What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: October 05, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

Hi everyone!

What are you reading? What have you recently finished reading? What do you think of it? We want to know!

We're displaying the books found in this thread in the book strip at the top of the page. If you want the books you're reading included, use the formatting below.

Formatting your book info

Post your book info in this format:

the title, by the author

For example:

The Bogus Title, by Stephen King

• This formatting is voluntary but will help us include your selections in the book strip banner.

• Entering your book data in this format will make it easy to collect the data, and the bold text will make the books titles stand out and might be a little easier to read.

• Enter as many books per post as you like but only the parent comments will be included. Replies to parent comments will be ignored for data collection.

• To help prevent errors in data collection, please double check your spelling of the title and author.

NEW: Would you like to ask the author you are reading (or just finished reading) a question? Type !invite in your comment and we will reach out to them to request they join us for a community Ask Me Anything event!

-Your Friendly /r/books Moderator Team

[u/FAT_Sammie232]

Finished:

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (after putting off forever only to instantly like)

Stoner by John Williams (new favorite book, what a classic)

Started:

Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

[u/Disastrous-Garage272 → u/FAT_Sammie232]

I finished Stoner the other day too! I didn't expect to be teary-eyed at the end when I started it.

[u/TsarevichIvanovich]

Finished Project Hail Mary

Reading Count of Monte Cristo

[u/lexiebeef]

Finished “Master and Margarita” (Mikhail Bulgakov) and absolutely loved it. I spent the night reading more about Bulgakov’s life to properly understand the parallels between the book and his life and I’m loving the book even more with this added context.

I will start “The Bell Jar” today. It’s a holiday in my country and the weather is great so I will have a whole day of reading in the sun.

Afterwards, I will either read “The Road” or “Giovanni’s Room”, depending on my mood

[u/kwickedbonesc]

Finished Little Women By Louisa May Alcott. First read, left the book loving Amy.

Going to start And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie this week. Gotta get in the Halloween spirit!

[u/zabroccoli12]

finished: The Magician's Nephew, by C.S. Lewis

started: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

started: Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte

[u/StraightUpSeven]

Finished: The Crucible, by Arthur Miller

A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K Le Guin

Started: A Portrait of The Artist as A Young Man, by James Joyce

[u/99SOLACE]

Finished:

1984 - George Orwell (5/5)

White Nights - Dostoevsky (3/5)

Started:

Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy

[u/AlanMercer]

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

[u/strangeMeursault2]

Finished

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter- Stephen Graham Jones

This wasn't really the kind of book that I normally go for but I gave it a shot and it was a fun little read. I really enjoyed the main part of it, though it was a bit predictable. ⭐⭐⭐

I Who Have Never Known Men - Jaqueline Harpan

I knocked this over in one day and really liked it. Great vibes and I appreciated having so much left open to interpretation. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Started

Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry

Another meme book, and high expectations. I just picked this up off the top of my reading pile so we'll see how it goes. The first few pages have been okay.

[u/Adobophotoshop → u/strangeMeursault2]

I also just started reading Lonesome Dove! Hoping it lives up to my expectations.

[u/jerpyderpy → u/strangeMeursault2]

Another meme book, and high expectations

i picked it up because of the hype it gets online (and the pulitzer didn't hurt) and was so blown away by how much i loved it. so jealous of people reading it for the first time

[u/dlt-cntrl]

Finished:

The Miss Marple short stories by Agatha Christie

These were at the end of a boxed set, there were some famous stories and some that is never come across. All were entertaining.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

I had never thought of reading this before, then someone recommended it to me. I was struggling with the current book and as it was only 98 pages I thought I'd give it a go. It was beautifully written, and an interesting snapshot into a time that I knew nothing about. I don't think that I got as much out of the story as others may have, yes it was sad but I don't feel like I connected with the main characters enough for it to affect me on an emotional level.

Started:

The Sacred Art of Stealing by Christopher Brookmyre

The problem with reading an authors entire works is that sometimes you have to go back to earlier stories and the writing style. CB has a very 'ranty' style early on, and going back to that is a bit jarring. Consequently, I've struggled with this one.

We're back with Angelique De Xavier, she's getting over what happened in the last book but feeling very jaded. She's then tasked with finding an audacious bank robber, who she starts to feel a strange attraction to.

It's okay so far, I'll continue with it as they tend to get better as the story goes on.

[u/lazylittlelady]

Finished:

Ararat, by Christopher Golden: Continuing my spooky season reads. This had an interesting premise but I couldn’t help but think the ending was predictable and didn’t stack up. Still, a quick read for mountain lovers and those interested in Biblical lore.

The Books of Jacob, by Olga Tokarczuk: Read with r/bookclub. This was a very interesting and richly layered historical fiction. It was based on the life of the real Jacob Frank and as such, has many interesting byways based on Tokarczuk’s research. A tome!

Ongoing:

The House of Doors, by Tan Twang Eng: Just started on r/bookclub for Read the World Malaysia!

Death With Interruptions, by Jose Saramago: Starting soon on r/bookclub.

Augustine: Conversions and Confessions, by Robin Lane Fox

The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas: Yearlong read with r/AReadingofMonteCristo .

Middlemarch, by George Eliot : Yearlong reading with r/ayearofmiddlemarch.

Midnight in Cairo: The Female Stars of Egypt’s Roaring ‘20’s, by Raphael Cormack

Started:

The Bacchae, by Euripides : Reading with r/bookclub!

[u/elemenozed]

Finished: 

East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Loved it! I see why everyone here recommends it. I watched the trailer for the netfix movie and decided I never want to see it, as it won't do the depth justice. 

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. I liked it, more like 4 out of 5 stars for my level of enjoyment, which is obviously subjective. 

Started: 

The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. 

Against Convenience by Gabe Bullard. 

[u/Silver-Description29]

Currently Reading:

East of Eden by John Steinbeck - I’m 500 pages in and I’m staggered in every way. It’s on my favourite books of all time list, that’s for sure. I’d previously only read Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck, and that has a special place in my heart too. Will absolutely have to pick up Grapes of Wrath soon.

The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman - 70% of the way through the audiobook. The novel has zero plot and I hate to say it… zero vibes???

Finished:

Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo (3.25/3.5) - far too much going on.

[u/dustinkdkl]

Finished:

Darkness Take My Hand, by Dennis LeHane (4/5)

Finished right at the start of the week. My 4th LeHane, 2nd Kenzie/Gennaro. I like a thriller and I grew up in New England, so I’ve been really enjoying his stuff.

The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett (5/5)

I spent most of last week unexpectedly out of state after my disabled father was admitted to the hospital. Days were spent figuring out logistics for him as we got word he’ll need more surgery and go from being a below-the-knee to above-the-knee amputee and logistics for my 90 year old grandmother with dementia. At night when I was physically and emotionally exhausted, I’d force myself to read a little. This quirky, feel-good/feel-sad novel kept me anchored as I drifted in my sea of despair. I even audibly laughed a few times. Sometimes art finds you at the perfect time.

Started

Pet Sematary, by Stephen King

Spooky season is here.

[u/engchica]

Finished:

Hollywood, Ending, by John Green

Crone, by Keith Rosson

Started:

Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson

[u/adamh909]

Finished:

Exit Party - Emily St John Mandel 7.5/10

Africa is Not a Country - Dipo Faloyin 9/10

Started:

There is No Antimemetics Division - QNTM

[u/SparrowArrow27]

Finished:

Beloved, by Toni Morrison

Started:

Between Two Fires, by Christopher Buehlman

[u/ett-hus-i-skogen]

Finished:

The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson

Started:

Dracula, by Bram Stoker

[u/CameHereTSayThis]

Finished:

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

Started:

The Stand by Stephen King

[u/chipsandsalsa03]

Finished
The God in the woods by Liz Moore

Started
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Strangers by Belle Burden

[u/Eorel]

Finished: Mossflower by Brian Jacques (book 2 of the Redwall series). 4.5/5 stars, really good, much better than book 1.

I started... The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown. Because right now I want something that doesn't require a lot of brainpower.

[u/ScaleVivid]

Finished:

End of Watch by Stephen King

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

HorrorStor by Grady Hendrix

Up next:

I have a six hour drive from Az to Ca on Wed so I plan on listening to:

How To Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

I’m going to take a bag of books with me, since I’m a mood reader and I’m going to support my family as my mom has receive a late stage Parkinson’s w/dementia diagnosis. I know I’ll have time to read, and I’ll need the escape, I’m just not sure what I’ll be in the mood for.
Maybe I should tackle some of my non fiction science/nature/history.

[u/dakky68]

Started and finished: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Hated it.

Started: Fast Times at Ridgemont High by Cameron Crowe.

Still reading: 1984 by George Orwell.

[u/lesdeuxchatons]

Finished: What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

Started: Absolution by Jeff Vandermeer

[u/smelooch]

Currently Reading 📚:

Beloved, by Toni Morrison
Bonk, by Mary Roach
The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu

Finished ✅:
The Reformatory, by Tananarive Due
We Carry Their Bones, by Erin Kimmerle
Swallows, by Natsuo Karino
The Husbands, by Holly Gramazio

From the finished list, I think the combo of The Reformatory and We Carry Their Bones stick with me the most!

[u/Sinnerandsmoke]

Finished: The Disappearers by Marlon James and The Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Started: Switzy by Emma Cline

also I met my annual reading goal last week so good for me.

[u/rutfilthygers]

Finished: Free Food for Millionaires, by Min Jin Lee

Very disappointing. Too many characters and sideplots that got too little attention from the author, all leading up to a big nothing of an ending for the unlikable protagonist.

Finished: Rock*, by Chuck Klosterman

A truly odd book, presented as an alternate history from a timeline where Velvet Underground and The Beatles essentially swap places in the popular imagination. Full of little jokes only someone as obsessive as Chuck Klosterman could possibly find funny.

Started; IT, by Stephen King

I've somehow read over 50 Stephen King novels without reading this one.

[u/slimfatgirl]

Finished Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman.

Started 1984 by George Orwell

[u/Wen60s]

Finished The Book Thief by Zusak (5+) and The Exit Party by Mandel (4.5*)
Started The Frozen River by Lawhon

[u/Royal-Analysis7380 → u/Wen60s]

The book thief is honestly so good, glad you liked it!

[u/Horror_Score_9560]

I finished reading East of Eden, by John Steinbeck and thought it was incredible.

I have now started rereading Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen. It just blows my mind it was written over 200 years ago, and remains so humorous and feels contemporary.

I finished listening to Bury My Bones in the Midnight Soil, by V. E. Schwab. It was not my cup of tea.

I have begun listening to John of John, by Douglas Stuart, which I’m much preferring, not just for the delightful Scottish accent of the narrator!

[u/Gwaur]

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley

Finished. Seeing the name "Frankenstein" on the page every now and then was always a bit eerie. For the other characters and the original readers of the book, that name is probably just a random name among random names. But for us, 200 years later, the name Frankenstein is soooooo loaded and heavy and filled with popular culture associations and laden with references that it sticks out every time it's mentioned. All the way to the end I couldn't see the word "Frankenstein" and not sense a taste of doom in it.

But it was also kinda fun to read it, because even if everyone knows the premise that there's a guy named Frankenstein that brings life to a cadaver, that can't be the whole story. That's an individual event, a plot point at most, not the plot. So I'm happy to finally have learned and experienced the actual story.

On the other hand, pretty much everything about the story was prett-eeeee different from what I thought it was going to be; I'm sure my expectation was based on the 200 years of movies and other popular culture that expand on and modify Frankenstein rather than more-or-less-faithfully adapt the original.

Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

Started. Got nothing to say yet.

[u/baelorthebest]

Finished _ lord of the rings

Thinking to start east of Eden or middle march or wuthering heights

[u/riuvenn]

Finished: Dawn, by Octavia E. Butler

Started: Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett

[u/melonofknowledge]

I had a decent reading week, mostly spurred on by procrastination, alas.

Finished:

Piñen, by Daniela Catrileo

The Witch, by Marie NDiaye

A Healthy Appetite, by Katie Huttlestone

Pain Sluts, by Siân Hughes

The first and last are both short story collections, and I enjoyed them a lot, especially Pain Sluts (which has an annoyingly 'provocative' title that doesn't really do justice to the book itself.) I absolutely hated The Witch; thought it was complete nonsense, and I can only assume that the sole reason it was nominated for the International Booker is because it's extremely French, almost to the point of parody.

Continuing:

How the One Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, by Cherie Jones

I can only read about 10 pages of this at a time because the misery is so unrelenting. I'm not sure it's going to come together into something I actually enjoy any time soon, but I've fallen into the sunk cost fallacy at this point. Plus it's my entry for Barbados in my ongoing challenge to read a book by a woman from every country in the world, and in the spirit of the challenge, I do try and persevere with the ones I don't really enjoy.

Started:

No Sweetness Here, by Ama Ata Aidoo

My entry for Ghana in the above challenge. Short stories, only read one so far but I like it - the register is very colloquial in a way that makes it easy reading despite the fact that a lot of the themes are quite dense.

[u/Main-Acanthisitta653]

Finished:
To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf
The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
The Death of Ivan Ilyich (and other stories), by Leo Tolstoy

Started:
Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison

[u/Potential-Cat1028]

Finished : Revival by Stephen King.

[u/saj213]

Started: A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr

25 pages in. I did find it really difficult to get in to the book, but I carried on. Would give it a rating of 6/10 so far, although I do think that it’s starting to pick up.

[u/Cailleachcailin]

Paused The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood

Started Strange is the Light - Sarah Maria Griffin

[u/martywolfp]

Finished:
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Continuing:
The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo

Started:
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

[u/nakia_volaris]

Finished:
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Damiana by Lilly Manning
Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

Started:
Hungerstone by Kat Dunn
Dracula by Bram Stoker

[u/flouronmypjs]

Finished:

The Water Outlaws, by S.L. Huang - it was okay. The premise of this book sounded right up my alley but the way it was executed fell a bit flat for me.

Mestra, by Madeline Miller - a fantastic new short story from Madeline Miller. I liked this even more than Galatea.

A Contract in Sol Forne, by Élan Marché and Christopher Warman - the second book in the Eight Chant series. I thought this was fantastic right up until the end of the book which felt a bit underwhelming to me. Still overall a very positive experience and I'm shocked that more people haven't read this great series. Vaelin was such a fun character to follow in this one.

Started:

A Rescue in Vizen, by Élan Marché and Christopher Warman - the third book in the Eight Chant series and so far it is great. Each book in the series seems to broaden the scope significantly which is an interesting choice. I'm curious to see where this goes.

Dnf:

The Life and Opinions of Tomcat Murr, by E.T.A. Hoffman - I didn't know about the format here where some of the book is the memoirs of a cat and then at random intervals it switches to an unpublished biography of a composer. I found that super dull and jarring. Dnf very early on.

[u/Sandra_y33]

Finished: Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

Started: The Final Six by Akinari Asakura

Started: The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

[u/HollzStars]

Finished:

The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

Currently reading:
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (paused)
The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
The Magicians by Lev Grossman

[u/AprilDespair]

A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie.

[u/SeveralMarionberry]

Finished:
Just Kids by Patti Smith — (re-read) I listened to the audiobook this time and it broke my heart in two. I was so happy to hear it in her own voice.

84, Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff — lovely, delightful, worth all the hype and then some. A perfect, cozy read with a cup of tea and a warm blanket on a blustery fall day.

Started:
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion — it’s been on my shelf for years and I’m just picking it up. Someone said that it helped them make sense of what’s going on in the world now and I am here for it

[u/HooverGaveNobodyBeer]

Finished: Taipei Story by R. F. Kuang – This took me a while to get into, and now I'm wondering if my initial knee-jerk negative reaction was subconsciously recognizing a funhouse mirror of my own study abroad experience. Was I really THIS insufferable in college? Probably. I would've preferred a stronger plot over the vignette structure, and the pithy ending lines for the sections were a tad much sometimes. But the rupture in the narrator's identity that occurs after she is ostracized and her grandfather dies gave this a satisfying arc. 

Started: Nevada by Imogen Binnie – Unlike my previous read, this hooked me immediately. I recently had a discussion about how we need more queer literature that is focused on the everyday rather than grand trauma but doesn't perpetuate the fantasy that homophobia doesn't exist. So far is an example of exactly what I was talking about. OMG, I love this book!!!

[u/isle_say]

This week I started reading ‘The Gales of November’ by John U. Bacon. It is the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a Great Lake freighter that sank in a storm November 10, 1975. All 29 men on board died. The event was immortalized by the song ‘The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald’ by Gordon Lightfoot which includes the lines
‘That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early’. Hence the title.
It’s a really good read with lots of background about the industrial heartland around the Great Lakes and the water craft that used the Great Lakes to move goods.
I enjoy this genre. Is it called light historical? The author is more journalist than academic. The story moves along briskly and it’s a good read.

[u/BadToTheTrombone]

Finished All Them Dogs by Djamel White.

Started and finished The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin.

Started and finished Junky by William Burroughs.

Started Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

[u/Detective_Sonny]

Finished: Incidents Around the House, by Josh Malerman

Started: Dracula, by Bram Stoker

[u/bklingler89]

Finished: Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke

Started: The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

[u/fireninside26]

Finished: I who have never known men Started: Rouge

[u/Sunny_Leo22]

Finished:

Blood Over Brighthaven, by M.L Wang

Loved! No notes!

I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman

Didn’t love, but I think I had high expectations and the book just wasn’t for me.

The Ever King, by LJ Andrews

Fine. A little predicable, but still a fun time.

Started:

The Knave and The Moon, by Rachel Gillig.

[u/Mountain_beans]

Finished:

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson Didn’t love it as much as Mistborn it felt more slow paced. 

Started: 

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson  I’m excited to see how this story wraps up but I have a gut feeling a lot of people are going to die.

[u/adorkablegiant]

I finished "A Short Stay In Hell" and it was incredible.

I just started Redshirts because I saw someone say that if you are a Star Trek fan you would love the book and that's all I needed to hear. So far I am loving it.

[u/fishblahp]

Finished:

Night Sky with Exit Wounds, by Ocean Vuong (5 stars)

Currently Reading:

The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead

Started:

What Moves the Dead, by T Kingfisher

We're Not Broken, by Eric Garcia

[u/BlackRaspberryJammin]

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

Actually, in the middle. I read it a long long time ago but only to the middle. When it got to the the French Revolution I dropped out but I am getting close to that point and this time I will read it to the end.

The best part about reading is the books!

[u/National_Head_3678]

Finished;

Something Wicked this way comes - Ray Bradbury

The Woman in Black - Susan Hill

Halloween Party - Agatha Christie

Joe Country - Mick Herron

Started:

The Stand - Stephen King

The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury

[u/Early-Scarcity-9101]

Finished:  Morning Star, by Pierce Brown (Book 3 of the Red Rising Saga, first trilogy). I found it to be an enjoyable conclusion to the initial trilogy. Not sure I will move on to the next 3 books. Can anyone recommend them?

Re-reading (via audio book): Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by JK Rowling

Started: The Book Witch, by Meg Shaffer

[u/Weary-Pin-5753]

Finished: East of Eden, John Steinbeck (I’m in pieces)

[u/QubitBob]

Fiinished:

Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro

This is the third novel by Ishiguro I have read this year. I read The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go earlier this year.

Started:

The Running Grave, by J.K. Rowling (Robert Galbraith).

I have read all of the books in the Cormoran Strike series up to this title.

[u/Icy-Respond-4425]

Finished:

The Prude and the Prodigal by Barbara Cartland - I really was in the side of the FMC in the first half but later when you get more context she just gets insufferable. I really didn't like the decision of the MMC "forcing" her to marry. I was hoping more of this book, tho is very short, 2.5/5

Farewell Summer (Green town #3) by Ray Bradbury - Such a short and sweet story. I don't know what else to say. I do highly recommend if someone wants a short book. This one was also easier to read than Dandelion Wine. 4/5

The lost stories (ranger's apprentice #11) by John Flanagan - I loved this book, definitely my favorite format of the series, it works really well. It was so heartbreaking to see how Will's mother and father died, and how Halt taken him. Gilan appearance after I don't know so many books? Appreciated. I wish in the weddings part they focused more in the wedding itself than someone trying to sabotage. Will's wedding felt really short unfortunately. Will and Alyss searching for Ebony was definitely one of my favorite stories of this book, wish we had more in previous book. Tug's story was really sad. 4.5/5

Overall, I really loved this series, I think it does have my favorite banter in literature. I wish I had knownabout them earlier. Thanks random book generator to help me find them. I won't read The royal ranger series after the spoilers I got. I will probably read Halt's duology and be done with it.

No.44 the mysterious stranger by Mark Twain - I really have a hard time to grasp about what the dream self and waking self means. I will definitely re-read the part about the explanation of them, I found it very cool. The Marget, August and Emil was a really funny part, very sad she prefers only the dream self, while her dream self prefers August, the waking self. No.44 is a very peculiar character, apparently the less harsh of the 3 versions of the mysterious stranger, and a formidable last lines in the book. I'm glad I read it. 4/5

The evil shepherd by E. Philips Oppenheim - Kinda disappointed. I thought it would be more trying to find who is the culprit, but still an enjoyable book. I don't know else what to say about it. 3.5/5

Currently:

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - I will take my time with this, with another read in side. Really insightful book.

[u/RandomnewUser_22]

finally starting Dracula

[u/Familiar-Ad127sc]

Finished I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney

I did not enjoy this book. What other people found unique or inspirational, I found more than a little cliched and maudlin. So many of these tropes have been done before, and better. Person going to funerals of people they don't know. Done before. The manic pixie dream girl. So over done that I'm shocked an editor allowed that to be included. The precocious insightful child with an unbelievable vocabulary? Yep. Done before too. Oh, and don't forget the inspirational disabled person. Check! They even had the sassy co-worker with a heart of gold. I appreciated that the book was short.

[u/GhostInTheLibrary1]

Finished: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. A satirical, chaotic, and philosophical take on the cyberpunk genre. The meta verse and the virtual reality writing in the book may be a bit dated, but it was still interesting to read about in the context of being written in the 90s before VR was a semi-common thing. Ending was a bit abrupt and not overly satisfying, but I didnt mind too much as the concepts and ideas of the book were the strong points that kept me glued to the pages till the end.

Started: Legion by William Peter Blatty. Read the original Excorist years ago and wasn't aware there was a sequel to the book till recently. This book is a little different atmosphere wise, as its more of a murder mystery story with horror elements than a full on psycholgical horror of the original exorcist. Curious to see how the book holds up to the original and if its as scary as the original.

[u/brappbrap]

Finally finished The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin

I really didn't think I was enjoying it and I found it a tough read but thought it ended really strongly and now I kind of miss reading it

And I started Spook Country by William Gibson and am flying through it

[u/Pugilist12]

Finished: Damascus Station (McCloskey) - fairly standard CIA/espionage yarn. Decent popcorn but I thought it was kinda basic.

Started: The Caine Mutiny (Wouk) - Really liking this so far. Story is about a small navy ship in WW2 and the men who work it and their unreasonable Captain. Looking forward to seeing where it all goes.

[u/s-nsh-n-]

Guess I'm getting in the spirit of the season with a vampire kick. This week I've started:

Fledgling, by Octavia Butler

and

The Gilda Tales, by Jewelle Gomez

Excited to see how these authors weave culture, history, and surprise into such a traditional subject.

[u/studmuffffffin]

Finished V. by Thomas Pynchon

This is the third Pynchon novel I’ve read after lot 49 and gravity’s rainbow. I am not smart enough for his books. It feels like the next sentence doesn’t fit with the one before it. Like the sentences are out of place. I can’t keep track of all the crazy names. Stories switch around seemingly at random. And it’s so frustrating because my friends talk about these books like they’re masterpieces and I want to fit in but all I can remember is stencil is looking for V in Malta and profane is fighting alligators in New York and has like 3 different women and one wants a nose job because she looks too Jewish but I can’t remember which one.

[u/Wonderful-Truck-3301]

Finished 38/52:

Ragtime, by E. L. Doctorow

historical fiction that blends real historical figures with fictional characters in NYC 1902- 1915.

Started book 39/52:

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride

Jewish immigrants and African Americans live side by side, sharing hardships and fighting against the prejudices of white Christian America

[u/Ornery-Gap-9755]

Had a lot of life stuff take over this week, which resulted in less reading time than usual.

Finished

Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke

What a rollercoaster ride, I have no clue how i feel about this book or it's character's, probably never will unless i get a physical copy and reread, it might be one of those books (for me) where a reread is necessary to understand how i feel about it but on a week where I had next to no reading time it definitely hooked me right till the end

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, by Becky Chambers

Ongoing

A Dance with Dragons, by George R.R Martin (Audiobook)

Bookshops & Bonedust, by Travis Baldree (Started Yesterday)

[u/doctorbonkers]

Finished:

Iraq + 100: the First Anthology of Science Fiction to Have Emerged from Iraq, by Hassan Blasim

The Scandalous Letters of V and J, by Felicia Davin

Started:

Blacktail, by Scott Hawkins

[u/kangkongkang]

Finished: Vigil by George Saunders Started: Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman

[u/Peggerzz]

The Rachel Incident, by Caroline O’Donoghue

[u/Impossible_Bus8014]

Finished : The Everlasting by Alix Harrow

Started: Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

[u/duvetmonster05]

Finished: the Dutch house by Ann patchett
The narrator at times frustrated me and the ending was not what I expected - but overall a good book.

Started: restaurant kid by Rachel Phan

[u/TravelFan12345]

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, by Anne Brontë

[u/certainly_imperfect]

Started Angels and Demons 3 days ago. Finished it like 5 min ago, and then I opened this app and saw this post 😄

[u/Lovealltigers]

Started: The Corespondent by Virginia Evans. I think it’s an easy read so far, but man is the main character unlikable. I’m a third of the way through, the format is very interesting and makes for a quick read so I’ll probably finish this today. (Edit: I have now hit the halfway mark and I’m very invested in Sybil and her life. I understand the hype now, but I feel the whole cat incident was very unneeded)

The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows, sequel to The Orphan Queen. The Orphan Queen wasn’t anything special, but still a fun time. I feel like this book is boring though, and everything to do with the wraith boy is really weird to me. I’m giving it to the halfway point before I drop it.

Firestar’s Quest by Erin Hunter. This is my first super edition in my Warriors reread and it’s very enjoyable, I love Firestar so I’m glad to read from his POV again.

DNF: The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M Graff. The format was unfortunately not working for me, I couldn’t remember names or connect the people and stories together.

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I will probably come back to this one, I wasn’t expecting all the violence against women and I wasn’t really in the mood to read all of that, there’s enough of it in real life right now.

[u/watervapour_7237]

Finished:

Rebirth by Jahnavi Barua

The book is about an expecting mom, Kaberi talking to her unborn child in her womb, while dealing with her husband's infidelity and abuse, loss of her childhood bestfriend and her father's death.

Started:

To the Elephant Graveyard by Tarquin Hall

It is a real life story of a hunt for a man-killing elephant who is referred to as 'the rogue', who had killed more than 30 people in the North East Indian state of Assam. The book also delves into culture and traditions of Assam, the geography, elephants and the mahouts.

[u/Disastrous-Garage272]

I am Legend, by Richard Matheson

Way, way better than the Will Smith movie by the same name (they're pretty much two different stories). Loved the everyman narrative and ending.

[u/Thomas_teh_tank]

Finished: East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

Started: Kingdom of Ash, by Sarah J. Maas

[u/lizwithhat]

Finished:

Everfair, by Nisi Shawl

Liked the alt-history aspect, especially the inclusion of multiple diverging perspectives; steampunk continues not to do much for me, but that isn't Shawl's fault.

The Autobiography of Mother Jones, by Mary Harris Jones

Interesting from a labour history point of view. I get the impression I would have found Jones difficult in person, but I may be projecting: she reminds me too much of my own mother in her union organiser phase.

The Monument: The Story of the Socialist Party of Great Britain, by Robert Barltrop

More history, very entertainingly told.

Capitalist China and Socialist Revolution, by Simon Hannah

Basic overview of how and why China reintroduced capitalism. Unfortunately it needed better proofreading, but as someone whose education on history and politics basically ended with 1949, I found it useful.

Kein Kompromiß, Kein Wahlbündnis, by Wilhelm Liebknecht

Goodreads tells me the English title is "No Compromise, No Political Trading", but imo "No Electoral Alliance" would be a more accurate translation of the second half. It's a classic on socialist electoral strategy, but rather hard going due to its 19th-century German style and heavy reliance on contextual knowledge.

Started:

Ungleich vereint, by Steffen Mau

Falling Into Rarohenga, by Steph Matuku

[u/fictionwho]

Finished:
The name of the wind, by Patrick Rothfuss

Started:
Dragonfly in Amber, by Diana Gabaldon

[u/Toastologies]

Finished:  The Witch by Ndiaye - I loved the atmosphere and premise of this, the overall theme of a woman's agency was very thought provoking but I thought it finished too abruptly. 3/5 

Taiwan Travelogue by Yang Shuang-zi - A bit of meta fiction, I thought it captured the complicated nature of a relationship challenged by a power dynamic very well. The food descriptions were mouth watering but I don't know if the book deserves all of the awards imho, it still felt like high brow Yuri. 3.5/5

About to finish:  The Director by Daniel Kehlmann - Thoroughly enjoying this so far!

Next book: Dooneen by Keith Ridgeway - has been on by TBR for a few months now 

[u/MrFreeman95]

Finished: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Started: Legion by William Peter Blatty

[u/Katographerquinn]

Finished: Buffalo Hunter Hunter Started: Clown in a cornfield

[u/BuyFlat7207]

Finished Outlander which was a great story with fascinating characters

Started The Count of Monte Cristo because of so much praise on Reddit. Wow! Now I understand why

[u/JSB19]

Finished- The Dark Tower and The Talisman by Stephen King (and Peter Straub), finished my emotional journey to the Dark Tower and now it’s on to the Territories!

Cursed Twice

Vicious by V.E.Schwab, great dark supervillain tale.

Starting- Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub, another underrated gem to read, one more book to go before the finale is FINALLY here!

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab, another middle entry to enjoy before the finale is out on the sixth

[u/AlphaPointOhFive]

Continued: The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas - Year-long Reddit read, Gutenberg version. Falling behind again.

Finished: The Butcher's Masquerade, by Matt Dinniman - Library holds caught up, finished just in time.

Started: The Only Way Out is Up, by Django Wexler - Robot Pokemon/Real Steel battles progression fantasy.

[u/canadia80]

Finished: Under The Dome, by Stephen King this was a long one! I've heard ppl didn't like the ending but I was fine with it. Frustrating in some parts this one paid off. Glad I read it.

Started: Skeleton Crew, by Stephen King 18th in a row here, loving it so far :)

[u/HotDamnThatsMyJam]

Finished:

A Wrinkle in the Skin by John Christopher

I recently read and enjoyed The Death of Grass by the same author but think I might prefer this. The images of a world racked by catastrophic earthquakes, of the protagonist's walk across a drained English Channel will stick with me. And while I had some reservations early on about how the narrator was characterising some of the women characters I think ultimately that was on purpose and part of the protagonist's character development, as he's later witness to the horrors of a world gone to ruin.

Rocannon's World by Ursula Le Guin

I don't really like being too critical of Le Guin, I've come the conclusion she's just a better writer than I am a reader, which isn't surprising really. I often feel like she could make the same points, but maybe do so by telling a slightly more interesting story, and that's why my favourite SF work of hers is TWFWIF, where I felt she really took the gloves off and let some things blow up. I did like Rocannon's World especially towards the end, it's not a long book but it feels longer than it is, for better or worse.

And reread The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman on audiobook.

Just wanted to be fresh on this when the sequel comes out this month. Still very enjoyable, slightly deflates on the back end.

Started:

Heavy Weather by Bruce Sterling

Mixed bag so far. I'm probably not the biggest fan of cyberpunk but I read Involution Ocean by Sterling and loved it, and I was sold on this by the promise of giant tornadoes. I'm about a quarter of the way in and I have no idea what anyone's motivations are so looking forward to finding out what this book is actually about.

[u/BadToTheTrombone → u/HotDamnThatsMyJam]

"A better writer than I am reader".

I must remember this as I sometimes feel like I know I'm reading good writing, but it's not really resonating.

[u/Weak-Chemical3759]

FINISHED:
Verity by Colleen Hoover: My first and last book by her. The hype with her writing and books are not worth it IMO. Felt like 50 Shades combined with Twilight.
The Whisper Man by Alex North: I really enjoyed this one! 4/5 stars

STARTED:
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

[u/Hala_Madrid996]

I finished The Road and i started Salem's Lot and The Brothers Karamazov

[u/ChoiceBet2997]

Finished -

Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby
3* It was decent but didn’t get the hype around it. Fits into the generic enjoyable but forgettable thriller for me.

White Nights, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
3* I’ll probably get shade for this. My first experience with Dostoyevsky but not with Russian literature. Again, I enjoyed it but it didn’t change my life. Won’t be my last attempt at his work but hoping to have a better experience next time. Suggestions welcome.

I’m Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
4.5* This one did stay with me and I would recommend to those who are a fan of memoirs (even though I’m typically not). I enjoyed the writing style and felt emotionally invested in her journey.

Started-

Violets Are Blue, by James Patterson
Step 7 of my Alex Cross journey.

[u/ProudCaliMama68]

Finished a rereading of Pride and Prejudice yesterday and started a rereading of Mansfield Park today.

[u/0range_julius]

I started and finished Astarion, by T Kingfisher even though it is wildly outside of the genres I normally read, because I'm a huge fan of BG3. I wasn't expecting it to be super high quality and was ready to just enjoy some fanservice, but it was surprisingly terrible!

[u/Hanilu]

Finished: the Song of Achilles

Currently: Wreck -Catherine Newman

[u/InterviewUnable479]

Finished: The Underground
Railroad by Colston Whitehead.

Currently reading: The Antidote by Karen Russel.

Started in the antebellum south, now moved up to the dust bowl of the 1930s Midwest. What should I read next to stay on theme?

[u/Mundane-Shame333]

Finished: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy -book club read, atmospheric mystery set at the end of the world.

Started: A Botanical Daughter by Noah Medlock - kind of like Frankenstein with plants in theme, so far going well.

Still "reading" (audiobook): The Farthest Shore by Ursula K Leguin - fantasy classic, have a feeling I know how it ends though.

[u/Equivalent_Lunch_944]

Finished: The Key, by Junichiro Tanzinaki

Interesting book. It’s told in the form of 2 diaries of a husband and wife in a languishing marriage. They start resorting to unconventional methods to rekindle their sex lives that involves some deceit. It’s fun in how it plays with unconventional narration, where you can never really trust what a character is saying and what their intentions are for saying it. It was a short read and stuck the landing. I’d recommend it but thought Naomi and Some Prefer Nettles were better, but it’s nice to have read enough Tanzinaki to start to get a better sense of him. He’s a pretty darkly funny writer who doesn’t treat his characters particularly well.

Starting: Diary of a Mad Old Man, by Junichiro Tanzinaki

I bought a 2 in 1 book and this is the other novel. It’s starting to pick up. I think The Key had better momentum, but I think Diary of a Mad Old Man has a bit more acclaim. A little similar in that it’s told through diary entries and there’s a lot of duplicitous characters. Tanzinaki is pretty horned up, and he might be at his most horned up in this. It’s pretty classically Japanese, in how focuses a lot on fading power and modernization. I don’t think this one will be a favourite but I do appreciate his writing.

[u/KenchiNarukami]

Does Manga count?
If it does, The Apothacary Diaries Vols 7 and 8 and Show white with red hair vol 11

[u/Winslar]

Finished: Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham
Started: Peril at End House by Agatha Christie

[u/iplaybassok89]

Continuing on my Richard Yates retrospective. This guy truly was a master of his craft. Clear, concise and easy to read and just a remarkably observant and empathetic writer.

Read Disturbing the Piece and The Easter Parade last week and am just about finished with Revolutionary Road, which is an old favourite of mine I had read many years ago, long enough that a lot of it feels very fresh.

I can’t begin to describe how good these books have been. Rev Road has been great but I’d expected that. I was not ready for how devastating The Easter Parade was. In a first for me, when Emily gets the call near the end of the book about Sarah, my eyes started leaking and I stopped reading for the night. Without a word of a lie this might be one of the most unexpectedly deep and affecting works I’ve ever read and may be Yates’ masterpiece.

Cold Spring Harbor is next, I have A Special Providence and Young Hearts Crying on their way to me. I’ve never read an authors entire oeuvre one right after the other but it might happen with Yates.

[u/Bulky_Share9202]

Just finished The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. It was very compelling

[u/BlackberryOkay]

Started: Parable of the Sower!!!

[u/iwasjusttwittering]

Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

Continued (30%).

What kind of creatures are we?, by Noam Chomsky

Revisited. A short collection of essays on fundamental questions that motivate Chomsky's life work. Three on philosophy of science.

Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, by Bill McKibben

Finished.

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, by Eliezer Yudkowsky

Finished

[u/seven_seacat]

Trad Wife, by Saratoga Schaefer

You could sort of see how it was going to end as soon as events started happening. Still a fun little read, I was on a plane and I think someone was shoulder surfing my Kindle - yeah I don’t think they’ll be doing that again

[u/Overall_Sandwich_848]

DNF The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer. Stopped at 200 pages, one of the worst books I have ever read, hated it.

[u/Purple_Traveler]

Finished:

A Drop of Corruption, by Robert Jackson Bennett

Started:

The Stand, by Stephen King

[u/FlyByTieDye]

Paradiso, by Dante Alighieri, translation by Robin Kirkpatrick. More specifically, I'm the kind of person who reads the introduction of a classic before reading the classic, so this week I finished all the essays by Kirkpatrick before reading any of the poetic verse. Will hopefully be good to have my head around it before I start.

[u/ka1t1ej0]

Continuing:

Femina, by Janina Ramirez

Super interesting read and I’m really enjoying it as part of my non-fiction kick lately.

Started:

Bag of Bones, by Stephen King

This is a reread. I’m a huge King fan and need something to fit the mood of spooky season

[u/The_Bran_9000]

Finished: Crime & Punishment

Starting: Sabriel and Other Worlds Than These 👀

[u/MarlKarx-1818]

Finished: Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves

This book was such an emotional read. Really lyrical and how it was written and the audiobook narrator was superb. It made me think a lot about life and death, and about family. As someone with a young daughter, it also wrecked me at parts.

Started: Exit Strategy by Martha Wells.

The thing of thing I needed to read after such an emotionally raw read. Light, funny, has sarcastic robots, a good way to take an emotional break before the next book. I’ve read the first 3 novellas and while not what I gravitate to normally, they’ve bee a fun read

[u/mimeycat]

Today’s books:

• Audio - Strange Houses by Uketsu
  
• Unshrinking by Kate Manne
  
• Ebook - The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle by TL Huchu
  
• Physical - Crimes Against Humanity by Geoffrey Robertson

[u/Larielis]

Started-

"Unicorn Hunters" by Katherine Arden

[u/DrunkenDuck68]

Finished: London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe. Thought it was like the movies of the same name (ie US president getting kidnapped or something) but it was a fascinating true story about the death of a young man impersonating the son of a Russian oligarch.

Started: Without a Trace by Susannah Glenn. About half way through and enjoying the plot progression

[u/WarmLion9400]

Finished:

The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer. Loved this book, was a prolific read for me.

Started:

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig. An easy read, and I’ve been enjoying more fantasy books recently!

[u/mahtab_eb]

Finished: Slewfoot by Brom

Started: The Haar by David Sodergren

[u/razvangry]

Finished Wayward Pines book 1 by Blake Crouch

Started We are Bob by Dennis E Taylor

[u/tomwaitsgoatee]

Finished:

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, by Becky Chambers

Started:

Enchanted Wales: Myth and Magic in Welsh Storytelling, by Miranda Aldhouse-Green

The Mercy of Gods, by James S.A. Corey

[u/mylittlemy]

Finished:

The empire of Gold by S. A. Chakraborty

Started

The name game by beth o leary

[u/BRiNk9]

Started

Ring by Koji Suzuki

• Can't believe I'm rooting for the ghost or whatever to get these two.

Finished

• Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb by David C. Cassidy
• Tiberius by Robert Seager
• Tenochtitlan 1519–1521 by Si Sheppard

[u/jaffatwo]

Finish: The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir
Started: East of Eden by John Steinbeck

[u/Groundbreaking_Art77]

Finished:

Big Little Truths, by Liane Moirty

Started:

Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

[u/GeneFrequent8786]

May We Feed the King. 2.5/5

[u/yung_gran]

I finished The Elementals and I started FantasticLand. Not loving it that much so far. The Elementals did succeed in creeping me out though.

[u/MikkelFromGames]

I finished reading Revenant-X by David Wellington last week. It was alright, but not as enjoyable as Paradise-1 (the first book in the series). I'm not sure I'm going to read the third book; if anyone in here can give recommendations on that, I'd appreciate it!

I just started reading Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker. The book of hers I was actually interested in was Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng. However, Japanese Gothic sounded interesting and was on sale, so I bought that to find out if I like her writing style. So far it's pretty good!

[u/frixos2]

Started: The Undesirable Journalist, by Günter Wallraff

[u/Tylerdepotater2157]

Finished,

The Wasp Factory, by Iain Banks

A very well written story that was quite a ride, but it's not for the faint of heart.

Started,

Wizard and Glass, by Stephen King

[u/vixissitude]

Finished: Daindreth’s Assassin and Daindreth’s Outlaw by Elizabeth Wheatley
God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Started: Astarion by T. Kingfisher

[u/Indy-sports]

Finished : Butchers Masquerade Started: The Wager

[u/singstheguitarpart]

Finished; I want you yo he happy by J. Calder Started: A room of one's own by V. Wolf

[u/accentadroite_bitch]

Finished: Alice au Pays des Merveilles suivi de: De l'Autre cote du Miroir, by Lewis Carroll

Finished: The Green Mile, by Stephen King

Started: Dolores Claiborne, by Stephen King

[u/Draid]

I have read The Summer War, by Naomi Novik

It was a cute read and I loved the themes of the book. Stumbled upon in one of the precious posts of this topic. Glad I picked it up, otherwise I wouldn’t have read it.

Still on Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson

[u/theDeuce]

Finished:

There is No Antimemetics Division by qntm

Started and Finished:

A short Stay in Hell, by Steven L. Peck

Tender is the Flesh, by Augustina Bazterrica

Started:

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia

Honorable mention: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (technically only a short story about 20 pages long)

[u/nocta224]

Finished:

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Continuing:

Zenobia: Shooting Star of Palmyra by Nathanael Andrade

[u/No_Island_218]

Finished:

My Friends, by Fredrik Bachman

Started:

Cahokia Jazz, by Francis Spufford

[u/Awatto_boi]

Finished: Ocean Prey, by John Sandford Audiobook,  Narrated by Richard Ferrone

Book 31 in the Lucas Davenport series. Barney Hall is an off-duty Coast Guard member doing some fishing with his family off the coast of Florida when he sees a cool Mako high speed powerboat stopped offshore and observes them pick up a diver loading something on the boat from the water using lift bags. He gets suspicious they are drug runners and phones his commander and is telling them about the sighting when the Mako takes off at high speed. When a Coast Guard rubber Zodiac intercepts and tries to inspect the Mako, the guys on the Mako shoot three Coast Guard men and run to a marina unloading their cargo into an SUV and escape.  The FBI is assigned the task of finding the murderers and they make slow progress because the Mako was set afire leaving little evidence. After several weeks of little progress on the highly newsworthy case, a Florida politician recommends augmenting the task force and Lucas Davenport U.S. Marshall gets involved. Davenport takes up the case and brings in Virgil Flowers to help out.  I love a good John Sandford book and this one is up there with the best of them. I listened to this audiobook on my road trip while on a long highway drive. Fast paced and suspenseful, perfect for the long drive.

Started:  Ransom, by Daniel Silva

[u/BohoKat_3397]

Finished:
Prodigal Summer - Barbara Kingsolver. My introduction to her novels 💯

Started:
David Copperfield - Charles Dickens. My first Dickens, reading it in anticipation of delving into Kingsolver’s Pulitzer Prize winning Demon Copperhead (an Appalachian retelling of Copperfield). Wound up loving Dickens thinking Oliver Twist or Bleak House next.

[u/Fun_Blacksmith9042]

Finished: Verity by Colleen Hoover

Started: The Language of Liars By S.L. Huang

[u/sea_tea821]

Finished The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler. Nonfiction book that tells the stories of several women who got pregnant out of wedlock in the 50s and 60s and were forced to give their children up for adoption.

Starting Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

[u/Particular-Treat-650]

Patriot Games, by Tom Clancy - just started Clear and Present Danger, by Tom Clancy. The level of technical and strategic detail is impressive, and it really feels like you understand how a lot of the eras he covers worked.

About 3/4 through Naked in Death, by JD Robb. Damn, Nora Roberts can write. I was expecting light reads considering the fact that it's a 60 book side project series under a pen name, but there have been multiple interactions that feel like intelligent heavy hitters playing serious hardball.

[u/IndigoRuby]

Finished: Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy

Mixed feelings. Set up was so beautiful but too many holes.

Started: You'd Look Better as a Ghost: A Novel, by Joanna Wallace

[u/JackfruitSlight1704]

Started  "The player of games" by Iain Banks, part of the science fiction series "The Culture". Halfway through and enjoying it. And yes, Elon either didn't read it or didn't understand it. 

[u/IPityTheStool]

Finished:
Post Office, by Charles Bukowski

Started:
The Death of Ivan Ilyich, by Leo Tolstoy

[u/8bitmatter]

Finished: ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ by Viktor E Frankl

Started: ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker

[u/ecomoanically]

I am still reading Difficult Women by Roxane Gay. But, I am hoping to pick up a new book. Something in the literary theory realm - Poetics.

P.S. I love answering in this subreddit, but especially this question. It keeps me on track personally 🙈

[u/ColdMoxie]

Finished: The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

Starting: Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

[u/Roboglenn]

My Dress-Up Darling 15, by Shinichi Fukuda

Well first off I gotta say that the ending of this felt underwhelming given everything that preceded it and built up to it.

But aside from that. No two ways about it, this series wasn't in the top spots of my favorite romcom series list for nothin you know. And again I was really sad to see it end where it did of all places. Not just cuz it fell under the same trap that many romcom series do at the end of themselves, but because I honestly do feel like there were a whole lotta loose plot threads left hanging to weave story out of. I mean after the whole big splash of the penultimate story arc that happened it seemed like it was setting up for something big to go down both in a practical sense as it were and an emotional character arc sense. Just set up a whole big thing of hype and potential storylines then just nothing to show for it.

Oh well. Even so, This series was just such an absolute delight in storytelling. The artwork is just as vivacious and fun as it's leading lady Marin. That said, Marin was such an absolute treasure of a character. Vivacious, fun, a steadfast and supportive friend, completely comfortable in her own skin, and true to herself and what she likes no matter what anyone might say. Her being your friend is like getting hit with a brick made out of sunshine. And she made a great foil for Gojou to break him out of his isolated shell. And through getting close to Marin and helping her with her hobby, he got past his own traumas and started making friends with his classmates and beyond he learned that it's fine to like the things he likes and aspire to the things he wants to do and that the world isn't as out to get him for his likes and passions as he thought it was. Not to mention through it all it helped him fine tune his skills for his actual passion work.

And of course supplementing these well written characters are a great supporting cast of side characters. Many of them supplementing the cosplay side of the plot, but a lot being really fun characters in their own right. Not every side character were winners as it were, but I don't hold that against anything.

Then we get to the cosplay aspect. I thought this series did a really interesting job organically weaving the various how to aspects of it into the story. And on a broad range of topics too. Not just in regards to the ins and outs and the kinds of cosplay they ended up covering, but also going on the topic of why people cosplay and why and how each individual chooses to do it. And yeah of course, seeing the end results of each cosplay craft were monumentous occasions to see.

But I guess I've rambled long enough. I fell in love with this series from day one, and though it had it's low points (I can think of one low point in particular for one besides the ending, one that definitely came across better in animation than on paper) this one never failed to get me excited to see what was gonna happen next. Or what fun situations it's leads were gonna get into.

[u/Discuffalo]

I was listening to The Descent by Jeff Long on audiobook. Got about 90% through it when I realized it was the abridged version and put it down. Story was ludicrous anyway.

[u/croatian77]

Finished: London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe. Say nothing is one of my fave books and Patrick is a master story teller but this one fell a little flat for me. Mostly because I just didn’t care about any of the characters including the kid that died 🫠

Started: Brother of the more famous Jack by Barbara Trapido. Heard good things and found a good second hand copy for $2 - meant to be! So far so good except for the fact that the first 5 characters introduced all have names starting with J so painful why do authors do this ?

[u/Logical-Ad3341]

Finished: Angel Down (Daniel Kraus)

Started: South of the Border, West of the Sun (Haruki Murakami)

And

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (Tom Robbins-audiobook)

[u/unknown123123987]

Finished: Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha

Started: The Story of Birds by Steve Brusatte

[u/hoosierrasta]

There is no Antimemetics Division, by qntm Started and finished this week.  This is one dark, complex, horror novel. I liked the writing. Descriptions and dialog were well done, not too much or too little.  Story was well done, shrouded in unknown ideas, but understandable. 

[u/spacemanspiffmtg]

I finished The Space Between Us - Thirty Umrigar

I started How We Named the Stars - Andres N Ordorica

[u/invader1984]

Finished: -Mitos de la historia Argentina 2, by Felipe Pigna

-Mistborn: The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson

-Victoria of many faces 01, by Syuu and Nanna Fujimi

Started: - Crossroads of Twilight, by Robert jordan

Continuing/on hold: Designing Games by Tynan Sylvester

[u/locallygrownmusic]

Finished:

• One Man's Terrorist: A Political History of the IRA by Daniel Finn

• Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre

Started:

• The Morning Star by Karl Ove Knausgaard

[u/Idigapony2]

Finished
Verity
Waste of time

[u/BoatmanDick]

Finished:
The White Album, by Joan Didion

Started:
Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert

[u/ChaosTorpedo]

Finished:
Circe
I’m Glad My Mom Died
All Systems Red (book 1)
The Caretaker
Artificial Condition (book 2)
Home Before Dark
Rogue Protocol (book 3)
We Live Here Now

The Murderbot books were on audio. Not sure I’ll continue with them. They just don’t hold my interest all that well.

[u/TXtoOR]

Continued: The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Written beautifully or translated beautifully. Love the prose and definitely wondering what will happen next. About 1/3 through the book

Finished: Scion, by James Islington

Though it was decent. You’re pretty much getting a short action book. Description of being like John Wick is kinda accurate perhaps not necessarily fighting hoardes of enemies. Kept my attention but it’s more of a mindless action book/movie kinda John Wick movies or Jason Statham type movies

[u/Ok-Abbreviations-967]

Finished: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Started: Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez

[u/kaaaffy]

Finished:

A Deadly Education, by Naomi Novik

I see people online saying that this was their book of the year and how they really related to the main character or whatever. I think this book just wasn't for me and/or I'm just not the target demographic. I found El so insufferable from beginning to end. Maybe I forgot what it's like to be a teenager? I don't know. I feel like she was constantly like, "Woe is me. Why doesn't anyone like me? I didn't do anything wrong," and then she's just immediately hostile to everyone around her. It was so frustrating.

I didn't like how this book did a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. The main character would constantly say things like, "Blah blah blah and that means blah blah blah," and we would go on these tangents that I think were supposed to be world-buildy, but just came off as rambling. Ugh.

Currently Reading:

Between Two Fires, by Christopher Buehlman

[u/bobchin_c]

Finished Gouged: The End of a Fair Price - and What That Means for Your Wallet Lindsay Owens

Started The French Illusion by John Grisham.

[u/SockAcrobatic1450]

Just finished ‘Goethe said everything’ by Yui Suzuki. It’s like barely 200 pages but boy was it a good book! I do think I missed some references that would’ve been more enjoyable if I was more versed in Goethe’s work or just classical literature in general, so I’ll be doing a reread soon.

[u/Specialist_Reveal119]

FInished:

Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Piccoult, Books by Donald Goines - Death List and White Man's Justice Black Man's Grief.

Currently Reading: Stacey Abrams Never Tell

[u/Old_Significance_916]

Like most Orthodox Jews, I finished the yearly Torah cycle this week and immediately started it again. Apparently “done” is not really part of the format.

[u/Ben_10isson]

Finished : Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier - loved the writing and atmosphere!

Started: Yellowface, by R. F. Kuang - lol the first chapter is pretty gripping, I'm excited

[u/The_Wild_Hope]

Finished: Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by Michael Braungart and William McDonough - about so much more than just efficient design and manufacture. I think this unassuming little book actually contained some of the answers to the worlds sustainability problems.

Finished: The Bee Keeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri - a very sad story about a couple that fleed war in Syria and their traumatic journey as refugees.

Started: Meeting with Moths: Discovering Their Mystery and Extraordinary Lives by Katty Baird

[u/RentSpecial4997]

Started: Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Good People by Patmeena Sabit

Finished: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

[u/bunnanamilkshake]

--Started:

Give Me Everything You've Got, by Imogen Crimp

--In Progress:

Between Two Fires, by Christopher Buehlman

The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt

[u/HuoEr]

Finished: Babylon, South Dakota, by Tom Lin

Starting: What the Hell Did I Just Read, by David Wong/Jason Pargin

[u/oh_god_its_raining]

Finished: Taipei Story. I really liked it, but I was an expat in China for two years so honestly I just felt really seen.

Started: Cutting For Stone. Super interesting so far.

[u/bignoseyouknows]

Just finished East of Eden by John Steinbeck and it was wonderful, didn't even know it was coming out on Netflix until the other day so I'm looking forward to watching that too. Just started Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut which I've heard good things about.

[u/landminephoenix]

Recently finished:

Earthlings, by Sayaka Murata

Lost In The Garden, by Adam S. Leslie

Currently reading:

The Order Of Time, by Carlo Rovelli

Severance, by Ling Ma

[u/dishabituation]

Finished: The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas
Started: The Shampoo Effect, by Jenny Jackson

What an incredible read! Dumas is a genius and getting through the monster of a novel felt like a personal accomplishment!

[u/lilpotdecreme]

Finished
Switzy, by Emma Cline
Flesh, by David Szalay

Started
James, by Percival Everett
Taipei Story, by R.F. Kuang
The Disappearers, by Marlon James

I have been a bit too aggressive with putting holds on books at the library and all of them arrive at once. Feeling a bit stressed to finish everything…

[u/anzuumss]

finished : Madonna in a fur coat by Sabahattin Ali And the notes from underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky Started: the bell jar by Sylvia path

[u/RandiEgg]

Finished:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Started:
The Burn Line by Jonathan Sims

[u/Unfair-Database3521]

Been reading It by Stephen King for the past two weeks. A little more than halfway through and loving every minute

[u/dundermifflin_999]

Finished: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and Girl Walks Into a Bar by Rachel Dratch

Starting: Wreck by Catherine Newman and Whistler, by Anne Patchett

[u/412sunset]

Finished: Never Whistle at Night (anthology) Started: Wilder Girls by Rory Power

[u/Annie-1-0-1]

Finished “Tender is the Flesh” in a single day, made me sick but utterly loved it

[u/jr49]

Finished: The Road by Comac McCarthy

Started: Station Eleven A Novel by Emily St John Mandel.

The Road was good. I couldn’t help but imagine it in a similar universe to I Who Have Never Known Men.

I previously read Sea of Tranquility and enjoyed it so figured I’d try another book by same author.

[u/Thebadparker]

Finished: Whistler, by Ann Patchett

Started: Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury (re-reading this one).

[u/One-Perspective-875]

I started the Midnight Library recently. Haven't finished it yet but it seems like it got to me at the right time as i had been contemplating about my life choices and regrets nowadays.

I finished the White Nights.

[u/FeetInTheEarth]

Finished:

Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver

Started:

Titus Groan, by Mervyn Peake

Between Two Fires, by Christopher Buehlman

Still Reading:

Pirate Freedom, by Gene Wolfe

[u/josafiend71]

Finished:

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. Wow, I had to sit with that book for a few days before starting a new book.

Started: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.

Two very different books.

[u/SB1234567890123]

Continued Middlemarch, by George Eliot. It’s a long one.

[u/gapeach4357]

Finished: We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes

Started: The French Illusion by John Grisham

Still Reading: Black AF History by Michael Harriott

[u/Infamous_Problem_686]

Finished:

The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans

Started:

The Enemy, by Lee Child
The Trees, by Percival Everett

[u/Anonymous280817]

Finished two books- to kill a mockingbird and verity Starting w normal people by salley roone and annhilation by jeff vander meet

(I do start two books simultaneously)

[u/AlliSyl16]

Finished: the Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson (series meaning the last book in the whole thing, which is The Lost Metal. the series was amazing. movno, inspiring… a great work of Brando art.)

Started: Arcnum Unbounded (I actually am halfway into this one, pretty nice, working my way through shadows for silence now)