What are you reading?

[Sharecrow]

I finally (FINALLY) knocked out Giovanni Boccaccio's "The Decameron." Great book but not one of my top ten favorite short story compilations. Still loved it, though. Thoughts there:

https://www.wheredreamsescape.com/post/the-decameron

I think Imma read Druid of Shannara next...need something a bit more digestible LOL

1. Gentleman Junkie and Other Stories from the Hung-Up Generation by Harlan Ellison
2. Revolt in 2100 by Robert Heinlein
3. Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa
4. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
5. Islam and the Future of Tolerance by Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz
6. Dreamtigers by Jorge Luis Borges
7. You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming
8. The Rivan Codex by David and Leigh Eddings
9. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
10. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
11. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
12. The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks
13. Over the Edge by Harlan Ellison
14. The Book of Wonder by Lord Dunsany
15. The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks
16. Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner
17. Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
18. No Doors, No Windows by Harlan Ellison
19. The History of Video Games by Charlie Fish
20. The Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks
21. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
22. What Does This Button Do? by Bruce Dickinson
23. Light in August by William Faulkner
24. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
25. The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams
26. The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio

[Kong Wen]

Continuing to continue the series.

01. 2024-01-05 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1966), Tom Stoppard (English), 126pp
02. 2024-11-01 All Systems Red (2017), Martha Wells (Texan), 149pp
03. 2024-11-08 Artificial Condition (2018), Martha Wells (Texan), 158pp
04. 2024-11-21 Rogue Protocol (2018), Martha Wells (Texan), 158pp

2023 in summary

[Kong Wen]

I've reached the end of the quadrilogy! There are still two more novels and one more novella in this series after the conclusion of the main/initial four, so I'll seek them out after a short break. They didn't have them at my local bookshop, or at the chain that wants to wipe out an entire race of people, so I'll have to order them from an online seller, but of course I want to make sure I get the matching editions.

01. 2024-01-05 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1966), Tom Stoppard (English), 126pp
02. 2024-11-01 All Systems Red (2017), Martha Wells (Texan), 149pp
03. 2024-11-08 Artificial Condition (2018), Martha Wells (Texan), 158pp
04. 2024-11-21 Rogue Protocol (2018), Martha Wells (Texan), 158pp
05. 2024-11-28 Exit Strategy (2018), Martha Wells (Texan), 172pp

2023 in summary

[Sharecrow]

I think I read my last book of 2024 in "The Druid of Shannara" by Terry Brooks Had a blast with it - pretty strong Shannara book. Thoughts here:

https://www.wheredreamsescape.com/post/ ... f-shannara

I just started "Howling Dark" and am about to start one other book ("Servant of Earth"). Still reading "The Road Back" as well.

1. Gentleman Junkie and Other Stories from the Hung-Up Generation by Harlan Ellison
2. Revolt in 2100 by Robert Heinlein
3. Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa
4. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
5. Islam and the Future of Tolerance by Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz
6. Dreamtigers by Jorge Luis Borges
7. You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming
8. The Rivan Codex by David and Leigh Eddings
9. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
10. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
11. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
12. The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks
13. Over the Edge by Harlan Ellison
14. The Book of Wonder by Lord Dunsany
15. The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks
16. Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner
17. Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
18. No Doors, No Windows by Harlan Ellison
19. The History of Video Games by Charlie Fish
20. The Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks
21. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
22. What Does This Button Do? by Bruce Dickinson
23. Light in August by William Faulkner
24. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
25. The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams
26. The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
27. The Druid of Shannara by Terry Brooks

[Kong Wen]

I've reached the end of the quadrilogy! There are still two more novels and one more novella in this series after the conclusion of the main/initial four, so I'll seek them out after a short break. They didn't have them at my local bookshop, or at the chain that wants to wipe out an entire race of people, so I'll have to order them from an online seller, but of course I want to make sure I get the matching editions.

01. 2024-01-05 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1966), Tom Stoppard (English), 126pp
02. 2024-11-01 All Systems Red (2017), Martha Wells (Texan), 149pp
03. 2024-11-08 Artificial Condition (2018), Martha Wells (Texan), 158pp
04. 2024-11-21 Rogue Protocol (2018), Martha Wells (Texan), 158pp
05. 2024-11-28 Exit Strategy (2018), Martha Wells (Texan), 172pp

2023 in summary

2024 was a slow but entertaining year, finished with 763 pages, 80% works authored by women, but 100% English or American authors. We'll do better next time. I will read more Wells when I find the next entry in the Murderbot series at a local book shop that doesn't support genocide. She has some fantasy series as well, so I may check that out later.

In the meantime:

01. 2025-01-02 Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World (2023), Naomi Klein (Canadian), 348pp

2023 in summary // 2024 in summary

[Kong Wen]

I was in the right mood after Doppelganger, so I went back and finished off Keywords. It's an excellent analysis of how jargon and buzzwords are perverted to sanitize the offences and abuses of capitalism. Working in a semi-corporate educational industry where a small class of unqualified management tries to iron professionals into a thin sheet, a lot of this hits close to home and is simultaneously comical and empowering/invigorating.

I just found out he's written a second part! I need a break from this for now, but I'll definitely be putting it on my wishlist to acquire from a bookshop that doesn't support genocide soon.

01. 2025-01-02 Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World (2023), Naomi Klein (Canadian), 348pp
02. 2025-01-10 Keywords: The New Language of Capitalism (2018), John Patrick Leary (American), 206pp

2023 in summary // 2024 in summary

[Sharecrow]

I finished my first book of 2025 and it was a short but sweet one: "Anthem" by Ayn Rand. Mostly read it to celebrate getting a super-nice copy of it, but I did not read that copy and instead bought a cheap new one. Enjoyed it even more than I had remembered doing so the first time I read it.

Thoughts here:
https://www.wheredreamsescape.com/post/anthem

1. Anthem by Ayn Rand

[Kong Wen]

Since I finished my Xmas books, I've just been grabbing reserves off the shelf to hold me over till my birthday books come in.

I read Cloud Atlas long ago at the recommendation of a dear friend, before it was adapted to film. After enjoying it well enough, I picked up another novel by the same author. This one is fascinating. It's a great study in letting deep world-building simmer under the surface of the action, as we only get a couple hints of what's really at stake in each chapter. Then, things come to a roaring crescendo. I like some of the characters. I hate some of the characters. There are supernatural elements. And there are super natural elements. Sad but satisfying.

01. 2025-01-02 Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World (2023), Naomi Klein (Canadian), 348pp
02. 2025-01-10 Keywords: The New Language of Capitalism (2018), John Patrick Leary (American), 206pp
03. 2025-01-21 The Bone Clocks (2014), David Mitchell (English), 609pp

2023 in summary // 2024 in summary

[Kong Wen]

Yay, I did it! I was still in grabbing books off the shelf mode but my birthday books did of course come in earlier in the week. So I wanted to get through this one so I could start a new book somewhat close to when they arrived lol!

Anyway, this book is harrowing and eye-opening, and super well-researched. Absolutely tons of sources and just heaps and loads of supporting evidence as she lays out the historical and social contexts that inform this atrocious situation. We've got some serious work to do, and one of the first and biggest steps is of course the most difficult: leveraging power out of the hands of people who are so greedy that their philosophy towards life and the organization of society is to accumulate wealth.

Next up, back to some speculative fiction.

01. 2025-01-02 Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World (2023), Naomi Klein (Canadian), 348pp
02. 2025-01-10 Keywords: The New Language of Capitalism (2018), John Patrick Leary (American), 206pp
03. 2025-01-21 The Bone Clocks (2014), David Mitchell (English), 609pp
04. 2025-01-31 Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present (2017), Robyn Maynard (Canadian), 236pp

2023 in summary // 2024 in summary

[Kong Wen]

I went back to my favourite series from last year (The Murderbot Diaries). After the initial four novellas, there's a full-length novel, which is what I've just finished, and it's excellent. The increased length allows Wells to expand into a more intricate story, with several stops for investigation along the way and more time to develop other characters.

There are two books left in this series, but I won't get to them right away, because I have a couple more in the hopper.

01. 2025-01-02 Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World (2023), Naomi Klein (Canadian), 348pp
02. 2025-01-10 Keywords: The New Language of Capitalism (2018), John Patrick Leary (American), 206pp
03. 2025-01-21 The Bone Clocks (2014), David Mitchell (English), 609pp
04. 2025-01-31 Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present (2017), Robyn Maynard (Canadian), 236pp
05. 2025-02-09 Network Effect: A Murderbot Novel (2020), Martha Wells (American), 350pp

2023 in summary // 2024 in summary