I thought Mirror was a bit difficult to get into compared to the first two but the finish is so strong
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What'cha Reading?
- Thread starter Falselogic
- Start date
I was in the mood for something easy to digest and fun so I re-read the Nemesis duology from April Daniels (which I've reviewed here) and it's still some of the best super-hero fiction I've ever read. Definitively recommended. Even my biggest gripe, the TERF antagonist being way too unsubtle, has aged extremely well (unfortunately).
She still posts on her Tumblr as recently as today. It does seem like she's in a bit of financial hardship, though.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I was in the "decent, but I'm not sure what the fuss is all about" zone with MXTX after watching the Heaven Official's Blessing animation and reading the first volume of Scum Villain's Self-Saving System, but after reading the second volume of SVSSS I'm all in. It's very M/M-BL-danmei-etc and has a lot of meta storytelling and very strange humor, but if you're on the wavelength for it (and I was!) it's amazing.
The Exorcist's House by Nick Roberts
Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball
Watched the Bob Saget tribute last night on Netflix, so I decided to read his book Dirty Daddy
Sticking with the nonfiction. Since this year would've been Judy Garland's 100th birthday, I'm reading Get Happy by Gerald Clarke
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Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now has been a really great read. I like that it encompasses so many aspects of life and that there are a number of different styles of presenting the information, everything from interviews to comics to foldout pages walking through the common things seen in various places (an Asian market for example).
Really good biography, my favorite book of the month so far. Hoping Adrian Tchaikovsky can top it though with Cage of Souls
the thing is that he hasn't even shown up yet and the schemes:chapter ratio is already off the charts
it's going to be wild once mr. schemes himself gets involved
I'm closing in on the end of The Ghost Variations by Kevin Brockmeier. This came out last year, but I only just recently discovered it when I decided to look and see if he'd written anything lately (I've been a big fan of his work for a long time, but there are often several years in between his books so it's easy to lose track). It's one hundred very short stories, generally about a page and a half, all involving ghosts in some way. The writing is excellent, and each story feels like could be used as the foundation for an entire book, but in a way the brevity actually makes it hard to make a lot of progress at once -- because each story is a little gem, when I finish one I want to sit with it for a while. It feels like plowing through page after page without stopping to process them would do the book a disservice.
I've fallen into a hole of reading sizzling enemies-to-lovers wlw romances. Specifically, a series of books written by Maria Ying (a nom de plume of Devi LaCroix and Benjanun Sriduangkaew). Starting with The Gunrunner and Her Hound, and I'm in the middle of the sequel, The Spy and her Serpent, a t4t action drama about a woman who travels to Singapore to kill the Hua sisters, a pair of crime lords, but she ends up falling in love. There's deceptions and plots-within-plots, and none of these are good people, but gosh darn it, you just want them to be happy.
The only drawback of the books is that they're too darn short. Spy clocks in under 150 pages, and I've had to restrain myself from reading too much of it at a time so that I can savour the story.
The only drawback of the books is that they're too darn short. Spy clocks in under 150 pages, and I've had to restrain myself from reading too much of it at a time so that I can savour the story.
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Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Werner Herzog wrote a novel (or maybe novella as it's only 140 pages) about Hiroo Onoda? It's called The Twilight World and my library has it so starting that and very curious.
This sounds maybe amazing? Let us know how it is, I'm very intrigued!
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I haven't gotten too far in it yet, but this passage on the second page setting the scene is exactly what I expected:
I'm pretty bummed my library didn't have the audiobook version, because it's narrated by Herzog and if the passage above is any indication this book is best served that way. Still, I think this is going to be fun, and again at only 140 pages not much to lose.
I'm rereading Gideon the Ninth in audio (previously read as an ebook) and as often happens with really good audio performances, it isn't a whole different book but it's like I watched the same play with two different directors. I'm laughing a lot more!
I'll be rereading Harrow the Ninth in a bit. I'm interested to see how Moira Quick handles Harrow's pov. Harrow and her book came across as walled-in and prickly, so I hope Quick brings that aspect of her across after the much more emotionally forthright Gideon.
All this of course, is in preparation for Nona the Ninth in a couple of months! I'll probably be getting both the hardcover and the audio. Definitely going to eye read it first though, to see what I can glean from it myself vs someone else's interpretation of the book/character.
I'll be rereading Harrow the Ninth in a bit. I'm interested to see how Moira Quick handles Harrow's pov. Harrow and her book came across as walled-in and prickly, so I hope Quick brings that aspect of her across after the much more emotionally forthright Gideon.
All this of course, is in preparation for Nona the Ninth in a couple of months! I'll probably be getting both the hardcover and the audio. Definitely going to eye read it first though, to see what I can glean from it myself vs someone else's interpretation of the book/character.
Moira Quirk's reading for those books is so good. That she can bring such a distinct voice to each and every one of those many characters that they're all immediately identifiable and don't just sound like the same reader is just lowering their pitch a bit is a really astonishing feat that I appreciate more and more as I listen to other audiobooks. Her work on Harrow is just as good, I assure you.
Also I'll definitely be getting the hardcover for Nona - which reminds me, can I preorder that? I should preorder that - and we'll be getting the audiobook to boot. The date is getting close...but not close enough...!
Finished my reread of The Path of Daggers and now moving on to Winter's Heart, then I'm just going to binge the rest of the series. See how long it takes
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I liked it very much, honestly wish it had been a little longer. One thing I'm definitely quite curious about is what is fictionalized and what isn't. It's already such a crazy situation I have no idea what actually happened or not, none of it seems unquestionable.
I appreciate the follow-up! I'll put it on my list for sure.
before moving on to Crossroads of Twilight, taking a brief detour to read the new Harry Dresden novella The Law
I'm listening to Crossroads of Twilight now! Fun fact: back in the day I was a huge Wheel of Time fan, but then I got burned out by the slog and the fear that Robert Jordan wouldn't live to finish the tale, then when Brandon Sanderson did finally finish the tale I didn't really care any more. The furthest I got was Winter's Heart.
Then the Amazon show came out, and I maintain it was largely terrible (although I did finish the season mostly out of grim curiosity); however, it did remind me how much I used to love this story. So I decided to listen to the whole thing starting from the beginning. And guess what: I still love this story. Yes, there are some glaringly obvious flaws (most having to do with gender politics and identity), but what a world Robert Jordan created. And the slog didn't even bother me as much this time around, I think because I'm older and more patient, and I know the whole thing's finished so I'm not having to wait years between volumes.
All that being said, Crossroads of Twilight is real slow, isn't it?
there will be much skimming, I can tell you that right now lol
jpfriction
(He, Him)
I think winters heart was about where I started only reading the Mat chapters. Someone should stitch all those together into a “new” book. Make a killing.
I really don't get the point of "skimming" a book. If you don't want to read it why are you reading it.