Still slowly reading the Iliad. I'm at the naming all the dead and how they died, and I'm not really enthused about this part. The poetry is definitely lovely, but when the names go on for pages and pages... Well.
I'm about halfway through Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez. It was very confusing at the beginning, but I like it now. I'm not familiar with Argentina's history, especially its dictatorship, so I'm sure I'm missing a lot, but I do like the cult being an allegory for the dictatorship/upper class and exploiting the indigenous and poor people, and how the new generation is trying to break away.
Thank you, I love Buffy and I love books, what better duo are there? :D
I think the names would be easier if it's audio (which makes sense, it's an oral story!), but unfortunately I'm reading the text, so it's a slog... Definitely tempted to skim now lol.
I had the same thought! Can't believe it's already Wednesday!
I just started Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. I listened to Fourth Wing as an audiobook and I kind of disliked the narrator. This sounds petty but she was almost *too* animated when she read. She put so much sass into the most random parts lines of text that weren't even dialog. Anyway, I'm finding that the book is a lot more enjoyable if I read it in my head.
Now I'm listening to the audiobook for London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe. He also narrates it and he's a wonderful narrator. The story is an intriguing true crime investigation into the death of a 19 year old who was caught up in shady criminal underworld stuff.
Finished the Island of Lost Maps, which in the later parts looks into the terrible security around rare books and why it's so hard to actually bring charges for stealing maps out of them. The author also allows that by this point he has gotten a little too into the story and starts to consider how he, as a journalist, is seen by the people actually involved. Overall middling, not a waste of time but not a book I'm hanging on to.
33. Flight From the Dark, the first of Joe Dever's Kai series of gamebooks, which I last read close to 40 years ago. This is an edition from 2022, with more supplementary material than I remember, but I think the actual adventure text is unchanged.
Just finished Cinder by Marie Sexton, a short gender swapped Cinderella story. It was cute and entertaining.
I also just finished Wilful Impropriety: 13 Tales of Society and Scandal, an anthology that's better than the title presumes. There were a sprinkling of queer tales, with all stories set in Victorian-inspired worlds. I only skipped the last two stories.
Just finished The Tainted Cup (it was great! 10/10, do recommend), and now I'm onto Provenance by Ann Leckie...about 60 pages in, not sure if I'm going to finish because I don't like the narrator, alas. :P
I'm fourth in line for one of my library's three copies of The Tainted Cup so I will hopefully get hold of it in the next month or two. I'm really looking forward to it!
Loved The Tainted Cup, very fun mystery in a cool setting!
I love Ann Leckie's Ancillary trilogy, but I did not like Provenance as much... I like Radiant Star, but the character writing is weaker than the trilogy. I think Translation State's probably my favorite Imperial Radch book outside the trilogy.
I've got 40 pages left of Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill, which I have enjoyed for the most part. A couple of quibbles about the repetitiveness of certain things, but apart from that, a really fun cozy horror.
Next I'm going to be starting Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. LeGuin, which is part of my r/fantasy bingo card.
Still on The Elusive Body, about diagnostics. I thought it would be case studies but it's about how doctors learn to diagnose and the history of how it's done. Not as interesting as I thought it would be but I'm going to finish it - slowly.
I'm listening to I'm afraid you've got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle for bookclub_dw. It's fun and entertaining but nowhere near as groundbreaking as The Last Unicorn. As for reading, I started Natasha Pulley's The Lost Future of Pepperharrow. This is my second attempt at reading this novel. The first time around something else had to take precedence midway through and now this book has been lying around for two years, so I started over. She writes beautifully, but I don't like this half as much as The Watchmaker of Filigree Street or even The Kingdoms (which is a masterpiece). Maybe it's simply the fact that this is set in Japan. Asia just doesn't interest me at all.
I'll be interested to see what you make of it as a KJ Charles 1st time reader. I think its one of her weaker ones personally but I won't say anymore as it might spoil it.
Colour me delighted to hear this as I enjoyed it quite a bit and finished it in a couple of days :D In what ways would you say it's weaker? The plot? The relationship? Something else? The writing felt strong throughout and the fake gothic ominous description at the start set the book up well for what it turned into. I was also very happy with the "second chance" aspect of the relationship, like, you may have found the perfect person for you but that doesn't mean you won't have to also do some work on yourself before it can work out. I don't know, I'm pretty happy with my read, and happy to hear there's a good chance I'll enjoy the other ones even more now?? XD
Oops I've just read my comment back and it sounded much more negative than I intended. I think I just struggled a lot with the gothic framing that to me got more and more silly as the book went on. In hindsight a better way to phrase it would have been I didn't enjoy it as much However, it's still an interesting book in terms of plot, and as always the relationships are a joy to read. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
You're right that there is a very good chance you'll find the others just as enjoyable. My favourite is the Will Darling trilogy a post WW1 ex soldier gets mixed up in spycraft and it goes on from there, but that's the beauty of K.J Charles is that there's quite a bit of variety to choose from :D
Edited (Extra thought ) Date: 2026-08-26 06:41 pm (UTC)
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branchandroot
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Date: 2026-08-19 08:19 pm (UTC)I'm about halfway through Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez. It was very confusing at the beginning, but I like it now. I'm not familiar with Argentina's history, especially its dictatorship, so I'm sure I'm missing a lot, but I do like the cult being an allegory for the dictatorship/upper class and exploiting the indigenous and poor people, and how the new generation is trying to break away.
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Date: 2026-08-19 08:36 pm (UTC)Good on you for actually reading the names! I think I would probably start skimming at that point lol.
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Date: 2026-08-20 07:46 pm (UTC)I think the names would be easier if it's audio (which makes sense, it's an oral story!), but unfortunately I'm reading the text, so it's a slog... Definitely tempted to skim now lol.
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Date: 2026-08-19 08:35 pm (UTC)I just started Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. I listened to Fourth Wing as an audiobook and I kind of disliked the narrator. This sounds petty but she was almost *too* animated when she read. She put so much sass into the most random parts lines of text that weren't even dialog. Anyway, I'm finding that the book is a lot more enjoyable if I read it in my head.
Now I'm listening to the audiobook for London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe. He also narrates it and he's a wonderful narrator. The story is an intriguing true crime investigation into the death of a 19 year old who was caught up in shady criminal underworld stuff.
no subject
Date: 2026-08-19 08:55 pm (UTC)33. Flight From the Dark, the first of Joe Dever's Kai series of gamebooks, which I last read close to 40 years ago. This is an edition from 2022, with more supplementary material than I remember, but I think the actual adventure text is unchanged.
no subject
Date: 2026-08-19 09:08 pm (UTC)Just finished Cinder by Marie Sexton, a short gender swapped Cinderella story. It was cute and entertaining.
I also just finished Wilful Impropriety: 13 Tales of Society and Scandal, an anthology that's better than the title presumes. There were a sprinkling of queer tales, with all stories set in Victorian-inspired worlds. I only skipped the last two stories.
no subject
Date: 2026-08-19 09:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-08-19 10:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-08-20 08:01 pm (UTC)I love Ann Leckie's Ancillary trilogy, but I did not like Provenance as much... I like Radiant Star, but the character writing is weaker than the trilogy. I think Translation State's probably my favorite Imperial Radch book outside the trilogy.
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Date: 2026-08-19 10:49 pm (UTC)Next I'm going to be starting Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. LeGuin, which is part of my r/fantasy bingo card.
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Date: 2026-08-19 11:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-08-20 05:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-08-20 02:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-08-20 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-08-20 01:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-08-25 08:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-08-26 11:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-08-26 06:39 pm (UTC)You're right that there is a very good chance you'll find the others just as enjoyable. My favourite is the Will Darling trilogy a post WW1 ex soldier gets mixed up in spycraft and it goes on from there, but that's the beauty of K.J Charles is that there's quite a bit of variety to choose from :D