Welcome back after the holidays! Hope you had a good time, and your new year is starting well!
I didn’t get much time to read, so still reading The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson. Third and final book the of Mistborn series (first era).
What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?
There’s a Midyear Bingo check-in post, do take a look. Even if you haven’t started this year’s Book Bingo, you can still join, as there are still 6 months remaining!
For details, you can checkout the initial Book Bingo, and it’s Recommendation Post . Links are also present in our community sidebar.
I’m re-reading my way through the early Essalieyan novels by Michelle West, to refresh before I read the latest book. It’s definitely scratching my epic fantasy itch. I’m so glad she moved to Patreon and self-publishing instead of giving up on finishing the story!
That’s a looong series. What happened with publishing?
I’m not entirely sure–the publisher for this series may have decided that it wasn’t popular enough to bring in new readers and was unwilling to publish this last arc to conclude it. I remember when I found the Patreon the author started, the first post I saw (possibly the intro?) talked about how she had struggled to try to provide an entry point into the larger series when she started the first new book, and that it was a bit of a relief not to have to worry about that anymore. If someone’s supporting the Patreon at this point, they’ve either read or intend to read the rest of the series anyway.
Yeah, publishers often want multiple entry way in a large series, otherwise you don’t get new readers with each book, or at least not as much.
Currently reading fiction:“The vanished man” by Jeffery Deaver.
Currently reading non fiction: “Homecoming” by John Bradshaw.
I am going to try and read 52 books this year. Let’s see how it goes.
Good luck with your challenge! I haven’t done 52 books in a year in a long time, if ever, but I think I might be able to do it this year. Have some graphic novels and kids’ book lined up, which are pretty quick to read, so they may help boost the numbers, but then I also have Stormlight Archive re-read planned, and they can take me a while, so maybe not.
That’s a great suggestion, thanks.
Currently reading Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie, a sci-fi trilogy about a sentient warship that goes rogue.
Interesting. Is the warship from starship’s warship or is it antagonist of the book?
The warship is the protagonist of the book!
Ahan, thanks for the info. Looking forward to your review of full trilogy.
For the last few years I have doing a ‘big read’ of something over the course of each year - War and Peace, In Search of Lost Time, Finnegans Wake and, in 2024, Romance of the Three Kingdoms. There is some enduringly memorable material in each of those, and reading them has been quite an experience but I have decided to take a break from that format of reading and just have a year of SF in 2025 - catching up on some that I have long meant to read, starting with Dan Simmons’ Hyperion. Just finished the Scholar’s Tale so far and am thoroughly hooked.
Otherwise, I am most of the way through Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner - which I believe was recommended in this community a while back - which is notable if for no other reason than it includes the first use of the term infangthief that I have encountered since reading 1066 And All That in my teens. And also a recent Doctor Who audionovel The Lord of Misrule by Paul Morris, which is an enjoyably nostalgic tale featuring some beloved characters (as read by Jon Culshaw), but overall nothing exceptional so far.
Oh, I think you mentioned that previously. I was looking forward to what you start this year, but you shouldn’t force yourself, better to take a break then get burned out.
How did you like Hyperion? I have seen it mentioned a lot but never got around to reading it.
First time reading/hearing the word “infangthief”, TIL!
It proved to be a busy week, so I have not quite finished either Hyperion or Confessions…. However, I would definitely recommend Hyperion. Each section is better than the previous, taking in a great range of genres and telling some very human tales against some excellent worldbuilding.
Confessions is a curiosity, and probably not for everyone, but I am glad to have (almost) read it.