Books

Just finished 47th Samauri by Stephen Hunter. Atypically for an author who usually writes about firearms, this is about swords. The protagonist's father fought on Iwo Jima and took a sword from a Japanese officer who committed seppuku with it. Now 60? years later, his kid asks for it back. He doesn't have it, but finds out who does, agrees that returning it is the right thing to do, and brings it back to Japan and the guy's family. Then things get very violent because some bad guys discover the sword's very famous past. So naturally, Bob Lee Swagger has to quickly learn swordfighting and basically re-enact the 47 Ronin event to avenge his new friend's honor.

It's not the author's best work (for that I still recommend Black Light), but is interesting enough. The books in this series are self-contained, but do have an order. I had already read the book that immediately follows this one and knew how Bob Lee won the climactic swordfight, and what he brings home from Japan.

So, lot's of reading done last few weeks. Finished Charles Stross' "Neptunes brood", liked that one. Then something different, David Baldacci's "To die for". An okay book, reads nicely but somewhat formulaic. It also seems Baldacci had some trouble combining the current state of the world into this one. Still, Baldacci is always an easy pick if you want something to read without having to think it over a lot. Next was Tom Holt's "The Good, the Bad and the Smug", I had it on my e-reader, don't remember why I downloaded it. It was a really nice read, and I wasn't hindered by it being the fourth book in a series. Started the next one of the series "An orc on the wild side", but stopped after reading about 1/5th of it. I had some stressfull stuff going on and couldn't get into the story. Switched to Andrew Child's "In too deep", been reading the Reacher series throughout the years. Same as for Baldacci with this one; nice to read without thinking too much.

I decided to find something new to read, and picked Becky Chambers' "The long way to a small, angry planet". Liked it a lot, so read the next book in the series "A closed and common orbit", and am now 2/3rd through "Record of a spaceborn few". I have to say I liked the first a lot better than the other two, the books start too slow and I find them difficult to get into. So after this probably a switch to another series, we'll see which one.

I just finished Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. It was really enjoyable and had me hooked! I've never seen the movie and am pretty excited to watch it now.

Now I'm reading King of Assassins by RJ Barker (book 3 of The Wounded Kingdom trilogy). This whole trilogy has been a bit rough around the edges but has some very unique world building. Over all I've been enjoying it.

I just finished Holly by Stephen King. I am not a big fan of detective novels and I didn’t read the rest of the series (Mr. Mercedes was the only one I read). But I got it as a gift so you read it. It was an ok read. There is a lot of recent Covid events in it which was a weird but also a welcomed read. Normally the books I read are at least 20 years old or play in the past.

Next I started Someone like you by Roald Dahl. I liked Kiss Kiss in the past but that’s also very long ago.

Next up is How Fascism Works by Jason Stanley.

Tearing up the 'D' column of my bingo card--I finished The City & the City by China Miéville, Mad Hatters and March Hares ed. by Ellen Datlow, and Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne.

I really liked The City & the City, but it took a good long while before I felt like I was getting a handle on how the society worked, and I'm still not convinced I fully grasped it properly by the end. But it was twisty and turny and enjoyable to read. Also, the first (maybe only) book I've read this year that required the Merriam-Webster website on my phone nearby (I learned "encomia", "rood", and "machicolation". Also "grosstopically", but that was just made up for the book, apparently.)

Mad Hatters and March Hares was easier for me when I read a few stories and then switched to longer works in between to break it up. Some of the stories were pretty creepy, but I enjoyed the theme of the anthology.

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea would work for either the Cozy Read square or the LGBTQIA+ square, and was very light and quick for me to get through. I had fun with the characters, and would read more by this author as a palate cleanser.

I'll be starting Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand this evening, and I picked up 1066 and All That from the library on a recommendation from the bingo recs page, just because it sounded neat, so that should be coming up this week.

I didn’t know what to start, so I opened up The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester.

I’m not too sure what I’m in for, but the prologue on jaunting/personal teleportation is interesting.

Just finished Eversion by Alastair Reynolds the other day and now I'm partway through Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett. You can still tell it was written by a man, but it is refreshingly progressive and anti-patriarchy for being almost 40 years old.

I just finished Battle Ground by Jim Butcher - the latest of the Dresden Files. It was my first read of it, and wow was it a doozy. I really enjoyed it, but it's probably going to take me a few days to really digest it all.

I'm thinking my next book will be Children of Ragnarok, by Cinda Williams Chima. It's the first in a new series from an author I've been reading for quite a while. I really enjoyed her previous YA fantasy series - the Heir Chronicles, the Seven Realms and the Shattered Realms - and I'm pretty excited to get into yet another one.

Just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora. Then had a quick listen to Restaurant at the End of the Universe. This morning, started Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies.

I’ve gone back to classics:

• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

I’m reading QueerTV (title translated from the original) that is an ensemble of scholarly texts on the subject of Queerness and queer representation on TV. Sadly (so far) it’s not that great.

And Bullshit Job from David Graeber

Just finished Semiosis and Fred the Vampire Accountant. They were ok, I guess. I'm not really one for serial short stories. Semiosis had an interesting concept about intelligent plant life. Fred, was popcorn. Light, no thinking. Lots of stuff that happened conveniently because the plot needed it. Hard to find good series'. The Wandering Inn is still my fav ongoing series.

I've started No One Will Come Back for Us by Premee Mohamed, a collection of cosmic horror stories. I do love me some cosmic/eldritch horror, and The Butcher of the Forest was one of my favorite reads from last year, so I'm hoping I'll enjoy this, too.

Despite not really being a short story person, I tentatively picked out 2 or 3 collections for bingo this year. My plan is to read them in pieces, between other things. We'll see how it goes!

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Finished Golden Terrace, Vol. 1 by Cang Wu Bin Bai. I found this okay: the translation was pretty dry, the pacing was a bit rough, and I never got invested in the romance. I am interested in how all the political intrigue plays out, but I doubt I'll get around to reading the second volume (nothing gets wrapped up at the end of Vol. 1). This is probably a good pick if you like romance-focused historical C-dramas (it's got the vibes), but I don't think I'd recommend it otherwise.

Bingo squares: different continent (HM), minority author, LGBTQIA+ (HM), political, jerk (HM)

Picked up "Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things". Detailing the authors struggle with mental illness and taxidemy raccoons.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250077004/furiouslyhappy/

Sample:

"This is why I sneak into other people's bathrooms in haunted hotels and once accepted a job as a political czar who reports directly to the stray cat that sleeps at city hall. I have staged live zombie apocalypse drills in crowded ballrooms and I've landed on aircraft carriers at sea. I once crowdfunded enough money to buy a taxidermied Pegasus. I am furiously happy. It's not a cure for mental illness ... it's a weapon, designed to counter it. It's a way to take back some of the joy that's robbed from you when you're crazy.

"Aaaaah! You're not crazy," my mom says again, waving a wet plate at me. "Stop saying you're crazy. People will think you're a lunatic."

And it's true. They will. I Google the word "lunatic" on my phone and read her one of the definitions.

Lunatic: (noun) Wildly or giddily foolish.

My mom pauses, stares at me, and finally sighs in resignation, recognizing way too much of me in that definition. "Huh," she says, shrugging thoughtfully as she turns back to the sink. "So maybe 'crazy' isn't so bad after all."

I agree.

Sometimes crazy is just right."

I just finished the "Manifesto against Labour" by Krisis-Group

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. There’s a weird bit of historical revisionism going on in conservative Christian spaces rn regarding everyone’s favorite probably gay badass pastor who was executed by Nazis.

Filth by Irvine Welsh

I just finished Holly by Stephen King. I am not a big fan of detective novels and I didn’t read the rest of the series (Mr. Mercedes was the only one I read). But I got it as a gift so you read it. It was an ok read. There is a lot of recent Covid events in it which was a weird but also a welcomed read. Normally the books I read are at least 20 years old or play in the past.

Next I started Someone like you by Roald Dahl. I liked Kiss Kiss in the past but that’s also very long ago.

Next up is How Fascism Works by Jason Stanley.