status as Radiants is going to also create some issues with him though.

I knew there were some crossovers with Warbreaker, but I didn't expect Nightblood to show up!

Did not expect Adolin to do THAT there at the end. Also, I expected Dalinar to die even after being saved multiple times, so it was surprising when he bonded the stormfather. I actually expected Sanderson to Jill someone important off early-ish, so it's surprising it hasn't happened (especially with Jasnah returning).

Definitely not expecting to finish the rest this year, so I'll just push on into 2024 for those last few (including my recently acquired UK version of The Lost Metal that matches the rest of the set).
Malachi Constant
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Philo B 93 said:

Flatlander said:

Philo B 93 said:

I've always wanted to read more science fiction, but over the years I've realized I'm a dialogue guy.

The Expanse is a great sci-fi series with really good dialog and character development. Not first-person, but follows the character-PoV-per-chapter format.


Just finished Leviathan Wakes (Expanse #1). It was right up my alley. I was ready to throw the towel in on Sci-fi after Hyperion earlier this year, but Expanse has shown me that great space opera sci-fi can be had without needing a dictionary and notepad.
I'm on Persepolis Rising and oh man are you in for a treat.

What I love about this series of books is that each novel shares characters and settings, but they're each really well done stand-alone stories. I'm going to have some serious sadness when I finish.

The whole series is full of great quotes that really stick with you. One recent one for me was this:

"Your empire's hands look a lot cleaner when you get to dictate where history begins and what parts of it don't count."

Spoiler tags but I doubt the quote itself will spoil anything about the series.
Tabasco
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Philo B 93 said:

Flatlander said:

Philo B 93 said:

I've always wanted to read more science fiction, but over the years I've realized I'm a dialogue guy.

The Expanse is a great sci-fi series with really good dialog and character development. Not first-person, but follows the character-PoV-per-chapter format.


Just finished Leviathan Wakes (Expanse #1). It was right up my alley. I was ready to throw the towel in on Sci-fi after Hyperion earlier this year, but Expanse has shown me that great space opera sci-fi can be had without needing a dictionary and notepad.
Great series, but I noticed (at least for me personally) they start hot (first 25%), sag in the middle (50%), then finish strong (25%). I found that to be true for each book.
The Dog Lord
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Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn #1: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn #2: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn #3: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn Era 2 #1: The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn Era 2 #2: Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn Era 2 #3: The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
The Eleventh Metal (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn: Secret History (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
The Emperor's Soul (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
The Hero of Elantris (Arcanum Unbounded short story) by Brandon Sanderson
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Stormlight #1: The Way of Kings
Stormlight #2: Words of Radiance
Edgedancer (Arcanum Unbounded story) by Brandon Sanderson
Stormlight #3: Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson in-progress

And just to make sure I don't misstep, I'm including my planned reading order for the rest below
  • Dawnshard
  • Stormlight 4
  • The Lost Metal
  • Other short stories


Wasn't sure at first if I'd care enough about this character after only getting a brief glimpse so far in Stormlight, but I definitely enjoyed the novella since she got some growth in the story. I also enjoyed learning more about the other characters and lore as always.
Saxsoon
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Tress of the Emerald Sea
Yumi and the nightmare painter
Sunlit man
Ninth House
Hellbent
Storm Front - first Dresden book

All the Stormlight books on reread

Skyward, Starsight, Skyward Flight (waiting for Cytonic at my library
Warbreaker
The Cabinet of Dr Leng

Eliminatus
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Finally getting back to reading some non self published KU books.

Finished We are the Dead last night. Enjoyed it. Will admit I picked up solely based off cover art. I'll keep going in the trilogy. 3.5/5

I'll finish up Tress today. I got it and read bout halfway and just stopped for some reason, even though I was really liking it.

Then it'll be Empire of Silence next I think.

Do yall keep an actual TBR and schedule out your reads?
713nervy
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Eliminatus said:


Do yall keep an actual TBR and schedule out your reads?

Does my hold list on Libby count…? And/or my list on Goodreads for those that the public library doesn't have.

Do you?
OKCAG02
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If you aren't aware, if you have Spotify premium they have added a pretty impressive amount of audiobooks now included w/ subscription.
Malachi Constant
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OKCAG02 said:

If you aren't aware, if you have Spotify premium they have added a pretty impressive amount of audiobooks now included w/ subscription.
bruh

I'm on Tiamat's Wrath (book 8 of the Expanse).

ALL of the expanse books are on Spotify. I'm cancelling my audible account.

Thank you for the heads up.
NColoradoAG
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Just realized I had gone all year and not posted on this thread.

So far:

Finally finished the Honor Harrington series. Took probably 5 years
The Cruel Stars and Shattered Skies. Loved these, looking forward to the third book
Red Rising, Golden Son, Morningstar, Iron Gold. Enjoyed these as well, Dark Age is on deck
Backyard Starship, Red Bounty, & Anvil Dark. Having trouble with these and may quit

Currently reading Wool
RockyGamucci
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Children of the Neon Bamboo- Five starts-- cannot recommend enough.

Nowhere else has this blend of immersive atmosphere, esoteric pop culture, comedic narrator-driven commentary, and heart about human relationships. Life, the universe, everythingentertainment, invigoration, and inspiration that will stick long after the book is over, all through the lens of 1990 Japanese influenced pop culture. A world you can return to any time. A unique vibe they can carry with them the rest of their life. A patina of cool they can throw on any situation to make life a little more interesting.

Children of the Neon Bamboo: B. Glynn Kimmey: 9798988054115: Amazon.com: Movies & TV
G.I.Bro
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Read Gwendy's button box today. It was alright
The Marksman
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Just found this thread, and I love it! The most recent novel I finished was American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I really enjoyed it, though not as much as The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
G.I.Bro
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Read Gwendy's Magic Feather today. Debating on starting Gwendy's final task tonight
G.I.Bro
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Started Gwendy's Final Task and King's politics are screaming off the page. I may struggle to finish
Trajan88
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Never read a "fantasy" genre... I have read reviews that Forth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is excellent.

Anyone read it? Is it as good as the reviews I have read on Amazon?
713nervy
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Trajan88 said:

Never read a "fantasy" genre... I have read reviews that Forth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is excellent.

Anyone read it? Is it as good as the reviews I have read on Amazon?

I LOVE that book. It has everything.
ddugat
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I got on an Anthony Ryan kick and read The Covenant of Steel trilogy (good) and Raven's Shadow trilogy (very good).

I got about 30% into Stephen King's "Holly" and was very disappointed and had to put it down. I might pick it up again, IDK. I really liked the Bill Hodges books and "The Outsider".
G.I.Bro
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ddugat said:

I got on an Anthony Ryan kick and read The Covenant of Steel trilogy (good) and Raven's Shadow trilogy (very good).

I got about 30% into Stephen King's "Holly" and was very disappointed and had to put it down. I might pick it up again, IDK. I really liked the Bill Hodges books and "The Outsider".


I miss when SK was more into Coke than politics
The Marksman
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Firestarter by Stephen King. Great read, loved it.
 
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