TarionzCousin
Second Most Angelic Devil Ever
My girlfriend read this and really liked it.
What are you reading in 2022?
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KahlessNestor
Adventurer
Yeah, that gives a good sense of Grant. It's an amazing contrast, the pre-Progressive era presidency compared to the post-Progressive era, and especially Wilsonian, presidency. Grant was always reluctant to do anything, because President's weren't supposed to "do" anything. They weren't the party leaders they are now. They didn't set legislative agendas. Yet he did manage to do so much with Reconstruction (he was still Commander in Chief, and the south was under martial law). His is also the first administration to make the first steps toward ending the patronage system, though with the growth of the modern beaurocratic deep state evidenced in the last five years, I'm not sure this system is better. I recently watched the Daniel Day Lewis biopic Lincoln, and the way he used patronage to push passage of the Thirteenth Amendment was genius. The Tommy Lee Jones character summarized it well: "The most historic piece of legislation passed in the 19th century, by the most corrupt means, by the most incorruptible man" or something along those lines.
Bagpuss
Hero
I got the wife the second book for Xmas, borrowed the first off my Mum.
But I’d recommend it to anyone nearly finished it, it is a quick but gentle read. Lots of short chapters that makes it easy to pick up and read a bit if you have a free couple of minutes.
Eyes of Nine
Everything's Fine
Just started to read the graphic novel collections of Kill Six Billion Demons. I've got the first 3, and I think there are 4 print volumes so far. Annoyingly, the first two are in PHB size, and then the next two are in standard graphic novel side. I wish they stuck with a form factor... But so far, halfway through book 1, it's pretty darn cool.
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KahlessNestor
Adventurer
Still reading Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow.
Still reading The Battle for Spain by Antony Beevor.
Still reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Still reading An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire.
Still listening to Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson.
Still reading Critical Role: Tal’dorei Campaign Setting by Matthew Mercer.
Still reading The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones.
Still reading The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon.
Still reading Black Widow: Red Vengeance by Margaret Stohl.
Still reading Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb.
Still reading Matchlock and the Embassy: A Thirty Years’ War Story by Zachary Twamley.
Still reading The Black Ice by Michael Connelly.
Still reading Rise of the King by R. A. Salvatore.
Still reading The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan.
Still reading Ghost Story by Jim Butcher.
Still reading Critical Role: Vox Machina – Kith and Kin by Marieke Nijkamp.
Still reading Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire.
Still reading The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.
Started reading Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson.
Still reading Defending Elysium by Brandon Sanderson.
Started reading To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876 by Brett Baier.
Still reading The Battle for Spain by Antony Beevor.
Still reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Still reading An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire.
Still listening to Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson.
Still reading Critical Role: Tal’dorei Campaign Setting by Matthew Mercer.
Still reading The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones.
Still reading The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon.
Still reading Black Widow: Red Vengeance by Margaret Stohl.
Still reading Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb.
Still reading Matchlock and the Embassy: A Thirty Years’ War Story by Zachary Twamley.
Still reading The Black Ice by Michael Connelly.
Still reading Rise of the King by R. A. Salvatore.
Still reading The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan.
Still reading Ghost Story by Jim Butcher.
Still reading Critical Role: Vox Machina – Kith and Kin by Marieke Nijkamp.
Still reading Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire.
Still reading The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.
Started reading Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson.
Still reading Defending Elysium by Brandon Sanderson.
Started reading To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876 by Brett Baier.
The Lizard Wizard
Hero
Having enjoyed Star Wars Visions, I decided to order the book that expands on one of the shorts from that series, arrived today...
Ralif Redhammer
Legend
Finished re-reading Anderson's The Broken Sword. Darn good stuff. Though Three Hearts and Three Lions is the more influential work to D&D, I'd say The Broken Sword is by far the better book.
Now I'm reading Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy #1, edited by Lin Carter. Some good old Ballantine Adult Fantasy.
Now I'm reading Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy #1, edited by Lin Carter. Some good old Ballantine Adult Fantasy.
Bagpuss
Hero
Just finished listening to the audio book of Broken Sword borrowed from the library. It was very enjoyable.
DeviousQuail
Adventurer
I couldn't bring myself to finish reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It was so boring. How it became such a popular novel I will never know.
After that I decided to read The Raven Spell by Luanne G. Smith because it was recommended (and free!) on my kindle. It's a pretty good magical murder mystery. The magic leans toward a softer approach but my suspension of disbelief never faltered. It's the first in a series and the next book is coming at the end of 2022 and I'll probably buy it.
Having some extra time on my hands I was going to watch the second season of A Discovery of Witches but it's not on Amazon like the first season. I decided to borrow the first book of the trilogy that the show is based on. It covers pretty much all the same events as season 1 of the show. Turns out, the show is better than the book. Rare but it does happen. The book is better in some regards, particularly in showing off the depth of Diana's (the main character) knowledge and how much her senses of taste, smell, etc impact her view of the world around her. But the show does such a better job of fleshing out the other characters, both major and minor. The show does take its liberties with the story as shows are wont to do but in just about every aspect it did it better than the book.
I've moved onto John Dies At The End by Jason Pargin. It promises Lovecraft like horror but with a lot more comedy. Not my normal cup of tea but we'll see how it goes.
After that I decided to read The Raven Spell by Luanne G. Smith because it was recommended (and free!) on my kindle. It's a pretty good magical murder mystery. The magic leans toward a softer approach but my suspension of disbelief never faltered. It's the first in a series and the next book is coming at the end of 2022 and I'll probably buy it.
Having some extra time on my hands I was going to watch the second season of A Discovery of Witches but it's not on Amazon like the first season. I decided to borrow the first book of the trilogy that the show is based on. It covers pretty much all the same events as season 1 of the show. Turns out, the show is better than the book. Rare but it does happen. The book is better in some regards, particularly in showing off the depth of Diana's (the main character) knowledge and how much her senses of taste, smell, etc impact her view of the world around her. But the show does such a better job of fleshing out the other characters, both major and minor. The show does take its liberties with the story as shows are wont to do but in just about every aspect it did it better than the book.
I've moved onto John Dies At The End by Jason Pargin. It promises Lovecraft like horror but with a lot more comedy. Not my normal cup of tea but we'll see how it goes.
Ralif Redhammer
Legend
At about 200 pages, it wastes little time while not stinting on the prose (or poetry, for that matter).
It's also a great model for cursed magic items, making them something you want to dare the consequences to use, rather than just forcing you to use them until a remove curse spell is available.
It's also a great model for cursed magic items, making them something you want to dare the consequences to use, rather than just forcing you to use them until a remove curse spell is available.
I'd be interested in your thoughts on the book once you've finished it. I've heard of it (the author used to write for the Cracked.com website) and I've been curious as to if it was worth hunting up a copy.
Johnathan
Ath-kethin
Elder Thing
I'm reading Doctor Strange and Silver Surfer Epic Collections, as they become available.theyfe wonderful inspirational material for D&D.
I also started reading the old Beyond the Moons series, which was the novel series introducing Spelljammer I'm already irritated in the first novel, which takes place largely in Krynn (the Dragonlance setting), because just like every other Dragonlance writer who isn't named Margaret Weis or Tracy Hickman, the author seems to have never read anything about Dragonlance except a list of names. And therefore we have scenes like a bunch of low-level mooks dogpiling on a draconian and killing it with no consequences, when it's corpse should have exploded and taken most of them out.
It's draining. But that's been the curse of non-W&H Dragonlance novels for basically as long as they've existed.
I also started reading the old Beyond the Moons series, which was the novel series introducing Spelljammer I'm already irritated in the first novel, which takes place largely in Krynn (the Dragonlance setting), because just like every other Dragonlance writer who isn't named Margaret Weis or Tracy Hickman, the author seems to have never read anything about Dragonlance except a list of names. And therefore we have scenes like a bunch of low-level mooks dogpiling on a draconian and killing it with no consequences, when it's corpse should have exploded and taken most of them out.
It's draining. But that's been the curse of non-W&H Dragonlance novels for basically as long as they've existed.
I'm now reading Gregory Benford's Eater, a 2000 novel about a black hole entering the Solar System. And not just any black hole, mind you, but one that has an intelligence inside it, with a curiosity about Earth and its inhabitants...I'm only a few chapters in but it's already holding my interest. (This was another library book sale purchase - a whole dollar's investment, given it's a hardback.)
Johnathan
Johnathan
Eyes of Nine
Everything's Fine
I'm about to start reading Hillary Clinton's new novel, mostly written by Louise Penny (called State of Terror. I believe it's about a Secretary of State who has to deal with a terrorist plot. Clearly Clinton pulls from her own experience, but only reason I'm reading is because Louise Penny is probably one of my favorite authors I've discovered in the last 5 years. I'll keep y'all posted whether I recommend or not.
trappedslider
Legend
Both of Bill Clinton's collaborations with James Patterson were good IMO. After looking at the description I'm interested to see what you think of it. It's only 7 dollars for the kindle.
HawaiiSteveO
Blistering Barnacles!
Eyes of Nine
Everything's Fine
Well, if this tells you anything - I read the entire 486 page novel last night. Basically from when I posted that to 2am my time (8 hours later). It was completely unbelievable and throughoughly enjoyable - basically everything I expect from a political thriller. Some of the characters were pretty reminiscent of real world people - as expected.
One thing I learned reading the afterword this morning - Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton are actual real world friends. Which I thought was cool.
Anyway, if you like political thrillers a la James Patterson, I think this would be an enjoyable read.
Ralif Redhammer
Legend
The Epic collections are really great. It's interesting to go back and see how many early (and uninspired) villains fell into the categories of "commies," aliens, robots, and underground people. Dr. Strange mostly avoids that, as does Spider-Man (which is probably my favorite Epic collection as of yet - Spider-Man and so many of his villains were perfect and iconic right from the get-go).
DeviousQuail
Adventurer
Finished last night. I think it's a good read. The author does a great job of getting across how unknowable and terrifying the horrors in this book are. The humor is also pretty good and helps relieve the tension. However, this book is VERY graphic, the humor and horror can both get incredibly raunchy, and there are some really racist jokes as well*. If you don't want those things in your leisure reading then skip this book.
*it's kind of like watching The Office. You laugh at jokes that are racist/homophobic/sexist/body shaming not because you find the joke funny. You laugh because those jokes reveal how ignorant the joke teller is and how those around them react in disapproving ways to the teller's ignorance. I'm sure someone could explain that better than me but hopefully my point comes across.
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