[JPK]

Both myself and my daughter have Kobo readers as well. I've got the clara color and she got my old b&w clara. I still prefer to read dead-tree when I'm at home but use the ereader before bed and for any day to day traveling.

[QuickTidal]

QuickTidal, on 21 January 2026 - 04:43 PM, said:

DANMACHI (aka IS IT WRONG TO PICK UP GIRLS IN A DUNGEON) by Fujino Ōmori. This one has no right to be as awesome as it is. A sprawling world with tonnes of world building, and yet volume 1 doesn't feel like an onslaught of info either. It very cleanly sets up the stakes, the MC is interesting and a bit goofy, and the lead girl is a rambunctious goddess he tries and often fails to keep in line. The gods and goddesses grounded on earth without powers is interesting, the Familia's based around those gods and goddesses are interesting, the magic and fighting is good. I don't THINK this is an Isekai as none of the people in-world seem like they are not used to being there...so just a fantasy setting full stop. There's a girl he has a crush on, but is in another Familia and therefore it's a bit Romeo and Juliet...I've got Vol. 2 ready and also...

So I've abandoned this, I got to the midway mark of Vol. 1 and everything I liked about the opening was gone, and it began to be a plodding version of DCC without the fun...like it's not a video game world isekai...but it acts like it with constant bolded "stats" none of which mean that much. Other than the goddesses, the side characters all feel super one-note (and that one note is that they crush on the MC if they are women, and want to fight him if they are men). I took a wild swing on this one too as I bought three volumes assuming I'd like it that much...so I've returned them (I'm under the indigo return window), and the money has gone to CLASSROOM OF The ELITE Vol 3. (which I found at a reasonable price at a random Indigo), KONOSUBA Vol. 2, and FREIREN Manga Vol. 8 instead.

[BK (NTS no politics)]

I’m 136 pgs into my reread of Pandora’s Star. It’s been 7-10 years since I first read these books so I didn’t really connect just how similar his Exodus game book was to the Commonwealth when I read it last year. So I began to wonder just how deep his involvement was in the upcoming game and looked into it. They didn’t just give him free reign on that book…he’s been heavily involved in the entire process creating the setting with the developers and there is no way that he won’t be listed in the credits of it. If your a Hamilton fan and golden age BioWare fan then you should be licking your chops for Exodus to release!

[Abyss]

Just Finished the latest Dresden TWELVE MONTHS. Great read, comments forthcoming in the ded-threads.

Am selectively rereading that, then on to Charlie Stross' LAUNDRY FILES finale.

[Mentalist]

Just finished "Archimedes Engine", the Exodus book by Peter F. Hamilton.

That's quite a convergence there at the end. A lot of creativity in the setting.
Book 2 is out in June, but might way for a paperback.

EDIT: started "City of Last Chances" by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 02 February 2026 - 05:41 PM

[worry]

It's funny what gets different people into fantasy. Dragons, magic, heroism. High stakes, big ideas, philosophies lived out in metaphor. Some ask questions like "What do the gods owe their worshipers, and what do worshipers owe their gods?" or "What happens to the collective psyche of an immortal race that has lived well past its peak?" Others ask "What if there was an ethnic group whose eyebrows grew so long they could style them with the rest of their hair?"

Anyway, I am finally diving into The Stormlight Archive.

[QuickTidal]

worry, on 03 February 2026 - 08:04 PM, said:

Others ask "What if there was an ethnic group whose eyebrows grew so long they could style them with the rest of their hair?"

Anyway, I am finally diving into The Stormlight Archive.

SNORT.

I feel like David Hemmings was headed there before he passed...

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

The Life and Legacy of Annie Oakley by Glenda Riley

This was a birthday gift from a friend who said they went looking for a book about an interesting "historical badass woman" that I might not already own a book about and, in his words, "there aren't any about archers so this was the closest I could get".

Beyond a vague grasp of who she was I knew pretty much nothing about Oakley, and it's been an interesting read.

Will be starting Twelve Months once I've finished it (probably by the weekend)

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 04 February 2026 - 01:03 PM

[T77]

Finished Twelve Months. Loved it! It's early in the year, but this will be difficult to beat as my BotY. It was slower paced, but that's what I liked about it. It was more like Glen Cook's Garrett series, which I love too.

[JPK]

After finishing up Twelve Months and The Regicide Report I almost followed Abyss into God's Junk Drawer but decided to wait on that one just a bit longer in favor of Abercrombie's The Heroes.

I've been chipping at the First Law Universe in audio because I started The Next Generation and realized I was way too rusty on the specifics sometime last year. Now I've only got this one and Red Country until I hit new territory. Which doesn't sound too bad until I remember it's 40+ hours of audio between them.

Anyways a couple early thoughts on The Heroes.
1 - Yay Whirrun! I love this crazy fucker.
2 - Oh God. I forgot how hard it is being in Bremer's POV.

[Mentalist]

Wrapped up "City of Last Chances". Decently paced, "slice of life in occupied city"-type fantasy novel. Various factions all want revolution, but they want it less than they want power for themselves. And ultimately, the City claps down on those challenging the status quo. With the city and its unseen institutions being the real main character. Interesting take.
The preview for the sequel has me mildly interested, gonna have to look into it eventually.

Right now, Goodreads is telling me I'm behind my reading goal, so gonna be starting on Lawrence's "The Girl and the Stars" to play catch-up.

[QuickTidal]

I'm still taking some Japanese light novels on vacation, but my copy of TWELVE MONTHS arrived on Saturday, so I'm about 100pgs into that (it's amazing so far) and will be taking that with me as well to finish it up by the pool. The Juxtaposition of a destroyed Chicago and poolside at a resort is not lost on me, believe me.

[Cause]

I find myself reluctant to finish Stormlight archive. I enjoyed all the books. I only read the first 3 and not the first 4 as I thought. It’s been years and I feel a reread may be necessary for the right mindset to understand book 4 and 5.

For all that I enjoyed the books, I feel that Sanderson bloated these books. They are longer than needed for what happens in them. The plot and the action are great but certain plot points repeat or Kaladin and I know that very same plot points will be even further retread in books 4 and 5.

The books were run the first time but I know from prior rereads it can feel sluggish on the second time around.


Any thoughts?

[worry]

I'm only about 1/3 into the first one so I guess I don't have a comprehensive understanding of the first three books, but I can say the main thrust so far has been that Brando Sando had a huge crush on Tinker Bell when he was a kid. If any other details pop out as vital information I'll update you.

[Abyss]

worry, on 11 February 2026 - 06:01 PM, said:

I'm only about 1/3 into the first one so I guess I don't have a comprehensive understanding of the first three books, but I can say the main thrust so far has been that Brando Sando had a huge crush on Tinker Bell when he was a kid. If any other details pop out as vital information I'll update you.

Turtles. dude is absolutely obsessed with turtles.

[Abyss]

Just Finished GOD'S JUNK DRAWER. Chef's kiss, Clines just nails this. It's big Hollywood but smarter, hard sf but not too hard, action/thriller but the character beats are well executed and avoid predictable, zigs when you think he's going to zag but in a way that makes you say 'ah hah!' and not 'wtf!?', entirely standalone but has some fun little nods for his fans.

The core of this story, a boy who was zapped off to a Lost World, made his way home, spent the next thirty years trying to get back, is very nicely worked into a wider story that goed kitchen sink crazy at times but never loses it's way. It's not a deep thinker book, more like it's as deep as you want it to be. Lighter than THE BROKEN ROOM but not as dark as most of the Threshold books.

SPOILERS here, only relevant forpeople who read his EX-HEROES and THRESHOLD stuff and then this....

Spoiler

I squeeled like a little child when they found Cerberus.
When the Castaway is explaining the war his people were in, my mind was going 'Sqwhales.... sqwhales.... sqwhales... WE'VE GOT SQWHALES!!!!!!!

Great book, great fun, entirely worth the read, if you've never read one of his it's a great starting point.

[worry]

Abyss, on 11 February 2026 - 07:09 PM, said:

worry, on 11 February 2026 - 06:01 PM, said:

I'm only about 1/3 into the first one so I guess I don't have a comprehensive understanding of the first three books, but I can say the main thrust so far has been that Brando Sando had a huge crush on Tinker Bell when he was a kid. If any other details pop out as vital information I'll update you.

Turtles. dude is absolutely obsessed with turtles.

Makes sense. He loves rocks, and turtles are the animal version of a rock.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Frankenstein

Not far in, but finding a guy on the ice when your ship is all but frozen and him proceeding to do the "Let me tell you how my entire life fell apart because hubris" is one hell of a way to open a novel!

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 12 February 2026 - 05:15 PM

[Mentalist]

Cause, on 11 February 2026 - 05:49 PM, said:

I find myself reluctant to finish Stormlight archive. I enjoyed all the books. I only read the first 3 and not the first 4 as I thought. It’s been years and I feel a reread may be necessary for the right mindset to understand book 4 and 5.

For all that I enjoyed the books, I feel that Sanderson bloated these books. They are longer than needed for what happens in them. The plot and the action are great but certain plot points repeat or Kaladin and I know that very same plot points will be even further retread in books 4 and 5.

The books were run the first time but I know from prior rereads it can feel sluggish on the second time around.


Any thoughts?

Kaladin sulks, feels guilty, fucks up, says some more words, makes up with Syl, powers up, kicks ass. Shallan occasionally makes a quip.

Rinse, repeat.


There's a reason I wait until these books are out in mmpb beefore I buy'em. His characterization is gradually improving (he learned a lot from writign Wax & Wayne, and it shows), but the story arcs are glacially slow. He hasn't mastered good pacing for doorstoppers yet.

[JPK]

Blew through the audio for Matt Dinneman's newest release Operation Bounce House in a day. If you're a DCC doubter or have reservations due to the chaotic tone and litrpg nature I suggest giving this one a spin.

Next up I'm finally getting to Clines' God's Junk Drawer.