I know a lot of people on here have read it, and it gets tons of praise, but I didn't make it halfway through the first book. Nothing about it grabbed my interest.

thegoodolag15 said:

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Has anyone read The Wheel of Time series? I'm considering starting it.

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What you will find is a lot of book series since they were released heavily borrow from it. If you like high fantasy (magic, monsters, medieval settings) I think you will like the books.
You would for sure read the first 4 books, then if you want there are some guides on sort of skimming through the middle part of the series if you get bogged down.
Then it finishes strong again at the end of the series.

maverick2076 said:

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I know a lot of people on here have read it, and it gets tons of praise, but I didn't make it halfway through the first book. Nothing about it grabbed my interest.

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I never made it past The Slog^TM. It was enjoyable up till then for me though the writing was decidedly dated for sure.

thegoodolag15 said:

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Has anyone read The Wheel of Time series? I'm considering starting it.

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I watched the series so not going to mess with the books. I know they're much much much better and deeper just have too much other stuff that needs read.

Eliminatus said:

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maverick2076 said:

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I know a lot of people on here have read it, and it gets tons of praise, but I didn't make it halfway through the first book. Nothing about it grabbed my interest.

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I never made it past The Slog^TM. It was enjoyable up till then for me though the writing was decidedly dated for sure.

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Glad I'm not alone. The first four books were/are arguably the greatest fantasy ever put on paper. 5-8, heretofore known as The Slog, ruined it for me. I abandoned it after book 8 and never went back. I know Sanderson finished it out and that's what made him famous, but the Herculean effort of having to reread all of that since I recall nothing, but Nynaeve tugging her mother f'ing braid over and over, is too daunting to contemplate.

thegoodolag15 said:

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Has anyone read The Wheel of Time series? I'm considering starting it.

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Depends what you like, but as others have said, it's a bridge between classic to modern non-grim dark fantasy.

It has the best wtf is going on prologue ever that turns in to 3 farm boys and their journeys for 3 novels before it becomes its own thing in book 4 where the page count begins to take off.

I'd argue book 2 is your true litmus test and that if you're not in to it by the end, you can probably safely drop it. There is a slog in books 8-10, some would argue 7-10, but audio books are a thing and you don't have to wait years between books that grow the depth of the world without progressing the plot as much.

It's heavier on detail than some of the modern stuff but I'd encourage you to pick it up simply because "if" you enjoy it, it is the type of series where its chapters (think Red Wedding but in a different vein), characters and lines will live with you for the rest of your reading journey.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. First time reading this classic. What a masterpiece.

I'm reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

I suspect this will be my last Hunter S Thompson book. I've read this and Hells Angels. Both books were probably better and more shocking when they were originally published in the 60s and 70s. But they're fun time-travel / escapism because you get to really experience life as it was happening at that moment by a guy who was a journalist, not a novelist.

Plus they're great sources of knowledge. Did you know Mescaline typically takes two hours to hit, and when it does your mind becomes disconnected from your body? And a great place to store cocaine is in a salt shaker unless you're driving 90 in a convertable and open it in the wind?

I enjoyed the Rum Diary more than fart and loathing personally. Although na bit similar, I felt it and more of a plot/storyline

Philo B 93 said:

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I'm reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

I suspect this will be my last Hunter S Thompson book. I've read this and Hells Angels. Both books were probably better and more shocking when they were originally published in the 60s and 70s. But they're fun time-travel / escapism because you get to really experience life as it was happening at that moment by a guy who was a journalist, not a novelist.

Plus they're great sources of knowledge. Did you know Mescaline typically takes two hours to hit, and when it does your mind becomes disconnected from your body? And a great place to store cocaine is in a salt shaker unless you're driving 90 in a convertable and open it in the wind?

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Terrible book. Was forced to read this in freshman History at A&M...instead of the actual syllabus and description we all had to sign up for which was supposed to be the Revolutionary War to Civil War(?) - I can't recall the exact time frame outlined in syllabus for class that everyone is required to take.

Entire semester grade was based on book report test over this and attendance. I stopped going halfway through semester because being in class was simply listening to the guy whine about Bush I. Covered no history. Didn't even discuss the fictional druggie road trip book that was our grade. Just him *****ing about Bush I every week.

Got a D.

Was it professor Livesay?

Malachi Constant said:

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Was it professor Livesay?

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Don't remember his name. Big fat guy and I think he had longer hippie hair. He was a Kent St grad because he would whine about that too.

Fear and Loathing is a terrific book, but I'm not seeing how it relates to a basic US History class.

Backyard Gator said:

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Fear and Loathing is a terrific book, but I'm not seeing how it relates to a basic US History class.

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Exactly. It doesn't. That professor hijacked the class for his personal political ideology rants.

Claude! said:

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nai06 said:

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I enjoyed the Rum Diary more than fart and loathing personally. Although na bit similar, I felt it and more of a plot/storyline

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Man, I've been there. Generally after a night of too much beer and Mexican food.

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At least it was fart and not a shart!

Finished 2 books in last couple of days:

The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. This is a business book written as a novel and, as business books go, it's actually quite good. I got invested in the story and almost forgot I was listening to a business book.

It was written in the 80's, so a lot of outdated references. One thing I did find interesting was the book constantly referring to robots in the manufacturing plant as the newest, cutting-edge technology. I laughed at it at first, but then started to replace "robot" in my head with "AI" - as soon as I did, it made the book so much more relevant. Replacing "robot" with "AI" made it feel like the book could have been written last week, as opposed to in the 80's.

Also finished The Husband by Dean Koontz. Thought this was a really good book. Well written and did a really good job of keeping you on the edge of your seat. My one complaint is the guy breaks all sorts of laws from kidnapping, to assaulting a police officer, to grand theft auto, to save his wife. And then they just skip ahead 3 years and he's a free man with a thriving business and best friends with the cop he assaulted…without ever mentioning how or why he was able to avoid responsibility for what he did…. Overall, it was a fun read I would recommend!

Just started Talisman by Stephen King after finding it for cheap at Half Price Books. See you guys in a couple of months.

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
Red Rising - Pierce Brown (re-read)
Golden Son - Pierce Brown (re-read)

May
Morning Star - Pierce Brown (re-read)

June


July
Iron Gold - Pierce Brown

August


September
Later - Stephen King

October
The Goal - Eliyahu M. Goldratt (audio)
The Husband - Dean Koontz

We read The Goal in business school. Good book. Probably my favorite from b school.

Finished Howling Dark, Sun Eater 2.

5/5

Great stuff. Can't wait to read book 3

Complete: From Russia, With Love by Ian Fleming. I bought a second-hand omnibus of the first six Bond novels, and weirdly they put this one first in the book rather than going in publication order. You know what you're getting with the Bond novels - unsurprisingly, the book and movie align pretty well in terms of overall plot beats, though you of course get a lot more of Bond's inner monologue in the book for context, which is nice.

BenFiasco14 said:

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Finished Howling Dark, Sun Eater 2.

5/5

Great stuff. Can't wait to read book 3

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I think you've developed a patience that I don't have with all of your non-fiction reading of late.

I mean that in a good way.

The Talisman is one of my favorite SK books. It was one of the only times a book game me vivid dreams when I read it in high school back in the late 80s.

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (A-) - A family curse, a demon hound, a spooky English moor and Sherlock Holmes; what more do you need?
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (C+) - I found this foundational sci-fi/horror novella rather meh. Glad I read it but not nearly as strong War of the Worlds or The Island of Doctor Moreau.

Next up: Getting back to the TBR from September that I did not get to, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral and Texian Iliad. Also will resume my trek through Chesterton's Father Brown short stories which that I put aside mid-October.

Audiobooks
Camilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (B) - A short Gothic vampire novella with most of the conventional themes and tropes but with a sapphic undercurrent. It also differs on how a vampire comes into being, through suicide although vampirism seemingly be transmitted in the manner in which we are all familiar.

Next listen: Roughing It by Mark Twain

Shirt Stories
"The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (B) - An old rugby friend of Watson's visits Baker Street when he suspects his second wife may be a vampire. Holmes immediate rejects any idea of the supernatural and goes about proving this in his typical logical and observant manner.
"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (B+) - Is the story a study of psychoses of a young wife suffering from postpartum depression who spirals do to the dismissive attitude of such during the time of the story or is there actually a malevolent being in the wallpaper that come out and posses her. Either way an eerie read.

October
37) The October Country by Ray Bradbury (A-)
38) Candlelight by D.L. Tolin (C)
39) The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde (B-)
40) The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith (B-)
41) Dracula by Bram Stoker (B)
42) The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons (B+)
43) The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (A-)
44) The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (C+)

Audiobooks
19) The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (B)
20) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (C+)
21) The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (A-)
22) We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (A-)
23) Camilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (B)

Short Stories
1) "I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison (D)
2) "The Jaunt" by Stephen King (B)
3) "Dracula's Guest" by Bram Stoker (B) (Audio)
4) "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (B)
5) "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (B+)

That was weird. Someone asked about a book rec and then the post just disappeared almost immediately.

Bot?

NVM: Got moved to another board

Completed books 6 and 7 of the Terminal List series by Jack Carr, Only the Dead and Red Sky Mourning. Much to my surprise, Kindle tells me there's a new James Reese book that I wasn't aware of. I'll lay off for a while to read other books first.

In Progress: Road to Huertgen: Forest in Hell, by Paul Boesch.

Anyone that lived in Houston during from the 60s to the 80s would recognize that name from Houston Wrestling. Paul Boesch was an officer in the 8th Infantry Division during WW2. He was awarded a Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts and a Combat Infantry Badge.
After the war Paul returned to wrestling, moved to Houston and became a wrestling promoter after a car crash ended his wrestling career. He eventually bought Houston Wrestling and then sold it to Vince McMahon and the WWF.

The 8th Terminal List book isn't due to come out until around this time next year. That being said, in the Terminal List world, Cry Havoc is excellent. The Fourth Option is basically Terminal List wrapped in a different wrapper. Not bad but not unique (in my opinion).

Cry Havoc was actually my favorite book in that universe. I read the First 3-4 Terminal List books but got a bit burned out. This was just a more interesting story for me.

I just finished In Cold Blood after reading John Grisham's The Widow, and the contrast was hard to ignore. Capote's storytelling, character development, pacing, and writing make The Widow look like rushed, money-grabbing slop which I suppose it is. This book is a reminder of what happens when an author takes the time and care to craft a story. It got a little tedious toward the end, but overall, I really enjoyed it.

Having not lived through the 1950s, most of my impressions of that time come from shows like The Andy Griffith Show. Capote presents a much grittier, more realistic side of that same America. Interestingly, the two aren't entirely different. The relationships, speech patterns, and small-town atmosphere feel remarkably similar. They could be just down the road from each other.

I was also struck by how many of the issues raised in the book are still debated today: Should capital punishment be legal? Should the trial be moved out of the community? Should someone be found not guilty by reason of insanity? How many appeals should be allowed? Apparently, some things haven't changed much in 60 years...

Completed: Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming. Interesting to read the book and see how different parts of it were used for different movies. This book is definitely of its time in many ways as to how it treats and depicts black people, though it does also make Mr Big out to be a very worth and capable foe for Bond. A page turner and quick read, as always. Generally speaking, though, I prefer Bond's adventures in Europe.

What's struck me most about this and the other early Bond books I've been reading is how easily duped or captured Bond tends to be, often through his own lack of caution more than any particular brilliance of the enemy.

Finally, I appreciate Fleming's vocabulary and references. A few times every book, I find myself looking something up, whether it's a word I'm not familiar with or a reference from the 1940s or 50s.

I read Casino Royale and Live and Let Die a few years ago, which I believe was the publication order. I still have the rest of Fleming's books to get to. But they are very quick reads. I thought Live and Let Die was relatively close to what we saw in the movie. I saw the same things you noted with regard to blacks and Fleming's use of language, but what stood out for me was while reading, my mind's eye was putting Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto and Jane Seymour into their roles.

I plan to read the rest of the series in publication order. Eventually.

Diggity said:

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Cry Havoc was actually my favorite book in that universe. I read the First 3-4 Terminal List books but got a bit burned out. This was just a more interesting story for me.

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I agree, I think it is my favorite.