The Currently Reading Thread v. A Clash of Kings

[SchecterShredder]

Warlock Holmes: the Finality Problem by GS Denning

There you go.

Just about finished, too lol. I basically wait for you to post about the new novel here, then go pick it up. You're like an old school version of Google.

Sounds like Denning is going on a hiatus though, which is a touch disappointing. This is a pretty fun series

[Podaar]

Battle Ground - Jim Butcher

[masterthes]

So, it has come at last, I'll be all caught up. It's Battle Ground time!

[v_clortho]

Changes by Jim Butcher

[Kwyjibo]

So, anyway ... by John Cleese

[masterthes]

I just wanted to pause here for all you Dresden Files fans, I just discovered Jim Butcher created a Harry Dresden Twitter account, with other characters. Genius!

[masterthes]

And here's my September. I am all caught up on Dresden, can you believe it?! Battle Ground is one of the best in the series, even though it's going to hurt a bit for some people. I've got, hopefully, some awesome, spooky reads for October

September (14)
Cold Days by Jim Butcher 9/1 - 9/2 ****
Skin Game by Jim Butcher 9/3 - 9/4 *****
Brief Cases by Jim Butcher 9/4 - 9/5 ****
Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Volume II by Matthew Mercer 9/7 ****
Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio 9/8 - 9/13 ****
The Lesser Devil by Christopher Ruocchio 9/13 - 9/14 ***
Federation by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens 9/17 - 9/18 ****
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin 9/19 - 9/20 **
Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell 9/20 - 9/22 ****
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt 9/23 - 9/24 ****
The Hierarchies by Ros Anderson 9/24 - 9/25 ***
Star Wars Memories: My Time in the (Death Star) Trenches by Craig Miller 9/25 - 9/27 ****
Peace Talks by Jim Butcher 9/28 - 9/29 ****
Battle Ground by Jim Butcher 9/29 - 9/30 *****

[ozzy554]

Finished Grave Peril by Jim Butcher. I know I have a ways to go but I'm really enjoying the series so far.

Now on to Honky Tonk Samurai (Hap & Leonard #9) by Joe R. Lansdale

[masterthes]

Nightmare Movies: Horror on Screen Since the 1960s by Kim Newman

[Sacul]

Today I began reading Oyasumi Pun Pun. It's hilarious, adorable, and deeply disturbing, I like it.

[masterthes]

Ghost Story by Peter Straub

[masterthes]

Here's a small quibble with what I'm reading, that I just need to vent out. One of the main characters is named Frederick Hawthorne, yet he's called Ricky throughout most of the book. Why not just name him Rick from the outset and have done with it?

[Cool Chris]

I put Red Sparrow on hold about 1/3 in. Now on Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence.

[SchecterShredder]

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher

[hefdaddy42]

The President is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton

[Evermind]

Anathem by Neal Stephenson

Phew, finished this one. The "invented" words concept becomes easier to get into after the first ~200-300 pages but the learning curve is fairly steep here. It's just such a dense sci-fi book. Some moments were awesome, but there were some moments where the plot almost wasn't advancing at all. It didn't really need to have 900+ pages, but all in all while I would've liked to see some of the plot trimmed down, I enjoyed the whole avout / mathic world concept and the book overall. Definitely liked it way more than Snow Crash.

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher

[kirksnosehair]

Just finished Michael Cohen's book "Disloyal: A Memoir" was an interesting if unsurprising read.


Next up is Bob Woodward's new book "Rage"

[ozzy554]

Ghost Story by Peter Straub

I enjoyed this one. Did not go the way I was expecting.

[Podaar]

Just finished Michael Cohen's book "Disloyal: A Memoir" was an interesting if unsurprising read.


Next up is Bob Woodward's new book "Rage"

Those two books dovetail quite a bit. As they both do with current events.

[Ben_Jamin]

Here's a small quibble with what I'm reading, that I just need to vent out. One of the main characters is named Frederick Hawthorne, yet he's called Ricky throughout most of the book. Why not just name him Rick from the outset and have done with it?

That, to me, sounds like the Author wants to enforce that it's a nickname rather than his actual name of Frederick. Does the author refer to him as Ricky, or do all the characters refer to him as Ricky?

[Sacul]

Oyasumi Pun Pun. Damn this is adorable, depressing, fun, and disturbing af. Loving it so far.

[kirksnosehair]

Just finished Michael Cohen's book "Disloyal: A Memoir" was an interesting if unsurprising read.


Next up is Bob Woodward's new book "Rage"

Those two books dovetail quite a bit. As they both do with current events.

Agreed.  The Cohen book kind of bugged me a little bit.  The title was very apt.  I don't know, I guess with my background Cohen's book feels a little bit like snitching, which I don't approve of under any circumstances.  So I guess I felt a little bit guilty about reading it, but at the same time the way I see it he's got very little reason to lie at this point and the more I read the more convinced I was that it sounded quite credible.  He seems truly horrified by what his association with Trump did to his moral compass. 

[Evermind]

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher

Alright, that was way more like it! I feel like Jim has hit his stride with this one. The whole thing definitely suffered from being divided in two books, but overall I liked this.

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

[masterthes]

I have mostly good things to say about Ghost Story. Very well written, but the ending was a bit of a letdown. Also, takes about 100 pages for things to start getting good. Stephen King called this the best horror book of the 20th century. Not even close. Up to that point (1979), you had The Exorcist and I would even say 'Salem's Lot and The Shining are way scarier.



Also, managed to quickly knock out Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones. Very good novella, although there was that little twist towards the end that didn't seem to fit.



Now, speaking of Stephen King, I'm currently reading Thinner​​​​

[masterthes]

I thought Thinner was decent. First half was more exciting than the second half though, and I wish he wrote a better conclusion. I wanted to know what exactly happened after. Similar to The Long Walk, it just seemed to end.



Moving on to Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

[ozzy554]

I thought Thinner was decent. First half was more exciting than the second half though, and I wish he wrote a better conclusion. I wanted to know what exactly happened after. Similar to The Long Walk, it just seemed to end.

The Long Walk is my favorite Bachman book with running man a close second.

I finished Honky Tonk Samurai. Every book I read by Joe Lansdale bumps him up further on my favorite authors list. I just love his odd and unapologetically non PC sense of humor.


Currently reading Confess: The Autobiography by Rob Halford. Already over 150 pages in and I love it so far. He doesn't really sugarcoat much which I appreciate. Some may not appreciate the quite the level of honesty and detail though.

[Cool Chris]

The Long Walk is my favorite Bachman book with running man a close second.

Haven't read them in a long time, but I'd probably say mine as well.

[masterthes]

Highly approved Home Before Dark, better than Lock Every Door. I had a feeling who did it and I enjoyed the red herrings



Now reading Blackwater by Michael McDowell

[SchecterShredder]

Finished Battle Ground. Honestly, they could've cut 100 pages of fluff from Peacetalks, and added a few hundred to the back end to fit the relevant content from this book. Seems like a cash grab to have made 2 books. The last 100 pages were great. Really sets up some interesting plot possibilities, so it'll be interesting to see which ones get some attention in the coming novels.

Back to Tour Sombre 5

[masterthes]

I think he just wants to end the series at an even 20 books

The Remaking by Clay Chapman

[Evermind]

I think he just wants to end the series at an even 20 books

The original plan was 20 books + big apocalyptic trilogy but the split of Peace Talks ruined that now I think, the plan is 21 + 3 now. Maybe he'll decide to drop one of the ideas and bring it back to 20 though.

[masterthes]

Oh, I thought the trilogy was including the twenty. I thought we were in the endgame coming up lol

[masterthes]

Going for a modern classic with Psycho by Robert Bloch

[Evermind]

Oh, I thought the trilogy was including the twenty. I thought we were in the endgame coming up lol

From the recent transcript of his interview/chat:

Muskogee: You stated 20ish case books with a big apocalyptic trilogy at the end. Is it now safe to presume 22 case books given Peace Talks was split and prior comments about how romance might have slowed the overall pacing by a book?

Jim: I don't know if I would say it's safe to assume cuz I've never written a series this long before, I don't know what I'm doing. But yeah I just figured out today that I think I'm going to have to put another book into the series just to get everything done and it was annoying but also exciting because now I get another book to write so.

Muskogee: We're all terribly disappointed that there will be another one.

Jim: Well if I do 22 and then a 3 book trilogy at the end and that's like a 5 x 5 series that's super powerful. If you want to get into numerology that's very solid, 25 is excellent so.

That was like 4 days ago, so I guess we're at 22 + 3 now.

[masterthes]

Oh man. Well, as long as he keeps the quality, I'm on board

Changing things up a bit with Middlegame by Seanan McGuire