Sneaky weekly post, as I didn't see a new sticky post for the week. :3

Check out the community bingo post for 2026, it's a genuinely fun way to navigate your reading, and it's accompanying recommendations post. Happy reading and spooky season! 🎃👻📖

Book of Doors by Gareth Brown. Probably my new favorite comfort read.

Oh great to hear! I've had his works on my tbr for a minute, what made it your new favourite?

I read John Polidori's The Vampyre, an early modern vampire short story. It was pretty good, given its context. It was based on the story Lord Byron wrote for their little writing competition that also spawned Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Funnily enough, Polidori based the titular vampire on Lord Byron's personality. From what I gather, Byron was a bit of a shit. Anyway, it was a quick read.

China Miéville’s new novel, The Rouse.

Revisiting some old favorites of mine. Finished Cryptonomicon recently, and now I'm binging Pratchetts night watch books

When They Burned the Butterfly by Wen-yi Lee. It's been sitting on my Libby queue for a while and I figured I'd better read it before the hold expires in a couple of months. I'm glad I did, since it's been very interesting thus far.

In the past week I finished Reamde by Neal Stephenson, finished The Gate of the Feral God by Matt Dinniman, and started The Witch King by Martha Wells.

I greatly enjoy reading your mini book reviews, thanks for sharing!!

We're you inspired by the recent meme post about how the three of them had the little writing competition and Shelly turned out one of the most famous works of all time?

Exciting, I understand it's being described as an epic. How you liking it thus far?

I read that book a few months ago and really enjoyed it. You might enjoy what I'm reading now, The Book that Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence.

I need to reread Cryptonomicon. I reread Snow Crash last year, and read Reamde for the first time last week. Stephenson is so good.

Never heard of this before, what's it about from what you've read so far?

I finished The Book that Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence yesterday and started the second book in the series right after, The Book that Broke the World. The first book was really good, with interesting characters and plot devices.

Oh, what did you think of it? I've really liked what I've read of his so far, but they can be so depressing that I need to take breaks in between his books.

Oh, thank you! I appreciate you saying that.

No problem :), I've you got tagged as "the book reviewer" because of it 🖖

I’m liking it so far, but it’s unlike most of his other stuff (at least at first)—it reads as straight literary/historical fiction, following the life of a single mother in 1970s London. My understanding is that the “weird” elements don’t enter until well into the story.

I'm unreasonably happy to know I've been tagged with anything at all.

I'm glad I my appreciation can bring some joy to you :).

I'm lukewarm on Stephenson, tbh. His early books are great, but I find that his later works seem more like a product of him being interested in a topic, then he does some world building on top, and attached a fairly basic plot. Seveneves is a great example: Interesting premise, great world building, but in all honesty I found the book pretty boring.

I read Rise and Fall of the d.o.d.o a while back, and I find that one a lot better. For starters I found the epistolary writing style highly entertaining. Secondly, I suspect that Nicole Gallands participation really added to the story, precenting it from becoming another "world building first, story second"-book.

Nah, I had this book on my reading list for a long time. I don't recall how I found it.

EDIT: If anything, I assume I came across this book via Le Fanu's Carmilla, which is also great.

Oh, neat. I was certain you'd say yes because it was posted about the right number of days ago for someone to have read a book.

Any plans to move on to Fall, or Dodge in Hell?

I'll likely read it. I'm a little worried that the story should just end with Reamde, but I did put it on my list.

The two books are very different, with just a few characters in common.

Oh, interesting, thanks.

I just started Billy Summers by Stephen King last night. Pretty good so far, but I'm also a big King fan to begin with.

Teenage girl in Singapore (I think) has ability to create fire. Her mother suddenly dies and it turns out is more than what she knew. Ends up joining a gang of women and trying to investigate her mother's death. I'm only about 25% of the way in, so that's largely all I can say about it.

Just started reading Scion by James Islington. Haven't really gotten into it fully yet, but I find the writing style a bit flat and driven by every obvious punchline.

I’m about 100 pages from finishing Dune. After this Dune: Mesiah will be a cake walk—I hope!

Working my way through the Booker Prize longlist

My secret goal is to read at least one longlisted book before they’re announced. I successfully picked up The Things We Never Say this year and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Disappearers was on my TBR but I hadn’t gotten to it yet… oh well, be faster next time.

I’ve done this three years in a row and I rarely have a book I hate. It’s a nice look at literary fiction and “good” writing.

The Devil Amongst the Lawyers, by Sharyn McCrumb. It's based on the 1935 trial of Edith Maxwell, but fictionalized enough that the author saw fit to change her name to Erma Morton. Except that it not about her at all, because nobody really cares about her story. Especially not the New York reporters descending upon Wise County, looking for the next Lindbergh baby case to sensationalize. (They've agreed Erma is a hottie, hence that portraying her as innocent is better business, facts notwithstanding.) Lots of Appalachian culture, as expected from McCrumb, but a surprising amount of Japanese culture due to one of the New Yorkers recalling his years in Japan hiding from American law.

I finished Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman, which was just okay, at the end of the day. Not something I'd write home about. On the other hand I'm accidentally listening and reading to two books with protagonists with eidetic memory, both of which I'm loving! The Fold, Peter Clines, and A Trade of Blood, Robert Jackson Bennett, are both great so far.

The Fold, is the second in a connected lovecraftian-inspired universe, and nails the government secret project energy. Blazing through this one.

Then A Trade of Blood continues the mysteries in Cline's awesome and weird biological science fantasy world. Trying to savor it.

Oh cool, that sounds intriguing! Anyone else using elemental powers, or just the MC?

Margaret Killjoy read this one on their book club podcast. I always love their commentary and before the ep starts they go into some of the background and how obvious it was made that this was about Lord Byron, lol

It Could Happen Here: CZM Book Club: Part One of "The Vampyre" by John Polidori

Episode webpage: https://omny.fm/shows/it-could-happen-here/czm-book-club-part-one-of-the-vampyre-by-john-poli

I've heard good things about Clines and have had Bennett's books on the tbr for a wee bit. What about The Fold is making you blaze through it? He wrote 14, right?

Whoa that's awesome! Do you have a vested interest in the literary world/"good writing" by chance -- i.e., do you write? Or more so out of enjoyment?

Also, how do you gage which books will be longlisted? I've not followed literary awards much.

Awesome, have seen good things mentioned about it. Haven't read any King yet myself, however, I'm thinking of reading 11/23/63 to start as I've had it recommended by someone irl. What's your favourite from him so far?

I just read a lot. On pace for 130 books this year.

Discovery is hard… I was tinkering with an app

A personalized book radar that continuously surfaces new and forthcoming books from publishers, critics, awards, and reader communities before they become obvious or popular. It helps you filter that broad stream into books worth investigating without trapping you in a taste bubble or relying on generic bestseller lists.

Unfortunately, publishers really don’t make their catalogues readily available to the public. You have to be a bookshop or library or known reviewer. Huge pain. Edelweiss does have some data you can use that’s cross-publisher, but it’s not an API.

I just want a place that is not the most popular books. Like, I really enjoyed the Dungeon Crawler Carl series… but it’s been top of the lists for over a year. Sigh

You got this 💪

Ah I see, that is an incredible reading volume -- putting my number to shame haha. What's your secrets? ಠ_ಠ

Huh that's fascinating, thanks for elucidating that part of the book world for me. I can only imagine being the first to discover titles, being bit of a skill combined with access to certain resources (like most things).

I finally listened to the audiobook of American Gods.

The whole idea of how the gods work is fascinating, but honestly I thought the TV show was better in a lot of ways.

Yup, 14 is the first in this series! It had a very slow burn into the weirdness of his world. The Fold knows that the reader is in on it even if the characters don't yet. I think that's a main reason I'm into it, but Clines also does a very good job at writing believable people which keeps it engaging.

Highly recommend Bennett's Ana and Din Mysteries. Super world, good mystery, and interesting characters. I've nearly finished his Foundryside series (2/3), and while neat, they aren't as strong in my opinion.

Interrupted my Culture re-read to give John Green's Hollywood, Ending a go. It was my first time reading his fiction, and apart from the characters being a little too self-aware, it was memorable, and has kept me thinking about it a lot since finishing it.

Also got through Excession (from the culture re-read), and if it's possible, it was better than I remember. The amazing thing about going through this series again is that at the end of each of the books I inevitably think "that one was my favourite of the series"

I finished Between Two Fires. For me maybe a 6/10. Maybe just not for me but everything about it seemed like it would be. Some neat scenes and stuff but i dont know how to describe it.

I started Lost Worlds by Patrick Wyman. Its a history of how early socities slowly began to form using what we know from the archeology records and DNA evidence. So far its been pretty good, but that could be bias i enjoyed his podcast Tides of History.

Also started the first book of He who fights with monsters. Its a litrpg similar to DCC? I guess. Not super far yet but i am hoping it grabs me. O guess DCC had more hype from friends. This was suggested by my partner, she read the first chapter or two and thought I would like it.

Audiobooks on 2x and Always Be Reading haha.

If I crack the secret to book discovery, I’ll let you know. There’s a real opportunity there, I just haven’t figured out how to do it yet

Hard to say exactly. Seems like there is some sort of system where certain tattoos convey certain powers that are associated with different gangs.

I'll check it out, added to the tbr, thanks! Look forward to hearing your thoughts when you finish it.

More Everything Forever. Pretty good overview of the rationalist and effective altruism movements that have turned Silicon Valley and the AI industry into what it is today. I have heard the author say in interviews that a good alternative title is “These fucking people”.