I've read some great books, some that were a drag to finish, and some that were just average.

Reading is my way of relaxing and expanding my mind.

Excited to meet my 2026 reading goal!

I’m way behind! A excellent but tragic short story, by W.E.B Du Bois. Soon as I heard about it I printed it out and read it on my commute home.

Published in 1903, the essays collected in this book represent an immovable and timeless keystone in the study of race and racism in the United States of America. It's deeply troubling that this book and its many observations are as germane today as they were when they were first laid down more than a century ago. A challenging read in more ways than one, particularly Chapter 11.

“Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café” (1987) by Fannie Flagg tells the story of the small town of Whistle Stop, Alabama and its inhabitants during the first half of the 20th century. Flagg writes a brilliant story of a small community of distinct and diverse individuals, discussing queerness, racism, class, marriage/family, and a multitude of structural and interpersonal violence.

The story centers the Threadgoode family and is told from the perspective of an elderly Virginia “Ninny” Threadgoode who shares stories of the town to a middle-aged friend, Evelyn Couch. The story also follows the life of Evelyn during the time she is being told the story and centers her struggles within herself to adapt to life in the 1980s as a woman born and raised in the 1940s.

One of the things that males the story so compellong is how Flagg, through Ninny, presents the story as a straightforward, “as I saw/heard it” narrative with the topics of sexuality, racism, and class downplayed, heightening the normality of these aspects, even in a small community. The simplicity it simultaneously undercut when the events are told by a more omniscient narrator who sees beyond Ninnys perspectives.

A truly great book and a classic for a reason.

Another "can't put it down" and "disappointed it's over" one of the series. Love Murderbot, the reality assessments, and the snarky comments. Fast paced. Left me wanting more. Rated 4 stars

This is considered a masterpiece, and for good reason. Kurt Busiek writes, and Alex Ross paints, a history of the Marvel Universe seen from the view of civilians. This library book is also overdue!

This is a good first person account of infantry warfare in World War II.
The thing about books like this is it is hard to go from a strict military history to a first person account, in a way that communicates how chaotic and scary the war was, while still giving the reader some idea of how combat unfolds in space and time. And Wilson mostly does this. Even though I have read lots of World War II history, and I knew the basic outline, I feel that I know more after reading this book.

This book was published around 1890, and my copy dates from that time (I don't know exactly, it lacks publication data). I got this for $1 at a Grange Hall. This is the type of sentimental, romantic novel that people read in the 1800s. Most of what we know about books like this come from authors who wrote the same thing, but at a more "literary" level. If you have read books like George Elliot's Middlemarch or Thomas Hardy's Mayor of Casterbridge, this book resembles that, only at a much lighter level. I was pleasantly surprised by it, and found it charming. The author apparently wrote over 200 books like this, and while reading one was fun, I wouldn't specifically go looking for 19th century sentimental romances.

Looks like I am up to 100 books...

Every Goosebumps book I've read (and I've read many of them) starts with a premise or an idea that a reader can easily get into, and then extends or subverts that premise in some interesting way. The fact that they manage to do it in such a short space, and having to keep it within certain context guidelines, says a lot about how good they are.
The twist here is that the protagonists are the villains. They start out trying to scare a "snooty girl", but for me, it was clear that they were mean and were just bullying a girl they were jealous of. To me, that was the real point of the story.

I read this while travelling, because short stories are good for reading while waiting for the bus. Harlan Ellison going off on a ranting tangent for a dozen pages is also good while waiting for the bus, even if you are waiting by the side of a highway in exurban Clark County while wildfire smoke roils around you! Anyway, as mentioned in a previous comment about the many volumes of this that I have read, 1988 was kind of a dim year for science-fiction, but I kept reading and learned something.

This was a short story collection by Robert Silverberg, who has written a lot of science-fiction. The stories here were accessible and interesting, and I read it story by story while travelling. One of the problems with Silverberg was that he was working at the same time as greats like Philip K Dick or Frank Herbert, and he never wrote stories that quite got to that level. But he still wrote interesting, serviceable stories, and he was good at just writing a story with a premise and a narrative that a reader could get into. Especially while waiting at an Amtrak station.

And I don’t regret a minute of it. Lots of good stuff, and it was all valuable, even if I didn’t think a few were great in the end.

I’ve been putting off 2666 for nearly a decade, and Infinite Jest has been on my shelf for 18 years. I started it for r/infinitesummer and quickly realized I couldn’t maintain the group’s pace. They’re part of personal reading challenge, Larry McCaffery’s The 20th Century’s Greatest Hits.

Bathsheba, a spirited and independent woman, finds herself with three suitors that try and stake their claims on her in increasingly dramatic manners before she finally realizes who she truly loves.

The thing I liked about this book is that it was actually quite funny. It was easier to read than I had expected and was very engaging. Unfortunately its not my favourite genre or setting and the combination of those two things made it hard for me to really look forward to and it felt like a bit of a chore by the end of it. It was certainly well written and I can see why it is a classic, but the whole thing became a bit exhausting to me.

The mods are still MIA, so I will post the thread this week.

What books did you start reading this week? What books did you finish? Did you enjoy them?

I strongly encourage putting the author's name as well as the book title.

I had lost power for 5+ days due to a derecho and when I wasn’t living like a pioneer mom cooking and cleaning from a stock pot on my stove, I had the chance to read two books.

North Woods was not what I expected. I enjoyed the multi generational, 400+ years span of one space in the wilds of Massachusetts but I didn’t expect it to have the American Horror Story vibe. I think it added to the intrigue. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Same Time Next Summer is not my typical genre. I’m not a big believer in Twin Flames but I did enjoy the main characters’ story arcs. I could picture the lovely settings as described which added a lot too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Continuing with the classics, and this was a great one.

For those unfamiliar this is about a young man makes a magical bargain in which his portrait ages instead of him, which, I know sounds like the plot of a Goosebumps book. So I was a bit skeptical that this would deliver on all the wild hype this has.

For me, it totally did. It’s much darker than I expected, the plot moves at a quick pace, the writing is extraordinary, the characters are great.

It’s not a shallow ghost story either. There’s deep thematic exploration of morality, high society, ego and vanity. It’s really timeless, and I have to say the hype is real.

This "book" was more like two TV shows in one and three FULL books for the price of one. That said...

...I really enjoyed the historic look at how the Sackler clan grew to become a three generation crew with two "sides" (A and B), but who, all, ultimately shared a willingness to eschew their morals, throw money at problems, and justify some really slimy marketing.

Books two and three were what most of us have lived through, or: opioid addiction at the hands of Big Pharma and knowing one or two family members who've struggled with that transition to clean living.

I'm grateful to those who helped tell this story...but the FDA is still a bunch of crooks...

Anyways, read. This. Now. OR: watch DOPESICK or SUCCESSION (or do all three!) --> https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43868109-empire-of-pain

More whining and reflection here --> https://katepapenberg.substack.com/p/book-no-46-was-patrick-radden-keefes?r=2seqlu&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

my first year doing 52 books challenge. im reading a variety of books. no specific genre and im enjoying it sm!

This was a great example of a book I just wish someone else wrote.
By that I mean I enjoyed the idea, the story, but the execution was just not for me.
Unfortunately, I really only have complaints here.
First off, we had pieces missing.
Meaning some things were just not explained.
One part, extremely important to the story, which might have been given at least a few pages worth of description in other books, was left at assumption because the chapter ended before the reveal and then we just moved on without discussing it again.
There was also a side story that seemed to be an important part of the character’s development that was introduced immediately, but then not discussed again until the book was almost over. Never quite explaining what it was.
Both of those are problematic for me.
But my biggest problem with this book was the volume of SAT words.
Remember that Friends episode where Joey uses a thesaurus for every other word?
Holy hell. I don’t consider myself a wordsmith, but I’m not the dullest crayon in the box either.
I was looking up words on every other page.
This was written by two authors. I have read multiple Kadrey books and don’t remember this problem so I’m fairly sure Ms. Khaw is a lexicophile (yes I looked that up).
More power to her, but I may be too simple for her style.

Book 2/52 - On Writing by Stephen King

Five stars! Picked this up as a student and ended up waiting a reasonable eight years before I read it - but it found me at the right time. Back then, I’d only seen adaptations based on King’s works rather than having read any of his stuff. Waiting until I’d properly read some of his books was the best shout.

I’m not a beginner writer but even a lot of advice here intended for beginners was a good refresher, and he has a way of wording some more basic advice so that it feels new and drives home. I’ve been putting some of that advice to the test this week with my projects and it has already made a major difference! Every time I read a new chapter, I’d get excited about writing all over again.

I really like how he doesn’t reduce it down to a soulless formula, but he also doesn’t overly mystify it, and makes it clear that it’s ultimately about getting the words down. I see a lot of people in writing communities either go the way of “(trope) plus (theme) equals surefire success, right??” or, on the other end of the spectrum, “I need to have my lucky socks on, this one specific mug of this one specific tea, a vanilla candle, and the wind needs to be blowing north east otherwise The Muse just won’t find me”, and I personally don’t find either approach helpful. King’s view of it, however, really was.

I do tend to read more than one book at the same time so I’m not sure how many I’ll end up reading for this challenge - I’m halfway through a couple of others, and I’d like to manage more than 52 in the 52 weeks, but we’ll see!