Die Tyrannei des Schmetterlings (the tyranny of the butterfly) by German author Frank Schätzing. A sci-fi thriller in the same vein as John Chrichton about AI and quantum physics. A great page turner, although the flowery language sometimes comes across as a bit forced.

Just finished The Roman Villa. An older book, and dry as death.

It was interesting, however, to see concepts which were cutting-edge in the 70s (connecting certain non-Latin place-name endings with Roman villas, the collapse of the Roman economy as a function of societal decline rather than destructive invasions, the continued habitation and transformation of post-Roman villa locations) but are simply accepted orthodoxy now.

I LOVE sapphic sci-fi, please never let this trend end 🙏🏼

Currently reading Unconquerable Sun. It’s fun, the writing isn’t the best but it has great world building and cute lesbians.

I read Volatile Memory, which was intense but good. I just hope trans girls don’t look at it as an example, the world is very dystopic and the relationship very unhealthy. There’s plenty of people who support you in real life~

Monk and Robot was a little disappointing. It’s nice and has some beautiful descriptions but it felt somewhat aimless. If there was any point to it it’s just some liberal self-care nonsense.

The Dungeon Anarchist Cookbook, from the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.

Mostly audiobook, I really like the actor. He plays every character differently. There’s a guest actor that almost made me stop the audiobook, but it was worth enduring it for the end of his arch. If you know, you know.

I started The Count of Monte Cristo, which has been on my to read list forever!

I actually just finished both Howling Dark by Christopher Ruocchio today. Its the second book in the Sun Eater series. I enjoyed it more than the first book in the series. At times still feels like just Dune but it did have some things i didnt expect.

Also finsihed Heart of Midnight by J Robert King. Its a D&D book from the 90s set in Ravenloft. There are a series of them bit non are connected. Was not great but was fun. So I enjoyed it.

So as of right now i am reading nothing lol. Probably pick up the third book in Sun Eater series in a day or two and then I am not sure what else.

Finished “Singularity sky” by Charles Stross, great book which ends kind of slow. Or at least, the beginning set some very high expectations, and then the story unfolds into something different. Good enough to start the second book “Iron sunrise”, of which I have just read the prologue.

I finished Winter’s Heart the other day, and my ambivalence towards the Wheel of Time continues. I quite disliked the first third of the book, and quite liked the rest. It’s just amazing to me that in a series with thousands of named characters, the only one I find likeable is Min. I also thought Perrin was nice enough, but war trauma and an unhealthy, abusive relationship have changed him in to someone I don’t much care for. At least Nynaeve has mellowed down some.

And yet, and yet, I like the series. At it’s core it’s a really good story, and if Jordan had had some actual focus it could’ve been amazing. I say this should have been six books, max. It’s perplexing to me that he has like three main characters (well, more than that, but let’s focus on the supposedly important ta’veren) and usually one of them will be absent for most or whole of a book. Jordan is way too enamored with his world, writing and work.

But as to the topic at hand, I recently watched Nöthin’ but a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of '80s Hair Metal, and it made me want to re-read The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Mötley Crüe. I remember it being a surprisingly good book, given it’s the story of a group of dysfunctional musicians committing various crimes and general insanity. What I think makes it especially interesting is the fact that every member gets to tell their side, letting the book speak in many voices. In fact, the book opens with a quote by Wilkie Collins from The Woman in White, about how the story is told by many speakers. I did not expect a Wilkie Collins quote in The Dirt, but here we are. They also constantly shit on each other with little regard for anyone’s feelings, which I feel adds a sense of honesty.

I’m on Fool Moon, trying for a complete Dresden Files re-read before Twelve Months

I started The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett this week and am really liking it. This is the first book I’ve read from him, and I’m easily getting into his writing style.

Finished Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier yesterday. It was a good gothic novel about how a person can still haunt the lives of others, even strangers, after they pass.

Last night I started Cory Doctorow’s book Enshittification. I didn’t get far, but after reading his blog a lot a year ago it mostly feels like a summary of stuff he normally writes about so far. That’s about what I hoped for. I’m interested to see what more he has to add later.

I finished Provenance by Ann Leckie. I read her Imperial Radch trilogy years ago and really enjoyed it. This was set in the same world so I expected to like it but it just fell kind of flat to me. The exploration of personhood and gender norms wasn’t really there and the political intrigue felt shallow.

Now I’m on A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett, the sequel to The Tainted Cup. It is just as gripping as the first book and I’m absolutely loving it. I really need to read more from this author.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer for the podcast - the Natalie Portman movie is very loosely based on it - its pretty good so far but I’m not far in.

I’ve just started a queer (somewhat furry-adjacent - don’t hate me) fantasy novel called Wolf of Withervale by Joaquin Baldwin. Some fascinating world-building around a plot which has been fairly low stakes so far, but I’m hoping will build into something grander.

Just finished:

Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles. A Gothic fairy tale with promising vibes of Crimson Peak, Beauty and the Beast, and Rebecca. I found it ultimately disappointing as there was never any explanation or lore provided and I thought the MC wasn’t well fleshed out. But if you like Gothic vibes and romance, you might appreciate this one.

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold. A post-apocalyptic time travel story with likable characters. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Currently reading American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men who Became America’s First Paramedics by Kevin Hazzard. I never knew about them until they were mentioned on The Pitt. Some heartbreaking stories in the first chapter.