Had a busy week, so couldn’t get much reading done. So still at pretty much the same place in Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (first book in her October Daye urban fantasy series).

What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening to lately?


Check Official Bingo Challenge Post and the accompanying Recommendations Post for our Bingo for 2026!

  • JaymesRS@piefed.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    17
    ·
    11 days ago

    I completed book 8 of Dungeon Crawler Carl yesterday and now I’m on to the new Dresden novella OutLaw.

    • TheRealKuni@piefed.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      11 days ago

      I just finished DCC 8 for the second time today. I like to speed through a new book, then go back and read/listen to it at a more leisurely pace to make sure I catch details and highlight themes, foreshadowing, favorite bits, etc. Also to see how I did with my first round of highlighting foreshadowing. 😁

      Can’t wait for the next two!

    • dresden@discuss.onlineOPM
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      11 days ago

      Can’t wait for Mirror Mirror, going to speed up on Dresden Files and catch up by the time it’s released.

  • runner_g@piefed.blahaj.zone
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    11 days ago

    Almost 1/2 way through project Hail Mary. I liked the Martian so I expected to like PHM, but I didn’t realize to what degree I would like. As a Molecular Biologist myself, I feel quite connected to Ryland.

    • xorollo@leminal.space
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      11 days ago

      I tried The Martian a few years ago and it didn’t click and Project Hail Mary is never available at my library in English, but I’m thinking maybe one of these needs to be my next read.

      • runner_g@piefed.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        11 days ago

        There’s a lot of stream of consciousness in both books, and within that, a lot math, which definitely does not click with everyone. If you can get PHM as an audiobook, it is way worth it!

    • lunsjentilanette@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      11 days ago

      I also loved project hail mary. Just saw the film adaption recently, and while it is certainly impressive in some sense and has some strengths of its own, it generally skips most of what i enjoyed about the book which was a shame and i honestly think it must be superconfusing to watch if you have never read the book. The way it is is written it was always going to be tricky to turn into a movie but i was still disappointed

      • runner_g@piefed.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        10 days ago

        I am interested in the movie, but I have to finish the book (audible) so my wife can read it, and then we will go see the movie. One of my coworker’s who has read the book and seen the movie said there were instances where an entire chapter was summarized in a sentence. This just reaffirms my long held belief that books should not be movies. Limited Series are a much better platform for screen adaptations of books. you have 6-10 hours to tell the story. With streaming services you are not constrained to a 44-minute episode so you can make each episode the right length to capture the rising and falling action and end on the right beat. You can set the release schedule to generate more hype and it’ll sit in the public conscious for longer. And yes I realize that it costs more to make 10 hours of video than 2 hours of video, but I kinda don’t care because Hollywood already has such absurd margins.

    • osanna@lemmy.vg
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      9 days ago

      i haven’t read the book, but i saw the movie, and i was astounded at how good it was.

  • harsh3466@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    15
    ·
    11 days ago

    I’m just about to finish Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve enjoyed it very much.

    I’m also reading two others for my book clubs, but can’t remember the titles. Have to look at my ereader.

  • buttmasterflex@piefed.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    14
    ·
    11 days ago

    Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, the first book in The Expanse series. I’m roughly half way in, and it’s enjoyable so far.

    • WandowsVista@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      10 days ago

      stick with the series. it’s great. I think I was on book 4 or 5, right around where the novels start to surpass the tv series, when a buddy said, “oh, you’re just about to the part where they start getting good!”

      and boy was he right.

      • buttmasterflex@piefed.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        10 days ago

        Hopefully they are good before that point and increase in quality? I went in totally blind; haven’t watched the show or read anything about them prior. My free time is pretty limited, so I am picky in selecting what I spend my time on.

    • dkppunk@piefed.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      10 days ago

      I’m so jealous you get to read that for the first time. It’s the only series I wish I could forget and read again.

      • buttmasterflex@piefed.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        10 days ago

        I have to be honest, it almost lost me for a little when it started focusing on the broader politics of the solar systme, but things picked right back up and are very well interesting again. I’m going to be sticking with it!

    • strongarm@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      10 days ago

      I loved this series so much it got me back into reading as an adult.

      I watches the TV series in full first before I got into the books and really enjoyed the comparison

      I’m looking forward to checking out his new series soon.

  • iamthetot@piefed.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    11 days ago

    I should be finishing up both The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebeca Skloot, and Small Gods by Terry Pratchett this week. Not sure what’s next yet.

  • zout@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    11 days ago

    Finished reading Dennis E Taylor’s Bobiverse series for the second time, waiting on the new book to be published. For now it’s audiobook only, and I like reading it myself. Just started reading Martha Wells’ “Platform Decay”, Murderbot being one of the other series I found last year that I really liked.

      • zout@fedia.io
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        11 days ago

        Thanks, I have, the latest book is already on the to read list. Along with the latest book in “the laundry files”, which I can also recommend.

  • banazir@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    11 days ago

    I just started reading The Gathering Storm by Brandon Sanderson, book twelve of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series. I’ve never read any Sanderson before, so it’ll be interesting to see the tonal differences in writing.

    • dresden@discuss.onlineOPM
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      11 days ago

      Oooh, interesting. That was my first introduction to Sanderson too. Would love to hear what you think about it.

    • TheRealKuni@piefed.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      11 days ago

      Same as OP, that’s where I was introduced to Sanderson. I went on to read pretty much everything he’s written. 😅

    • Calirath@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      11 days ago

      The most major change will be how quickly everything moves when Sanderson writes, he has a tempo well suited for the general audience while Jordon can meander - poorly at times.

    • xorollo@leminal.space
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      11 days ago

      This was me year before last, and then last year was basically a Sanderson deep dive. I love both Jordan and Sanderson. Wheel of Time is my comfort food.

    • rljkeimig@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      10 days ago

      Very nice, I just started 10 and I’m excited to see how the books change when Sanderson picks up the reins. I have loved the series so far though, but I read almost all of Sanderson before even starting The Wheel of Time.

  • kat_angstrom@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    11 days ago

    About 2/3 through “Paladin of Souls” by Lois McMaster Bujold.

    Having just jumped through the first 15x “Penric & Desdemona” stories, it’s interesting to see how her magic system has evolved over time through this series (“The World of the Five Gods”), and how it’s definitely improved. One more book left in the series, then on to other things!

  • mintiefresh@piefed.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    11 days ago

    My 10 year old daughter is reading Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief.

    And asked me to read it with her. So that’s what I’m reading now. And I have to say… I’m really enjoying it so far. Plus doing a mini book club with my daughter is pretty much the best.

    • rljkeimig@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      9 days ago

      I’m so excited for this when my little one gets older. Both sharing what I used to read as a kid and reading along with whatever the new hot series of the time will be when the time comes.

  • Deacon@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    11 days ago

    My brother has been encouraging me to read The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie for a long time, and I’ve started it a few times and always got distracted.

    Something clicked this time though, and I’m totally absorbed.

    It’s also the first fiction I’ve read in a while, and I forgot what an escape it can be. What a weird thing to forget.

    • strongarm@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      10 days ago

      I’ve been slowly getting into this series amongst other books, up to the third in the series now.

      I love how dark and mature it is, some excellent characters in it.

    • rljkeimig@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      10 days ago

      It’s better to do a thing than live with the fear if it.

      Enjoy this journey, Joe Abercrombie is so good, I loved every book in this series.

  • SybilVane@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    11 days ago

    The spear cuts through water. I’ve never seen an author break so many literary conventions so masterfully before.

  • rowinxavier@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    11 days ago

    I’ve been relistening to the Jumper series by Steven Gould, it is fun and interesting to see how something written not all that long ago is from a totally different world. The way technology worked in the 90s is so different to how it works now and many of the problems in a science fiction book with teleportation can be solved by a mobile phone.

    Also, I just finished the Murderbot series given the release of the newest book, the Bobiverse series, and the Children of Time series with the latest installment Children of Strife.

    I also have a massive fanfic called The Winter Of Widows which is based in Westeros from A Game Of Thrones. It is really fun and interesting and the writing is honestly fantastic. Definitely publishable level of writing skill. It is based on the idea of a modern person with some knowledge of things like four field crop rotation and coplanting going into that medieval world and making things work as much as possible. Very cool, very fun.

  • noodles@slrpnk.net
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    11 days ago

    Kind of scattered these past few weeks, so I’m about halfway through Murakami’s After the Quake, on story two of Three by Tey, and on the first fifth of Terry Pratchett’s The Truth

  • dohpaz42@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    11 days ago

    I just started reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass yesterday. I realized a while ago I never actually read it, and only had seen the various adaptations. I have to say, it’s quite different than what I grew up on.

    I’m also disturbed that Charles Dogson (Lewis Carroll) is basically described as being a pedophile for his “love” of a 10-yo little girl (Alice Liddell, the daughter of his boss, for whom the story is told) whom he wanted to marry while he was in his 30s.

    Next up I plan to read Blue Are the Hills: The Final War for Humanity. I expect it to be completely different than Alice of course.

    That’s just how I roll.

    • xorollo@leminal.space
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      11 days ago

      I read Alice in Wonderland as a kid when I was gifted The Annotated Alice. I loved the puzzles and the math tricks. And I only just now learned that was Martin Gardner, because of course. I discovered his puzzles many years later and only today put these two together. I don’t know if I would have enjoyed it as much without the explainer text, but with it I felt like I had the secret keys.