What are you reading? Options

[Decrepit]

Below appears all thus far unreported book reads of 2025:

42. 09/02/2025: 1549 “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery – Project Gutenberg free e-book
This is one of my "best reads" of the year, as was Ms. Montgomery's "Blue Castle" the year it was read. I believe it is officially classified as children's or young person's literature, but think it suitable for all ages.

43. 09/07/2025: 1623 “Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke
This book is, or once was, highly hyped on Booktube. I think it is a worthwhile read.

44. 09/27/2025: 1245 “The Secret Diaries of Hitler’s Doctor” by David Irving (second read)
After finishing Piranesi I entered a long reading block. This book did not end it, being a "kitchen table read", read in two-to-five page spurts during meals. That the read concluded when it did is pure happenstance. As to the book itself, I consider it a decent read for those interested in the subject. Otherwise, don't bother.

45. 10/18/2025: 0932 “The Eden Conspiracy” by Paul Wallis
46. 10/24/2025: 1836 “Escaping from Eden” by Paul Wallis
Fascinating reads on the proposition that our Earth was long ago visited by beings from another planet. I like them quite a lot. (They broke my reading block.)

47. 10/31/2025: 0916 “Cage of Souls” by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I'm a Tchaikovsky fan. This was a good read, but not among my favorite Tchaikovsky. (His "Service Model", my first read of 2025, is one of my "best reads" of that year.)

48. 11/08/2025: 1837 “DNA of the GODS: The Anunnaki Creation of Eve and the Alien Battle for Humanity” by Chris H. Hardy, Ph.D.
Another book along the lines of the two Wallis books mentioned above, and another good read.

49. 11/09/2025: 2249 “The Inheritors” by William Golding
Having reread Golding's "Lord of the Flies" earlier in the year, I decided to give this short novel about pre-historic man a go. I like it.

50. 11/15/2025: 1324 “Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds” by John Fugelsang
Another fascinating book, and an easy read. As an ardent non-believer, I found much interesting food-for-thought here. Not that it will do me any actual good. As a non-confrontationalist, I have no desire to debate "the other side", and in any case don't have the memory to regurgitate the references upon which the author bases his claims. Easily recommended to those who are in to this sort of thing. Possible a "best read of the year", or at least an honorable mention.

51. 12/10/2025: 1459 “Written on the Dark” by Guy Gavriel Kay
Any book by GGK is a must-read for me. The man can write! That said, I don't think his recent output equals his earlier novels, this book being no exception. If you want the best of Kay, try "Lions of Al-Rassan", "A Song for Arbonne", and/or "Sarantine Mosaic" (two books). Many recommend "Tigana" as the way to start. While I like it, I don't consider it his best.

52. 12/12/2025: 1204 “The Architect of Genocide, Himmler and the Final Solution” by Richard Breitman (second read)
Another kitchen table read, and another self-recommendation for those interested in the topic. The author interestingly decided to end his coverage at the point when the "Final Solution" was fully implemented, not seeing us to the end of the war in Europe. This put me off at first. I later decided that he didn't need to go further than he did, the final phase of the Holocaust being well documented elsewhere.

53. 12/14/2025: 2104 “Snake-Eater” by T. Kingfisher
I've become something of a Kingfisher fan. This was another enjoyable, solid, easy read.

54. 12/17/2025: 1634 “Pre-Shannara: Word and Void, book 2, Knight of the Word” by Terry Brooks
55. 12/23/2025: 1624 “Pre-Shannara: Word and Void, book 3, Angel Fire East” by Terry Brooks
56. 12/27/2025: 1517 “Legends of Shannara, book 1, Bearers of the Black Staff” by Terry Brooks
57. 12/30/2025: 1834 “Legends of Shannara, book 2, The Measure of the Magic” by Terry Brooks
My reading year ends with four more Terry Brooks "Shannara" novels. I first read the initial Shannara trilogy soon after my conversion from history buff to a fantasy reader, then read a few more of the series' early releases. Finding the books rather hit-or-miss, I then abandoned the series. So matters stood, until on a whim (and thanks to a sale) buying the "Genesis of Shannara" trilogy early 2025. I was super impressed by it. Enough so that I continued on. All these books are good, solid reads, and sometimes better. On a less positive note, after finishing "Genesis of Shannara" I decided to re-read the initial trilogy, an attempt that ended in DNF not far into book one. I might or might not give it another try this year.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Jan 1 2026, 03:33 PM

[Acadian]

You had a productive year as far as reading goes!

[Burnt Sierra]

With catching Covid and ending up in hospital, I only managed to add another two books to my list last year.

Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurtry, the final part of the "Lonesome Dove" series of westerns, and Thirsty: 100 Great Wines and Stories by Tom Gilbey.

That ended up with a total of 44 books, 4 books of poetry and 1 play read in 2025.

The highlights were The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett, The Devils by Joe Abercrombie and Outline by Rachel Cusk.

Let's see what 2026 brings! Well, one thing it's definitely going to bring is Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay, which i hadn't even realised had been released until I saw Decrepit's post, so thanks for that!

p.s. I'd be one of the people recommending Tigana, along with The Lions of Al-Rassan, Ysabel and The Last Light of the Sun. You know you have a good author when a variety of people will all suggest different books.

[Decrepit]

I would normally wait longer to post my initial 2026 reading log, but my Paperwhite is taking forever to charge. (Sometimes it fully charges in about two hours, sometimes it takes half a waking day. The issue, I believe, is that the mini USB recharge plug fits loosely in the Paperwhite's charging socket and doesn't always make sufficient contact.)

1. 01/01/2026: 0351 “Paladins of Shannara, book 1, Allanon’s Quest” by Terry Brooks
2. 01/01/2026: 1638 “Paladins of Shannara, book 2, The Weapons Master’s Choice” by Terry Brooks
3. 01/01/2026: 1848 “Paladins of Shannara, book 3, The Black Irix” by Terry Brooks
These are short stories. Had they been bundled as one book, I'd consider them as a single read. But they are separate purchases/downloads, giving me an excusive to count them separately. They are decent reads, for what they are. "Allanon's Quest" chronicles events leading directly to the opening of Brooks' original Shannara novel, "The Sword of Shannara". The other two relate to Shannara novels I have not read, or possibly read so long ago I've no recollection of them.

4. 01/04/2026: 1715 “The Seventh Bride” by T. Kingfisher
A supernatural horror/mystery novel. I enjoyed it.

5. 01/06/2026: 1844 “The Dark Legacy of Shannara, book 1, Wards of Faerie” by Terry Brooks

6. 01/09/2026: 2055 “Steaming Into series: book 8, Steaming into the West, More Tales of Western Steam” by Michael Clutterbuck
A very niche book on steam-era British railroading from an in-cab perspective, thus right up my alley. I thought the series over and done with, so was pleasantly surprised to see this appear as an Amazon recommendation. It didn't disappoint.

7. 01/11/2026: 1839 “The Dark Legacy of Shannara, book 2, Bloodfire Quest” by Terry Brooks
I'll say nothing about this trilogy until after finishing book three, which I'm not terribly far in to.

[Decrepit]

Recent reads:
01/15/2026: 1741 “The Dark Legacy of Shannara, book 3, Witch Wraith” by Terry Brooks
This was another solid Shannara series.

I rifled through my various book storage boxes this morning and find that I own the original Sword of Shannara trilogy and all four Heritage of Shannara novels as physical books. I've read the original trilogy three times, most recently during 2005. The first three Heritage books received their initial reads between 1991 and 1994, their most recent reads during 2005. The fourth has been read (by me) only once, in 1994. I recall little to nothing about any of them, except that The Elfstones of Shannara is easily my favorite among the early Shannara novels, or at least was as of their last read.

Upon finishing Witch Wraith I took another stab at Sword of Shannara but, as with last year's attempt, just couldn't get in to it. This morning, waiting for my Paperwhite to charge, I gave my paperback of Elfstones a try, and was hooked from the start. I'll stick with it, but switch to my Paperwhite digital copy.

As of now, my overall favorite Shannara series is Genesis of Shannara trilogy, read early last year, and a favorite read for that year.

ADDENDUM: I failed to point out that I have not yet read the entirety of the Shannara universe.

ADDENDUM 2: Having gotten further into Elfstones, I notice deficiencies I don't believe I picked up on during prior reads. Nothing lease-breaking. I believe Brooks simply became a better writer / storyteller as the Shannara universe expanded.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Jan 17 2026, 02:40 PM

[Decrepit]

At 0445 this morning, 20 Jan 2026, I completed a fourth read of Terry Brooks' The Elfstones of Shannara, second book in the original Shannara trilogy and my ninth read of the year. I've long considered Elfstones the best of the original series. Not yet having done a fresh re-read of book three, I can not say for certain that this still holds true. I can say that Elfstones is a solidly good read.

With an over twenty-year gap between this reading and the last, this read began with me knowing no more than the gist of the story and, of course, its outcome. There is, however, one brief, tragically dramatic scene from my previous reads that has remained vividly visual in my mind. Imagine my surprise when, reading those page this time round, I discovered that this long cherished scene isn't in the book! Something akin to it exists, something with less emotional wallop. Question is, is what I remember purely a creation of my imagination, or have I grafted a scene from another early Shannara book onto Elfstones? Time will tell, I suppose.

In any case, I will begin a fourth read of book three by day's end.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Jan 21 2026, 01:22 AM

[Acadian]

Very interesting how you remembered a scene and, after a long delay, it apparently seems/feels so differently upon reread.

[Renee]

In 2025 I read The Nurse's Secret 3x, I loved it so much. Somebody in my family left this book in my favorite reading spot, don't know who, and I assumed I wouldn't enjoy it, as I assumed it's about a subject I have little interest in, but after reading the opening chapter while waiting for a friend I was hooked! It's about a lot more than nursing, by lord! My sister's a nurse so she read it too. She "speaks the language" used in hospitals, so she could def relate. I also had no idea I was about to spend half the summer of '25 in hospitals.

Details below

"The Nurse's Secret" is a historical novel by Amanda Skenandore that follows a young female grifter in 1880s New York who cons her way into America’s first nursing school while evading a series of murders.

This post has been edited by Renee: Jan 21 2026, 01:47 AM

[Acadian]

Nice when you find a book you enjoy!

[Decrepit]

Having bailed on a reread of Terry Brooks' "The Wishsong of Shannara" at around the 33% mark, I instead read Hans Fallada's very different "Every Man Dies Alone," finishing it this morning, 30 Jan 2026.

Brave Browser's AI-generated description is as follows:

"Every Man Dies Alone, originally titled Jeder stirbt für sich allein in German, is a 1947 novel by German author Hans Fallada, based on the true story of Otto and Elise Hampel, a working-class Berlin couple who engaged in quiet acts of resistance against the Nazi regime after their son was killed in World War II. The novel follows Otto and Anna Quangel (fictionalized versions of the Hampels), who write and distribute anti-Nazi postcards urging Germans to resist Hitler, knowing the penalty is death. Their campaign, though small in scale, triggers a relentless manhunt by Gestapo inspector Escherich, highlighting the pervasive fear and paranoia of life under Nazi rule.

Fallada wrote the novel in just 24 days in 1946, drawing from the actual Gestapo files on the Hampels, which were given to him by friend Johannes Becher. Despite his personal struggles—addiction, institutionalization, and collaboration with the Nazis—Fallada crafted a powerful, unsentimental portrayal of moral courage in the face of overwhelming oppression. The novel is lauded for its vivid depiction of everyday life in wartime Berlin, its complex characters, and its exploration of the difficult choices ordinary people faced under totalitarianism."

It reminds me of William Ainsworth's "Jack Shepard, a Romance," read last year, in that almost every character of note is cruel, corrupt, and/or otherwise flawed. Those few who aren't exist to be victimized. Bad things happen to them. Very bad things. A sometimes uncomfortable yet engrossing read.

The translation of my Kindle e-book edition, or its editing, is not without flaw. Still, I consider it a very solid recommendation for those interested in this sort of novel.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Jan 30 2026, 09:31 PM

[Decrepit]

My reading list for Jan 2026:

1. 01/01/2026: 0351 “Paladins of Shannara, book 1, Allanon’s Quest” by Terry Brooks
2. 01/01/2026: 1638 “Paladins of Shannara, book 2, The Weapons Master’s Choice” by Terry Brooks
3. 01/01/2026: 1848 “Paladins of Shannara, book 3, The Black Irix” by Terry Brooks
4. 01/04/2026: 1715 “The Seventh Bride” by T. Kingfisher
5. 01/06/2026: 1844 “The Dark Legacy of Shannara, book 1, Wards of Faerie” by Terry Brooks
6. 01/09/2026: 2055 “Steaming Into series: book 8, Steaming into the West, More Tales of Western Steam” by Michael Clutterbuck
7. 01/11/2026: 1839 “The Dark Legacy of Shannara, book 2, Bloodfire Quest” by Terry Brooks
8. 01/15/2026: 1741 “The Dark Legacy of Shannara, book 3, Witch Wraith” by Terry Brooks
9. 01/20/2026: 0445 “The Elfstones of Shannara” by Terry Brooks (fourth read)
10. 01/30/2026: 0936 “Every Man Dies Alone” by Hans Fallada

It is extraordinarily rare, bordering on unknown, for me to have read so many books within a month. Admittedly, books 1-3 are rather short, but still... In honor of this likely unrepeated occasion, I have decided to pick a "favorite read of the month." It is, without question, Hans Fallada's "Every Man Dies Alone." I also had two soft DNF's, both by Terry Brooks, they being "The Sword of Shannara" and "The Wishsong of Shannara," books 1 and 3 of the original Shannara trilogy.

A bit of good news. I have solved my ultra-slow Kindle Paperwhite charge times by rigging a rubber band to hold the charging plug more securely in the Paperwhite's charging socket.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Jan 31 2026, 06:00 PM

[Burnt Sierra]

That is quite a month of reading you've had!

[Acadian]

Busy indeed! Yay for rubber bands!

[Burnt Sierra]

January 2026

It turns out my two favourite books of 2025, The Shadow of the Leviathan series by Robert Jackson Bennett, had been equally as well received by others. I discovered that book one, The Tainted Cup, had gone on to win both the Hugo Award and the World Fantasy Award for best novel. Always nice to be a little ahead of a trend! Considering I thought book two was possibly even better, think that could well be a challenger for awards this year.

I possibly even felt a little smug at my excellent taste. Fear not. That smugness is about to get well and truly popped.

It turns out that my quality nose maybe isn't quite as good as I thought. My first book of 2026 was a follow on book to a trilogy I'd read back in 2008.That had been The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. And at the time I'd loved it. Even given it a spectacularly glowing endorsement here on these forums. The author states in his notes that this follow on it had taken him 15 years to write, published in 2023, as he's needed to grow and improve as a writer before he could tackle this.

Well. I hadn't read that initial trilogy since 2008. Or read anything else by the author since. But I found Night Angel Nemesis by Brent Weeks to be an overlong, sprawling, flawed mess. His original aim had been to write it as a 300 page book, rather than the almost 800 page book it became. I think it would have been vastly better. Twists and turns, on top of twists, with another few turns, almost as though without them the plot wouldn't make any sense and he thought he needed a few more twists and turns to gloss over some plot holes that are eventually sort of tied up (unsatisfyingly), all with one of the most whiny, self pitying "hero's" I've ever read. You know you're in trouble when you start praying that the villain will end the hero. Or in this case one of the many villains, due to the never ending twists. All of whom are slightly more interesting than the hero. Positives? It has some brilliant set pieces. That's it. A real disappointment, and honestly, I'm almost afraid to go back to the original trilogy in case it suffers the same problems. Maybe it's just my tastes have changed in those intervening 18 years. Or maybe it's just not very good. Anyway, this took me two weeks to read (unheard of for me) as it just felt like a total slog. Might need to find that recommendation from 2008 and delete it, because if it's anything like this I'd now be saying avoid like the plague. What's annoying is I think there is a good book hidden - really hidden - in there somewhere, like I say, some of the set pieces are brilliant, and you get a sense of what it could have been, but as published...

Next, a choice that I was certain would be more successful. The blurb alone had me sold:

Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing. Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object).

Yep. Behold the mighty wizard.

Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations.

This book was Sebastien de Castell's The Malevolent Seven. And, after a slow start in the first couple of chapters, it became an absolute hoot. So much so, that my third book of the month became its sequel, The Malevolent Eight. Both are really enjoyable. Clever, witty, absolutely sparkling dialogue, and some fascinating characters. Recommend both of those. Though apparently my recommendations should be taken with a pinch of salt now. Even by me. And that's it for January.

[Decrepit]

Yesterday afternoon, 2 February 2026, I finished an initial read of Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451." Mine is an e-book of the "60th Anniversary Edition," with lots of supplemental material following the novel, all of which I read. I found it a decidedly good read, though Hans Fallada's "Every Man Dies Alone" is more to my taste.

This morning, during breakfast, sitting at the kitchen table, I finished Michael Glover's “The Napoleonic Wars: An Illustrated History, 1792-1815.” It being an overview of the period in question, there's not enough coverage of any one event to please hardcore Napoleonic War fanatics. That said, it covers the period in question well enough to be a fine introduction or, in my case, refresher to things Napoleonic. The illustrations add to the enjoyment. A good read.

Burnt Sierra's latest thread post reminds me that Sebastien de Castell's "Crucible of Chaos: A Novel of the Court of Shadows" sits unread on my Paperwhite. Being a fan of Castell's "Greatcoats Quartet" and, especially, his "Play Shadows," which takes place within the Greatcoats universe, I'm tempted to make Crucible... my next read.

[Burnt Sierra]

I enjoyed that one. I'm becoming a bigger fan with every book I read of his!

[treydog]

January 2026

It turns out my two favourite books of 2025, The Shadow of the Leviathan series by Robert Jackson Bennett, had been equally as well received by others. I discovered that book one, The Tainted Cup, had gone on to win both the Hugo Award and the World Fantasy Award for best novel. Always nice to be a little ahead of a trend! Considering I thought book two was possibly even better, think that could well be a challenger for awards this year.

I will have to look into those - I read his "Foundryside" and found it quite good, even though I am not a huge fan of dystopian fantasy. But the "magic system" and the characters are tremendously engaging, and the writing is outstanding.

Not going to list all of this year's books so far - it is a ridiculous number, what with being retired and all. Highlights are several of Charles de Lint's "Newford" books, including the three Juniper Wiles novels; along with the first two October Daye books by Seanan McGuire. So far, I prefer the "Incryptid" series, but that is just me.

[Decrepit]

I've two more reads this month to report:

13. 02/04/2026: 1012 “One Day All This Will Be Yours” by Adrian Tchaikovsky
I'm a fan of Tchaikovsky's non "hard" sci-fi output. (I've never been able to get into anyone's hard sci-fi.) This novella is what I'd term post-apocalyptic time-travel sci-fi. It's witty and often tongue-in-cheek, sometimes slipping into silliness. I like it! That said, my recommendations as an introduction to Tchaikovsky are "Guns of the Dawn," "City of Last Chances," and "Service Model," the latter being one of my two "best reads" of 2025.

14. 02/06/2026: 2104 “Tom Swan and the Head of St. George, Part One (of six): Castillon” by Christian Cameron
A short, decent read from an author I consider somewhat hit-or-miss. My recommendation for Cameron remains his "The Long War" series, which I consider outstanding historic fiction. (I've read books 1-6 only. There is at least one further book in the series.)

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Feb 8 2026, 12:24 AM

[Decrepit]

15. 02/07/2026: 1718 “Tom Swan and the Head of St. George, Part Two: Venice” by Christian Cameron
I like this short second installment as much as I did the first. Here's Brave Browser's AI-generated description:

"The Tom Swan series by Christian Cameron is a collection of historical fiction novels centered on Tom Swan, a young English merchant and scholar captured during the 15th century in France. Known for his intellect and knack for surviving dangerous situations, Tom becomes entangled in the political and military upheavals of Renaissance Europe, traveling from France to Italy, Constantinople, and beyond. The series is praised for its historical authenticity, fast-paced storytelling, and rich character development."

I bought the series as six separate downloads, which is how Cameron originally intended that they be published, in the tradition of Dickens, Dumas, and others. After the fact, I discovered that it is also available as a merged single-book download, for less than what I paid. Live and learn.

[Acadian]

I've just finished the first three books of the Sevenwater series by Juliet Marillier. The series is about a family that lives in a misty magical forest in ninth century Ireland but ranges across Ireland and parts of England. Each book is told from the first person perspective of a different young woman spanning several generations. The series continues but the first three books form their own nicely wrapped saga. Very character focused though there is a well-woven plot in there, plenty of fae mythology and subtle magic and the writer lavishes rich descriptions. Overall, a long but very enjoyable read.

There are three more books in the Sevenwater series and I may get to them after finishing another series I am also reading - that would be the 14th and final Mercy Thompson book by Patricia Briggs. I got hooked on Mercy a couple years ago. Not surprisingly, another first person perspective / young woman protagonist / character focused series. Surprisingly, these books are not medieval fantasy but, rather, urban fantasy. With my own character inspired (in part) by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and having enjoyed SubRosa's Stormcrow fiction, I suppose that should not surprise me. Mercy is a VW mechanic who can change from a young woman into a coyote at will. Turns out that Mercy's ability is tied to her American Indian heritage. Rejected by her parents at a young age, she was raised by a clan of werewolves. There are also vampires.