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I finished Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman last week. It's the first book of Dungeon Crawler Carl series.

I mentioned the week before that the litRPG doesn't have high stakes, since you know nothing is going to happen to your character and it's just going to get stronger and stronger, but I failed to realise that this happens when you don't care about any side characters. Which is not to say that something happens (or doesn't happen) to side characters, but that the side characters are well written that you care about them.

Started The Novice by Trudi Canavan. The second book in The Black Magician trilogy.

The first book was completely focused on one place and one task, this book expands the world, and different characters are doing completely different things so it's interesting to see how things will develop. I am still in the start though, and while the book feels as quick to read as the first one, it has quite a bit of bullying in it (at least in the start, where I am), and I am not a fan of reading that, so the progress is going pretty slow. Going to stick with it though, cause it feels like the kind of book where our protagonist is going to become super powerful, with somewhat "good" ending.


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


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[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

I just started Red Rising by Pierce Brown.

[-] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I just finished Clover Blue by Eldonna Edwards.

A boy grows up in a hippie commune and along the way learns the truth about... everything.

I'm the same age as the protagonist, and I grew up in Northern California. I'm familiar with the towns, and the trees and the sky mentioned, and the time. This story could be about me in an alternate timeline.

I'd love to see it as a movie, it's a rich and beautiful world--maybe my own memories filled in the blanks--but as we all know they'd probably ruin it. So, I'll happily keep the movie in my head.

[-] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Having enjoyed this book, I'm reading her first book, This I Know. I'm about 1/4 of the way through and it's good too.

I recommend both.

I usually read sci-fi or sci-fi adjacent, but I thought to try something different, I'm glad I did.

[-] kpax@piefed.social 4 points 1 day ago

Just started the first book of Greg Bear's short stories. Have loved Greg's books since I read Eon as a teenager.

Humble Bundle currently have a stack of Greg's books on sale

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/greg-bear-birthday-bundle-open-road-media-books

[-] Aralakh@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

Thanks for reminding me to complete my purchase for this bundle!

Currently reading The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman. No book has ever elicited so many "omg"s and "that's so cool"s from me.

Also on my fourth read-through of The Two Towers since 1993. Tolkien's world just never gets old.

[-] Meatwagon@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 days ago

Book 4 of Dungeon Crawler Carl and loving it. Really not looking forward to being in your shoes.

[-] alternategait@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I’m about to finish Becoming by Michelle Obama.

I started When the Moon Hits Your Eye as a little breather between the Singing Hills Cycle.

[-] alternategait@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago

Kind of hilarious to reach the part about the eclipse parties on the night of an eclipse (though I know that one was solar and this one was lunar.

[-] Zacryon@feddit.org 6 points 3 days ago

Currently listening through basically everything by "Robin Hobb". Started with the Farseer Trilogy, currently closing the Liveship Traders. It's playing in a light fantasy realm.

The Farseer Trilogy was rather depressing, but had something dark and alluring about it. Liveship Traders is okay. Helps to pass the time, but doesn't really capture me.

[-] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I loved the Farseer trilogy, but yeah, it was depressing. I actually liked that, though. It is hard to find stories that don't have happy endings.

[-] Lanske@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

The Institute by Stephen King, been a while since i read a King novel

[-] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

I really enjoyed that book. It wasn't as horror-y as his other stuff and had good character interactions.

[-] pygiulio@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Last Argument of Kings, last in the First Law trilogy. The first two are great, good character building and nice plot. Can't wait to see how it ends.

[-] thenextguy@sh.itjust.works 12 points 3 days ago

I retired this year, and I have apparently read 12 books so far.

Most recent two...

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

Really like this. Very different from my usual fare.

Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds

Meh. Interesting story, but not my favorite style by a margin.

[-] dresden@discuss.online 3 points 2 days ago

Happy retirement!

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[-] FunStuffIsFun@eviltoast.org 2 points 2 days ago

Caliban's War by James S. A. Corey and Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger

[-] dresden@discuss.online 1 points 1 day ago
[-] FunStuffIsFun@eviltoast.org 3 points 1 day ago

So far so good. I am enjoying it. I am about 1/3 through it.

[-] OmegaMouse@pawb.social 11 points 3 days ago

I've just finished reading through Batman Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (written by Grant Morrison with artwork from Dave McKean), which a friend lent me after we'd been discussing the Arkham games. It was pretty cool, full of symbolism and gorgeously creepy artwork. The actual narrative I found confusing though. Thankfully there's a copy of the original script at the end with annotations that explains everything!

For my book club I'm most of the way through Nevada by Imogen Binnie. It's been fun so far, with an endearing/easy-going writing style that reminds me of a blog post. Some really great insights into coming to terms with being trans.

And I'm also halfway through An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro. This is another one that a friend lent me a while back and I hadn't got around to reading. But I'm going to a festival this week, and I didn't want to bring my Kobo in case it gets damaged or stolen, so I opted for a physical book. I'm doing an admin shift during the festival which tends to involve sitting around not doing much for an hour or so at a time. May as well do some reading! Anyway this book has felt quite cosy and charming; I like Ishiguro's prose.

[-] Catma@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago

Finished Golden Son by Pierce Brown. Book 2 in the Red Rising series. Really enjoyed this one. Picks up the action and intrigue super quick. Overall like a 9/10 for me

Also about halfway through Amber and Ashes by Margaret Weis. Its a D&D book in Krynn which Weis wrote a number of books for. Its ok. Kind of what i expect from these types of books.

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[-] Kongar@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 3 days ago

I too just finished dungeon crawler Carl book 1. I almost gave up on it quick - it started off juvenile and a bad “video game to book” translation. But it grew on me - I’m more than halfway through book 2 now and it keeps getting better. I think it might be worthy of the hype! ;)

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[-] karlhungus@lemmy.ca 7 points 3 days ago

Going through the hanish cycle still, on the left hand of darkness (two more left). this and the dispossessed really do stand out so far.

[-] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 days ago

Re reading some discworld novels.

[-] elephantium@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

Dragon Champion by E. E. Knight. A friend lent it to me after I mentioned re-reading Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels. It's fun.

Just finished Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb. I'm eagerly anticipating the next one once I get it from the library!

[-] kat_angstrom@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

Finished Recursion by Blake Crouch based on someone else's recommendation in one of these threads a few weeks back. Wasn't bad at all.

Finished Pretenders to the Throne of God by Adrian Tchaikovsky, book 4 of the Tyrant Philosophers series. SO good. Maybe the best one yet.

Now reading Hidden Empire by Kevin J Anderson, book 1 of his "Saga of the Seven Suns" series. I've never read any of his books before; it's not bad, but Anderson is no Tchaikovsky. Feels almost Asimov-ish so far, but I'm only 1/4 through it.

[-] karlhungus@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 days ago

If you liked recursion, which IMO was fun but a little easy to poke holes in you should consider ted chiang (IMO The best short SciFi story writer)

[-] yenahmik@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

I'm working on John of John by Douglas Stuart. It's a lot more literary than the last few books I've read, but it's good. There's a lot of conflict between the father and son characters and it's interesting.

[-] banazir@lemmy.ml 8 points 3 days ago

I started reading Towers of Midnight by Brandon Sanderson, book 13 of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time. Feels good to get back to this series after some months. The end is in sight. Sanderson is doing a great job moving things along and resolving plot threads that have been hanging for 10 books or so.

[-] eightpix@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

Oo boy, I may have bitten off more than I can chew this week. Let's see here:

  1. Anthropause by Stan Cox — rationale for gearing economies for degrowth.

  2. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin — needs no introduction in this place.

  3. Into the Blue by Emma Brodie — my partner's request and my current audiobook

  4. The Art of War by Sun Tzu — a re-read of this 2500 year old field guide.

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this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2026
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