RIP (Read In Progress) Wednesday

[spiralsheep]

It's Wednesday in some localised linear timelines (more or less). What are you reading?

Comments

[spiralsheep]

I've begun compiling my reading stats for 2025 and one of my challenges was to read a novel with a "senior" protagonist. I want to know if you think the tenth Doctor, or Merlin, count as seniors so please add your clicky opinion to my poll on fictional seniors. Thank you. :-)

This week I finished:

114. No-Signal Area, by Robert Perišić [Perisic for those without the correct font], 2014, translated from Croatian [aka BCMS aka Serbo-Croatian] by Ellen Elias-Bursać, 5/5

A contemporary literary novel about post-socialist countries and the capitalists who exploit them. I recommend reading this novel without knowing how the story plays out because it's brilliantly twisty.
My longer review without spoilers.

115. Dear Committee Members, by Julie Schumacher, 2014, comedy epistolary novel, 4/5

Comedic epistolary novel told through letters of recommendation from a middle-aged tenured professor of English (composition) at a second tier USian college. The protag is an asshole but the comedic presentation is funny because he mostly gets what he deserves and doesn't hold his students back. Probably rather dated now as it's set in 2009-10. Maybe only a 3.5/5 objectively but I'm easy for humour that doesn't punch downwards.

116. Yes But What Is This? What Exactly? by Ian McMillan, 2020, poetry, 4/5

Time passes. It passes.
It passes. It scores.

And 117. which I'm still having feels about. :-)

[vamp_ress]

I just finished "Ex-Wife" by Ursula Parrott and despite the rather uninspiring title this was an excellent read. Such a shame that nothing else by her seems to be available :(

[orangeblossomteas]

I'm currently working on reading Killers of the Flower Moon. I went in knowing it's a difficult read, but I'm having to take more breaks than I thought I would. At least I have it out on loan for 2 weeks so I can take my time.

[mxroboto]

That's on my list and keeps getting pushed down because I'm just not ready. I wish you luck in your endeavor, please take care of yourself!

[spiralsheep]

Pacing yourself seems very wise.

No-Signal Area, by Robert Perišić, sat on my To Read pile for over four years because I couldn't deal with reading any more about the wars in the former Yugoslavia.

[petrea_mitchell]

I put aside the book on codes for a bit because I've just gotten hold of two books I'm very eager to read. First up is Nicked, based on a real-life medieval Italian expedition to try to steal the bones of St. Nicholas. I picked it up based on james_davis_nicoll's review and it's been as good as it sounded so far.

[merrileemakes]

I'm currently reading All About Yvees by Yvees Rees, an autobiography about their transness and transition to becoming non-binary. It's interesting, especially the insight into the medicalisation and diagnosis and the setting in my own country. But Yves is also extremely anxious and everything is a lot. Literally no one, female appearing or not, is going to be asked to leave the men's section of a big box store. In 2018.

I'm also reading Pain of Betrayal by Caren Hahn, book 2 of the Wallkeeper Trilogy. This series is the one of the best fantasy books I've read in ages. Strong female MCs, but strong in their feminine roles and power, not as substitute men. Interesting political dynamics, but not boring. And glacially slow-burn romance between intelligent women and oblivious men. I have no idea why this series isn't more widely known.

[mxroboto]

Finished CJ Leede's American Rapture last week. Can't say I enjoyed the prose (one might call it loathing) or even the premise as it devolved into zombies, but I've never seen a highly sheltered, autistic girl raised in a religious cult and noticing the world around her as her body changes written so accurately. I was that girl once. Wish it had taken me a mere week to grow like it does the protag but alas.

Almost done with some popcorn now, Box Office Poison by Tim Robey. Walking outta this with a long movie list, for better or worse >:)

[dark_phoenix54]

Nothing at the moment, because the library book I was reading has to go back tomorrow and I'm far from finishing it. Another time. Now I must pick out a new book!

[spiralsheep]

Hurrah for new beginnings! May your choice be a fruitful one. :-)

[pedanther]

Just finished reading HMS Surprise by Patrick O'Brian. I had been told that his first two novels aren't properly representative and I should at least read HMS Surprise before deciding he wasn't my thing; so now I have and can say with a clear conscience that I still don't think he's my thing.

Around the World in Eighty Emails continues; Fogg has just changed trains in Chicago.

[white_aster]

What I've read lately:
- Katabasis by RF Kuang - Two analytic magic grad students go to Hell to try to retrieve their terrible mentor. This was inventive and ponderous and kind of inherited the kind of pretentiousness you'd expect when the main characters were Cambridge grad students. The main character is incredibly flawed and I didn't always understand her mood shifts. Still, I finished it and ended up liking it more than I disliked it.

- The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts by Shane Parrish, Rhiannon Beaubien. A good, originally-indie book on...common sense, really. Philosophy and logic and reasoning. Most of this I already had heard of and use, but it was a good rundown of things that folks might need to be reminded of, lest they fall into fallacies and such.

- Quit Like A Millionaire by Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung. Current events this year have left me crunching a lot of numbers, and this was one of the first financial independence/retire early (FIRE) books to come out. I feel like it's a bit glib in some ways, and it is a bit dated now since finance and the economy move so fast, but it did have a great discussion of investing and how to calculate when you have enough to retire.

Reading now:
- The Last Watch by JS Dewes. Unsure on this one. Ragtag group of misfits and malcontents save the universe is one of my fave tropes, but temporal shenanigans are not my fave, and I don't know if this has enough oomph to hook me yet.