So what are you reading this year 2021?

[Nellisir]

Although, that said @Nellisir I did find that the Dresden books took 3-4 books to really hit their stride. But 1 and 2 were ok enough to keep me reading to when stuff started to get really good. And for me, it was all the vampire courts and the fae courts and all those politics and the White Wizards and how Harry fit into all that - that was when stuff started to get good, for me.

I've been really wary of the Dresden books. Urban fantasy is generally a huge fail for me. (That said, I haven't actually read any of them and yes, someday I will try them!)

I just started The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross and, 50 pages in, have tossed it. Endless references to things that happened before, and just...ugh.

I'm jonesing for a really good high fantasy novel, but nothing is leaping out at me. <sigh> I did burn through the rest of second mistborne trilogy earlier, and read some of the Raksura series by Martha Wells. Mixed feelings about that.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Still reading Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson.

Still reading Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow.

Still reading Night of the Hunter by R. A. Salvatore.

Still reading Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How a Lone American Star Defeated the Soviet Chess Machine by David Edmonds and John Eidinow.

Still reading Turn Coat by Jim Butcher.

Still reading Emma by Jane Austen.

Still reading Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire.

Still reading The Strange Death of Europe by Douglas Murray.

Still reading Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire.

Still reading The Battle for Spain by Antony Beevor.

Still reading Tasha's Cauldron of Everything by Wizards of the Coast.

Still reading The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan.

Started a reread of The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. I read this years ago and was floored, just blown away. So far the first couple chapters are still good, though not quite as I remember, since I now know the gut-wrenching agony waiting for me at the end of the book. :/

That's a lot of books to be in progress. I'm curious about your book-reading "process"...

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I've been really wary of the Dresden books. Urban fantasy is generally a huge fail for me. (That said, I haven't actually read any of them and yes, someday I will try them!)

I just started The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross and, 50 pages in, have tossed it. Endless references to things that happened before, and just...ugh.

I'm jonesing for a really good high fantasy novel, but nothing is leaping out at me. <sigh> I did burn through the rest of second mistborne trilogy earlier, and read some of the Raksura series by Martha Wells. Mixed feelings about that.

Have you read Butcher's Codex Alera books? I enjoyed.

 

[KahlessNestor]

That's a lot of books to be in progress. I'm curious about your book-reading "process"...

Yeah. I've always been a multibook reader. I've tried paring down to one at a time, but it only lasts so long, because there's another book I NEED to read, or the next book in some series I'm reading comes out. Currently, I'm TRYING to keep it relatively genre-different, so one fantasy, a history, one current affairs, etc. It doesn't always work, obviously. Generally I'll read one book on one day, and switch to another book the next. On weekends I'll stick with one book. It's about at the limit, though, where I'm not quite remembering what happened the last time I picked it up, so I'll be paring down again once books start finishing.

 

[Blue]

I've been really wary of the Dresden books. Urban fantasy is generally a huge fail for me. (That said, I haven't actually read any of them and yes, someday I will try them!)

The first two or so books are good and servicable and then it starts coming together and ramps up even more. But I can't recommend skipping those first books - the whole series has a truely wonderful amount of callbacks, recurring characters, and important plot points that come back around.

I just started The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross and, 50 pages in, have tossed it. Endless references to things that happened before, and just...ugh.

That series is also well connected to the earlier books, not a standalone read. While I enjoy the series, it's a particular Venn diagram of British humor, IT, Cthulhu horror, and government bureaucracy that if you are not in all of the circles can easily not be to taste.

I'm jonesing for a really good high fantasy novel, but nothing is leaping out at me. <sigh> I did burn through the rest of second mistborne trilogy earlier, and read some of the Raksura series by Martha Wells. Mixed feelings about that.

Wish I could help, my favorite new novels of the past few years didn't include any high fantasy. Have you tried Fifth Season?

 

[Eyes of Nine]

That series is also well connected to the earlier books, not a standalone read. While I enjoy the series, it's a particular Venn diagram of British humor, IT, Cthulhu horror, and government bureaucracy that if you are not in all of the circles can easily not be to taste.

Yeah, I like those books. Charles Stross I like most of his books what I have read. Although the Bob books are mostly not carried at my library, so I try to track them down at used bookshops. Same with the Rivers of London books (Lt. Pete).

 

[KahlessNestor]

I'm jonesing for a really good high fantasy novel, but nothing is leaping out at me. <sigh> I did burn through the rest of second mistborne trilogy earlier, and read some of the Raksura series by Martha Wells. Mixed feelings about that.

Have you tried The Stormlight Archive? That's the hottest epic fantasy out there, and it is Brandon Sanderson. Newest book just came out in November.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I cannot praise Evan Winter's The Burning series enough. It's got Dragons, magic, swordplay, demons, and more. Each time I put the book down after a reading session, I felt like I had been holding my breath the whole time.

I'm jonesing for a really good high fantasy novel, but nothing is leaping out at me. <sigh> I did burn through the rest of second mistborne trilogy earlier, and read some of the Raksura series by Martha Wells. Mixed feelings about that.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I finished Farmer's Behind The Walls of Terra. For a 220 page book, this sure was a slog. Taking the World of Tiers to (then) modern-day Earth felt like that part in a sci-fi or fantasy series when they go to current Earth to cut corners on the budget. The fast-paced action, stripped of the imaginative worldbuilding, turned into a real grind. Hopefully the next in the series in better.

Now I'm reading T. Kingfisher's Nine Goblins.

 

[Janx]

Presently reading Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda