Part 1 of Piranesi just hits my mind in the right spot. (Both the book and the audiobook)

Its now 5am, having to take a new flight because my first one got canceled, having a croissant for breakfast, yet listening to the House and the Statues can still calm me down, even in this semi-streased out morning

Finished "Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil". I didn't like it that much and probably would have dropped it if I hadn't felt obligated to finish it, as my niece recommended it to me. The book's main problem is that the author tried really hard to write like Terry Pratchett and never really manages to be nearly as funny or interesting. It also has way too many goddamn footnotes.

However, during the last quarter of the book, all humor and cozyness is forgotten and the story takes a pretty dark turn. I actually thought that that was the strongest part of the book by far, as the author finally seemed to find his own voice. Even so, I'd only give the book a 5/10 or so.

I have now started "The Pride of Chanur" by C. J. Cherryh and it's quite an enjoyable read so far.

Yesterday, I finished "Mister Magic" by Kiersten White. I enjoyed this one. The form was pretty okay. Basically it had chapters of narrative separated by a small chapter of something like a wiki page or a reddit thread or an email. It's meant to lean horror and at no point was it terrifying, but it was a bit creepy at times. The writing hinted at some literary ability, but it didn't ever break out and have me ooing and awing, but the writing was very solid. At the end it got a little bit muddy, but the author was describing an imaginary world -- it's a tall order to keep that 100% coherent. I also thought the metaphor/allegory of the story was about as subtle as being kicked by a horse, and the epilogue drove the message home like having a piano dropped on you.

All that said, I likes the dialogue and the characters. I felt each were unique from each other. I liked the story too. The descriptions of the desert were very good. For any of its faults, it never stopped being entertaining.

For all of those reasons, I give this book 4/5 Fudgy points. Give it a read before Halloween for a taste of creepy, but know that you won't be scared at any point.

Pretty good book.

Nearing the end of my Culture series re-read. Matter, the 8th book of the series (my 7th since I skipped Consider Phlebas). Matter is longer than the previous books, and although it seems to start slowly, it really revs up fast and is such a fantastic ride by the end. Absolutely brilliant series.

Guards, Guards by Terry Pratchet.

Girl in the Mirror by Wes Boyd

Got all of Narnia for a fucking dollar and man am I happy. Got it from an Spca thrift store too so it helped some critters

I just devoured A Closed and Common Orbit in like 4 days. This is a sequel and I did the same with the first one as well. Now to find something else to read

I have been reading The Dawn of Everything, an archeology book trying to prove that capitalism and centralised power are not a necessity for civilizations. While the book is dense and the political bias is clear, it’s an interesting if slow read. Very slow…

Just finishing up Stranger in a Strange Land, and it's a slog. Heinlen's views have gotten harder and harder to ignore, in particular the homophobia gets pretty bad near the end. I have like 80 pages left and am not sure if it's worth it...

My current nonfiction read is Femina by Janina Ramirez. As for fiction, I'm reading Said the Dead by Doireann Ní Ghríofa, which I'm really enjoying. And I'm listening to Good Girl by Aria Aber, which is excellent. I usually have a few books going at once, and I'm glad to have a few great ones at the same time.

Just finished "There Is No Anti-memetics Division" by QNTM, and heading to the library now to pick up the second book in the "Old Man's War" series by John Scalzi. Loved TINAMD, btw. Very creepy, lots of existential dread. Quick read, too - only like 270 pages.

Just finished "capital and ideology". It is dense, good,but hard to recommend.

Started "something in the forest loves you"

I’m currently reading Hexed. A book about a small town cursed by a witch who drives you to suicide if you try to leave the town permanently. It’s a really slow book but in these last 20% or so it’s really ratcheted up.

I also started listening to the Isles of Emberdark. It’s pretty good. I’m still early on in the book but being that it’s Sanderson it feels very familiar

Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman. It’s got the same feel as Dungeon Crawler Carl. Enjoying it so far as well, after this it’s book 2 of the Corellian Trilogy. Hopefully the proofreading in this one is better.

I just received and started Sleeping Beauties by David Byrne. Not too far into it, but it looks intriguing.

The Shock Doctrine by Nami Klein - An interesting read so far. Some detail on history that I vaguely remember or heard about as a child. While it's good, it's more on the pile of how screwed we are socially, politically, and economically so some days I avoid it if it's too heavy.

On Food and Cooking - Harold McGee - Pretty much the bible of cooking. It's been a long slow read for me over the last 18 months when I'm not sure what else I want to read.

Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age - Vauhini Vara - A reflection on the impact of tech on modern life.

I want to tell but I fear crucifixion for it. I'll admit it is controversial and has had it hefty share of harsh - and fair - criticism but nonetheless if refuses to die.

Just finished Piranesi by Susanna Clark and quite enjoyed the dreamlike setting and protagonist’s innocent perspective. Some people might find the descriptions repetitive at first but I think they emphasizes his limited worldview. It was a quick read.

Still slowly making my way through book 1 of He who fights with Monsters. I am enjoying it some, its only second litRPG i have read. I think DCC is better so far but this one kinda feels more fleshed out in some ways? I dunno maybe its because its book 1 and DCC was the same in book 1 but its been a minute since i read it so I dont remember. Maybe its more fleshed out in that its not a world ending event that kicks everything off like DCC.

Also started The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa. I like it so far not far, but i really want to know more about this world. Hopefully there is something explaining things by the end.

Almost done with "Stiff" by Mary Roach. Funny, well written overview on cadaver treatment through history.

I'm rereading Indecent Theology by Marcella Althaus-Reid.

Just started reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath last night. Only about 20 pages in, so no big take-aways yet. Reading it on a recommendation to help understand how other people feel on a daily basis.

Reading The Second Sleep as part of a book club, it's an interesting alternative timeline (both history and future)/mystery story about a death, the control of religion, and over reliance on technology (as far as i can tell). A good read so far!

Finished up the latest Discworld readthru and am currently on an Isaac Asimov Foundation readthru.

"3 bodies problem" by Liu Cixin.
that i went through the book in just a weekend is a sign that i was hooked ... yet i would rewrite (as i did) some parts about one or two protons and a nice cute ending where Trisolarians renounce to the Earth and terraform Mars instead.

I recently reseted my ebook and sadly lost my progress on various books. R.I.P. However, I was in the middle of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare and started My Brilliant Friend, which I'm loving. As soon as I finished them I'm going to read The Haunting of Hill House for the spooky season 🎃🎃

"The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson

I'm trying for the umpteenth time to read Dracula but as always the Mina chapters are destroying any interest I have in the story. I will try to finish it this time though!

I'm also slowing grinding the last couples of chapters of Orbital by Samantha Harvey. I did enjoy the book at first but after a while it feels a bit samey. Gorgeous descriptions will only take you so far imho.

As non fiction goes, I started +KAOS. Ten Years of Hacking and Media Activism, a collection of interviews to A/I members, the Italian collective recently shut down by Trump. Incredible read, highly recommended it!

Istanbul (2016) by Thomas F. Madden, a so-far fantastic history of the city. About 350 pages, and so far, midway through the book, worth every one of them.

Edit: Here's a passage that I enjoyed (with wiki links for further context):

Hippodrome-goers were not the only targets of John Chrysostom's sermons. He frequently berated clergy more interested in wealth, finery, and banquets than in the care of Christ's flock. What made him most popular among the common people, though, was his barbed, even mocking condemnation of the lavish ostentation of Constantinople's wealthy elite. He ridiculed the rich vestments and heavy jewelry of the aristocracy, which they proudly wore even in the church. After one such sermon, the empress [Aelia] Eudoxia concluded (probably correctly) that his barbs were directed at her. She was, after all, the best-dressed woman in the city. With silent rage she conspired with John's enemies in the church to convene a synod to discern whether he held heretical views. Realizing that he would be condemned regardless of the facts, John refused to attend, instead condemning the whole affair in his weekly sermons. As expected, the synod in 404* found the patriarch guilty, deposed him of his office, and banished him from the empire. Outraged at the ouster of their beloved patriarch, the city mobs took to the streets outside the Hippodrome. In the confusion, someone thought it a good idea to burn down Hagia Sophia. The horrible destruction, and a subsequent powerful earthquake, convinced Eudoxia that she had made a mistake. John was allowed to retain his position in Constantinople—that is, until the next year, when he condemned Eudoxia as a self-serving manipulator of the emperor after she convinced him to erect a statue of her in the Augusteion. The banishment order was instantly renewed. No earthquakes followed.

Note: This may be a typo, as Britannica states the Synod of the Oak that deposed John was in 403, while the second was in 404. This would be more in line with Aelia Eudoxia dying in 404.

I finished the second Dungeon Crawler Carl and I’m working on finishing Want Submitted by Anonymous Edited by Gillian Anderson.

I was recently recommended Sellout by Dan Ozzi and I happened to find it on the shelves of a newly opened Barnes & Noble, so I picked it up. It’s about punk, emo, and hardcore bands from 94-07 that went on to sign with major labels. I’ve only started the intro, but it’s an interesting history to a few of the bands I listened to in those days. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it ☺️

I'm reading two because they're related. Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, and White Fire by Preston and Child. I've mostly had second-hand exposure to Sherlock Holmes, and figured if I'm going to read / watch / play things inspired by the thing, it's time to read the original thing directly. At about the halfway point, I'm liking both and hoping they finish strong.

It's time to put an end to this. I started reading A Memory of Light by Brandon Sanderson, the final book of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time. First hundred or so pages have been great, so I have high hopes. It'll be good to have finished this project I first started in the 90's. Though I suppose a part of me is sorry Jordan couldn't finish it himself, even if Sanderson is the far better writer.

Just finished both "Mickey 7" and "Antimatter Blues" by Edward Ashton. I liked these a lot, actually. Liked the movie less, once I read the first book.

Also finished "Platform Decay" by Martha Wells, book 8 of the Murderbot series. I found it to be somewhat lacklustre, perhaps the weakest of the series. I'd be curious what others think though.

Currently reading, "Ingathering: The Complete People Stories", by Zenna Henderson. These are a bit cozy, a bit familiar. Not sure yet if I'm going to make it through all 700+ pages.

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman, and Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett.

Been Reading Emperor of Gladness , By Ocean Voung, for book club. It's our second Ocean book and we are 🥰 in his relatable, readable, delicate, and also funny prose.

Batman: Resurrection

It’s a novel set between the two Keaton films. It goes into the details of a city turned upside down by the Joker’s chemical warfare.

It’s okay but not what I was hoping for.

The Priory of the Orange Tree - still at the beginning, but so far the intrigue is deep, lots of politics and dragons. There is a lot of characters introduced in the very beginning, I am having some trouble keeping up with whos who in the cast, keep having to flip back and re read parts. But as I get further along I am sure I'll absorb it

I am also listening to Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobook, figured I should get in there while its still pop culture. I am on Chapter 14, right after the encounter with the goblin shamans.