htxag09 said:

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First book of 2025 completed:

Project Hail Mary - Andy Wier

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Read this last year. Great read and pumped to see Ryan Gosling in the movie.

Btron said:

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htxag09 said:

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First book of 2025 completed:

Project Hail Mary - Andy Wier

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Read this last year. Great read and pumped to see Ryan Gosling in the movie.

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Im actually halfway tempted to reread this book. Never thought I would tbh. I liked it a lot but usually reserve my rereads for my fantasy stuff in the main or sci fi epic space operas.

Anyone got something similar in mind? One off Science-y doomsday frantic come together and solve it before we all die with cool twists kinda romp?

I don't know if this is exactly what you're looking for, but check out The Collapsing Empire, by John Scalzi. It is the first book of a trilogy about a portion of the galaxy called The Interdependency. Space travel, political intrigue,backstabbing, the end of their civilization as they know it, all in a race against time to respond to the threat in time. I've read them a couple of times and will probably do so again one day, but there is so much new material it's hard to squeeze in a reread (although my current book is a reread of PHM due to all the discussion on here).

I'm living the fantasy reader's dream right now. I'm reading the third book of the "First Law" trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, and I'm listening to "The Way of Kings" by Brandon Sanderson.

Of those, I'm more excited by "The First Law". My expectations were too high for "Way of Kings". Since its about a 100,000 page book, I suspect it gets better. I'm about a quarter of the way through.

And just to go Full Nerd on you, I also started playing Skyrim on the family Nintendo Switch. That doesn't do much but add some visuals to the two books. I doubt I'll get very far, but I like crushing giant hill people with a sword for now.

Would love your take on the First Law trilogy when you finish.

lurker76 said:

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I don't know if this is exactly what you're looking for, but check out The Collapsing Empire, by John Scalzi. It is the first book of a trilogy about a portion of the galaxy called The Interdependency. Space travel, political intrigue,backstabbing, the end of their civilization as they know it, all in a race against time to respond to the threat in time. I've read them a couple of times and will probably do so again one day, but there is so much new material it's hard to squeeze in a reread (although my current book is a reread of PHM due to all the discussion on here).

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Sounds very intriguing....thanks! Looking into it now.

Philo B 93 said:

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I'm living the fantasy reader's dream right now. I'm reading the third book of the "First Law" trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, and I'm listening to "The Way of Kings" by Brandon Sanderson.

Of those, I'm more excited by "The First Law". My expectations were too high for "Way of Kings". Since its about a 100,000 page book, I suspect it gets better. I'm about a quarter of the way through.

And just to go Full Nerd on you, I also started playing Skyrim on the family Nintendo Switch. That doesn't do much but add some visuals to the two books. I doubt I'll get very far, but I like crushing giant hill people with a sword for now.

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I do feel we are in a "buyers' market when it comes to fantasy right now. So many great options out and coming out soon. Personally, I am ALL HYPE for The Devils by Abercrombie. I cannot remember the last time I was genuinely looking forward to a title. First Law was my first intro to him and I never looked back.

And Skyrim is simply the greatest game of all time. I think the setting of Fallout might edge it out a smidge for me but the ambiance, gameplay, sheer content level, and damn me for saying, the sheer majesty of it all makes Skyrim the clear winner for me.

Quote:

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Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds.

Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters. The mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all in order to achieve its righteous ends.

Elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh, while greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions and comfort. With a hellish journey before him, it's a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side.

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I mean....come on!! GIMME!

So I'm not a big "reading for pleasure" reader, just hard to find the time with little ones with insane sleeping patterns. but I got a Kindle for Christmas and I'm trying to make an effort this year.

First up is The Bourne Identity, about halfway through. Planning to hit some classics I've never read first but very open to suggestions.

I've mentioned it many times on here, but if you are interested in real collections, you can get very many different ones from free to less than $5. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, Mark Twain and on and on. There is a collection of classical books I got last year called 100 Eternal Masterpieces of Literature, Vol. 1, Check that out to see if it interests you..

If you do start, let me know what you think, please.

I'm almost finished with the entire Sir Arthur Conan Doyle original Sherlock canon, 52 of them I think. Such a fabulous character and the style of the language is so engaging.

Can anyone recommend any other authors that have picked up the Sherlock legend?

Will add it to the list, thanks!

Thanks, will check them out.

Just finished Midnight and Noonday by George Doud Freeman. It's a first-hand account of the history of Caldwell, Kansas from 1871 to 1890. Spoiler alert - a lot of drinking, a lot of horse stealing, a lot of murders, and a lot of lynchings, plus on plague of grasshoppers and one drought.

If you liked that one you will probably like the Murderbot Diaries.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/191900-the-murderbot-diaries

FancyKetchup14 said:

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Finished Project Hail Mary, just a great read. Only one word to describe it: "Amaze!"

Gotta figure out what to read next.

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At the risk of kicking the dead horse, if you haven't read Dungeon Crawler Carl yet then it's what you have to do.

If you want to swtick with futuristic Sci Fi, then consider The Expanse or Colony One Mars series.

Something a bit different and stand alone, check out Artifical Wisdom by Thomas Weaver.

Book 7 comes out next month on Audible.

Philo B 93 said:

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I'm living the fantasy reader's dream right now. I'm reading the third book of the "First Law" trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, and I'm listening to "The Way of Kings" by Brandon Sanderson.

Of those, I'm more excited by "The First Law". My expectations were too high for "Way of Kings". Since its about a 100,000 page book, I suspect it gets better. I'm about a quarter of the way through.

And just to go Full Nerd on you, I also started playing Skyrim on the family Nintendo Switch. That doesn't do much but add some visuals to the two books. I doubt I'll get very far, but I like crushing giant hill people with a sword for now.

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I'm also listening to the way of the king. Having to go read summaries of each part and interlude after. Hard to keep track of the names right now.

Definitely Not A Cop said:

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Book 7 comes out next month on Audible.

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I've been reading the books, but will definitely listen to the audio version once I'm done to check them out. They sound awesome!

First part is slow, keep grinding. One of my favorite books ever.

Finished Mistborn Era 1 a couple of days ago. Now back to Stormlight Archive, picked up Oathbringer yesterday (read TWoK and WoR a couple months ago).

I don't know what i'm missing with Dungeon Crawler Carl.. I got about 20 chapters in and i just don't like it at all..

Finished Pines by Blake Crouch (book 1 of his Wayward Pines series). Fantastic. Kept me guessing through most of the book. Liked how he touched on the philosophical dilemma (did a similar thing in Recursion). Excited for the next two book.

Books read in 2025:
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut (re-read)
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle (re-read)
The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
Project Hail Mary - Andy Wier
Pines - Blake Crouch

On deck:
Wayward - Blake Crouch
The Last Town - Blake Crouch

I'm a couple of hundred pages into "The Evening & The Morning" by Ken Follett.
Prequel to "The Pillars of the Earth".

boy09 said:

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I don't know what i'm missing with Dungeon Crawler Carl.. I got about 20 chapters in and i just don't like it at all..

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Every book won'y always resonate with everyone. Especially depending on expectation and mindset. I know several people that like litRPG didn't like it because they didn't appreciate it as a satire or parody of the serious stuff. Books get progressively better, but I'd say by this point if you aren't liking it at all probably not worth pushing through. It's not a literary artifact by any means. A simple, silly satire that I absolutely love. The dumb and dumber of books but with a lot of hidden depth and creative twists. I'll also say I was worried after book 1 that it was going to be repetitive book to book. That scared the absolute hell out of me because I liked how it started. And I can safely say each book is different, unique, and doesn't rely on a single formula or blue print. Sorry, clearly I'm a homer

Wolfpac 08 said:

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Finished Pines by Blake Crouch (book 1 of his Wayward Pines series). Fantastic. Kept me guessing through most of the book.

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Interesting. Not familiar with this one. Peeked at reviews and it appears to have a sound support and large audience. Putting it on the list.

Would highly recommend. I read his book, Recursion, after seeing another poster mention it in the 2024 thread and it let me to this series. First book was only 300 pages and a quick read.

Wolfpac 08 said:

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Would highly recommend. I read his book, Recursion, after seeing another poster mention it in the 2024 thread and it let me to this series. First book was only 300 pages and a quick read.

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This is my favorite from Crouch. I liked Dark Matter, but I found that the wayward pines series was superior, IMHO. I wish that Apple TV would make this into a show instead of more seasons of dark matter that won't have any source material to pull from.

I wasn't ready to dive back into reading yet bc I've been wanting to spend time on other things, but I had a couple of days to kill away from work and reread most of the Thrawn Trilogy. Going to finish it up tonight. Hadn't read it in a couple of decades

One great author that has been recommended many times in these threads . . . rightly so . . . is Dan Simmons.

The Hyperion books are so thoughtfully constructed, so good, and so much fun that I can't recommend them enough. They are absolutely brilliant conceptually.

Likewise Carrion Comfort and The Hollow Man. These books stay with you long after you've finished them. It's been mentioned maybe a few years ago in the book thread that Stephen King put Carrion Comfort up in the very top tier of Horror books (maybe his book assessments are better than his political observations?).

Anyway, I have never felt let down by Sommons as an author. Even his Drood book, which took forever to finish, was satisfying, but I'm sure the length intimidates some readers.

Pick up one if these and let us know what you think.

This year, besides those I've listed, I also want to tackle his The Terror. I know there was a tv series based on it, and I have purposely not watched since the book has been sitting in my "To Read" pile for this year.

The Terror is the first one I felt missed the mark for me. But I'll wait for you to finish before I say anything on it. Not to sway any which way. You absolutely should read it.

I tried more than once to get into Hyperion but never clicked for me. I am saying that one is on me though. As in my failings. I tried when I was deep in college and I just couldn't devote the mental space and energy it probably deserved. Fully committed to giving it another shot in the near future. Also helps I bought some fancy versions of it……

Wolfpac 08 said:

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Would highly recommend. I read his book, Recursion, after seeing another poster mention it in the 2024 thread and it let me to this series. First book was only 300 pages and a quick read.

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I think that was me. It was an emergency truck book I had when I was caught somewhere without my kindle.

It's funny. I mentioned it here which led you to it and then to the series. That series never popped on my radar….until you mentioned it. Now it's on the TBR. We have come full circle

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Had not read this novel in several years, so it was nice to re-read it. Really loved it and appreciated it in new ways upon this reading of it. Arguably the best character development Dickens ever wrote with Pip.

Yep! I think it was you.

I actually used my home-made time machine to introduce you to the book, Recursion, many years ago so that you could introduce it back to me in 2024…but you won't remember that for a few months.."