Storm Front, by Jim Butcher

Just finished this, and I really enjoyed it. It has been on my to-read list for years, and I've been out of the habit of reading for a little while now, so I figured it would be a nice easy read to get me back into it. It wasn't quite what I was expecting - Someone had told me it was more like a standard mystery/private detective novel and it just happened that he was a wizard. It went way more heavily into the wizardry stuff than I was expecting, but it creates a really cool world and I loved it. Looking forward to diving into the sequels at some point.

Redshirts, by John Scalzi

Just started this and I'm loving it so far. It's another book that has been on my to-read list for a long time. I'm a big fan of Star Trek and sci-fi in general, and the way this book plays on the tropes of the genre is really brilliant. I was laughing out loud at the descriptions of "The Box" and how that information needed to be presented to Q'eeng. Can't wait to get further into it.

Finished Storm Front, by Jim Butcher

Started The Curse of the Mistwraith, by Janny Wurts

I finished Storm Front(The Dresden Files, #1), by Jim Butcher which I read after hearing good things on here. I knew nothing about the story and I bought the ebook so didn't even know the genre. I did enjoy it, I thought it was funny and atmospheric. I will check out another one in the series at some point.

I finished The Best we Could Do, by Thi Bui which is a graphic novel about a family caught up in the Vietnam war. The book was very interesting and still pull on the heartstrings in places. I recommend it to others. The book covers the impact of the war on the family rather than spending a lot of time covering the direct impact of war. The artwork is unconventional.

I started and finished The Enigma of Amigara Fault, by Junji Ito which is a short graphic novel. It's short and I read it online during my lunch break om Imgur. I couldn't see a way to buy the book so hopefully I wasn't breaking the law. I heard about the book after someone mentioned it in a Reddit post on the Thai cave rescue that is going on. It's extremely creepy and totally up my street. I've listed a few other books of Junji Ito to read at some point.

I was really unsure what to read next but decided to read On Stranger Tides, by Tim Powers which I've had on my Kindle for a couple of years. I haven't got far but I'm quite optimistic about it. Pirates are so exciting!

I finished The Tattooist of Auschwitz, by Heather Morris which has received good reviews both critically and via word of mouth. It was a love story rather than an account of life in Auschwitz but I did learn a few things about Auschwitz. I don't really do love stories so can't say I enjoyed it as much as most people. It was very dialogue heavy which made it a quick an easy read. The author says at the end she initially wrote it as a screenplay which makes sense. I didn't really like the main character I thought he was a bit of a sleazebag lol.

I started Storm Front(The Dresden Files, #1), by Jim Butcher after hearing good things about it on this subreddit. I didn't know anything about as I enjoy going into books blind. When I read the main character was a wizard I groaned a bit as I thought the book might involve him just magicing himself out of situations but there seem to be some limits on his magic. I'm about half way through and I am enjoying it so far.

Just finished the incredibly depressing but very good: American War, by Omar El Akkad

Just started: Stormfront by Jim Butcher

Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
Kind of interesting, but more political intrigue and subtext-heavy conversations than I expected. It has some interesting questions about being in conflict with oneself, and about communication.

The Trolley Problem, by Thomas Cathcart
A lot of interesting perspectives and arguments about the trolley problem that I hadn't considered before. On the side of light philosophical reading, with fun little blurbs about various thinkers.

Storm Front, by Jim Butcher
I didn't like it. The main character antagonizes everyone around him, wonders why nobody likes him, and pigeonholes everyone into "friend" or "enemy". It's a very self-centred and indulgent book.

Warm Bodies, by Isaac Marion
Cool premise, but it got so cheesy by the end of the book I could barely stand it. I was really not a fan of how love was touted as the cure-all, from zombie status to persistent demoralization.

Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
I didn't relate to the characters, at all, and found their behaviour kind of far-fetched. I dropped this book.

Summer Knight, by Jim Butcher
I heard that the series got better, starting in the fourth book. I still didn't like how the main character was basically the only one who solved any of the problems, how he used even the "good guys" as tools and never confidantes, and was essentially led around by the plot. The writing is better than the first book, but I'm not going to continue reading this series.

I am not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells
I actually really liked this book. Some people say that it jumps the shark, but I went in because I knew it was going to turn supernatural. A supernatural crime book from the perspective of a well-meaning psycho was a novel experience, and I really liked the main character's struggle against his own instincts. I don't mind whether it's accurate portrayal of real-life sociopaths, because it seems consistent enough within the text itself.

Finished:

Deadhouse Gates, by Steven Erikson

5/5. Incredible. I enjoyed GotM but I think this book has gotten me to fully buy in to the series. His writing improved substantially, I was much more emotionally invested in the characters, and I'm excited to plunge through the rest of the main series. I'm probably going to have to space them out since I read them so much slower than other books though. Thus...

Started:

Storm Front, by Jim Butcher

Totally different animal from Malazan. Always heard good things about the Dresden files. About 60% through this one in 2 days so you could say it really grabbed me. I love the noir feel to the narrator and could see myself really getting sucked in to this series too. It helps that they're not all massive tomes.

Finished Storm Front, by Jim Butcher

• Super quick read. It was great. I feel like Dressden is kind of an edgelord who I find it hard to like so far, but I'm looking forward to seeing him evolve as a character. Will be working these books in-between others since they're so quick and can act as palate cleansers of sorts

Started The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson

• Because it's about damn time. I'm digging the world-building so far (about 20% into it) but it hasn't really HOOKED me in yet. I've seen this almost universally praised by everybody, so I'm pumped to be finally jumping in