TerryPrater said:

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Started reading Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. It's actually the first book in 2023

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I haven't read that one, but I have absolutely loved all of his other books. The Beartown series is one of the best piece of story telling I've ever read.

Picking up Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow as my next read. Not sure where I'll go after that.

Had Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky recommended to me. I haven't really read much sci-fi but there are a few on the to read list, so...

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 in-progress


I was surprised at how quickly I got into book 2. I feel like there's usually a lull when a story "resets," but I didn't feel that too much this time. It may have helped that I started with some longer reading sessions that pushed further into the story quickly. Random thoughts below.

I really liked the parts of Vin getting to know the kandra. I imagine (and hope) we get more of them.

It's really interesting that the Inquisitors sacked Terris and took the bodies of the Keepers. I'm assuming they're planning to experiment like they had planned to do with Vin. I just don't know what they're looking for (other bodies?). Would really like to know what the hell their game is and if Marsh is in on it or not. I could see him still serving the good side but knowing that the rest of the crew would never go along with needing to do bad things to eventually do good (a bit like Dr. Strange needing to let the snap happen to eventually defeat Thanos). It seemed like he may have been genuinely sad to see Sazed show up there at the end, so maybe he really is trying to do what needs to be done.

The figure in the mist is really confusing. Too hard to know at this point if it's the same figure/thing each time or different things since they do seem to act differently. One seemed poised to attack Elend in the tent, and one may have attacked Vin before (but it was the first encounter and could have just been her freaking out). At other times it seems trying to guide them. I can understand that the one that did hurt Elend at the Well may have just been trying to tempt Vin to not release the power, but I'm not sure why it pointed Elend north when they left the city for a time.

It's also odd that the mists are hurting some people too. I'm assuming the black swirling they freed was the Deepness (or something else even worse), but why then did the mist hurt random civilians before it was released? Really want to know more about that.

I really felt like Elend was going to be the Hero of Ages. He talks about wishing he had powers, so taking the power of the Well could've been a way for him to get them, at least temporarily. He is the type who would likely give them up as well since the hero supposedly needs to do that. I guess he still could be the Hero if there even is one based on what Sazed learned about the prophecies being distorted. There still were original prophecies though, so I guess there is a possibility of a true Hero emerging.

Completed Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred, by Donald Tyson.

Pretty good imaginings of what the book contained based on the clues left behind in HPL's writings.

It's sort of written like Max Brooks Zombie Survival Guide. Jumps in with a serious take on it and never breaks. Does a pretty good job.

Still in progress: Dune Messiah (Herbert) and The Magus (Fowles).

I jumped on the bandwagon and read my first Brandon Sanderson book -"Elantris" by Brandon Sanderson. I started with that one because he recommended it to me personally. Well... me an anyone else who goes to his website.

It was a great book, great world-building, characters, ending, everything. But jeez that was a long book. And that's basically a short story in Brandon Sanderson's universe.

I'll be taking a break from Fantasy to read a detective novel, or a lawyer novel, or a police novel... anything that references things like cars, guns, sex, and cell phones. I'll read another Sanderson novel sometime, but it will be a few months away.

For those that have read Sanderson's Cosmere, what do you recommend I read after I finish Mistborn soon (already read Elantris)? I've seen a lot of the common recommended orders, but I would like to keep each series together as much as possible unless there are significant spoilers based on publication order. I was considering:

• Some Arcanum short stories (seems like it's recommended to delay Mistborn: Secret History, Edgedancer, etc.)
• Mistborn Era 2 (minus The Lost Metal)
• Arcanum (Mistborn: Secret History)
• Warbreaker
• Stormlight 1-2
• Arcanum (Edgedancer)
• Stormlight 3-5
• Finish Mistborn Era 2 (The Lost Metal) --> could this be read before Stormlight?)

mrsbeer05 said:

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Deacon King Kong by James McBride fits your requirements and was very good

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I tried it but gave up early. I'll try again.

Anything I read gets 4 stars minimum. 3 starts or below I quit reading.

January:

• The Street Lawyer: John Grisham. Somehow I missed this one. I've always enjoyed JG.

Gary Paulson Hatchet series. I love a good YA novel, don't know why. Love the survival aspect.

• The River
• Brian's Winter 5*
• Brian's Return
• Brian's Hunt
• Waxing On: Ralph Macchio. Listened to it, but it counts. Some good behind the scenes of the Karate Kid.

February:

• Sparring Partners: John Grisham. I really liked 2 of the 3 short stories.
• Never: Ken Follett: Brilliant. Loved it. These are events where WW3 starts and is global nuclear and no one wants it. 5*
• The Apollo Murders; Biggest piece of crap I've read out of a major publisher. Quit 10 chapters in. Negative infinity stars.
• Stories I only Tell My Friends: Rob Lowe. He's actually a really good writer, better than Macchio. He tells some great stories. I'd recommend if you're a fan of his or 80s movies. 5*
• Hatchet: Gary Paulsen. Book 1 wasn't available in January. 5*
• Deacon King Kong: James BcBride: I was pressed for time and returned after 2 pages. Going to try again.
• The Family Fong: Kevin Wilson Very good. Very funny. 5*s
• The Best of Adam Sharp: Graeme Simision: One of the best books I've read in a long time. Probably since his Rosie Series. 5*

March:

• Long Shadows: David Baldacci: Book 7 in the Memory Man. It was ok.
• Biloxi Boys: John Grisham. Meh?? 4*s. The whole book just tells what happens rather than describes it.

Currently reading:

• Now is Not the Time to Panic: Kevin Wilson: So far so good, will update.

Up Next: Order depends when they're available from my 4 e-libraries.

• Apollo 8: Jeffrey Kluger
• Hyperion: Dan Simmons
• All Together Now: Matthew Norman
• Domestic Violets: Matthew Norman
• Holdout: Jeffery Kluger
• The Darkest Winter: Lindsey Pogue
• True Believer: Jack Carr
• Red Shirts: John Scalzi
• One Second After: William Forstchen
• A Man Called Ove: Fredrik Backman
• Beartown: Fredrik Backman

Honestly, ordinary people in books like Matthew Norman, Kevin Wilson, Grame Simision are my favorites.

Chuck Cunningham said:

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Any one in Texas can get a Houston Library e-card.
Anyone who applies can get a Broward County Florida e-card.
And if you put down a Chicago city address, you can get a Chicago Library card.

Broward and Chicago have way more books than North Texas or Houston.

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Thank you! I live like 2 miles out of Austin library jurisdiction and have thought about paying up but it's incredibly expensive. Haven't check in some time but something like a few hundred bucks a year.

Yep. And Just put down any address in Chicago. I put down the address for Harry Carry's Steakhouse.

Chuck Cunningham said:

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Yep. And Just put down any address in Chicago. I put down the address for Harry Carry's Steakhouse.

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1060 West Addison

Claude! said:

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Chuck Cunningham said:

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Yep. And Just put down any address in Chicago. I put down the address for Harry Carry's Steakhouse.

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1060 West Addison

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Someone on Reddit put that address. I didn't want it to be obvious.

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 in-progress


Original Mistborn trilogy complete. Overall, it was fantastic. Got to admit that #3 felt like it started slower. I read it at a faster pace than the first book since I had the advantage of knowing most of the characters already, but it was still more of a struggle to get into (had no problem getting into book 2). I think part of it was that I wasn't as into the parts with Spook and Sazed, or even Elend, for about 2/3 of the book. The parts with Vin and TenSoon were much more interesting overall, but everything ramped up during the last third. Random thoughts below.

Story wise, I liked learning more about the Lord Ruler's caches, the kandra, and the small glimpses of the Inquisitors/Ruin. I wish the part of Sazed being with the kandra had been longer instead of crammed in at the end.

There was a random mention of Adonasium (possibly at the beginning of one of the chapters?). I'm avoiding googling anything about it in case it relates to larger Cosmere stuff.

I assumed Vin's earring was going to be a hemalurgic spike, but I didn't suspect that they all had connections to Ruin. I also wasn't sure (and still don't know) if things influenced Vin's mother or if she was just legitimately unwell like it seemed to indicate.

I admit that finding out Ruin was sometimes "Reen's" voice in Vin's mind was a great surprise. Even after learning more about hemalurgy, I still didn't realize that Spook gained Pewter because of the sword that had been broken off in his shoulder. I was actually wondering how Ruin could grant a power like that until they explained the obvious cause.

I did not suspect that Sazed would be the Hero of Ages until close to the end when he confirmed a prophecy with the kandra about how the hero "will bear the future of the world on his arms." I liked how the knowledge he carried helped him reshape the world and how he left the knowledge for Spook and the others in the form of books. Funny that he may not have left them much else though. Would have been nice to get a few other things as well...

Noticed that the first generation kandra mention the "sliver" of Preservation that existed in the mists being "the shadow of self" which is a title of book #2 in era 2, so I'm interested to see where that goes. Really sad to see some of the characters go, so I'm interested to see if any make an appearance in Era 2.

Speaking of, I decided to skip some of the Cosmere short stories for now and jump right into Era 2 (aka Wax and Wayne) because I really want to see where the story goes. There are a few obvious things to explore, such as the remaining 2 metals, but I'm interested to see what larger issues emerge since Sazed unified Preservation and Ruin. I know very little about the Cosmere, so I'm not sure if Sazed's influence is confined to one planet, if there are greater forces that come into play (I assume there have to be), or if maybe Preservation and Ruin go through a cycle of unifying and splitting over time.

My question for those that have read Wax & Wayne is should I leave The Lost Metal for after I read Stormlight, or could I read all 4 Wax & Wayne at once? I've seen quite a few recommendations saying to wait on #4 since it was just released in 2022, and many view "publication order" as a good guide. I don't actually own #4 yet (waiting for the UK mass market paperback copy to release in June so my set matches), but I'd be tempted to get it on Kindle first.

Jinx said:

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Picked up my reading by a ton the last quarter of 2022 and hoping to keep better track this year. I doubt anyone will be interested in some of my reads but I'm throwing them out there anyways for me to keep track of.

2023 - Completed
January:
King of Faerie (Stariel: Book 4) - A.J. Lancaster
A Rake of His Own (A Stariel Novel) - A.J. Lancaster
All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) - Martha Wells
Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2)
Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3)
Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries #4)
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F--- - Mark Manson
Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries #5)

February:
Elantris - Brandon Sanderson
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabriel Zevin

March:
The Magic of Discovery: Emerald Lakes Book One - Britt Andrews.

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Currently reading
Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky

Enjoyed T&T&T, it had its moments where it almost lost me but the 2nd half of the book really woke me up. It was nice to read some slice of life and I enjoyed all the game references.

Took a break from all the serious stuff with a "fun read" -
Magic of Discovery falls under the category of Fantasy Romance, but it is definitely NOT a YA series. I only just started and so far it's full of tropes, magic, and men. Very spicy, 8/10 chili peppers.

Now back to space with Children of Time.

13B said:

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13B said:

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Blood of Elves: The Witcher Book 1, Andrzej Sapkowski: A-
Brotherhood of the Wolf: The Runelords Book 2,David Farland: B+
Wizardborn: The Runelords Book 3, David Farland: B+
The Lair of Bones: The Runelords Book 4, David Farland: A-
Son of the Black Sword: Saga of the Forgotten Warrior Book 1, Larry Correia: A
Crystal City:Tales of Alvin Maker Book 6, Orson Scott Card A-
Homeland: Legend of Drizzt Book 1 (Audible), R.A. Salvatore: A
The Bone Witch: The Bone Witch Book 1 (Audible), Rin Chupeco: A
The Heart Forger: The Bone Witch Book 2 (Audible), Rin Chupeco: A
The Shadow Glass: The Bone Witch Book 3 (Audible), Rin Chupeco: A- (She tried to ruin a really good Trilogy but overall the story was really good, just this last book had some unnecessary crap that added nothing to the story)
Ghosts of Zenith: Lost Planet Homicide (Audible Novella), Larry Correia: A

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The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger: A-
Rogue Heroes: The Histories of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War, Ben Macintyre: A (It's a wonder that they ever got the unit off the ground)
Pilgrim: Pilgrim Book 1: Harmon Cooper: B
Blackbeard (Audible): Angus Konstam: A
The Witcher: Season of Storms: Andrzej Sapkowski: A
The Witcher: The Last Wish (Audible): Andrzej Sapkowski :A (a re-listen because I am starting to read the series in order)
The Witcher: Sword of Destiny: Andrzej Sapkowski: A
The Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories (Audible): R. A. Salvatore: B+ (worth listening to just to hear how Ice T pronounces "sword" and Weird Al Yankovic reading fantasy books)
He Who Fights With Monsters: Book 6: (Audible) Shirtaloon: B+
The Witcher: The Time of Contempt: Andrzej Sapkowski: A
House of Assassins: Saga of the Forgotten Warrior Book 2: Larry Correia: A
Shoeless Joe: W. P Kinsella: B+/A- (The book that Field of Dreams was based on)

I finished Just Kids by Patti Smith last night, and it lived up to its reputation and more. She and Robert Mapplethorpe had such an admirable friendship.

Thanks for the Broward and Chicago tips! Got them in the Libby app and can start borrowing books. Infinity better then the San Antonio Library System.

Capybara said:

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I finished Just Kids by Patti Smith last night, and it lived up to its reputation and more. She and Robert Mapplethorpe had such an admirable friendship.

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That's one of my go to recommendations for memoir. So good.

Just finished the Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker. It is pretty solid.

Just picked up Mistborn and have started.

I love Dekker and that's one of my favorites. I need to reread since it's probably been a decade.

CoolaidWade said:

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Thanks for the Broward and Chicago tips! Got them in the Libby app and can start borrowing books. Infinity better then the San Antonio Library System.

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Yeah, the Broward and Chicago individually are better than the North Texas/Houston combined.

My recent read was a reread. I recommended it to my son and decided to reread it with him. Actually, I did it on audio.

caleblyn said:

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Just finished the Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker. It is pretty solid.

Just picked up Mistborn and have started.

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Mistborn was my introduction to Sanderson.

Prepare to have your literary life rewritten in the best way.

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
Mistborn Era 2 #2: Shadows of Self in-progress


Really enjoyed the first Wax & Wayne book. I was skeptical because I normally stick with "swords" stories over "guns," but this was still good. Wayne was great of course. Loved his form of "borrowing" and how he takes on the thoughts of the characters that he creates with his disguises.

It was great seeing some of the connections to the original trilogy, like Spook's slang becoming "High Imperial" under the new society. I was shocked by Marsh's appearance at the end though. Kind of forgot about him there at the end of Hero of Ages since they just didn't mention him.

Was surprised to see Miles practicing hemalurgy since I would assume they would discourage it in the new society (and likely not even discuss it with most). Speaking of, one thing I forgot from Elantris but was reminded of with this book was that there are occasionally notes at the end of these books from what appears to be some Cosmere entity discussing the different magical forms. The one in this book even referred back to the magic/Investiture of Elantris (Sel) in it's discussion of Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy. It also mentioned the kandra still being around with most of them serving Harmony. I was wondering through this book if any of the people seen were possibly kandra even though most reverted back to mistwraiths at the end of HoA.

Also interested to know more about the mists in the current timeline since they aren't around as often but still come at times. Too early to tell if it's Harmony deliberately sending them so he can interact with the world some or if it's more of a natural/spiritual phenomenon that is bound to come back eventually and that he simply takes advantage of.

Excited to keep going with the Cosmere. DIdn't realize these books were much shorter than the original Mistborn trilogy, so should be able to knock them out fairly quickly and get to the standalones and Stormlight soon.

The new Gray Man book was really good. Has an extended action series that went on for several chapters and many pages, reading like a cool action movie scene that went on for half an hour. Really enjoyed this one, but no surprise since I have enjoyed the entire series.

Mark Dawson's books continue to please as well, with his main character who struggles with alcohol addiction. This was a flashback novel before he deals with his demons and was also very good.

Currently reading Shadows of Self (Mistborn era 2, novel 2) and starting One Shot by Lee Child (Jack Reacher series).

Finished Snow Crash last week. About 90% of the book I absolutely loved, the way it really built out this post-America cyberpunk world and a really creative approach to a computer virus affecting people in the real world, but there were some exposition moments that really took me out of the flow of the story, and also one really uncomfortable sex scene (which in all my years of reading, this is probably the first time reading a sex scene has actually made me that uncomfortable). I still put it at around a 3.5-4, but feel like it would jump a point with some strategic snips.

Trying to intersperse some classics I haven't read in a while, so started on Heart of Darkness.

Currently Reading:
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Finished:
The Library by Casey White (3/5)
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden (4/5)
City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (3.5/5)
The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany (3/5)
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (4.5/5)
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (3.5/5)

Dr. Mephisto said:

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caleblyn said:

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Just finished the Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker. It is pretty solid.

Just picked up Mistborn and have started.

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Mistborn was my introduction to Sanderson.

Prepare to have your literary life rewritten in the best way.

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I am only 25% into Book 1. Pretty good thus far. I am doing my best to stay clear of any info. Quick question, I know there are 3 main books. Is the series complete or are there more to come?

tia

caleblyn said:

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Dr. Mephisto said:

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caleblyn said:

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Just finished the Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker. It is pretty solid.

Just picked up Mistborn and have started.

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Mistborn was my introduction to Sanderson.

Prepare to have your literary life rewritten in the best way.

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I am only 25% into Book 1. Pretty good thus far. I am doing my best to stay clear of any info. Quick question, I know there are 3 main books. Is the series complete or are there more to come?

tia

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Original trilogy is complete. There is a related series often referred to as Era 2 or Wax & Wayne which has 4 books (last just came out in 2022). There are supposed to be third and fourth eras as well eventually (he didn't plan to do era 2 originally).

Spaceball 1 said:

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I'm reading Fable by Stephen King but really struggling with it.

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I assume you mean Fairy Tale, which I just finished. It's long and does get bogged down in the middle, but it's a good original story. The last 20% is a page turner, and thankfully it does have a satisfying ending unlike many of his more recent novels.

I just finished The Moviegoer by Walker Percy, and I'm blown away by his craft. Books like these will get my *** writing.

Heart of Darkness was an interesting one to return to. Still enjoyed it as a narrative. Still a bit of a difficult read (Conrad seemed to be waging a personal war on line breaks). Definitely had a much better understanding and appreciation for the themes than I did back in high school.

Started Hunter's Run by GRRM, Daniel Abraham, and Gardner Dozois as my next one.

Currently Reading:
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Hunter's Run by GRRM, et al

Finished:
The Library by Casey White (3/5)
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden (4/5)
City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (3.5/5)
The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany (3/5)
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (4.5/5)
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (3.5/5)
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (4/5)

Capybara said:

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I just finished The Moviegoer by Walker Percy, and I'm blown away by his craft. Books like these will get my *** writing.

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Added to my list. Thank you!

It really makes me hope the film doomsayers are wrong in saying that films like Tar, The Fabelmans, Banshees, etc. are doomed for good. Look, I had as good of a time as anyone at Top Gun and Avatar and almost certainly will again at Barbie and Oppenheimer this summer, but the theater environment itself forces you to pay more attention which is critical for movies like the aforementioned dramas.

bluefire579 said:

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Heart of Darkness was an interesting one to return to. Still enjoyed it as a narrative. Still a bit of a difficult read (Conrad seemed to be waging a personal war on line breaks). Definitely had a much better understanding and appreciation for the themes than I did back in high school.

Started Hunter's Run by GRRM, Daniel Abraham, and Gardner Dozois as my next one.

Currently Reading:
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Hunter's Run by GRRM, et al

Finished:
The Library by Casey White (3/5)
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden (4/5)
City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (3.5/5)
The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany (3/5)
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (4.5/5)
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (3.5/5)
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (4/5)

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Curious on your take on Poppy War, especially one particularly brutal portion that is apparently based on true events.