Rudyjax said:

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How do yall fight through books that don't grab your interest right away?

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I read two or three books at same time. If a book is slow or I don't feel like reading that genre that night, I switch to one of my other books. Then after a few days, I'll return.

I don't find many books that don't interest me. But when I do, I just push through. Usually, there is a payoff.

I'll typically read pretty far into it before I abandon a book (40-50%). I also abandon books I actually like and then come back to them quite a bit later. That happens simply because I wasn't in the mood for that book at the time. I do that most often with non-fiction though which I find harder to hold my attention.

YouBet said:

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I'll typically read pretty far into it before I abandon a book (40-50%). I also abandon books I actually like and then come back to them quite a bit later. That happens simply because I wasn't in the mood for that book at the time. I do that most often with non-fiction though which I find harder to hold my attention.

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I do the same. I have 3 sitting on my desk right now all 60%+ done

BenFiasco14 said:

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YouBet said:

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I'll typically read pretty far into it before I abandon a book (40-50%). I also abandon books I actually like and then come back to them quite a bit later. That happens simply because I wasn't in the mood for that book at the time. I do that most often with non-fiction though which I find harder to hold my attention.

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I do the same. I have 3 sitting on my desk right now all 60%+ done

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Yes, one of those is Lafayette for me. Too many love letters. Had to walk away for a bit.

YouBet said:

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BenFiasco14 said:

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YouBet said:

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I'll typically read pretty far into it before I abandon a book (40-50%). I also abandon books I actually like and then come back to them quite a bit later. That happens simply because I wasn't in the mood for that book at the time. I do that most often with non-fiction though which I find harder to hold my attention.

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I do the same. I have 3 sitting on my desk right now all 60%+ done

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Yes, one of those is Lafayette for me. Too many love letters. Had to walk away for a bit.

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To be fair I cheated and listened to Lafayette. Which made them more amusing than anything, especially when they just started signing the letters "Yours, etc."

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The best Christmas book there is.

Squeezed one more in. The fall of Carthage by Adrian goldsworthy. Audiobook. About the three Punic wars. Loved it.

The Anxious Generation. Should be required reading for parents.

LETS GO

SpreadsheetAg said:

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On to book 4! This is really gaining steam now

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Finished six this morning and moving on to 7.

I'll have to check this out at some point.

Lost track where I last posted, but in the last few months I've read the second half of the red rising trilogy, first two books in the stormlight archives, will of the many, and now currently reading the strength of the few.

YouBet said:

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The Flame Bearer (The Saxon Chronicles #10) - Bernard Cornwell

Bebbanburg attained. Finally.

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Great series; I need to reread these. Are you audiobooking? Because the narration on these (even though it changes a couple of times) is excellent

Finished Turn Coat this weekend, read the short story Love Hurts this morning. Changes is next and one of my favorite books, period, but it is such an emotional roller-coaster that part of me is putting off starting it

This series is next on my list.

Year End:
5 * [3]
"The White House Years" by Henry Kissinger (NF)
"Wind and Truth" (The Stormlight Achive #5) by Brandon Sanderson
"Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir

4 * [16]
"The Ferryman" by Justin Cronin
The Dresden Files Series (#2 - #7) by Jim Butcher "Fool Moon", "Grave Peril", "Summer Knight", "Death Masks", "Blood Rites", "Dead Beat"
"Rhythm of War" by Brandon Sanderson
"The Scientist and the Serial Killer" (NF) by Lise Olsen
"Angel Killer" (Jessica Blackwood #1) by Andrew Mayne
"The Secret of Secrets" (Robert Langdon #6) by Dan Brown
"Midnight's Children" by Salman Rushdie
"Badlands" (Nora Kelly #5) by Douglas Preston
"Endurance: An Epic Polar Adventure" (NF) by Frank A Worsley
"Lethal Velocity" by Lincoln Child
"The Land Beyond the Sea" by Sharon Kay Penman

3 * [24]
"Shadowland" by Peter Straub
"The Island of Dr Moreau", "The Food of the Gods", and "The First Men in the Moon" by H. G. Wells
"The Magic Circle" by Katherine Neville
The Shadowseer series (#2 - #5) by Morgan Rice "Paris", "Munich", "Rome", "Athens"
"The Final Equinox" by Andrew Mayne
"Looking Glass" by Andrew Mayne
"The Long Walk" by Stephen King as Richard Bachman
"Where the Birds Never Sing: The True Story of the 92nd Signal Battalion and the Liberation of Dacha" (NF) by Jack Sacco
"Captain Blood" by Rafael Sabatini
"Sabriel" by Garth Nix
"The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War" (NF) by Erik Larson
"Night Chills" by Dean Koontz
"The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O" by Neal Stephenson
"Gothic Wounds" by Joe R Lansdale
"The Plantagenets" (NF) by Dan Jones (NF)
"Leaving Berlin" by Joseph Kanon
"The Victors: Eisenhower and his Boys" (NF) by Stephen E Ambrose
"Holly" by Stephen King
"The Lost Constitution" by William Martin

2 *

SpreadsheetAg said:

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YouBet said:

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The Flame Bearer (The Saxon Chronicles #10) - Bernard Cornwell

Bebbanburg attained. Finally.

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Great series; I need to reread these. Are you audiobooking? Because the narration on these (even though it changes a couple of times) is excellent

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No, I'm doing these on Kindle. I'm not in my car enough these days to justify an audiobook sub. Looks like the next 3 books are about getting England unified so this is a good breakpoint for me in the series. Wanted to finish this and then hop back to The Suneater.

YouBet said:

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The Flame Bearer (The Saxon Chronicles #10) - Bernard Cornwell

Bebbanburg attained. Finally.

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The next three are fitting endings to Uhtred's tale. Just finished the series about a month ago.

Tonight is probably the last book of the year for me to finish. It was Homeworld, book 3 of the Odyssey series by Evan Currie. I'll start book 4, Out of the Black later tonight.

My personal recap of 2025:
(* - indicates a re-read)
The Inevitable Ruin: Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 7 Matt Dinniman
Wolf Pack Written by members of the 281st AHC Wolf Pack
*Project Hail Mary Andy Weir
Killing Crazy Horse: The Merciless Indian Wars in America Bill O'Reilly & Martin Duggard
Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History Bill O'Reilly & Martin Duggard
*Compulsory: The Murderbot Diaries, A short story Martha Wells
*All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells
*Rogue Protocol: The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells
*Artificial Condition: The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells
*Exit Strategy: The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells
*Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory: The Murderbot Diaries, A short story Martha Wells
*Network Effect: The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells
*Fugitive Telemetry: The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells
*System Collapse: The Murderbot Diaries Martha Wells
Starter Villain John Scalzi
Zero Six Bravo: 60 Special Forces. 100,000 Enemy. The Explosive True Story Damien Lewis
Murder In Mesopotamia Agatha Christie (Crime & Mystery Collection; All Time)
Three Act Tragedy: A Hercule Poiret Mystery Agatha Christie (Crime & Mystery Collection; All Time)
Fuzzy Nation John Scalzi
Basil's War; A Novel Stephen Hunter
Lock In: A Novel of the Near Future (The Lock In Series Book 1) John Scalzi
Head On: A Novel of the Near Future (The Lock In Series Book 2) John Scalzi
Gateway (Expeditionary Force Book 18) Craig Alanson
Dragon Teeth Michael Crichton
Little Fuzzy (Fuzzy Sapiens Series Book 1) H. Baum Piper
Into the Black (Odyssey One, book 1) Evan Currie
Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a collision of Lives in World War II Adam Makos
The Lord of Samarcand The Robert E. Howard Omnibus: 99 Collected Stories (Halcyon Classics)
Plainsman Western Series: The Trail to Retaliation, book 2 B. N. Rundell
The Heart of the Matter (Odyssey One, book 2) Evan Currie
How it Unfolds (The Far Reaches collection) (a short story) James S. A. Corey
Slow Time Between The Stars (The Far Reaches collection) John Scalzi
Void (The Far Reaches collection) Veronica Roth
Falling Bodies (The Far Reaches collection) Rebecca Roanhorse
Just Out of Jupiter's Reach (The Far Reaches collection) Nnedi Okorafor
The Wizard of Oz (100 Eternal Masterpieces of Literature) L. Frank Baum
The Border Legion (100 Eternal Masterpieces of Literature) Zane Grey
A Dream (Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems Edgar Allan Poe
Metzngerstein (Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems Edgar Allan Poe
The Duc De L'Omelette (Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems Edgar Allan Poe
*Artemis: A Novel Andy Wier
Brave New World Aldus Huxley
The Lion of Tiberias The Robert E. Howard Omnibus: 99 Collected Stories (Halcyon Classics)
1984 George Orwell
Plainsman Western Series: The Trail to Restoration, book 3 B. N. Rundell
Plainsman Western Series: The Trail to Revolution, book 4 B. N. Rundell
Rapport Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy: A Murderbot Diary Martha Wells
Fahrenheit 451: A Novel Ray Bradbury
Plainsman Western Series: The Trail to Reparation, book 5 B. N. Rundell
Plainsman Western Series: The Trail to Rebellion, book 6 B. N. Rundell
Plainsman Western Series: The Trail to Reservation, book 7 B. N. Rundell
Plainsman Western Series: The Trail to Reclamation, book 8 B. N. Rundell
Plainsman Western Series: The Trail to Retribution, book 9 B. N. Rundell
The Shadow of the Vulture The Robert E. Howard Omnibus: 99 Collected Stories (Halcyon Classics)
Empire of Silence, Sun Eater, book 1 Christopher Ruocchio
Frankenstein Mary Shelley
Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome John Scalzi
Plainsman Western Series: The Trail to Reconciliation, book 10 B. N. Rundell
Howling Dark, Sun Eater, book 2 Christopher Ruocchio
A Shattering Peace John Scalzi
Cry Havoc Jack Carr
The Secret of Secrets Dan Brown
Treasure Island (Delphi Complete Works of Robert Louis Stevenson (Illustrated)) Robert Louis Stevenson
The Worst Ship In the Fleet, Dumb Luck and Dead Heroes series Book 1 Skyler Ramirez
Black Arrow (Delphi Complete Works of Robert Louis Stevenson (Illustrated)) Robert Louis Stevenson
The Dispatcher John Scalzi
The Dispatcher: Murder By Other Means John Scalzi
The Dispatcher: Travel By Bullet John Scalzi
An Election John Scalzi
Homeworld (Odyssey One, book 3) Evan Currie

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle. Starting a re-read of the entire Sherlock Holmes canon.

Loved Cry Havoc by Jack Carr. If you haven't read Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Origin Story of the War on Terror. Book by Jack Carr and James M. Scott. It's very good read.

Started Isaac's Storm last night. Very good so far.

I am a third of the way through Dune Messiah, hoping to get to the half way point by tomorrow. When I finish DM, I'll start the next in the Dune series, which I believe is Children of Dune.

For the year, I believe I read only two complete books - Cachalot, by Alan Dean Foster, and Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir.

I squeezed in one more! Thought this would be my first for 2026 but alas …

Paleontology: A Brief History of Life by Ian Tattersal (physical book).

Thanks. I have not read it yet, for no particular reason. I will put it on my to-read list. All of the books he's written I found entertaining and worth the time.

Reading book 40. The Wizards Cat by Nathan Lowell. Page 40 he is driving and sees the cat. I was hoping he'd hit the cat so the book would end.

Agree! I love his podcast too because he a huge book fan! He is like a little boy on Christmas morning when he is talking to an author he is a fan of. We have read all of Jack Carr's books & love his tv shows.

I love the original canon but rather than reread you might want to try the Nicholas Meyer series. He has a nice feel for Holmes Watson and the Doyle writing style.

I don't believe I finished a single book in 2025; pathetic. I must do better in 2026.

Final of 25.
40 read
24 listened.
1 short of my goal.

Best book: Nothing more Dangerous; Allen Eskens

Books 2025
Read:
1. The Innocent- David Baldacci. Book 1. Will Robie
2. The Hit- David Baldacci. Book 2. Will Robie
3. Forever, Interrupted -Taylor Jenkins Reid
4. Split Second- David Baldacci. Book 1. King & Maxwell
5. An Affair of Spies: Ronald Balson
6. Agent to the Stars: John Scalzi
7. After I do: Taylor Jenkins Reid
8. Traitors Gate:Jeffrey Archer William Warwick book 6
9. Lucky: Marissa Staple
10. When the Moon Hits your Eye: John Scalzi
11. Believe: The Untold Story Behind Ted Lasso, the Show That Kicked Its Way into Our Hearts: Jeremy Egner
12. The women: Kristin Hannah
13. Strangers in Time: David Baldacci
14. South of Nowhere: Jeffrey Deaver
15. Maybe in Another Life: Taylor Jenkins Reed
16. Unlocked: John Scalzi
17. An Eye for an Eye. Jeffery Archer. Book 5. William Warwick.
18. The Goddess of Warsaw
19. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
20. The Nightingale: Kristin Hannah
21. The Life we Bury: Allen Eskens (max Rupert and Joe Talbert book 1)
22. Verity: Colleen Hoover
23. The Guise of Another: Allen Eskens
24. Elsewhere: Gabrielle Zevin
25. The Heavens may Fall- Allen Eskens book 3
26. The Deep Dark Descending. - Allen Eskens Book4.
27. Number of the Stars: Lois Lowry
28. The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah
29. Murderbot All Systems Red: Martha Wells
30. Some of Tim's Stories: SE Hinton
31. Lloyd McNeils Last Ride: Will Leitch
32. Rules of Prey: John Sanford.
33. The Widow: John Grisham
34. The Little Liar: Mitch Albom
35. The Shadows we hide: Alan Eskens
36. The Mars Room: Rachel Kushner
37. Nothing more dangerous: Allen Eskens
38. What Kind of Paradise: Janelle Brown
39. Artificial Condition: The Murderbot Diaries (book 2): Martha Wells
40. The Wizards Cat: Nathan Lowell.
Listened:
1. Over my dead body: Jeffery Archer. Book 4 Willam Warwick
2. Next in Line: Jeffrey Archer. Book 5. William Warwick
3. Long Road: Stephen Hyden
4. Slay book 3. Scott Sigler
5. The Target: David Baldacci. Will Robie book 3
6. The Guilty: David Baldacci Will Robie book 4
7. The End: David Baldacci Will Robie book 5
8. Split Second. David Baldacci: King and Maxwell book 1
9. Hour Game: David Baldacci: King and Maxwell book 2.
10. Zero Day: David Baldacci. Will Puller book 1
11. Simple Genius: David Baldacci Book 3
12. First Family: David Baldacci. King and Maxwell book 4
13. Sixth man. David Baldacci King and Maxwell book 5
14. Atmosphere: Taylor Jenkins Reid
15. King and Maxwell: David Baldacci. Book 6
16. The Forgotten: David Baldacci. John Puller Book 2
17. The Escape: David Baldacci. John Puller Book 3
18. A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: Douglas Addams
19. The Stench of Honolulu: Jack Handey
20. The Uncool: Cameron Crowe
21. Going Home: A American.
22. Nash Falls: David Baldacci
23. The Balled of Songbirds and Snakes: Suzanne Collins
24. Project Hail Mary:Andy Weir

One of those should count as 5.

Because today that story would be 5 books.