Roll the Bones said:
This one was a bit of a slog for the first half of the novel for me.... It started to pick up midway through... The final 20% of the story was great and the action picked up. Overall I gave it a B+.
Sums up most Sanderson books
Books Read 2026
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Last: 7 hrs ago by jkag89
Sums up most Sanderson books
Haven't read the other two(though they're on my list) but Malice and its sequels give you a very classic feel while still presenting great original concepts and a gripping plot
Quote:
I would put Night Over Water as my favorite non-series book of his.
I enjoyed that one as well. The Man from St. Petersburg is another good stand alone.
Roll the Bones said:
Wrapped up Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. This one was a bit of a slog for the first half of the novel for me. I guess I was just not enthralled by the religious power struggle and some of the characters. It started to pick up midway through as we got more into the changes going on within the city of Elantris. The final 20% of the story was great and the action picked up. Overall I gave it a B+.
I'm open to suggestions for a new sci-fi/fantasy series to start. I have seen several Instagram channels recently with some reviews/recommendations and a few I am considering are Red Rising, Malice by John Gwynne or The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington.
For what it is worth, I believe Elantra's was his first novel. His writing gets better, in my opinion.
Definitely a vote for red rising. What a ride
You have 3 very good choices. Red Rising is the only series that is still incomplete and the final book keeps getting pushed back. I'd start with Gwynne or Islington first.
Just started the "Edge of Collapse" series by Kyla Stone, already hooked.
13B said:Roll the Bones said:
Wrapped up Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. This one was a bit of a slog for the first half of the novel for me. I guess I was just not enthralled by the religious power struggle and some of the characters. It started to pick up midway through as we got more into the changes going on within the city of Elantris. The final 20% of the story was great and the action picked up. Overall I gave it a B+.
I'm open to suggestions for a new sci-fi/fantasy series to start. I have seen several Instagram channels recently with some reviews/recommendations and a few I am considering are Red Rising, Malice by John Gwynne or The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington.
For what it is worth, I believe Elantra's was his first novel. His writing gets better, in my opinion.
Thanks. Yeah, I'm going kind of out of order. I have read all of the Mistborn books and 4/5 of the Stormlight Archives, plus 3/4 of the secret bonus books. Just now went back to Elantris.
Portrait of The First American Pope Leo XIV by Matthew Bunson it was very interesting especially his time in Peru. I recommend it for Catholics that want to learn more about the new pope.
End of Watch(Bill Hodges trilogy book 3) by Stephen King. Great conclusion to a highly entertaining trilogy with great characters and classic King plots.
Roll the Bones said:13B said:Roll the Bones said:
Wrapped up Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. This one was a bit of a slog for the first half of the novel for me. I guess I was just not enthralled by the religious power struggle and some of the characters. It started to pick up midway through as we got more into the changes going on within the city of Elantris. The final 20% of the story was great and the action picked up. Overall I gave it a B+.
I'm open to suggestions for a new sci-fi/fantasy series to start. I have seen several Instagram channels recently with some reviews/recommendations and a few I am considering are Red Rising, Malice by John Gwynne or The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington.
For what it is worth, I believe Elantra's was his first novel. His writing gets better, in my opinion.
Thanks. Yeah, I'm going kind of out of order. I have read all of the Mistborn books and 4/5 of the Stormlight Archives, plus 3/4 of the secret bonus books. Just now went back to Elantris.
James Islington is really good. The Licanius Trilogy was great, and his new Hierarchy series is outstanding. I just finished book 2 and can't wait for the next one.
Golden Sun (Red Rising series) is on sale for $1.99 on Audible today only.
Pac1698 said:
Golden Sun (Red Rising series) is on sale for $1.99 on Audible today only.
Good find! Looks like most of the series is on pretty steep sale on audible. Kind of tempting for my reread in anticipation of the last book.
Even better find that you mentioned all the audiobooks in the series are at least 80% off! I might grab the dramatized versions since I've already listened to the standard versions!
maverick2076 said:Roll the Bones said:13B said:Roll the Bones said:
Wrapped up Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. This one was a bit of a slog for the first half of the novel for me. I guess I was just not enthralled by the religious power struggle and some of the characters. It started to pick up midway through as we got more into the changes going on within the city of Elantris. The final 20% of the story was great and the action picked up. Overall I gave it a B+.
I'm open to suggestions for a new sci-fi/fantasy series to start. I have seen several Instagram channels recently with some reviews/recommendations and a few I am considering are Red Rising, Malice by John Gwynne or The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Islington.
For what it is worth, I believe Elantra's was his first novel. His writing gets better, in my opinion.
Thanks. Yeah, I'm going kind of out of order. I have read all of the Mistborn books and 4/5 of the Stormlight Archives, plus 3/4 of the secret bonus books. Just now went back to Elantris.
James Islington is really good. The Licanius Trilogy was great, and his new Hierarchy series is outstanding. I just finished book 2 and can't wait for the next one.
Thanks! Just found the Licanius Trilogy is on Kindle Unlimited, so just downloaded it!
I finished "Roadkill" by Kinky Friedman. Written in 1997, its about Kinky the detective touring with Willie Nelson and solving a mystery of who wants to kill Willie. Every year or so I give a Kinky Friedman book a try hoping its downhome Texas charm will win me over as a lifelong Kinky Friedman fan. So far, it has not. That was my last Kinky book.
I scanned all 21 pages of this thread looking for my next read. I read the Martian and Project Hail Mary a few years ago (both great), so those were a pass. I'm two books into Dungeon Crawler Carl, and I'm the one guy on the planet who doesn't quite get it.
My final decision was "Red Rising" which I'll start today. I hope you guys are right about this one!
I scanned all 21 pages of this thread looking for my next read. I read the Martian and Project Hail Mary a few years ago (both great), so those were a pass. I'm two books into Dungeon Crawler Carl, and I'm the one guy on the planet who doesn't quite get it.
My final decision was "Red Rising" which I'll start today. I hope you guys are right about this one!
I'm with you on the DCC series. First was okay, by number three, I DNF. Got too repetitive to me.
Red Rising is pretty great. Actually took me a couple of tries to get into the first one and then two tries to get into number 4. But the overall story is unique and awesome. Just picked up the series on Audible on sale for about 20 bucks. Wanted some flexibility on a reread before the last book comes out.
Red Rising is pretty great. Actually took me a couple of tries to get into the first one and then two tries to get into number 4. But the overall story is unique and awesome. Just picked up the series on Audible on sale for about 20 bucks. Wanted some flexibility on a reread before the last book comes out.
Red Rising is great. Stick with it while he builds the world. When it hits…it hits!
Philo B 93 said:
I finished "Roadkill" by Kinky Friedman. Written in 1997, its about Kinky the detective touring with Willie Nelson and solving a mystery of who wants to kill Willie. Every year or so I give a Kinky Friedman book a try hoping its downhome Texas charm will win me over as a lifelong Kinky Friedman fan. So far, it has not. That was my last Kinky book.
I scanned all 21 pages of this thread looking for my next read. I read the Martian and Project Hail Mary a few years ago (both great), so those were a pass. I'm two books into Dungeon Crawler Carl, and I'm the one guy on the planet who doesn't quite get it.
My final decision was "Red Rising" which I'll start today. I hope you guys are right about this one!
You aren't alone on DCC. The game aspect just didn't land for me; it was too much. I did like the humor, and being an audiobook guy, I also liked the narration. But overall, I eventually just found how the game was written kind of annoying
Philo B 93 said:
I finished "Roadkill" by Kinky Friedman. Written in 1997, its about Kinky the detective touring with Willie Nelson and solving a mystery of who wants to kill Willie. Every year or so I give a Kinky Friedman book a try hoping its downhome Texas charm will win me over as a lifelong Kinky Friedman fan. So far, it has not. That was my last Kinky book.
I scanned all 21 pages of this thread looking for my next read. I read the Martian and Project Hail Mary a few years ago (both great), so those were a pass. I'm two books into Dungeon Crawler Carl, and I'm the one guy on the planet who doesn't quite get it.
My final decision was "Red Rising" which I'll start today. I hope you guys are right about this one!
I think I stopped the Red Rising series on book 3. I couldn't take him continually making the same mistake over and over again.
Absolute said:Pac1698 said:
Golden Sun (Red Rising series) is on sale for $1.99 on Audible today only.
Good find! Looks like most of the series is on pretty steep sale on audible. Kind of tempting for my reread in anticipation of the last book.
Thank y'all for sharing this. I had purchased like half of the books but the other half were free reads on Audible at the time. Was able to complete the collection of what i was missing for pretty cheap!
Backyard Gator said:Philo B 93 said:
I finished "Roadkill" by Kinky Friedman. Written in 1997, its about Kinky the detective touring with Willie Nelson and solving a mystery of who wants to kill Willie. Every year or so I give a Kinky Friedman book a try hoping its downhome Texas charm will win me over as a lifelong Kinky Friedman fan. So far, it has not. That was my last Kinky book.
I scanned all 21 pages of this thread looking for my next read. I read the Martian and Project Hail Mary a few years ago (both great), so those were a pass. I'm two books into Dungeon Crawler Carl, and I'm the one guy on the planet who doesn't quite get it.
My final decision was "Red Rising" which I'll start today. I hope you guys are right about this one!
I think I stopped the Red Rising series on book 3. I couldn't take him continually making the same mistake over and over again.
I almost rage-quit the series for the reason you posted, but it has been captivating enough that I finished all of them so far and will read the last one as well.
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)
5) The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams by Adam Lazarus (C)
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)
March (Not a good reading month of reading for me)
6) The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (B-) A rather strange horror/fantasy set more or less in present day America. It was quite confusing initially but the story does come together and in the end an enjoyable read.
Currently reading The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
Audiobooks
3a) Don Quixote Part1 by Miguel de Cervantes (A-) A genuinely funny work relating the adventures of Alonso Quijano, a nobleman who believes he is a knight-errant after reading too many chivalric romances. I'll return to the Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance and his pragmatic squire Sancho Panza in Part 2 later this year.
Currently listening to The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov at the recommendation of a co-worker.
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)
5) The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams by Adam Lazarus (C)
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)
March (Not a good reading month of reading for me)
6) The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (B-) A rather strange horror/fantasy set more or less in present day America. It was quite confusing initially but the story does come together and in the end an enjoyable read.
Currently reading The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
Audiobooks
3a) Don Quixote Part1 by Miguel de Cervantes (A-) A genuinely funny work relating the adventures of Alonso Quijano, a nobleman who believes he is a knight-errant after reading too many chivalric romances. I'll return to the Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance and his pragmatic squire Sancho Panza in Part 2 later this year.
Currently listening to The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov at the recommendation of a co-worker.
I've been reading the Pendergast series of books by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. They are about a Sherlock Holmes- like strange duck FBI agent who handles some very bizarre cases. The novels are fast paced and very well written with great plots.
Love that series. Pendergast is a great character. The new one that came out a couple of months ago was really good. It is a prequel about his early days in the FBI.
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer: A-
Skip the foreword until after, the less you know about the book, the better.
Skip the foreword until after, the less you know about the book, the better.
rich1232 said:
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer: A-
Skip the foreword until after, the less you know about the book, the better.
How is that in comparison to the movie? Isn't it a series? I loved the movie personally. And forgot about it until just now.
CNN is an enemy of the state and should be treated as such.
BenFiasco14 said:rich1232 said:
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer: A-
Skip the foreword until after, the less you know about the book, the better.
How is that in comparison to the movie? Isn't it a series? I loved the movie personally. And forgot about it until just now.
I didn't even realize there was a movie until I was looking around at stuff last night.
From watching the trailer, it looks like they alter some personal character dynamics for movie convenience but the spirit of it looks largely the same.
I've only read a few works by Michael Crichton, (Sphere, Congo, and Andromeda Strain), but it reminded me of those works without leaning in to the hard science that Crichton likes, while still having a large science component.
It is a series, I have not read those yet, but it appears that many of the fans of book 1 say that book 2 is very different than book 1 and not to expect a direct sequel.
Edit to add: Watched the trailer again, they definitely add some scenes for movie purposes as well, but it appears to stay true to the novel from an atmospheric and tone standpoint.
I've had Dungeon Crawler Carl for about a year and finally got around to reading it. It's good. Very funny throughout. Fight scenes were great. Fun book. If you aren't a video game fan, skip it. I really enjoyed it, just not to level of everybody else on Texags.
If you like it, I recommend "Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone" by Benjamin Stevenson. It's got a similar smart aleck vibe. It also breaks down the fourth wall at times. Also, very funny with dark humor.
If you like it, I recommend "Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone" by Benjamin Stevenson. It's got a similar smart aleck vibe. It also breaks down the fourth wall at times. Also, very funny with dark humor.
birdman said:
I've had Dungeon Crawler Carl for about a year and finally got around to reading it. It's good. Very funny throughout. Fight scenes were great. Fun book. If you aren't a video game fan, skip it. I really enjoyed it, just not to level of everybody else on Texags.
If you like it, I recommend "Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone" by Benjamin Stevenson. It's got a similar smart aleck vibe. It also breaks down the fourth wall at times. Also, very funny with dark humor.
Not a video game fan but i'm currently reading it and enjoying it.
Finished Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. Really fun read. Despite not being a gamer and having never really played that type of video game, I still really enjoyed this book. As someone mentioned previously, the humor is fun and the fight scenes are exciting and well written. I think this is one I'll continue.
Next up either DCC book 2 or a continuation of the Red Rising series with Iron Gold….TBD
Books read in 2026:
January
The Runaway Jury - John Grisham
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
February
March
The Fellowship of the Ring - JRR Tolkien
April
Dungeon Crawler Carl - Matt Dinniman
Next up either DCC book 2 or a continuation of the Red Rising series with Iron Gold….TBD
Books read in 2026:
January
The Runaway Jury - John Grisham
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
February
March
The Fellowship of the Ring - JRR Tolkien
April
Dungeon Crawler Carl - Matt Dinniman
Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Hadn't re-read this one in a while. Even better than I remembered.
2026 so far:
- The Hobbit - read to my kids (B+)
- The Suneater Series - 7 books (A-)
- Nancy Drew: The Clue from Blackcreek Farm - read to my kids
- Project Hail Mary (A-)
- The Martian (A)
Started
- The Babysitters Club: The Ghost at Dawns Place - reading to my daughters
- Dungeon Crawler Carl series - re-read ongoing to build up to the release of Book 8
Next up later
- Shadow of the Gods - recommended by my cousin
- The Hobbit - read to my kids (B+)
- The Suneater Series - 7 books (A-)
- Nancy Drew: The Clue from Blackcreek Farm - read to my kids
- Project Hail Mary (A-)
- The Martian (A)
Started
- The Babysitters Club: The Ghost at Dawns Place - reading to my daughters
- Dungeon Crawler Carl series - re-read ongoing to build up to the release of Book 8
Next up later
- Shadow of the Gods - recommended by my cousin
SpreadsheetAg said:
2026 so far:..
- The Babysitters Club: The Ghost at Dawns Place - reading to my daughters.....
Man, I was really confused/concerned by this entry until I got to the "reading to my daughters" part, lol!
Last week I finished Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, from the eBook 100 Eternal Masterpieces of Literature, Volume 1, along with A Tale of Jerusalem by Edgar Allan Poe and Loss of Breath by Edgar Allan Poe, both from the eBook Edgar Alan Poe: Complete Tales and Poems.
After those, thanks to some recommendations on here I started on the Sharpe series by Richard Cornwell with Sharpe's Tiger. It has been enjoyable so far, and the expectation is that it will continue to be so.
After those, thanks to some recommendations on here I started on the Sharpe series by Richard Cornwell with Sharpe's Tiger. It has been enjoyable so far, and the expectation is that it will continue to be so.
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