I finished up Summer of Night, by Dan Simmons. I picked it up based on a recommendation I saw on this sub ages ago when someone asked for books that gave the same dark fantasy vibe as Stranger Things or IT. I was not disappointed. Really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of Dan Simmons work - I have The Terror and Hyperion already, just haven’t gotten around to them.

I started Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler and somehow breezed through half of it yesterday. It’s a fascinating read and the change in perspective to get the black, female voice is really interesting. I’d previously read Bloodchild and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s safe to say that Octavia E. Butler is working her way onto my list of favourite authors.

Just started Kindred, by Octavia Butler. I previously read Fledgling and found it to be a little too weird for me, but this one is pretty good so far. I'm curious to see how the main character will handle everything.

Also reading The Music of the Deep, by Elizabeth Hall which is pretty decent so far.

Finished Kindred by Octavia E Butler which is the best book I've read this year. Also finished The Invisible Library by Genieve Cogman which was a fun escapist romp and definitely what I needed after Kindred destroyed me.

Started 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

This week I'm reading Kindred, by Octavia Butler.

I'm on an Octavia Butler binge at the moment. I'd been meaning to read something by her for a long time, but I kept putting it off... until I heard Childfinder on Levar Burton Reads. After that, I picked up Bloodchild and Other Stories, then Parable of the Sower, then Parable of the Talents! Turns out, I'm a fan.

Anyway, it feels so nice to finally read her work because I've known for a long time that I would enjoy it. She fits so perfectly into my list of favorite authors: Connie Willis, Ursula K. Le Guin, Margaret Atwood... and now Octavia Butler!

Last week I finished the Chronicles of Prydain with The High King, by Lloyd Alexander. Such a great finale to a great series. This book also elevated the fourth book in my eyes greatly as it provided a huge pay off.

I began A Wild Sheep Chase, by Haruki Murakami. I'm really enjoying this as I have all of the works by Murakami that I've read.

Also, yesterday, (even though I told myself I would only read one book at a time) I started Kindred, by Octavia Butler. I've been reading a lot and hearing a lot about Butler lately and never have really explored her catalog. I figured her most popular book was probably a good way to start. It's been interesting so far. When they mention that part of the book takes place across the bay from Baltimore I thought it was cool since that is the area I live. I was floored when they mentioned that the city Alice is in is Easton as that's the town I work in and grew up around. So I did some digging and I found out not only does the book take place here but Butler visited the town for a couple days for research purposes. I've been trying to find out more about her visit but there isn't a whole lot since she wasn't a prominent author at that point (and certainly not recognized as the first female African American science fiction author). All I've found so far is a few quotes from her.

This week I finished:

Kindred, by Octavia Butler I absolutely LOVED this. It immediately sucked me in and I didn't want to put it down. I can't wait to read more of her work.

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces, by Isabel Quintero This is a YA book written in diary format that I chose for the BookRiot Read Harder challenge (#1 is to read an epistolary novel). I read quite a bit of YA, and this was good, but not great. I think I would have appreciated it more when I was younger.

Finished Blood & Guts in High School by Kathy Acker Didn't like it but it was short.

Started Kindred, by Octavia E Butler Which has me gripped. so far it has been ace.

I finished

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes Great book and very heart wrenching, I would love to read another story like it.

Kindred by Octavia Butler This book should be required reading. It is encompassing.

Still reading Hyperion by Simmons I have to re-read a couple of pages to understand where I left off.

Finished A Wild Sheep Chase, by Haruki Murakami.

Continuing Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler.

Started Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders.

Visiting family this week so I made absolutely no progress reading The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald A. Norman. I also plan to pick up Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler as my next read.

This past week I finish a couple books, short stories and graphic novels:

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler - This is probably her most well-known book. I thought it was a very good book, but I thought some of her other work, like Parable of the Sower, was better.

Revolutionary Iran: A History of the Islamic Republic by Michael Axworthy - I definitely learned a lot more about the Iranian revolution and Iranian politics thanks to this book. The focus of the book is primarily on just the politics and the important political players in Iran. I would definitely recommend it if you want to learn more about Iran.

Vermilion Sands by J.G. Ballard - This is a short story collection. I liked some more than others, but overall the stories didn't really connect with me.

The Three Electroknights by Stanislaw Lem - A short short story collection (it only contains four short stories) but the short stories were very interesting, especially the worlds that the stories introduced.

Glittering City by Cyprian Ekwensi - A short story set in 1960s Lagos. The story is a bit of wild ride, but the main character is a very recognizable lovable rogue.

Sweet Tooth, Vol. 1: One of the Deep Woods by Jeff Lemire - I've been wanting to read this one for a while now and finally picked it up. As it is the first volume most of it is spent on world building.

Rumble, Vol. 5: Things Remote by John Arcudi and David Rubin - Solid volume that expands a bit on the world of the story so far.

Horizon, Vol. 1: Reprisal by Brandon Thomas - I wasn't really feeling this one. The story throws you into the deep-end. There are conflicts that are presented in such a way that it seems like you should know more about them than you do. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this series.

I finished Kindred, by Octavia Butler. I don't know why but last week this book made me disassociate for almost 48 hours... witnessing the protagonist slowly losing their free-will to this "power", this time periods, was overwhelming. While reading it it came to me that she was experiencing slavery in more than one sense, not only systematically

Today I started reading Borne, by Jeff VanDermeer... so far it reads astonishingly like the Oryx and Crake books, I like that

This week I finished Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler, which I loved. The concept of this book (a modern black woman gets sent back in time to the antebellum South) had me concerned that I was going to be reading a book full of tropey characters. But Butler did a great job of avoiding that and created a whole cast of interesting, multifaceted characters.

I also finished The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, by Michael Finkel. This book was really interesting, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes outdoor survival stories. I wish it had been longer and gone into more detail about Knight’s (the hermit) life in the woods. But when your interview subject is literally a hermit I guess you have to make do with only a little material!

The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan I’ve learned so much already and am only 1/4 of the way through! The author focuses on four plants: Apple, tulip, marijuana, and potato. He describes their history of being cultivated by humans and how they each represent something humans naturally desire. I don’t read a lot of nonfiction, but this is really interesting!

Last week I finished: Kindred, by Octavia Butler I loved a lot of things about this book, but it was hard to read (upsetting content, rape, violence) and I found the plot to be kind of disappointing. Oh well.

To the Bright Edge of the World, by Eowyn Ivey I LOVED this. It’s told from the perspective of a 19th century man exploring uncharted Alaska, and from the perspective of his wife who learns photography while she awaits his return. It was so scenic and beautiful. Her other novel, The Snow Child, is great too.