Books

Poirot Investigates, by Agatha Christie.

The children of the sky by vernor vinge. It's the second book in an intriguing sci-fi series combining a high fantasy future with medieval society. Some things are uncomfortably close to today's news despite being written decades ago.

Careless People - Sarah Wynn-Williams. I would have never bothered with this book until I heard the Zuck tried to sue the author over it. Now I HAVE to read it. :)

I’ve just finished The Rhine by Ben Coates, which was nice, made me really want to book a holiday and go do the same, traveling from Rotterdam to Basel.

I’ve also been playing a bunch of Assassins Creed Odyssey recently so thought I’d start reading Odyssey by Stephen Fry. Only just started so will see how it goes, but I’ve read the previous three and thought they were great.

Finished Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett. Discworld books are always a delightful read.

Currently reading London Rules by Mick Herron, which I put down about halfway through, a long time ago, and never got back to. I'm trying to kill time til new bingo starts, and this is going to be the new season of Slow Horses, so I figured now was a good time to finish it. It's fun.

I am reading Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight book 4). I'm really enjoying this one, it may be my favorite in the series so far!

I just recently finished Death’s End by Cixin Liu.

Thinking back I thought it was kind of funny that the protagonist spends most of her time asleep throughout the history of the universe. That aside, great science fiction and a great end to the trilogy.

Ian Fleming's Secret War:

https://www.casematepublishers.com/9781473853492/ian-flemings-secret-war/

Which I picked up as a sort of companion piece to "Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare":

https://www.porchlightbooks.com/products/churchills-ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-giles-milton-9781250119032

and "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare":

https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/titles/damien-lewis-3/the-ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare/9781529432336/

The true stories of which were adapted into the really fun film of the same name:

https://youtu.be/zvwDen1Wrx8

Fleming was a bit player in the other books and the film, and I was interested to learn more about what he did during the war.

I'm about 1/2 way through the Fleming book and the answer seems to be "Well, not much, really."

He had a great idea to capture a German encryption device. The plan was to pilot a captured German airplane over the English channel, find a suitable German boat and crash the plane in the water nearby.

When "rescued", the soldiers, dressed as Germans, would capture the boat and the encryption device.

Unfortunately on the day of the mission, there were no suitable boats in the channel and the whole mission was scrubbed. :(

The other two books are captivating in their telling, the Fleming book? Eh, not so much. But I'm not done yet, it could get better!

Whirlwind by James Clavell

I just finished Noble House, and this is the last book in the Asian Saga series (the first of which is Shogun).

I am reading Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. Progress isn't as smooth as with M&D but there is enough time for me to get used to the style and prose.

At the moment reading The Book Thief and Careless People. Currently more busy with The Book Thief (about ~100 pages in).

Currently reading The king in yellow by Robert W. Chambers for the second time. It's a collection of unspoken horror fantasy stories from 1895 and it's influences can be seen in the works of Lovecraft. It still manages to draw me in on my Tram rides. I'd recommend it. Especially since it's no longer under copyright. Here's the free digital copy link.

"On Blue's Waters" by Gene Wolfe.

If you haven't heard of the Solar Cycle, or looked into "The Book of the New Sun", I can't recommend it enough.

My brother was finally able to finish the fifth book recently after starting the series roughly 10 years ago, and the fact that he immediately started rereading from the beginning is a testament to how well this series sticks with you.

I'm reading

Managing Neuro Diverse Workplaces by Joe Biel and Elly Blue

The Old Man by Thomas Perry

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

I just finished

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein - great book

From Conflict to Community by Gwendolyn Olton - good book

The Levity Effect by Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher - great book

Tilt by Emma Pattee

picks & shovels by Cory Doctorow

The Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology by Dr. Maximo D. Ramos

Just finished Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros because of the cliffhanger of the last book, but this one just didn't grab me. It took me a lot longer to get through, and I had a break in the middle where I wandered off and read other books instead.

I started Whispering Wood by Sharon Shinn last night (as the 5th and last book in the Elemental Blessings series) and it's...all right, I guess. Definitely doesn't feel like the series will conclude with a bang, but that seems to be the case with her other series as well. Having said that, I really enjoyed her stand-alone book Summers at Castle Auburn and have re-read it a few times.

I just finished Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell. Next up is Cyberlibertarianism: The Right-Wing Politics of Digital Technology by David Golumbia.

I started The Deep History of Ourselves by Joseph LeDoux over the weekend. Reading Cosmos by Carl Sagan helped me understand the universe a bit more. Which made me want to understand humanity better. I suppose this is about how life evolved to give us the conscious brain that we currently possess.

I finished Brave New World by Aldous Huxley last week. It was okay. I'm sure if I had read it when it was first published, it would seem ground breaking.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Just finished Dungeon Crawler Carl, on the lookout for a new series to get into.

Still reading "Neptune's Brood" by Charles Stross, didn't get to read a lot during the easter weekend. I'm about half way through, and will probably finish it somewhere in the coming week. After that I'll have several picks to choose from for the next read, I might return to the Dresden files or to Dungeon Crawler Carl, or I could go search for some writer I haven't read yet.

Re-listening to Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. It came up in conversation a week ago and since I've read it before I can do other things while it plays in the background. Ravenclaw Harry is just so much more compelling than the original.

Taking Manhattan by Russell Shorto.

It is a sequel of sorts to The City at the Center of the World.

Really enjoying it. The author has some interesting ideas and is skilled at narrative nonfiction.

Just starting "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong. I'm going in blind on the recommendation of a friend, so let's see how it goes.