What are you reading? Options

[Decrepit]

At 2058 yesterday evening, 4 Jun 2025, I concluded an initial read of Terry Brooks' "Pre-Shannara: Word and Void, book 1, Running with the Demon". I liked it very much. Smaller in locale and timespan than his sprawling early Shannara entries, I find it far better written. It held my interest from start to finish. I'll definitely continue the trilogy.

But first, a possible change of pace. Having created a new cover for Mary Wollstonecraft's (the mother of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley of Frankenstein fame) "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman", I decided to give it a try. I'm only partway through the short, meh biographical introduction, so it's too soon to report on the book's worth or lack thereof.

[SubRosa]

A few days ago I "read' All Quiet on the Western Front, from the audiobook here.

It is good. It goes quickly, as the writing does not get bogged down like the armies did in the trenches. It is not a standard, single story with a beginning, middle, and ending. Rather it is a series of individual anecdotes that were clearly taken from the author's personal experiences in the First World War (he was a German infantryman on the Western Front). This is not a bad thing. In fact, I think this is why the book flows so quickly and seemingly effortlessly.

All together the events span a period of about 3 years, and they show different facets of an ordinary soldier's life during the war. The Nationalism that prompted him and his classmates to join direct from graduating high school, the grimy and gross facts of life such what it feels like to crush the lice that live on you, or how they ambushed the rats that ate their food (and them). Going home to find that he does not belong there anymore. And of course the artillery bombardments, and a face to face encounter with a French soldier that really brings home the horror of it all.

I was surprised at how faithful the movie adaptations have been, at least the 1930 and 1979 films. They pretty much hit every mark in the book, except the Russian prisoners of war back home.

[Decrepit]

A few days ago I "read' All Quiet on the Western Front, from the audiobook here.

It is good. It goes quickly, as the writing does not get bogged down like the armies did in the trenches. It is not a standard, single story with a beginning, middle, and ending. Rather it is a series of individual anecdotes that were clearly taken from the author's personal experiences in the First World War (he was a German infantryman on the Western Front). This is not a bad thing. In fact, I think this is why the book flows so quickly and seemingly effortlessly.

All together the events span a period of about 3 years, and they show different facets of an ordinary soldier's life during the war. The Nationalism that prompted him and his classmates to join direct from graduating high school, the grimy and gross facts of life such what it feels like to crush the lice that live on you, or how they ambushed the rats that ate their food (and them). Going home to find that he does not belong there anymore. And of course the artillery bombardments, and a face to face encounter with a French soldier that really brings home the horror of it all.

I was surprised at how faithful the movie adaptations have been, at least the 1930 and 1979 films. They pretty much hit every mark in the book, except the Russian prisoners of war back home.

I love me a good WWI in-the-trenches novel. Read AQOTWF early this year (2025), before my accused reading block kicked in. Its 1930 film adaptation is one of my all-time favorite movies. (The remake is okay but doesn't equal it IMO.) "Poilu: The World War I Notebooks of Corporal Louis Barthas, Barrelmaker, 1914 – 1918", an early Kindle purchase read during 2021, remains my favorite such book. Its one drawback, if drawback it be, is that Barthas, a real-life person, spent the closing months of the conflict in relative safety, rendering the ending a bit anticlimactic.

[SubRosa]

I "read" an audiobook of War of the Worlds yesterday while I was at work. Here is a link to it. It was good. The best of HG Well's work that I have read so far of late (The Time Machine and Island of Dr. Moreau). It is very much an adventure story - which those are as well - but this one has a faster pace. There is more happening, and the stakes feel higher. The story does not waste much time, it quickly gets right into the first cylinder landing near the protagonist's home in Surrey. From there it is a quick succession of events as he bears witness to the invasion.

It is not an action story, in that the protagonist is not an action hero. He is not wrestling Martians or getting into gunfights. Though there is a fist fight at one point, and a hatchet does eventually get used. Instead the protagonist and later his brother are essentially point of view characters who are there to describe what happened in this big event. But they are not shaping the event itself. They are simply swept up in it.

Which in itself works as an example of what life is like for the millions of refugees displaced by war and other misfortune. That was one of the points of the story. Wells wanted to show what it is would look like if some technologically advanced culture came along and did to Britain, exactly what they had spent centuries doing to Indigenous populations around the world. It is not subtext, but actual text. He directly calls out the genocide of the people of Tasmania at the beginning of the book.

In the Sci Fi sense, it is predicts several things. First the Martian War Machines are sort of like precursors to real life tanks, in that they are machines piloted by people, armored and filled with devastating weapons. There is a clear line to mecha from here as well. Of course he has the Death Ray, in the form of the Martian's heat beam. But similar things might have been done before. What surprised me was that the Martians also used chemical weapons, with something like poison gas that they fired from tubes. They also had aircraft, which is not a giant leap, as balloons had been a thing for a century and people had just started using dirigibles with propeller engines around the time of his writing. Wells took the next step and took this emergent technology further ahead, and imagined it without the need for a big gas bag to hold it up, and instead fly of it is own accord.

He also goes back to microbes here, and the idea that the Martians either did not have bacteria and viruses on Mars, or that they had eliminated them. This was something he touched on briefly in the Time Machine, in which the future Golden Age that preceded the fall to Eloi and Morloks, humans had also wiped out harmful microbes, and with it diseases.

All in all it is a really good story. I highly recommend it. I can see why so many films and TV series have been made from it. It lends itself very easily to a visual format.

[Acadian]

Thanks for the neat reviews!

[SubRosa]

Today I finished "reading" Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Stephen Stanton has an absolutely outstanding audiobook version of it Here on YouTube, that is broken up into separate episodes by chapter. It is the same Stephen Stanton who is the voice actor (well actor), who played Grand Moff Tarkin in the Clone Wars, and other characters in the various animated Star Wars shows. He's really good, and brings a lot of versatility to the character's voices when they are speaking dialogue.

The fantastic ability of the reader aside, the book itself is pure gold. I have not read it since childhood. But it really holds up after all this time. So many of our tropes and common conceptions of what pirates are come from here. The parrot, the peg leg, buried treasure, fifteen men on a dead man's chest, and so on. Stevenson's pirates are drunken scalawags, brutal ruffians, and greedy rogues. They really come to life as real, breathing scoundrels that practically jump from the page and hold a cutlass to your throat.

Of course Stevenson himself did not invent all this whole cloth. He got a lot of inspiration from the various books about real world pirates that were floating around by the mind 1700s. Many of which purported to be non fiction, but in actuality were short on the non, and long on the fiction. But there was some truth. Captain Kidd really did bury his treasure. He had been accused of piracy, and thought he could get his name cleared by facing the charges. He hid his money first so the authorities could not just take it for themselves. Instead he thought he could use it as a bargaining chip. He was wrong, and swung from a noose.

In any case, it is a very fun, engaging adventure story. It does not slow or drag, but continues on a brisk pace. The characters are likeable. Their actions make sense. John Silver really stands out among them. He is a neat villain to read because he is both intelligent and charismatic. He gets you to like him and convinces you that he is your friend. In the way that a true sociopath can do so well. When in reality you are just a tool for him to use, and a throat to cut once you are no longer useful.

[Decrepit]

A timely report, SubRosa. I've had 'Treasure Island' on my Kindle for several years and created a new cover for it a week or so ago. I'll give it serious consideration for my next read.

I've not posted my reading log for a while now. Here are the books I've read since my last log post:

21. 05/24/2025: 2126 “Jane Eyre, an autobiography” by Charlotte Brontë
22. 06/04/2025: 2058 “Pre-Shannara: Word and Void, book 1, Running with the Demon” by Terry Brooks
23. 06/22/2025: 1152 “The Venetian Heretic” by Christian Cameron
24. 06/27/2025: 1534 “Jack Sheppard, a Romance, vol. 01 of 03” by William Ainsworth
25. 06/30/2025: 1324 “A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century” by Barbara W. Tuchman (fifth read)
26. 07/01/2025: 0800 “Jack Sheppard, a Romance, vol. 02 of 03” by William Ainsworth
27. 07/03/2025: 1930 “Jack Sheppard, a Romance, vol. 03 of 03” by William Ainsworth
28. 07/05/2025: 0423 “The Case of Oscar Slater” (non-fiction) by Arthur Conan Doyle
29. 07/06/2025: 043x “Eve’s Diary, Complete” by Mark Twain, illustrated by Lester Ralph
30. 07/07/2025: 1051 “A Brief History of the Tenth Michigan Cavalry” (during the U.S. Civil War) by L.S. Trowbridge
31. 07/10/2025: 2332 “Lost Gip” by Hesba Stretton, illustrated
32. 07/20/2025: 2046 “A Hero of our Time” by Mikhail Lermontov, English translation by Marr Murray & J.H. Wisdom

After watching a YouTube video discussing the exploits of Jack Sheppard, a real-life English criminal noted for his numerous escapes from seemingly inescapable incarceration, I visited Project Gutenberg, which houses a small selection of books about him. I chose a romance built upon his exploits. Available as either a single-volume download or broken into three downloads, I read the three-book version, which includes illustrations missing in the single-volume download. It was a fun read. Almost everyone in these books is corrupt, criminal, or both. The few who aren't exist primarily as victims for those who are. Bad things happen to them. Recommended.

Mark Twain's "Eve's Diary", also from Project Gutenberg, is quite short but a sweet read, as one might suspect considering the source.

"Running with the Demon" reinforces my opinion that Terry Brooks' more recent Shannara entries are a decided improvement over early series releases. (I recently attempted a re-read of the original "Sword of Shannara" book but DNF'd fairly early on.)

Jane Eyre is Jane Eyre. I enjoyed it, except during a few episodes of introspection / inner turmoil that overstayed their welcome. (Project Gutenberg)

"Venetian Heretic", an Amazon purchase, was a solid, entertaining read with possibly the best-written Gondola chase in literature. A solid recommendation.

"A Hero of Our Time" (Project Gutenberg) was readable, but didn't overly impress.

"A Distant Mirror: ...", receiving its fifth read and the only paper book on the list, is one of my favorite non-fiction history works.

I made new covers for all the Project Gutenberg titles. Here's the cover for Jack Sheppard, volume 03.

And speaking of Treasure Island, here's its new decrepit cover.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Jul 22 2025, 10:47 AM

[Decrepit]

As threatened, I read R. Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (free Project Gutenberg download), finishing it yesterday evening after retiring to the sofa for the day.

Subrosa said what needs be said about the book:

"In any case, it is an entertaining, engaging adventure story. It does not slow or drag, but continues at a brisk pace. The characters are likable. Their actions make sense. John Silver really stands out among them. He is a neat villain to read because he is both intelligent and charismatic. He gets you to like him, convinces you that he is your friend. In the way that a true sociopath can do so well. When in reality you are just a tool for him to use, and throat to cut if you are not long useful."

It's not my favorite seafaring novel by a long shot, but certainly enjoyable, start to finish. I'm glad to have read it.

BTW, my ongoing "kitchen table paper-book", read as I dine, is "The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler" by Robert Payne, receiving its fourth or fifth reading. It's a favorite bio, and this go-round has added appeal due to parallels with current happenings . . . which I'll not detail since we're not that sort of forum. I'm now at page 319, just over halfway through, with Hitler about to invade Czechoslovakia.

I've not yet decided on my next Paperwhite e-book read.

[SubRosa]

The Behind the Bastards podcast had several good episodes on Hitler. Not simply talking about the obvious stuff, but the more personal quirks and nature of his private life. One was how he loved Karl May's Old West novels. One two parter was about his girlfriends. He had seven girlfriends throughout his life, and six of them committed suicide. At least one my have had 'help' doing so as well. His big move to impress the chicks was to beat his dog with a whip. What a romantic...

He also gave himself the nickname "Wolf". You never give yourself your own nickname. Giant red flag.

Yesterday I read A Princess of Mars, the first book in the Barsoom (or John Carter) series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was a lot better than I expected. Like Treasure Island, it is a fun romp across a fictional Mars - aka Barsoom. Like Treasure Island, it moves at a brisk pace, even in the exposition heavy areas where Burroughs is telling us how Martian society works.

It is far from perfect. Early on there is a line about how all the slaves loved Carter back in Virginia that was just painful to read. From there we get a ton of examples of the Damsel in Distress trope, with a healthy topping of Deus Ex Machina. At least the latter serves the purpose of keeping the story moving along at a quick pace, and prevents things from getting bogged down in what would otherwise been slow plodding if things had unfolded in a more realistic fashion.

OTOH, I really loved the Post-Apocalyptic setting this has. Like Lord of the Rings, it is not our standard Post Apocalypse story, which is set close to the end of the world, and tends to focus on how the survivors are trying to survive in the wake whatever catastrophe destroyed their society. Instead it is set thousands of years later, and the characters live in the ruins of previous societies that have so thoroughly vanished that no one really remembers who they were. They just know that at one time Mars was a place thriving with life and advanced peoples. Now it is a dying wasteland where six-limbed nomads travel across deserts that were once oceans, while 'civilized' humans live in a city states where they not only recreate the technology of old, but perhaps even surpass it in some places. But always, the ever-present specter of the planet's death hangs over them all. It really brings a sense of stakes to everything. This is a world that hangs on a knife edge of continued survival.

In any case it is an enjoyable fantasy adventure. If you like Conan, you will probably enjoy this.

[Burnt Sierra]

Well, inspired by Decrepit and SubRosa's posts, I thought I'd add what I've been reading this year too

*

JANUARY - FANTASY MONTH


Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

A fantasy novel, where the five most dangerous killers in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the God King Joon. An interesting novel, that I assumed (wrongly) would have a tone similar to the Grimdark of Joe Abercrombie or Jay Kristoff, but actually has much more in common with the breakneck pace, and twists and turns, of Brandon Sanderson. This is part of a trilogy, of which the final part has just been released, that I probably will pick up at some point if it comes on offer, to see how the story continues.

The Crucible of Chaos: A Novel of the Court of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell

A standalone fantasy offshoot, from his Greatcoats series, about a mortally wounded magistrate who investigates an ancient abbey where the monks are going mad and the gods themselves may be to blame. Like most of de Castell's books, this follows it's own path, a merging of fantasy, detective, supernatural, horror and some quirky as hell characters. He does atmosphere brilliantly though, and you're never quite sure where his stories are going. A fun read, and I am a fan of the author generally.

The Justice of Kings: Book One of the Empire of the Wolf by Richard Swan

Having enjoyed the blending of genres in de Castell's novel, I saw this which sounded like it might offer a similar but different experience.
"Sir Konrad Vonvalt is the most feared Justice of all, upholding the law by way of his sharp mind, arcane powers and skill as a swordsman. At his side stands Helena Sedanka, his clerk and protégé, orphaned by the wars that forged the empire. When the pair investigate the murder of a provincial aristocrat, they unearth a conspiracy that stretches to the very top of imperial society."
Enjoyable but it didn't grab me in the same way the previous book had. I don't regret reading it, but I don't think I'll be continuing with the series. Whilst the plot was clever and well done, the characters and the writing style just did absolutely nothing for me.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Another attempt at finding a book that successfully combined fantasy and murder mystery.
"In an opulent mansion at the borders of the Empire, an Imperial officer lies dead - killed when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even here, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it's a death at once terrifying and impossible. Called in to solve the crime is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricity. At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. Soon, the mystery leads to a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself."
Oh boy! This one was GOOD! Really, really good. I've bought the second in the series recently, and looking forward to reading it when I get that Fantasy urge again. Great plot, great world building, great characters, which was a relief after the previous disappointment.

*

FEBRUARY - SURPRISINGLY STILL FANTASY MONTH


Still had that fantasy itch, but was craving a little more Epic Fantasy at this point.

Wizard in Exile: Wrath of the Stormking Book 1 by Michael G. Manning

This is the start of a new follow on series, set after the events of the previous Art of the Adept, which I'd read a few years ago. That had been a very solid and enjoyable Heroic Fantasy series, let down slightly by a disappointing final book. Similarly to how Tad Williams revisited Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, I was curious to see how the author would tackle the events. Got to say, I enjoyed this, and will continue reading the next book at some point.

Age of Assassins: The Wounded Kingdom Book 1 by RJ Barker

A fantasy novel, first in a trilogy, that I'd actually picked up in 2018 but had never gotten around to reading. Girton Club-Foot, apprentice to the land's best assassin, still has much to learn about the art of taking lives. But his latest mission tasks Girton and his master with a far more difficult challenge: to save a life. Someone is trying to kill the heir to the throne, and it is up to Girton and his master to uncover the traitor and prevent the prince's murder. Although the plot sounded like it offered possibilities, it also sounded extremely generic, which I think was the reason I'd put off reading it for so long. I was wrong. This ended up being a very pleasant surprise, and I ended up grabbing the other two books in the trilogy immediately after I finished.

Blood of Assassins: The Wounded Kingdom Book 2 by RJ Barker
King of Assassins: The Wounded Kingdom Book 3 by RJ Barker

The rest of February was finishing the above trilogy, as the story had hooked me and I needed to see how it ended. In fact, I'd been so surprised by how much I'd enjoyed them, that I went and bought another of his books that started a new series, and decided to make March a continuation of Fantasy books.

*

MARCH - EXTREMELY SURPRISINGLY STILL FANTASY MONTH


Gods of the Wyrdwood: The Forsaken Trilogy, Book 1 by RJ Barker

I'd been impressed by the previous series. It had excellent reviews. A premise that sounded intriguing.
"Cahan du Nahare is known as the forester - a humble man who can nonetheless navigate the dangerous Wyrdwood like no-one else. But once he was more. Once he was a warrior. Udinny serves the goddess of the lost, a goddess of the small and helpless. When she ventures into the Wyrdwood to find a missing child, Cahan will be her guide. Vicious outlaws, warring deities and an evil empire, set within the bounds of a forest out of darkest folklore. The Gods of the Wyrdwood have awoken."
I'll be charitable, and say the book didn't work for me. I really do feel like I'm being charitable too. Not a series I'll be continuing with, didn't take to any part of this story.

The Girl and the Stars: Book of the Ice 1 by Mark Lawrence

After that disappointment, I went straight into a book by an author I've had a mixed time with in the past. I'd really enjoyed his Book of the Ancestor trilogy, which I thought was excellent. I had quite enjoyed his Broken Empire series, which I'd found interesting and different. I hadn't enjoyed his Red Queen's War series at all, though I'd stuck with it in the hope it would get better. But the premise sounded intriguing, so I gave it a go. "East of the Black Rock, out on the ice, lies a hole down which broken children are thrown. On the vastness of the ice there is no room for individuals. No one survives alone. To resist the cold, to endure the months of night when even the air itself begins to freeze, requires a special breed. Variation is dangerous, difference is fatal. And Yaz is different. Torn from her family, from the boy she thought she would spend her life with, Yaz has to carve a new path for herself in a world whose existence she never suspected. A world full of danger. Beneath the ice, Yaz will learn that Abeth is older and stranger than she had ever imagined."
Lets just say I should have trusted my instincts. Not a success, and won't be continuing the series.

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
Empire of the Damned: Empire of the Vampire, Book 2 by Jay Kristoff

"It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. Ever since, vampires have waged war against humanity building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Gabriel de León, half man, half monster, and last remaining silversaint, a sworn brother of the holy Silver Order dedicated to defending the realm from the creatures of the night, is all that stands between the world and its end. Imprisoned by the very monsters he has vowed to destroy Gabriel is forced to tell his story, a story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the War of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity's last remaining hope: The Holy Grail."

Thankfully, March ended on a good note, due to the above two books - the third of which is due out later this year. Kristoff is quite a divisive writer, some people love him, some hate. I fall into the love category. Suffice to say, if you've read his previous books and enjoyed them, you'll love these. If you read his previous and didn't enjoy them, these won't change your mind. My favourite Grimdark writer is Joe Abercrombie, but Kristoff runs a close second for me.

*

APRIL - TIME FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT


As much as I love reading in the Fantasy genre, all the novels tend to be plot driven. After three months of non stop fantasy, I was absolutely craving smaller, intimate, character studies.

Outline by Rachel Cusk
I'd been wanting to read this for quite some time, and it didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed it, but some of my friends who also read it have not had the same experience. In fact some of them truly hated it.

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
First book on the list which was a reread, though it had been well over a decade since the last readthrough. Still one of the finest books I've ever read for putting you in the mind of the protagonist.

Post Office by Charles Bukowski
Ironically, given it was his first book, the only one I'd never read. For some reason I read them in reverse order. There is an incredible energy to the writing in this book, but I think I prefer his later ones.

Fine Just the Way It Is: Wyoming Stories 3 by Annie Proulx
Collection of short stories. I'd read both her previous collections, Close Range: Wyoming Stories and Bad Dirt: Wyoming Stories 2, and was eager to read more. Her novels, like The Shipping News and Postcards, are superb. Her short stories are possibly even better.

The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
A sequel to her 2010 novel A Visit From the Goon Squad, which I'd previously read and really enjoyed. This was a beautifully written book, but didn't grab me anywhere near as much as it's predecessor.

*

MAY - CONTINUING WITH DIFFERENT THINGS


The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Another book I'd picked up some time before, but never got round to reading. Last year I'd read a few Japanese books that had been translated into English, and found them fascinating reads, like Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, so I was eager to read another and had heard a lot of good things about this one. They're a very unique style, but I have to say I'm a fan.

After that, time for another pivot:

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
Astonishingly, I'd never read this. I've read the majority over the years, but because I'd seen the film, I always put this one off. Finally got around to it, and it was just as good as I expected. However, I've always preferred the next writer on the list, so I decided to reread my favourite of his to see how it compared.

The Chill by Ross MacDonald
And as amazing as Chandler was, I'm sticking to my original belief that Ross MacDonald was even better!

52 Pickup by Elmore Leonard
One of only two Elmore Leonard novels I've never read before, and the novel that signalled his switch into writing crime, from way back in the year I was born, 1974. Without question, one of my all time favourite writers, and the remaining book I've never read, I'm hoping to get to this year. So many books, so little time.

The Complete Western Stories by Elmore Leonard
All his short stories from before he started focusing on crime novels. Even back then, he still had an ear for dialogue and characterisation that few other writers have ever matched.

*

JUNE - SOMEWHAT BIZARRELY, ALISTAIR MACLEAN MONTH


I'd been a huge Alistair MacLean fan when I was a young teenager, and had really enjoyed his classics, like The Guns of Navarone, Fear Is the Key, Ice Station Zebra and Where Eagles Dare. I hadn't read any of his books though for well over thirty years, and all of a sudden a whole bunch of them came up as a Sunday Daily Deal on Kindle, so I grabbed several that I'd never previously read.

Bear Island by Alistair MacLean
The Golden Gate by Alistair MacLean
Seawitch by Alistair MacLean
Athabasca by Alistair MacLean
Floodgate by Alistair MacLean

After the taut dialogue and plotting of Elmore Leonard et al, this came as a bit of a culture shock! Flowery writing, dialogue that waffled on, characters that were wafer thin....but, I gotta say, he knew how to tell an exciting story! I enjoyed all of them, particularly The Golden Gate which was a rip roaring adventure, but I did have to turn off my inner critic.

*

JULY - RANDOM MIX TIME


Holmes, Margaret and Poe by James Patterson
Holmes Is Missing: Book Two of Holmes, Margaret & Poe by James Patterson

The first book was another one that came up as a Kindle Daily Deal, so I grabbed it, read it, enjoyed it, and promptly bought the second for full price. Which I regret, as it was nowhere near as good as the first one. I'm guessing a third one will come out at some point. If it does, I'll probably wait for that to be a Kindle Deal before taking the plunge. Once bitten and all that. The first one was great fun though, a good example of how a great premise can power a book. But not two.

Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino
First non-fiction book of the year. Really enjoyed his take on some classic movies from the 70's, like Bullitt, Dirty Harry, Deliverance, The Getaway and one of my all time favourite films, Taxi Driver. Several films he talks about I haven't seen, so that's added to my ever growing list of films to watch too. Might have to do a "Films I've watched this year" list at this rate!

Separate Paths: Book 2 of the Unnamed Saga by Stuart Maher and Peregrine Anish
An author well known on these forums, for good reason! Buying Book 3 shortly.

The Silence by Don DeLillo
Although the most critically acclaimed of DeLillo's novels have been his larger books, like Underworld and White Noise, I've always really liked his shorter novels like Cosmopolis and The Body Artist. This one fell into the much shorter category, and it was a very interesting and slightly challenging read. Most enjoyable!

And, although not in book format, I want to give a shout to some forum stories. This month also included the reading of Buffy - Book 4: Drodda the Icewitch by Acadian, Jerric's Story: A Nord's Adventures in Cyrodiil by Grits, Home for the Holidays: A Saturalia Short Story also by Grits, The Saga of Joan of Arkay: A Morrowind Main Quest Story by Renee and last but not least, A Wood Elf in Windhelm: Stranger in a Strange Land by haute ecole rider. These have all been a real pleasure to read.

And that brings us up to the end of July, and a quick count tells me that it's been thirty two books read so far this year.

[Decrepit]

RECENT READING

Finished 07/30/2025: 2018
“The Life of Lazarillo of Tormes and His Fortunes and Adversities” by an Anonymous 6th Century Spanish author, English translation by Sir Clements Markham (1830-1916)

This Project Gutenberg download is a well-written, enjoyable read. Banned by the Spanish Crown and included in the Index of Forbidden Books of the Spanish Inquisition, Wikipedia credits it with launching the “picaresque novel” genre, its protagonist being a lowly mistreated servant who survives by outsmarting his masters. Its closing chapter, with Lazarillo having garnered some success in life, brought a smile to my face and had me shaking my head at the same time. Easily recommended.


Finished 02/2025: 0855
“The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War” by Stephen Crane (1871-1900) – Project Gutenberg ebook

Once considered an American classic, it might still be. I swear I read it half a century ago, yet nothing this read rang a bell, other than generalities. A good read, but not, I think, a must for non U.S. Civil War buffs.


Finished 08/03/2025: 1031
“Escape from East Tennessee to the Federal Lines” by Captain Robert A. Ragan – Project Gutenberg ebook

I initially assumed this to be about a Federal soldier's escape from Southern captivity, or possibly the escape of a slave as documented by a Union officer. It is instead about pro-union residents of Tennessee who are mistreated by their “rebel” neighbors, focused on the author’s escape, his helping others to escape, his becoming a Union soldier, and his unit’s actions until the war’s end. Covering a little-publicized aspect of the U.S. Civil War, I found it an engrossing, worthwhile read. Recommended.


Finished 08/04/2025: 0327
“Weird Tales magazine, Jun 1937: The Carnal God” by John R. Speer and Carlisle Schnitzer – Project Gutenberg ebook

A short, okay read. It wasn’t, alas, carnal enough for me. In truth, it isn’t carnal at all, more's the pity.


Finished 08/16/2025: 0427
“The First Druids of Shannara: Galaphile” by Terry Brooks

A solid entry in a long-running series of variable quality. The title says all that needs be said about the book’s storyline. Self-recommending for those invested in the Shannara universe. Those new to Shannara should start elsewhere. (I find the series’ start, “The Sword of Shannara”, one of its weaker novels. It remains the logical starting point, though a case can be made for one of Brooks’ several “pre-Shannara” series. I am particularly fond of his Genesis of Shannara trilogy.)



Finished 08/19/2025: 0828
“A History of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas
Being an Account of the Early Settlements, the Civil War, the Ku-Klux, and Times of Peace” by William Monks – Project Gutenberg e-book

This is “Escape from East Tennessee . . .” on steroids. Brutality abounds. The author, as the book alludes to, is not a well-educated man. It shows, yet gives the writing a rough-honed honesty. Bad things happen here. The author himself is no choir boy, but at least stands for honor and goodness, to the limited extent they exist during the Civil War and Ku-Klux sections. A strong recommendation for anyone at all interested in this era of U.S. history.


Finished 08/20/2025: 1643
“Lord of the Flies” (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition — ebook) by William Golding

This classic about a group of British schoolboys marooned on a deserted island, and their not-so-gradual descent into savagery, is the only book force-read during my long-ago school days that I liked well enough to buy my own copy of. I read it again in my early twenties. It was, alas, stored in my parents’ home when that abode was destroyed during a 1973 tornado. I always meant to repurchase it, but didn’t take the plunge until finding it reasonably priced on Amazon.com early this month (Aug 2025). To the extent one can know such things after so long a time gap, I liked it every bit as much this read as I did over 55ish years ago. A solid recommendation.


Finished 08/21/2025: 2015
“The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler” by Robert Payne (fourth or fifth read)

The sole paper-book on the list, read at the kitchen table during meals. It’s an excellent bio of a not-so-excellent man. At 600 printed pages, it’s too short to do the man and his “achievements” full justice. Still, what it covers is handled excellently. Published in the early 1970s, it misses out on some aspects of Hitler’s life not unearthed until later on. Hitler’s health is a case in point. Payne says that Hitler’s physical health remained robust until relatively late in the war. The book also champions Hitler visiting England for a short time in early adulthood, a view that is nowadays disbelieved. Still, it’s a page-turner and a solid recommendation.

Speaking of Hitler’s health, my current kitchen-tablet paper-book is “The Secret Diaries of Hitler’s Doctor”, that being one Theodore Morell, receiving its second read.

I’m in between e-books at the moment, having no success finding a title that holds my interest beyond its first few pages.



To: Burnt Sierra
Subject: The Crucible of Chaos: A Novel of the Court of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell

This book is in my Paperwhite library. I have yet to read it. I have read de Castell’s Greatcoat Quartet and think highly of it. I like another Greatcoat novel (though they play only a minor role in it), Play Shadows, even better, giving it a very solid recommendation.



To: Burnt Sierra
Subject: Age of Assassins by RJ Barker

I’ve not read this, but have read his “Tide Child Trilogy”, think quite highly of it, and give it a strong recommendation.


BOOK COVER creation:

Here are two personal favorite Project Gutenberg cover replacements made during the past month or so.

First up, an obscure title, “The Subjection of Women” by John Stuart Mill”, created 27 July 2025.

Second, a not-so-obscure title, Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” in the Maude translation. PG's supplied cover is rather decent in its understated way. I hadn't planned to replace it. But, me being me, I recently succumbed to my tendency (so far as book covers are concerned) to not leave well enough alone.

[Burnt Sierra]

AUGUST - YOU THOUGHT JULY WAS RANDOM?

An interesting month for reading, both in terms of what I read and the way I was reading in general. I started off with a fascinating book, that's taken me quite a while to get through, which is why I did things a little differently.
That book was:

Anatomy of Genres: How Story Forms Explain the Way the World Works by John Truby
First of all, it's a hefty 720 pages. Secondly, it's written in a very dry style. Almost like it's trying to be a cross between a studious, scholarly guide, yet with popular mainstream appeal. Which I suppose makes sense, as I suspect it'll be required reading for screenwriting courses. It's a fascinating book, focusing on movies, and is a good companion to his previous book, Anatomy of Story. Particularly interesting was his discussion on what different genre stories represent, in terms of theme and world view. Highly recommended.

However, I knew as soon as I started reading it, it was going to be a slow read, requiring lots of pauses and time to allow ideas to percolate and be fully understood. So, I decided to forego novels for the month, and to read short stories and poems in addition. The idea being they could be read in one sitting, be self-contained and would offer some variety in terms of style and topic. So, for poetry over the course of the month, I read the following collections:

Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
Afterlife as Trash by Rushika Wick
American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes
Two Little Ducks: and Selected Poems by Matt Abbott

All very different styles of poetry, and all extremely good. I'm always hesitant to recommend poetry, as people's reactions differ to it so strongly, but if I was to recommend just one, I'd probably pick Terrance Hayes book.

I stuck with the same idea with the short stories, a collection by an individual author, read over the course of the month. These included:

Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks
Drown by Junot Diaz
Things You Should Know by A.M. Homes

I finished Anatomy and Things You Should Know three days before the end of the month, so I decided to add one last bit of variety and read a play I'd bought a little while back. Which was:

Buried Child by Sam Shepard - Whilst I've seen (and read) a few of his plays, this was one I never had, despite it being probably his most famous. It was every bit as good as I hoped, though I think my favourite remains True West. Or possibly Fool for Love. But they have the benefit for me of not only being read, but also seen performed. I'd love to see Buried Child performed too, but I suspect I'd have a much better chance of seeing that in the US rather than over here in the UK.

Sadly.

An extremely enjoyable month of reading in all! It looks like I read a massive amount, but poetry collections, plays and short story collections are considerably shorter than novels, and being able to mix the different styles up kept everything feeling fresh and interesting.