Book tracking

• Thinner – Stephen King

• Code Girls – Liza Mundy
• Wise Gals – Nathalia Holt
• Daddy Was a Number Runner – Louise Mariwether
• Capital – Thomas Piketty
• The Apocalypse Codex – Charles Stross
• Seasonal Velocities – Ryka Aoki
• Homeland – Cory Doctorow
• The Ways of White Folks – Langston Hughes

In no particular order…

When the Moon Hits Your Eye – John Scalzi

Quite silly. Fun read, but not essential. Pretty sure if the moon were made of cheese, it would be Velveeta.

Maskerade – Terry Pratchett

Discworld book focusing on the witches. Pratchett in top form.

The Drowning House – Cherie Priest

Interesting slow-burn mystery/horror book that would make a great movie.

From a Certain Point of View – 43 authors

Anthology of short stories from the perspectives of background characters in Star Wars: A New Hope. There were one or two clunkers in this one, but overall a solid collection of short stories. Fun.

Yellowface – R. F. Kuang

Couldn't put this one down. I was never quite sure where the story was going or how it'd end up, which is rare. Need to re-read this one soon.

The Day of the Dissonance – Alan Dean Foster

Part of Foster's Spellsinger series. This was a re-read, though it's been close to 40 years. This series would be ripe for a TV show adaptation, if done correctly. A bit dated, cringy in a few spots, but I'm fond of the characters and story.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate – Becky Chambers

Nice standalone sci-fi novella. Chambers spins a good yarn.

Damned – Chuck Palahniuk

13-year-old girl, child of a narcissistic film star and a billionaire dies and goes to Hell. Then works on taking it over. Twisted and definitely not for everyone.

The Woman They Could Not Silence – Kate Moore

Did not finish the entire book. May return to it later. It really was unsettling to think of how easily a person could be committed for no reason.

The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War – David Halberstam

The Korean War is largely overlooked compared to WWII and Vietnam. That's a mistake–you can't really fully understand the conflicts that followed or current geopolitics without understanding the Korean War. Highly recommended. (Wikipedia)

The Imaginary Girlfriend – John Irving

A memoir by Irving. Fun if you are into his work.

I Heard You Paint Houses – Charles Brandt

Frank Sheeran memoir. (Basis of The Irishman.) 7/10

Nuclear War: A Scenario – Annie Jacobsen

This felt like an article or series of articles stretched into an entire book. A lot of repetition, a fair amount of editorializing. Yes, nuclear weapons are bad. 4/10

Record of a Spaceborn Few – Becky Chambers

6/10

Light from Uncommon Stars – Ryka Aoki

Original, fun, and did not play out the way I expected it to. Loved it. In some ways it reminds me of a modernized, novelized verison of the show Soap, which anyone who knows me knows that is a major compliment indeed. Want to read more of Aoki's work, but I fear I've started with the pinnacle. 9/10

A Closed and Common Orbit – Becky Chambers

7/10

In no particular order…

Hogfather – Terry Pratchett

The master at the top of his game.

Space Opera – Catheryn Valente

TBD

Slow Time Between the Stars – John Scalzi

TBD

Remanence (Confluence Book 2) – Jennifer Foehner Wells

TBD

The City in the Middle of Night – Charlie Jane Anders

Excellent book, took longer to get into than her first novel. Still, recommend. (7/10)

Hell on the Border – Sidney Thompson

TBD

Black AF History – Michael Harriot

A must-read. Learned a lot that I should've learned decades ago.

The Fuller Memorandum – Charles Stross

TBD

The Last Emperox – John Scalzi

TBD

The Jennifer Morgue – Charles Stross

TBD

Earthlings – Sayaka Murata

Holy shit was this not what I expected. Weird AF. Recommend, but only if a reader has a tolerance for extreme weirdness. (7/10)

Interesting Times (1994) – Terry Pratchett

Good, though Rincewind books are not my favorites. (6/10)

The Consuming Fire – John Scalzi

(7/10)

JPod (2006) – Douglas Coupland

One of Coupland's lesser works. Echos of Microserfs but feels like Coupland ran out of steam. (6/10)

Carrie – Stephen King

Still one of King's best. (8/10)

The Road to Roswell (2024) – Connie Willis

Fun, entertaining, a mix of mystery, sci-fi, and romantic comedy. (6/10)

Home (2021) – Martha Wells

Short story / novella. (6/10)

Soul Music – Terry Pratchett

Lots of fun music references. (6/10)

The Collapsing Empire – John Scalzi

(7/10)

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet – Becky Chambers

(6.5/10)

Enemies: A History of the FBI – Tim Weiner

TBD

Network Effect (2020) – Martha Wells

Packs less punch IMO than the first entries in the series. Love me some Murderbot though. (7/10)

Midnight in Chernobyl – Adam Higginbotham

If you've seen the Chernobyl mini-series this is not bringing much to the table. Worth reading before seeing the show if possible. (6.5/10)

Babel – R. F. Kuang

Could not put this down. It's a must-read. (10/10)

Men at Arms – Terry Pratchett

(8/10)

Red Team Blues – Cory Doctorow

Fun. (6/10)

Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves – Sidney Thompson

TBD

The Atrocity Archives – Charles Stross

TBD

I'm Glad My Mom Died – Jennette McCurdy

Not sure how to rate this. I empathize with McCurdy. I hope she's well.

Molly Molloy & the Angel of Death – Maria Vale

(7/10)

Vagina Obscura – Rachel E. Gross

Non-fiction that reminds me of Mary Roach at her absolute best. (8/10)

How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them – Barbara F. Walter

I feel like Walter got stuck on how much research she did and couldn't bring it all to the page. Worth reading, but should've been distilled. Unfortunately, little in the way of recommendations. (7/10)

(no term)

Masscult and Midcult: Essays Against the American Grain – Dwight MacDonald

Witches Abroad – Terry Pratchett

The witches books are some of my favorite Pratchetts. (8/10)

Lords and Ladies – Terry Pratchett

(8/10)

Run Your Own Mail Server (2024) – Michael W. Lucas

Not fiction, good stuff. (7/10)