What Else Are You Reading in 2025?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

While you wait, you can pontificate here!

Just go to the thread! Share your thoughts!

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

[Ozsaur]

Bait and Witch - pleasant and not annoying. Has a magic cat!

[CBRetriever]

Allison wrote: "I loved Song of Achilles. And I especially loved the narrator."

I'm liking it so far too. The protagonist would be a good one for this prompt:

March Protagonist: Sidekick
1. 2nd Best: Read a book with a sidekick character or where the main character is only the 2nd best at something.

[Olga]

I finished today The Inventors by Sarah Connell and I liked it very much. Secrets and mystery and likeable characters. I'm definitely reading the rest of the series.
BTW, I found it on UK Kindle Unlimited and as it turns out, the first read of KU books supports the author. Just saying ;)

[CJ]

The first two books of that series are on KU US too. Looks interesting!

I'm reading The Tainted Cup and the anthology Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, and am enjoying both, although they are slow-ish reads for me. In my litfic corner, I'm working away at W. Somerset Maugham's The Magician (a book that is connected to some real-life historical drama involving Aleister Crowley, whom Maugham satirizes in the novel) and Han Kang's Human Acts, because apparently I'm a masochist.

[Sheska]

Allison wrote: "While you wait, you can pontificate here!

Just go to the thread! Share your thoughts!"

Thank you. Considering how positive that thread is I'd feel a bit like a party pooper with my observations, especially if its participants are not there to speak up for the book. I didn't write a review but my friend and I had a brief exchange about it on my page, which is probably a safer option.

[DivaDiane]

Olga wrote: "I finished today The Inventors by Sarah Connell and I liked it very much. Secrets and mystery and likeable characters. I'm definitely reading the rest of the serie..."

Oh I bought this one too, quite awhile ago, I'm afraid, but I haven't gotten to it. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it, Olga.

[Jan]

I'm reading The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow. I'm not normally a fan of Pride and Prejudice variations and similar, but I already knew Hadlow is a quality writer, after reading her excellent biography of George III and Queen Charlotte. (The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians).

It seems Hadlow has been influenced in her sympathetic interpretation of the overlooked Mary Bennett by her understanding of some of George III's forgotten and overlooked daughters. As it turns out, so far this is an excellent book too.

[Richard]

Luminous by Silvia Park is an excellent, assured debut near-future SF set in reunified Korea that got 4.5/5* here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Economondos]

Last night, finished reading Island in the Sea of Time by S.M. Stirling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the best time travel book I have ever read. One minute you are in the 20th century, the next you are 3100 years into your own past. What do you do? How do you survive? How are you treated by peoples who had never conceived of your material goods and modern mindset? This series tries to show some of the answers tied to specific, interesting characters. 4.75/5

My review here

Moving on to the second in this series, On the Oceans of Eternity.

[CJ]

I'm finishing up Firebreak by Nicole Kornher-Stace. A pretty meh book. I was expecting an adult novel, but really is more YA. It has the elements and promise to have been a much deeper book that it's turning out to be, so I'm pretty disappointed in it.

I started Gliff by Ali Smith, the first book I've read by her. It's a pretty ambitious dystopian litfic novel, and I'm glad to be reading it. The problem is I just finished Human Acts by Han Kang, which is excellent but intellectually and emotionally exhausting, and I was not expecting Gliff to be so taxing, so I may need to put it aside for a few days. It's a bit like Prophet Song by Paul Lynch, but an easier read. I just maybe need to lay off the bleak, intellectual dystopian stuff for a bit, lol.

I am starting my reread of Neuromancer today with the group's bookshelf rereads. I checked out White Cat on Libby and listened to the first couple of chapters of the audiobook. Sadly, the combination of my general disinterest in urban fantasy and the audiobook being narrated by Jesse Eisenberg (yes, that Jesse Eisenberg) led me to return it early. It wasn't bad, just not for me. I'm sure it will suit other members' taste more.

[W]

Hi! I just joined the group.

I discovered the Bobiverse series earlier this year, and read "We Are Legion (We Are Bob)" which I found through my local library network. I was dismayed when I discovered that the rest of the series wasn't available, so I put in the recommendation that our town library acquire the series…they must have misunderstood the request, and reached out to another library network and had the entire series sent to me all at once. I usually like to savor a series and spread it out some, but it looks like I'll be reading volumes 2,3, & 4 in the next 3 weeks!

[Ian]

Reading Season of Storms right now :) I think I'm going to read some more Samantha Shannon next because I read Priory of the Orange Tree a few weeks ago and it was an instant favorite, I'm still thinking about it

[Meredith]

Ian wrote: "Reading Season of Storms right now :) I think I'm going to read some more Samantha Shannon next because I read Priory of the Orange Tree a few weeks ago and it was an instant favorite, I'm still th..."

I keep hearing positive views about Priory of the Orange Tree, but every time I look at it on my bookshelf I am deterred by its heftiness.

[CBRetriever]

Meredith wrote: "Ian wrote: "Reading Season of Storms right now :) I think I'm going to read some more Samantha Shannon next because I read Priory of the Orange Tree a few weeks ago and it was an instant favorite, ..."

one advantage of a digital book - you don't see the heft of it

[Michelle]

I was in the mood to reread the Vorkosigan saga, along with the novellas. Last night I finished The Warrior's Apprentice and right now I'm reading the novella The Mountains of Mourning. I've read this series countless times and still love it no matter how old I get.

[CJ]

Meredith wrote: "I keep hearing positive views about Priory of the Orange Tree, but every time I look at it on my bookshelf I am deterred by its heftiness."

I'm in the "I ain't reading all that" camp myself when it comes to that book.

I recently have endeavored to explore the Nebula shortlists and got off to a rough start with Asunder by Kerstin Hall. DNF'd it at 25%. tl;dr I know everyone has an opinion and all that, but any book with such an unambitious, mediocre first quarter I don't think belongs on the Nebula shortlist at all. I'll stop myself there because I don't want to say anything too inflammatory.

To move past the bad taste Asunder left me with, I started recent SFFBC poll loser (presumed) The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope and it's everything I'd hoped it'd be: charming and fun, with lots of interesting characters, colorful historical setting and a well-paced plot.

[Meredith]

CJ wrote: "Meredith wrote: "I keep hearing positive views about Priory of the Orange Tree, but every time I look at it on my bookshelf I am deterred by its heftiness."

I'm in the "I ain't reading all that" c..."

I really enjoyed The Monsters We Defy, for much the same reasons you give, and I'm glad you are having a good time with it. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was really wonderful.

[Sheska]

I finished Hoka! Hoka! Hoka! by Poul Anderson yesterday. My favourite two tales were Don Jones and The Tiddlywink Warriors, the latter had the vibe of the Monty Python and the Holy Grail, particularly the French soldiers taunting King Artur scenes. Turns out this predated the movie, so, who knows, maybe Terry Jones read the tales of the cosplaying Ewoks before writing the Holy Grail.

Started The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard and Jack Faust by Michael Swanwick, both of which I’m really enjoying so far.

[Samuel]

Having finished "Lord Brocktree" by Brian Jacques, I am now reading the next book in the Redwall series that I have not read chronologically: "Outcast of Redwall."

[Economondos]

Sheska wrote: "I finished Hoka! Hoka! Hoka! by Poul Anderson yesterday. My favourite two tales were Don Jones and The Tiddlywink Warriors, the latter had the vibe of the Monty Python and the Holy Grail, particul..."

So glad to see another Hoka fan. Have you read Gordon Dickson's Dilbian series (Spacepaw, Spacial Delivery)? These two series are always linked as a genre in my head.

[Sheska]

Economondos wrote: "Have you read Gordon Dickson's Dilbian series (Spacepaw, Spacial Delivery)? These two series are always linked as a genre in my head."

No. This was my first introduction to Hoka. I'm a sucker for spoof and slapstick comedy, so these stories definitely tickled my funny bone. I did look for other books by the authors, and with your recommendation have added the Dilbia Series to my TBR. Thank you!

P.S. Greetings from a fellow Pratchett fan.

[Ozsaur]

Started an ARC of Zomromcom - cute and fun!

[Sheska]

Finished Jack Faust and The Drowned Word by Michael Swanwick and J.G. Ballard, respectively.

Having read the latter immediately after the Empire of the Sun made it feel so much more disturbing and heartbreaking. Didn't realise Ballard was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery; this gives me another excuse to visit it.

Swanwick's book certainly didn't lift my mood either but it was still an arresting read.

[Travis]

I just finished reading One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig. I think this may be the single best fantasy novel I have ever read in my life.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

That's very high praise!!

[Alecsandra]

I've been reading a lot of sci-fi lately...Robopocalypse by Daniel H Wilson and Les Fourmies series by Bernard Werber. Love them!

[Cleo]

Finished rereading Asimov's End of Eternity. Still amazing concept and plot. :) Read for the first time Flowers for Algernon. Very good in so many ways. And read maybe the first dystopian book about a totalitarian society: We by Evgenii Zamiatian. Written before any modern totalitarian country existed, at the dawn of the Russian Soviets. The things the author got so right!!! Mind-blowing. :)

[Economondos]

Finished Against the Tide of Years by S.M. Stirling this morning.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I like videos and shows about archeology and early societies, and this series really scratches my itch. 4.75/5

My review here

Finishing the series with On the Oceans of Eternity.

[Jabotikaba]

A lot of people are praising this book, but I'm usually very cautious in such cases. Very popular books often seem very boring to me, and their plots are always too predictable.
But since you liked The Golden Key, perhaps our tastes in books are similar. I might try to read it sometime.
Economondos wrote: "Finished Against the Tide of Years by S.M. Stirling this morning.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I like videos and shows about archeology and early societies, and this series really scratches my itch. 4.7..."
Sounds very interesting!
Cleo wrote: "Finished rereading Asimov's End of Eternity. Still amazing concept and plot. :) Read for the first time Flowers for Algernon. Very good in so many ways. And read maybe the first dystopian book abou..."
Read this in high school. This book is really scary.

[Bobby]

Finished The Dark Forest. I think I like this better than The Three-Body Problem. Is that weird? They are different kinds of books, really. Fun.

[Sheska]

Bobby wrote: "Finished The Dark Forest. I think I like this better than The Three-Body Problem. Is that weird? They are different kinds of books, really. Fun."

Not at all. All three books feel very much different. Most of the people I've seen review this trilogy seem to pick the third book as their favourite. I absolutely prefer The Dark Forest. There is actually a fourth book that's normally associated with this series, Ball Lightning, that one is even more distinct, since it's written very much in style of the classic Chinese sci fi - very dry, phenomenon/technology oriented, virtually no character development.

[Anthony]

The two main series I’ll be working through are the original Red Rising Trilogy, and Dungeon Crawler Carl. I’ve been absolutely loving both of those, so those will be my flagship reads but I’m planning to sprinkle in some more standalone novels to break up the year. Using the standalone to add some horror, and hard sci-fi to keep things fresh. I really want to find time to add Mistborn and The First Law series as well, but 3+ series at the same time seems a little daunting to me.

[Kaia]

I finished my re-read of T Kingfisher’s Saint of Steel series and also re-read Swordheart, which is set in the same universe. I think I’ll probably re-read the Clockwork Boys duology, too, but I need to wait for the library copies to become available.

In the meantime, my copy of The River Has Roots arrived, so that will probably be next. I’m also listening to The Last Unicorn, and I’m really enjoying the writing.

[Jabotikaba]

The Ember Blade

[Colin]

Read Swordheart by T. Kingfisher, a romantasy. It features Halla, a still-young widow whose flaws are mostly in her own mind, an unanticipated inheritance, and nasty relatives and Sarkis, a man bound by magic into a sword whose real flaws are always on his mind and who finds himself in the position of being Halla's servant and guardian. The story follows this unlikely pair as they try to secure Halla's inheritance and Halla herself from her relatives. It is told by the main characters with the breezy, self-deprecating style I have come to expect and enjoy from Kingfisher. Yes, there are places where the world-building and the character actions seem designed to move the plot in a specific way, but overall this is light and fun. Worth the read.

[David]

I just finished Polostan by Neal Stephenson. I mistakenly thought it would be sci-fi but it is historical fiction. I like historical fiction but I can’t say I recommend this one.

[Jabotikaba]

Colin wrote: "Read Swordheart by T. Kingfisher, a romantasy. It features Halla, a still-young widow whose flaws are mostly in her own mind, an unanticipated inheritance, and nasty relatives and ..."
Sounds very interesting!

[Ozsaur]

Colin wrote: Read Swordheart by T. Kingfisher, a romantasy.

Glad you liked it, T. Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors.

[Travis]

Colin wrote: "Read When Among Crows by Veronica Roth. This is a short book and quick read about a mysterious and deadly quest. Set mostly in Chicago, it is chock full of monsters and other being..."

This sounds really cool. I'll have to check it out.

[Travis]

I don't get to read as much as I'd like each day, but I'm hopeful to knock these out this year:

1. Gallaphile by Terry Brooks
2. The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence
3. The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith
4. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
5. Ordinary Monsters by J. M. Mir

I'd be happy to get through these 5 this year. More if I can. Has anyone read any of these?

[Travis]

Colin wrote: "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..."

This was a great book. I can't wait for something new by Andy Weir. Great review by the way.

[Travis]

Matt wrote: "I just finished Galaphile Travis. I enjoyed it and hope you do too."

Thanks! I'm halfway through The Last Druid, then I'm going to jump in.

[Economondos]

And just finished Neuromancer by William Gibson in time for the meet-up tomorrow.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read it decades ago and donated my physical copy during the last great book purge. On reread it is better than I remember. One of the foundational books of the cyberpunk genre. A solid book and a good, if taxing, reading experience.

My review here

[Jabotikaba]

I have just finished reading The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding. It's a very good book, I think. Now I have started reading the second book in the trilogy, The Shadow Casket.

[Michelle]

Jabotikaba wrote: "I have just finished reading The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding. It's a very good book, I think. Now I have started reading the second book in the trilogy, The Shadow Casket."

I've been meaning to get to that. I started re-re-reading his other series (Ketty Jay) that I love, and then became sidetracked after I finished Retribution Falls!

[Ozsaur]

Cold Eternity - suspenseful and creepy, and I'm really curious about what's going on.

[Aislinn]

I just finished "Babel" by RF Kuang - it had a slow start, but overall had amazing world building, realistic character development, and fascinating facts about language.

[Jabotikaba]

Michelle wrote: "Jabotikaba wrote: "I have just finished reading The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding. It's a very good book, I think. Now I have started reading the second book in the trilogy, The Shadow Casket."

I'v..."

I'll probably read another of his books when I've finished this trilogy. He is a very great and underrated writer.

[Sheska]

I recently finished A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller Jr., which, in my head at least, was basically a better and more amusing version of the Foundation (just Earth centered.)