Just finished Chrysalis by Lincoln Child. It's the last book in the Jeremy Logan series.

If you are tech nerd you would like this one.

Heretics took me a LONG time to get into after blazing through the first four. Once I finally got into it, I enjoyed it and chapterhouse. They weren't quite up to the level of 1-4 for me, but I'm glad I read them.

Just looked back at Goodreads. 1-4 each took me a week or two to read. Heretics took me 4 months lol. Once I let myself get into it, it was quick. Then 6 took a week or two.

I think with Dune Messiah something clicked in my understanding of what Herbert was saying thematically with that book, a book that I hated the first time I read it 40 years ago. I then took 2-3 weeks each to read the next two, which for me is a return to how I read as a teen/20 something but have not been able to do since the kids started coming.

Just finished Well of Ascension - man Sanderson can write some awesome storylines.

Going to do a re-read now of Project Hail Mary in anticipation of the movie next month.

2026 Tracking:
1. Strength of the Few
2. Mistborn: The Final Empire
3. Mistborn: Well of Ascension

The tipping point

Thought it was meh for how much I've heard about it…

htxag09 said:

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The tipping point

Thought it was meh for how much I've heard about it…

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I thought Outliers and David and Goliath were his best books. I think all social justice warriors should read Blink.

I did enjoy outliers

Gladwell's books get lots of criticism for being oversimplified and sometimes flat out wrong.
The whole 10,000 hour rule in the tipping point has been debunked many times over.... but it made a good story!

January
1) A Team For America: The Army-Navy Game That Rallied a Nation at War by Randy Roberts (B)
2) Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert (B+)
3) What Christians Believe: Understanding the Nicene Creed by Bishop Robert Barron (A)

February
4) A Gentleman in Moscow by by Amor Towles (A) - If you enjoy historical fiction with a bit of whimsy on the side this novel is a must read.

Next up: The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams by Adam Lazarus

Audiobooks
1) The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien - A mixture of listening and reading the text in an attempt to actually finish the book after many failed attempts in the past. I think listening to the stories comes across as the telling of lore instead of a dry history.
2) Frankenstein (or, The Modern Prometheus) by Mary Shelley (B) - Not exactly what I expected but the elements that we have seen in the films are in the novel.

Next up: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Apache said:

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Gladwell's books get lots of criticism for being oversimplified and sometimes flat out wrong.
The whole 10,000 hour rule in the tipping point has been debunked many times over.... but it made a good story!

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Wasn't 10k hour rule in Outliers?

Backyard Gator said:

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Apache said:

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Gladwell's books get lots of criticism for being oversimplified and sometimes flat out wrong.
The whole 10,000 hour rule in the tipping point has been debunked many times over.... but it made a good story!

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Wasn't 10k hour rule in Outliers?

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Yes. 10,000 hours rule was from Outliers.

htownag08 said:

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Just finished Well of Ascension - man Sanderson can write some awesome storylines.

Going to do a re-read now of Project Hail Mary in anticipation of the movie next month.

2026 Tracking:
1. Strength of the Few
2. Mistborn: The Final Empire
3. Mistborn: Well of Ascension

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Are you reading the entire "Cosmere" and if so, in order?

13B said:

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htownag08 said:

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Just finished Well of Ascension - man Sanderson can write some awesome storylines.

Going to do a re-read now of Project Hail Mary in anticipation of the movie next month.

2026 Tracking:
1. Strength of the Few
2. Mistborn: The Final Empire
3. Mistborn: Well of Ascension

---

Are you reading the entire "Cosmere" and if so, in order?

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One does not simply read the Cosmere

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming. The first James Bond novel. Pretty entertaining classic, but I don't have any current plans to read the rest.

I listened to the Audio version and it was really entertaining. I love the Bond series!

I'm really enjoying Dark Age (Red Rising series). I'm about halfway through and trying to figure out how things will work out.

The Marksman said:

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Casino Royale by Ian Fleming. The first James Bond novel. Pretty entertaining classic, but I don't have any current plans to read the rest.

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I have the entire series, but only have read Casino Royale and Live and Let Die. They are easy and fun reads. My plan was to read them in publication order, so Moonraker will be next when I decide to return to the series. My biggest problem with reading these is that it is difficult to ignore the movie versions. Live and Let Die the movie seemed to follow the book fairly closely, but I don't remember that being the case with Casino Royale, and I know that Ian Fleming wasn't writing Star Wars-like stuff in Moonraker.

BenFiasco14 said:

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13B said:

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htownag08 said:

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Just finished Well of Ascension - man Sanderson can write some awesome storylines.

Going to do a re-read now of Project Hail Mary in anticipation of the movie next month.

2026 Tracking:
1. Strength of the Few
2. Mistborn: The Final Empire
3. Mistborn: Well of Ascension

---

Are you reading the entire "Cosmere" and if so, in order?

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One does not simply read the Cosmere

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I am trying my best - but I'm just starting out.

I already read The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance - but then shifted to the Mistborn trilogy due to availability.

My plan is to finish off this 3rd Mistborn book, then I was told to read Oathbringer before jumping back to the Stormlight series.

I've honestly seen so many 'this is the correct order' lists i get a bit confused on the true order. I probably won't read all the little ones in between - sticking to more of the core books.

htownag08 said:

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BenFiasco14 said:

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13B said:

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htownag08 said:

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Just finished Well of Ascension - man Sanderson can write some awesome storylines.

Going to do a re-read now of Project Hail Mary in anticipation of the movie next month.

2026 Tracking:
1. Strength of the Few
2. Mistborn: The Final Empire
3. Mistborn: Well of Ascension

---

Are you reading the entire "Cosmere" and if so, in order?

---

One does not simply read the Cosmere

---

I am trying my best - but I'm just starting out.

I already read The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance - but then shifted to the Mistborn trilogy due to availability.

My plan is to finish off this 3rd Mistborn book, then I was told to read Oathbringer before jumping back to the Stormlight series.

I've honestly seen so many 'this is the correct order' lists i get a bit confused on the true order. I probably won't read all the little ones in between - sticking to more of the core books.

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Some of the little ones add a good amount of context. I started with Stormlight but I wonder now if I would've started with Elantris, then Mistborn, and so on, if it would have made things a little clearer.

Cinco Ranch Aggie said:

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The Marksman said:

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Casino Royale by Ian Fleming. The first James Bond novel. Pretty entertaining classic, but I don't have any current plans to read the rest.

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I have the entire series, but only have read Casino Royale and Live and Let Die. They are easy and fun reads. My plan was to read them in publication order, so Moonraker will be next when I decide to return to the series. My biggest problem with reading these is that it is difficult to ignore the movie versions. Live and Let Die the movie seemed to follow the book fairly closely, but I don't remember that being the case with Casino Royale, and I know that Ian Fleming wasn't writing Star Wars-like stuff in Moonraker.

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A couple of years ago, Kindle had the whole series of original Fleming books for $1 each, which was too good to pass up. Some of them are completely different than the movies, and I would strongly encourage reading them in published order. They follow along and actions from one book have an impact on the next book.

Despite the changes in world politics, culture and technology, they still hold up as good writing, for the most part. Oddly enough, I really enjoyed The Spy Who Loved Me, which the movie has nothing to do with. From memory, Dr. No, Goldfinger, From Russia with Love, and Thunderball hold pretty close to the books.

Quote:

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A couple of years ago, Kindle had the whole series of original Fleming books for $1 each, which was too good to pass up.

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Yeah, that's when I got them. Before that, I had checked out those first two that I've read from a local library.

Completed: The Code - Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America by Margaret O'Mara. History of Silicon Valley from the start through the early 2020s. Very enjoyable and informative - follows the major key players of course, as well as vignettes for regular folks in the Valley. Social issues are discussed and there's a minor liberal slant to the writing, but in a lot of ways, the book is a paean to the power of capitalism.

Up next: The Mabinogion translated by Sioned Davies. Welsh folklore.

On the horizon:
The Time It Never Rained by Elmer Kelton
This is How They Tell Me the World Ends by Nicole Perlroth

After that, who knows?

birdman said:

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YouBet said:

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Hitchhiker's somehow got past me growing up and I haven't read it and have no desire to. I think I'm too old for it at this point.

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Too old to laugh?

It's an awesome book. Geared for adults, not teenagers.

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It just doesn't appeal to me. Dunno.

I did read a few of Terry Pratchett's books which are sort of the fantasy absurdity equivalent. Got bored with those pretty quickly.

YouBet said:

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birdman said:

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YouBet said:

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Hitchhiker's somehow got past me growing up and I haven't read it and have no desire to. I think I'm too old for it at this point.

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Too old to laugh?

It's an awesome book. Geared for adults, not teenagers.

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It just doesn't appeal to me. Dunno.

I did read a few of Terry Pratchett's books which are sort of the fantasy absurdity equivalent. Got bored with those pretty quickly.

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Didn't do much for me either. Never read it back in the day, but always heard about it.

Got it on audible and gave it a try on a couple hour drive. Found some of it amusing, but never returned to it to finish.

13B said:

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htownag08 said:

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BenFiasco14 said:

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13B said:

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htownag08 said:

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Just finished Well of Ascension - man Sanderson can write some awesome storylines.

Going to do a re-read now of Project Hail Mary in anticipation of the movie next month.

2026 Tracking:
1. Strength of the Few
2. Mistborn: The Final Empire
3. Mistborn: Well of Ascension

---

Are you reading the entire "Cosmere" and if so, in order?

---

One does not simply read the Cosmere

---

I am trying my best - but I'm just starting out.

I already read The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance - but then shifted to the Mistborn trilogy due to availability.

My plan is to finish off this 3rd Mistborn book, then I was told to read Oathbringer before jumping back to the Stormlight series.

I've honestly seen so many 'this is the correct order' lists i get a bit confused on the true order. I probably won't read all the little ones in between - sticking to more of the core books.

---

Some of the little ones add a good amount of context. I started with Stormlight but I wonder now if I would've started with Elantris, then Mistborn, and so on, if it would have made things a little clearer.

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I'm on The Lost Metal right now. As I am reading it, more and more things are coming together and the novellas and Arcanum Unbounded are seeming more and more important. While I really enjoyed Stormlight on its own and had no intention of the rest of the Cosmere, I'm finding now that I wish I had read it mostly in this order. Does it ruin it? Not at all but I think I would have had a better understanding of what was going on. This isn't the end all be all order but this one makes sense to me:

• Elantris
• Hope of Elantris
• The Emperor's Soul (Arcanum Unbounded)
• Mistborn: The final Empire (book 1)
• Mistborn: The Well of Ascension (book 2)
• Mistborn: The Hero of Ages (book 3)
• The Eleventh Metal (Arcanum Unbounded)
• White Sand (graphic novel)
• Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell (Arcanum Unbounded)
• Mistborn: The Alloy of Law [Era 2 book 1] (MB book 4)
• Allomancer Jack and the Pits of Eltania (Arcanum Unbounded) (4.5) (this one is skippable I think)
• Mistborn: Shadows of Self [Era 2 book 2] (MB book 5)
• Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning [Era 2 book 3] (MB book 6)
• Mistborn: Secret History (Arcanum Unbounded)
• Mistborn: The Lost Metal [Era 2 book 4] (MB book 7)
• Warbreaker
• The Stormlight Archive: The way of Kings (Book 1)
• The Stormlight Archive: Words of Radiance (Book 2)
• The Stormlight Archive: Edgedancer (Book 2.5)
• The Stormlight Archive: Oathbringer (Book 3)
• The Stormlight Archive: Dawnshard (Book 3.5)
• The Stormlight Archive: Rhythm of War (Book 4)
• The Stormlight Archive: Horneater (Book 4.5)
• The Stormlight Archive: Wind and Truth (Book 5)
• Tress of the Emerald Sea
• Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
• The Sunlit Man
• Isle of Emberdark
• Mistborn: Era 3 (not written yet)

*** I have not read the last three in Italics so I'm not 100% sure yet if those are in the right order but the rest of it feels right so I will continue (again, I read all the Stormlight before I read any of the others)***

Completed: The Mabinogion translated by Sioned Davies. Quick read of Welsh folklore and not totally what I was expecting. Written in a very medieval style. Not sad I read it, but unlikely to return.

Up next: The Time It Never Rained by Elmer Kelton. Novel about the Texas drought in the 1950s, recommended in a TexAgs thread.

Ring by Koji Suzuki translated by Robert B. Rohmer: B

Never seen the movie (hate horror movies but I like lore and how things work) but heard the book was good.

The book (couldn't find audio or digital) was good and centers around the mystery of a video tape.

After finishing, I'd seen and heard skepticism of of the subsequent books and was curious if it was something worth continuing. It seems that a major point of contention is that it (potentially minor spoilers) transitions from a story with horror elements to story that is 3 parts sci-fi to 1 part horror

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick. Really interesting premise and concept, but I felt the plot moved a little slow.

Anyone read Tainted Cup? Looking to start as a filler book but know almost nothing about it. Picked it up from a random recommendation for a light read.

Mistborn: The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson-- Culminates Era 2 I liked it better than Era 1. Fills in some plot holes from other Cosmere locations.

I'm a sci-fi fanatic. It's pretty much all I read for fun.

I'm trying to read all the dual Nebula and Hugo award winners (there are 26 books that won both, iirc).

I finally found Gateway by Frederik Pohl and re-read it. It might as well have been a first read, since the first reading was when I was in Jr High. I didn't remember hardly anything except the basic premise from then.

Good, but not as great as I expected. Still, it was good enough that I will read at least the next one in the Heechee series.

So far in 2026:

The Algebraist by Iain Banks (started in 2025)
Man Plus by Frederik Pohl
* The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
* Gateway by Frederik Pohl

* = dual winners of both the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award

now starting: Beyond the Blue Event Horizon (Heechee Saga Book 2) - Pohl

Finished Don Quixote. That was a ton of fun. Made me laugh out loud a lot.

Not sure what I'll read next classic/fiction wise. Currently reading the Aeneid by Virgil, physical book, and listening to Jonathan Edwards: A Life by George Marsden.

About to finish "Never Flinch" by King. Bleh...