Red Rising is notorious for its small scale world building early and then expands into something exhilarating.rynning said:
Just finished Red Rising. It took me many months to slog through the first half. The writing is first-person, terse, and pretty dry. Yet another book about kids being selected into houses that compete with each other.
I almost put it down but glad I didn't! Read the second half in a few days. Reading the next soon.
Books Read 2026
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Last: 1 day ago by rynning
I had at least one aborted start on RR. Didn't even make it to the school thing. But once I did get into it, it didn't bother me. Was different enough in its brutality.
In hindsight, that seems like such a small part of the story it definitely does not deserve comparisons to stories that focus on the academy thing. And it is HUGELY important in setting the stage for the f'd up brutal world he jas created for the story.
Still believe this is one of the most unique and most well done stories I have read
In hindsight, that seems like such a small part of the story it definitely does not deserve comparisons to stories that focus on the academy thing. And it is HUGELY important in setting the stage for the f'd up brutal world he jas created for the story.
Still believe this is one of the most unique and most well done stories I have read
i'm struggling this year. i will probably not hit my 40 read and 25 listened to.
Read
1. Rogue Protocol: Martha Wells (Book 3 MurderBot)
2. Boy21: Matthew Quick
3. The Stolen Hours: Allen Eskens
4. Escape From Hawaii: A tropical sequel: Jack Handey
5. Forsaken Country: Allan Eskens
6. Night Road: Kristin Hannah
7. Saving Emma: Allen Eskens
8. Rocket Arm: Tim Green
9. Magic Hour: Kristin Hannah -In progress
Listened
1. No Man's Land: David Baldacci: (Will Puller Book 4)
2. Run for the Hills: Kevin Wilson
3. Voidstrike:The Crypt Book 2: Scott Sigler-in progress
Read
1. Rogue Protocol: Martha Wells (Book 3 MurderBot)
2. Boy21: Matthew Quick
3. The Stolen Hours: Allen Eskens
4. Escape From Hawaii: A tropical sequel: Jack Handey
5. Forsaken Country: Allan Eskens
6. Night Road: Kristin Hannah
7. Saving Emma: Allen Eskens
8. Rocket Arm: Tim Green
9. Magic Hour: Kristin Hannah -In progress
Listened
1. No Man's Land: David Baldacci: (Will Puller Book 4)
2. Run for the Hills: Kevin Wilson
3. Voidstrike:The Crypt Book 2: Scott Sigler-in progress
I'm way off pace. I've only finished 2 books this year and one of those I started last year. Pretty pathetic.
Stayed up past 4 finishing book 7 of Dungeon Crawler Carl
Just finished Beyond the Blue Event Horizon (HeeChee Saga book 2) by Frederik Pohl
Good follow-up to Gateway. The main character was pretty flawed in Gateway, he gets a bit of a redemption arc in this one. Trying to decide whether to move to the third in the series, or go with another dual award (Hugo and Nebula) winner.
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
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon (HeeChee Saga book 2) by Frederik Pohl
* = dual winners of both the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award
Good follow-up to Gateway. The main character was pretty flawed in Gateway, he gets a bit of a redemption arc in this one. Trying to decide whether to move to the third in the series, or go with another dual award (Hugo and Nebula) winner.
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
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon (HeeChee Saga book 2) by Frederik Pohl
* = dual winners of both the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award
Just FYI for GoodReads users - they are rolling out a DNF shelf so you won't have to use a custom one anymore. This is actually the first time I've ever seen them roll out a new feature. Have used the app since at least 2012 and never seen a single change to the site which is incredible if you think about it. Maybe there have been some slight tweaks along the way but it's looked the same forever.
Finished The Uncool, A Memoir by Cameron Crowe, and started The Man in the Brown Suit, by Agatha Christie.
As to The Uncool, if you're an old fart like me (creeping up on 72) and have any interest at all in 60s and 70s rock and roll or enjoyed Fast Times at Ridgemont High or Almost Famous, this book is a must read. It is a book that was hard to put down. As a 15-year-old high school graduate, Crowe was one of the first people to interview Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, The Who, and The Eagles, all of whom were either seriously POd with Rolling Stone magazine due to bad reviews or notorious for not doing interviews.
As to The Uncool, if you're an old fart like me (creeping up on 72) and have any interest at all in 60s and 70s rock and roll or enjoyed Fast Times at Ridgemont High or Almost Famous, this book is a must read. It is a book that was hard to put down. As a 15-year-old high school graduate, Crowe was one of the first people to interview Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, The Who, and The Eagles, all of whom were either seriously POd with Rolling Stone magazine due to bad reviews or notorious for not doing interviews.
Alright - moving slowly this year comparatively.
Just finished 11/22/63 - amazing book. Now jumping into Mistborn #3: The Hero of Ages.
Also reading the first Percy Jackson book with my oldest, so that's been fun as well.
2026 Tracking:
1. Strength of the Few
2. Mistborn: The Final Empire
3. Mistborn: Well of Ascension
4. Project Hail Mary
5. 11/22/63
Just finished 11/22/63 - amazing book. Now jumping into Mistborn #3: The Hero of Ages.
Also reading the first Percy Jackson book with my oldest, so that's been fun as well.
2026 Tracking:
1. Strength of the Few
2. Mistborn: The Final Empire
3. Mistborn: Well of Ascension
4. Project Hail Mary
5. 11/22/63
The Doors of Midnight (Tales of Tremaine Book 2) by R.R Virdi -- Still definitely an Indian knockoff of The King Killer Chronicles but still hoping this guy actually finishes the series. Although absolutely plagiarism, it is an enjoyable series so far.
YouBet said:
Just FYI for GoodReads users - they are rolling out a DNF shelf so you won't have to use a custom one anymore. This is actually the first time I've ever seen them roll out a new feature. Have used the app since at least 2012 and never seen a single change to the site which is incredible if you think about it. Maybe there have been some slight tweaks along the way but it's looked the same forever.
DNF is did not finish? Man, talk about exposing my flank to you and others on GR
CNN is an enemy of the state and should be treated as such.
BenFiasco14 said:YouBet said:
Just FYI for GoodReads users - they are rolling out a DNF shelf so you won't have to use a custom one anymore. This is actually the first time I've ever seen them roll out a new feature. Have used the app since at least 2012 and never seen a single change to the site which is incredible if you think about it. Maybe there have been some slight tweaks along the way but it's looked the same forever.
DNF is did not finish? Man, talk about exposing my flank to you and others on GR
Ha. No kidding. I'm not seeing the change yet btw.
And apparently they are going to automatically convert any custom shelves over to DNF. I keep a shelf called "Abandoned" and they are supposed to be moving that over to DNF for me. Hasn't happened yet.
YouBet said:BenFiasco14 said:YouBet said:
Just FYI for GoodReads users - they are rolling out a DNF shelf so you won't have to use a custom one anymore. This is actually the first time I've ever seen them roll out a new feature. Have used the app since at least 2012 and never seen a single change to the site which is incredible if you think about it. Maybe there have been some slight tweaks along the way but it's looked the same forever.
DNF is did not finish? Man, talk about exposing my flank to you and others on GR
Ha. No kidding. I'm not seeing the change yet btw.
And apparently they are going to automatically convert any custom shelves over to DNF. I keep a shelf called "Abandoned" and they are supposed to be moving that over to DNF for me. Hasn't happened yet.
Oh no, I need to go protect my Russia shelf
CNN is an enemy of the state and should be treated as such.
I just finished Morning Star!
I have never been so mad and then so happy with a book...EVER! I was crying, I was angry, and then well pleased!
I have never been so mad and then so happy with a book...EVER! I was crying, I was angry, and then well pleased!
BenFiasco14 said:YouBet said:BenFiasco14 said:YouBet said:
Just FYI for GoodReads users - they are rolling out a DNF shelf so you won't have to use a custom one anymore. This is actually the first time I've ever seen them roll out a new feature. Have used the app since at least 2012 and never seen a single change to the site which is incredible if you think about it. Maybe there have been some slight tweaks along the way but it's looked the same forever.
DNF is did not finish? Man, talk about exposing my flank to you and others on GR
Ha. No kidding. I'm not seeing the change yet btw.
And apparently they are going to automatically convert any custom shelves over to DNF. I keep a shelf called "Abandoned" and they are supposed to be moving that over to DNF for me. Hasn't happened yet.
Oh no, I need to go protect my Russia shelf
Put your copy of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich on same shelf, Hitler.
i think the DNF will really help in ratings. i don't finish anything i wouldn't give 4 stsrs to.
Rudyjax said:
i think the DNF will really help in ratings. i don't finish anything i wouldn't give 4 stsrs to.
Sounds like it's been one of the most requested features for several years because it does sway reading stats on the site by not having it. I just find it kind of wild that the site itself is basically frozen in amber. It looks the same now as it has for many years. I guess Amazon is doing that on purpose to try and not overshadow their own site. Dunno.
I think the best part of having a DNF category would be if we could see how many DNFs a book has. Like if a book has an average rating of 4.13 and a DNF of 2% of all users. That would be a fun barometer of how good a book really is
I think there's been maybe 10 books I've even not finished.
This x 1000. I was reading this at like 2am and last year and nearly threw my kindle at the wall. Almost quit reading lol
krosch11 said:
For all of those who kept putting The Count of Monte Cristo on here, thank you. I've never been a classics reader and decided to try it. About of a 1/3 of the way through and it is excellent
I had never read this book and after hearing about it from so many people over the years, decided to give it a try. I started COMC on February 1st and am up to chapter 96 as of today. I can't put it down. It may be one of the best stories ever written, and the detail and development in the unabridged version is just so, so, so good! I cannot believe I went 36 years without reading this masterpiece.
182 years.
M.C. Swag
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Finished "A Better Life" by Lionel Shriver this was a great listen about a fictional look at a Crazy Eric Adams proposed immigration housing program. Her characters are spot on and their dialogue is great!
Finished PHM reread. Think maybe I enjoyed it more the second time. Had been long enough that I did not remember all the details. Not positive how they will convey all the scientific details in a movie.
Listening to the Codex Alera series by Butcher. Enjoying it Pretty sure o read it before, but somehow mix it up in my memory with another series I cannot name. The lady who does the reading is very good.
Think I will read some palette cleansing unlimited books for a break next.
Listening to the Codex Alera series by Butcher. Enjoying it Pretty sure o read it before, but somehow mix it up in my memory with another series I cannot name. The lady who does the reading is very good.
Think I will read some palette cleansing unlimited books for a break next.
I read The Awakening by Kate Chopin.
Late 1800s in New Orleans. Beautifully written. Lyrical at times. Story about a woman struggling and questioning her role as mother and wife. I'm sure this was revolutionary at the time. But it still rings true.
I rate it very good.
Late 1800s in New Orleans. Beautifully written. Lyrical at times. Story about a woman struggling and questioning her role as mother and wife. I'm sure this was revolutionary at the time. But it still rings true.
I rate it very good.
Pantera said:krosch11 said:
For all of those who kept putting The Count of Monte Cristo on here, thank you. I've never been a classics reader and decided to try it. About of a 1/3 of the way through and it is excellent
I had never read this book and after hearing about it from so many people over the years, decided to give it a try. I started COMC on February 1st and am up to chapter 96 as of today. I can't put it down. It may be one of the best stories ever written, and the detail and development in the unabridged version is just so, so, so good! I cannot believe I went 36 years without reading this masterpiece.
It's brilliant. I've recommended to so many people. Everybody loves it. When they finish it, nobody says "great book but too long".
It was published serial form. Dumas didn't invent the serial form or the cliff hanger, but he mastered it. It helped sell newspapers and makes it still so addictive today.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Picked it up at the recommendation of a friend, and I'm sure glad I did. Absolutely outstanding novel. Not only are the plot, characters, and themes awesome, but the actual writing and prose is some of the best I've ever seen, especially for a book written in the 21st century. Could not recommend this more.
13B said:
The Doors of Midnight (Tales of Tremaine Book 2) by R.R Virdi -- Still definitely an Indian knockoff of The King Killer Chronicles but still hoping this guy actually finishes the series. Although absolutely plagiarism, it is an enjoyable series so far.
I read the first one, and it was such a blatant Bollywood knockoff I couldn't even consider picking up the second.
same
maverick2076 said:13B said:
The Doors of Midnight (Tales of Tremaine Book 2) by R.R Virdi -- Still definitely an Indian knockoff of The King Killer Chronicles but still hoping this guy actually finishes the series. Although absolutely plagiarism, it is an enjoyable series so far.
I read the first one, and it was such a blatant Bollywood knockoff I couldn't even consider picking up the second.
Eh, Rothfuss is probably never going to finish his so I figure I might as well see if this guy does. Definitely a knockoff but I do think it paints a slightly clearer picture of things and is just enough different for me to enjoy it but it definitely, almost character for character, is The King Killer Chronicles...errr, I mean Ruler Exterminator Stories . Heck, isn't the next Rothfuss book supposed to be Doors of Stone or something like that?
Rothfuss is a colossal piece of ****, a liar, and a fraud, and he will never finish the series.
Hopefully the Bollywood version isn't waiting on Rothfuss to write a book 3 to steal.
Hopefully the Bollywood version isn't waiting on Rothfuss to write a book 3 to steal.
Finished Light Bringer, thought it was really good, but almost seemed like the ending was rushed, the pacing just goes from a nice build up, to all of sudden oh **** it's going down now.
Finished 1984 (the free Audible version).
Halfway through the Art of War.
Started The Dark Tower series (Stephen King), not sure what to expect from this one lol.
Finished 1984 (the free Audible version).
Halfway through the Art of War.
Started The Dark Tower series (Stephen King), not sure what to expect from this one lol.
Pac1698 said:
Started The Dark Tower series (Stephen King), not sure what to expect from this one lol.
This series was up and down for me. The highs are really high and the lows only seem low bc the highs are so good. I read the first book in one day. Wizard and Glass was my favorite (and maybe one of my favorite King books ever). Song of Susannah was one of the lows. The final book I started and stopped multiple times over the course of a couple of years until I finally pushed through the first 150-200 pages…then I loved it.
He's all over the place in this series and he gets very meta at times. You can feel the line between pre-car accident King and post-car accident King.
Overall, worth taking the time to read and don't let the lows get you down…push through and finish. You'll be glad you did!
Started The Will of the Many, really enjoying it so far.
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