What Else Are You Reading in 2025?

[Alexandra]

I just finished The Deed of Paksenarrion. Go, Paks, I am rooting for you! Good stuff, and yes, I do think this is a fantasy classic.

My review is here ;)

[Kaia]

Kate wrote: "I started reading Catfishing on CatNet on Kindle Unlimited for my first book in my 2025 read all the books challenge.

Another new to me author."

I really liked this one. Her collection of short stories Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories is also very good.

[Claire]

I just finished ‘flowers for alganon’ and it really deeply affected me. Such a powerful book. Now I’m onto ‘I who have never known men’ which so far feels like it’s going to be another stunner!

[Melanie, the neutral party]

Both polls have a really tight margin, so if you didn't vote yet, hop over to polls and weigh in on the March group reads.

[Jan]

I read Dionysus in Wisconsin by E.H. Lupton. Set in 1969 Wisconsin. Magic is real. Some have it, some don't. Two young academics work to face a threat. I liked the premise and the world-building, as well as the low-key mm romance. I plan to read the sequels at some point.

[Tosh]

I just started The Hunger Games. Can’t believe I’ve never read it.

[Michelle]

Claire wrote: "I just finished ‘flowers for alganon’ and it really deeply affected me. Such a powerful book. Now I’m onto ‘I who have never known men’ which so far feels like it’s going to be another stunner!"

I cried 😭

[Michael]

Claire wrote: "I just finished ‘flowers for alganon’ and it really deeply affected me. Such a powerful book."

Michelle wrote: "I cried"

I must get round to reading it! :)

[DivaDiane]

@Michael - You really must. I read the short story version of this in 7th or 8th grade and it affected me deeply. I credit it and a few other books with instilling in me an abiding love of Science Fiction and what if? stories.

[Faith]

My review of Combat Monsters: Untold Tales of World War II edited by Henry Herz

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Colin]

Finally got around to reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. This is a spectacular hard sf story of interstellar ecology, novel approaches to alien life, and a suicide interstellar mission to save Earth. It is chock full of science-y problems from basic (and relativistic) physics to inventive biology and chemistry. As in The Martian, this features a lone man in an impossible situation facing insurmountable odds (and, yes, Murphy's Law applies). In some ways, it is The Martian on steroids. What I thought there was weakness was in the secondary human characters, who lacked any real depth and whose dialog seemed contrived. The story is gripping, though. I would highly recommend it to fans of hard sf and of plot-driven, rather than character-driven, tales.

[Sheska]

Just finished the Neuromancer by William Gibson. I can see why this was such a culturally important book within the sci fi genre but, unfortunately, it just didn't appeal to me. Even though I enjoyed PKD's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon, Neuromancer left me pretty cold. I guess cyberpunk isn't really my cuppa tea.

BTW, if anyone here owns a Kindle, Amazon is terminating customers' ability to download e-books from 26 February. So if you want to hold on to your ownership of e-books purchased on Amazon, it might be worth backing them up before that option is removed.

[Economondos]

Lees than 20 minutes ago, finished Changes by Jim Butcher

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the best of the Dresden Files series. For quite some time I thought it was the end of the series as well. One of my five favorite books.

My review here

Continuing my reread of the Dresden Files with Ghost Story. On audio (when I get back in the workshop) listening to Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule.

[CBRetriever]

Sheska wrote: "BTW, if anyone here owns a Kindle, Amazon is terminating customers' ability to download e-books from 26 February. So if you want to hold on to your ownership of e-books purchased on Amazon, it might be worth backing them up before that option is removed."

that is not quite true - you can still download books via wifi to all your devices, it's the usb download and transfer method that has been terminated. And it really only affects the 1st and 2nd Gen Kindles which don't have wifi (and never had it).

here's the text in the email I received:

Thank you for being a loyal Kindle customer. We wanted to let you know about changes to the Download & Transfer via USB feature in the Manage Your Content and Devices page. Starting February 26, 2025, while you can continue reading books previously downloaded on your Kindle device, you will not be able to download and transfer via USB any Kindle content. We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause.

You can, of course, continue to read Kindle content using Kindle for Web, or the free Kindle apps for Android, iOS, Mac, and PC as well as supported Kindle devices with WiFi capability. You may be eligible for a discount on the purchase of a new device, please visit http://amazon.com/tradein for more information.

The trade in, for a 2nd Gen Kindle adds up to a 20% discount plus $5 for a 2nd Gen Kindle

[Sheska]

CBRetriever wrote: "Sheska wrote: "... you can still download books via wifi to all your devices, it's the usb download and transfer method that has been terminated. ..."

And that's fine, if you are content to only use Amazon platforms to store and read your books, but not everyone uses Kindle and some people prefer not to risk Amazon deleting or amending purchased files. You can check out The Verge for more info, the article is called "Amazon’s killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books".

[Charlton]

Tonight I start Dealer's Choice by George R.R. Martin.

[Kaia]

I've ended up scrapping most of my reading plans and have embraced escape reading right now. I just finished The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong, which was delightful. Low-stakes, found family, and fortune telling. The audiobook narrator is also quite good.

On the sci-fi escapism side, I'm eye-reading Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott. It's more of a high stakes, fast-paced space opera.

Also going to give a rom-com - Losing Sight - a try for my next audiobook because why not? I am not normally a romance reader, but I am all in for a happy ending right now and this one sounded good. :-)

[CBRetriever]

Sheska wrote: "And that's fine, if you are content to only use Amazon platforms to store and read your books, but not everyone uses Kindle and some people prefer not to risk Amazon deleting or amending purchased files. You can check out The Verge for more info, the article is called "Amazon’s killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books"."

Those backed up books would only work on the the target device of the usb download anyway. If that device died, you would most likely left with an unusable Kindle book and would have to figure out how to break the DRM on it in order to read it on another device/app.

Amended books can be totally avoided if you turn off auto update on your Content & Devices page.

and no, I do not totally rely upon Amazon - at least half my books come from sources other than Amazon and they're backed up on two separate external hard drives as well as my computer.

[Sheska]

CBRetriever wrote: "Those backed up books would only work on the the target device of the usb download anyway. If that device died, you would most likely left with an unusable Kindle book and would have to figure out how to break the DRM on it in order to read it on another device/app."

In other words, downloaded books can work on other devices and backing them up might be a worthwhile practice.

[CBRetriever]

Sheska wrote: "In other words, downloaded books can work on other devices and backing them up might be a worthwhile practice. ."

yes, if you don't mind doing something illegal (breaking DRM).

you do know you can install Kindle for PC/Mac on your computer and download the books from your account via wifi, right? Or to Kindle for IOS/Android?

[CJ]

Worth noting that not all ebooks bought on Amazon are DRM'd. It depends on the author and publisher. There's usually a notice when you buy an ebook if the ebook is DRM-free (there will be also a message at the start of the ebook as well).

[Nicky]

I recently finished 2 YA horror fantasies (Don't Let the Forest In, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth), and A Natural History of Dragons.
Now I'm hoping to finish The Ember Blade this week because I've been chewing on it for 3-4 weeks now, and I'm eyeing a lgbt+ non-fiction book that seems to have excellent reviews (Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender).

[a.g.e. montagner]

Currently on a serendipitous trek for Black History Month, courtesy of three different Goodreads groups:

If He Hollers Let Him Go by Chester Himes, If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin, The Reformatory by Tananarive Due.

[Jabotikaba]

A Change of Place by Julie Czerneda.

[Jabotikaba]

I'm started A hange of Place by Julie Czerneda.
Alexandra wrote: "I just finished The Deed of Paksenarrion. Go, Paks, I am rooting for you! Good stuff, and yes, I do think this is a fantasy classic.
My review is here ;)"
I tried to read the first book when I was 12 or 13. The first thought that came to my mind about halfway through was that this book seemed to have been written by a retired sergeant or something. I later found out that the author had actually served in the US Army for a while. So this book helped me a lot with my self-esteem. After all, I guessed the author's former profession just by reading her book.
Still, the name Pakksenarion sounds cool. You can even swear with it, like "You, bloody Pakksenarrrrion!" But she was more often called Paks, as far as I remember. Because Paksi was the name her father called her, and she hated him, so she asked her friends to call her Paks, or something like that.
Anyway, there was only the first Paksenarrion book in my parents' house. I think it was my father who bought it long before I read it. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the book that made me want to look for a sequel.
Now that I have read your review, I have remembered this book and even become interested in it again. Maybe I was just too young to appreciate it when I was 12 or 13 and I just need to read it again.

[Rainey]

Michelle wrote: "Claire wrote: "I just finished ‘flowers for alganon’ and it really deeply affected me. Such a powerful book. Now I’m onto ‘I who have never known men’ which so far feels like it’s going to be anoth..."

uggh that book & movie were so good - I cried as well.

[Economondos]

Couldn't sleep and finished Ghost Story by Jim Butcher

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An interesting book with a good plot that never quite hit with me. Maybe left over emotion from the kid that ruined the book ending for me when I was buying it contributes to my lack of enthusiasm.

My review here

And now on to Cold Days in the Dresden reread.

[Mai]

Halfway through Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. I'm finding it a bit of a slog as the gendering and politics have me baffled. I'd rather dance thru a story than slog, you know?

[CBRetriever]

I understand - I'm reading two slogs now:

The Rage of Dragons = too many battles and every time I think it might develop a "story" that's interesting, wham, there's another battle
and
No Return - gladiator types in their journey to do battles

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Rage was an early dnf for me. just the wrong focus for my liking

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Mai, Ancillary starts slow, but it goes somewhere! I was fully lost the first maybe quarter

[Bobby]

Finished "All Systems Red." Very fun. Too short, but I have the next three checked out from the library so I have plenty more to enjoy.

[Alexandra]

Jabotikaba wrote: "I'm started A hange of Place by Julie Czerneda.
Alexandra wrote: "I just finished The Deed of Paksenarrion. Go, Paks, I am rooting for you! Good stuff, and yes, I do think this is a fa..."

I can certainly recommend it! I think readers of 12 or 13 might be too young for this trilogy.

[Alexandra]

The Orb of Cairado, a novella set in Katherine Addison's wonderful universe, was a very nice read. I enjoyed the setting.

My review is here ;)

[Jacqueline]

It took me a little while to get into Ancillary Justice Mai but once I did I loved it and devoured the other 2 straight away.

[Kaia]

Alexandra wrote: "The Orb of Cairado, a novella set in Katherine Addison's wonderful universe, was a very nice read. I enjoyed the setting.

My review is here ;)"

Oooh, I didn't know about this novella! I'm excited to add it to my TBR list. I love Katherine Addison's other books set in this universe.

[Jabotikaba]

Alexandra wrote: "Jabotikaba wrote: "I'm started A hange of Place by Julie Czerneda.
Alexandra wrote: "I just finished The Deed of Paksenarrion. Go, Paks, I am rooting for you! Good stuff, and yes, I do..."
Very possibly. At that time I read a lot of books that might have been considered too complicated or too dark for a girl in her early teens, and I enjoyed reading them. But apparently Paks' story was really to difficult for me.
Maybe someday I will try this trilogy again.

[Economondos]

Spent part of this morning with a mug of tea and finished up Cold Days by Jim Butcher.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Harry is Dresden is back . . . from the dead. Glad my physical therapy was never like his. A definite recommend for readers of the series, 4.25/5.

My review here

Dove straight into the next book, Skin Game.

[Gary]

I finished reading Wind and Truth (Book #5 of the Stormlight Archive) by Brandon Sanderson. It was a great conclusion to the first five novel arc in the archive. I also finished reading A Betrayal in Winter (Book two of the Long Price Quartet) by Daniel Abraham. The magic is subtle in this series. This novel was mostly about the succession plan for a kingdom. I plan to read The Waste Lands (Book three of the Dark Tower Series) by Stephen King next.

[Ozsaur]

Lots of fun world building in The Hexologists.

[Faith]

My review of The Last Days of Good People by A.T. Sayre

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Kaia]

Finished Kate Elliott's Unconquerable Sun, which was an exciting military sci-fi with multiple POV characters. I plan to read the next book in the series at some point, but I need a break from space battles first.

In continuing my comfort / escape reading, I've decided to re-read T. Kingfisher's Paladin's Grace. I'm only a few chapters in, but I am not regretting the re-read one bit. I may end up re-reading the whole series (I say while ignoring the big pile of sci-fi books I checked out from the library).

[Michelle]

Paladin's Grace is fun

[Jabotikaba]

Kaia wrote: "Finished Kate Elliott's Unconquerable Sun, which was an exciting military sci-fi with multiple POV characters. I plan to read the next book in the series at some point, but I need a..."
I've recently read that this book is like a gender-bending version of Alexander the Great in space. It sounds very interesting and I know that Kate Elliott is a really great writer.

[Economondos]

Stayed in bed late to finish up Skin Game by Jim Butcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It must suck to be the Winter Knight. Your boss drops by your cubicle (island) and lets you know that you currently have three days left with the firm (you are going to die). You can continue with the firm (live), but you have to accept a new assignment: work with your most hated enemy and follow his orders to rip off a powerful rival leaving you with lots of new dissatisfied clients (people wanting to hurt you later). OK, I spent too many years in a bureaucracy and it may slant the way I view stories.

My review here

Continuing the series with Peace Talks.

[Economondos]

Another night of little sleep gave me time to read Peace Talks by Jim Butcher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good, solid urban fantasy.

My review here

Moving to the last Dresden novel, Battle Ground. After that the short story collections.

[Beth]

February round-up: another light month, with only one book I'd consider a full novel.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao: it's full of mech battles, and it's also a depiction of terrible, pervasive misogyny. Rather blunt and obvious, but its ending promises more. (review)

The Legend of Rah and the Muggles by N.K. Stouffer: a selection of the "372 Pages We'll Never Get Back" bad book podcast, no one would have heard of this mediocre children's book if its author hadn't unwisely taken the publisher of a certain other children's book series to court over their use of the term "muggles" (et al.) (review)

I’d Rather Have a Cat than a Harem! Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game as a Cat-loving Villainess Vol.2 by Kosuzu Kobato: I think this is the the first isekai story I've actually finished. At two not-terribly-long books long, it wasn't that much of a challenge. :) Cute, and sweetly emotional at times. (review)

[CJ]

I just finished Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera, and if you're looking for something challenging and genre-defying (or maybe more genre-destroying), I definitely recommend it. I'll need to reread it again at some point, as it's quite dense with ideas.

Want to finish up Stories of the Raksura, Volume 1 by Martha Wells today. It's easily my least favorite of the books I've read by Wells; not bad, but definitely falls short of virtually everything else I've read by her so far.

[Charlie]

currently reading a bunch at once because I'm a little crazy.
Just finished;
Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J. Tuli
Criers War by Nina Valera
Currently Reading;
A Touch Of Ruin by Scarlett St Clair
A Game Of Fate by Scarlett St Clair
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Dance Of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
and lastly just started
The Dead Take The A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey

[Melanie, the neutral party]

@Charlie,
I rarely read less than 4 books @ a time. You are not alone is what I'm saying.