What are you reading in 2025?

[Autumnal]

So I'm not the only one that gets stressed reading for pleasure?

Oh, no. My regular reading diet includes a fair amount of emotionally demanding stuff, both fiction and nonfiction. I am eagerly awaiting the final volume of Christopher Ruocchio’s Sun Eater Saga and am probably going to reread the Book of the Nee Sun soon, but I’m going to get behind with a few of my favorite authors, not make a fresh attempt at the Malazan Book of the Fallen, and like that. Just as I’m not going to read more of Prit Buttar’s books about the Eastern Front in World War II and may well read about the Maya and Mughals but not the American Civil War or fascism.

 

[Nellisir]

This was an interesting emotional experience - I thought for the most time of reading this book that it would have no emotional impact on me. The clean, concise prose, the characters we know almost nothing about and only witness their actions, everything. But the eerie subtle worldbuilding created a strong atmosphere and the last chapters left me weirdly depressed. Its not that something overly tragic happens, but I guess thats the point of it.

I had a similar reaction to Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro.

 

[jian]

Oh, no. My regular reading diet includes a fair amount of emotionally demanding stuff, both fiction and nonfiction. I am eagerly awaiting the final volume of Christopher Ruocchio’s Sun Eater Saga and am probably going to reread the Book of the Nee Sun soon, but I’m going to get behind with a few of my favorite authors, not make a fresh attempt at the Malazan Book of the Fallen, and like that. Just as I’m not going to read more of Prit Buttar’s books about the Eastern Front in World War II and may well read about the Maya and Mughals but not the American Civil War or fascism.

I knew Prit Buttar well, we were GPs in Oxfordshire LMC together (and before that, adversaries across the bargaining table). Not many people knew about his military history books. I hope he’s enjoying his retirement in Scotland - still seems to be, on FB.

 

[Autumnal]

I am currently reading The Postman by Brian (inspired by the post apocalypse thread). 315 pages, from the library and the first 25% surprisingly optimistic.

Post-apocalyptic tales come in (at least) two flavors:

1. The worst began and will continue indefinitely, maybe forever, and only the worst can ever really flourish.

2. The worst happened and things will remain bad a long time, but now people can start choosing better again.

The Postman is a great example of the second sort. An old philosophical conundrum is “Is the thought of a unicorn a real thought?” Brin clearly came down on the side of “the thought of a restored America is a real thought even when its response to an initially dishonest improvisation”. True actions make the motivation increasingly true. Oh, and those lovely interstitals about the planet’s uncertainty…throwing this onto the rereading pile.

I knew Prit Buttar well, we were GPs in Oxfordshire LMC together (and before that, adversaries across the bargaining table). Not many people knew about his military history books. I hope he’s enjoying his retirement in Scotland - still seems to be, on FB.

Wow. his World War I set is seriously amazing. What I read of the World War II set was also great.

 

[jian]

Wow. his World War I set is seriously amazing. What I read of the World War II set was also great.

I’m sorry to say I haven’t read any but see (from his FB) that his latest, Into the Reich, is out. I only knew about his books because of rpg.net - he never talked about them at work and seemed surprised I knew.

 

[Autumnal]

I recommend them. Particularly the audiobooks, to hear people’s and places’ names right.

 

[Nellisir]

So I'm not the only one that gets stressed reading for pleasure? These multi 700 page books have about made me quit reading fiction for pleasure. But then I circle back to sci-fi and fantasy of the 60s-80s and feel better.

I am currently reading The Postman by Brian (inspired by the post apocalypse thread). 315 pages, from the library and the first 25% surprisingly optimistic.

The Postman was one of the very few books I reread several times as a teenager - generally I didn't ever reread a book (as I get older that's changed). The movie, obviously, was beyond disappointing.

 

[Retros_x]

maintain a useful-to-me ignore list

most important part to enjoy social media!

So I'm not the only one that gets stressed reading for pleasure? These multi 700 page books have about made me quit reading fiction for pleasure. But then I circle back to sci-fi and fantasy of the 60s-80s and feel better.

Not stressed, because I just read for myself and my enjoyment, I don't feel performative about it. But I think current social media trends treat reading a lot like that, with reading goal challenges and boasting about the doorstopper novel one has finished. And of course fear of missing out if everybody talks about that hot new epic fantasy tome.

By biggest problem with 700+ page books is that often I don't see the page count justified and it seems that many fantasy novelists confuse worldbuilding with writing a novel or just seem to think that a high page count is needed to be qualified as epic fantasy author so they bloat it with so much filler so they can say "ugh, I wrote an 900 page epic fantasy tome". The Way of Kings was such a book for me I've recently read.

So not stressing out but feeling annoyed or disrespected by the author.

I had a similar reaction to Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Oh nice, I should give this a try again. I tried it a few years ago and DNFed, but back then I was in my multiyear reading slump and every book had a hard time keeping my interest.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Back from vacation. While away, I re-read William Hope Hodgson's The Boats of the Glen Carrig, Algernon Blackwood's The Wendigo, and some sundry weird fiction short stories. The Wendigo remains one of the most chilling horror stories I've ever read; it surprises me that no one has adapted it into a movie yet.

I also just finished Gary Myers' The House of the Worm. Pretty much a mix of Lovecraft and CAS, with a touch of Lord Dunsany. Set in the Dreamlands, it certainly has a dream-like feel.

Now I'm re-reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It's been almost ten years since my last read of it.

 

[Nellisir]

Oh nice, I should give this a try again. I tried it a few years ago and DNFed, but back then I was in my multiyear reading slump and every book had a hard time keeping my interest.

I read it like 10-13 years ago. Literally hurled it across the room upon finishing it. Ranted about it. And it's been lodged in my brain ever since because...it's not wrong. If it was wrong it'd just be dumb, and it's not dumb.