The books you've just purchased thread....

[MagnarTheGreat]

Oooooh the Dracula book looks really good

would you recommend Carmilla?

For vampire fiction history’s sake yes, for pure entertainment value no as there’s better vampire stuff out there...but not most YA vampire garbage though. I liked its old-timeyness and it’s a real slow burn of a story but YMMV.

 

[Catoti]

For vampire fiction history’s sake yes, for pure entertainment value no as there’s better vampire stuff out there...but not most YA vampire garbage though. I liked its old-timeyness and it’s a real slow burn of a story but YMMV.

hmmm ok. I’ll probably check it out because I do like old-timey books and slow burns.

 

[Guts]

Got a Barnes and Noble gift card for Christmas and I bought House of Leaves. Enjoying it so far. Also starting getting into fermentation. So I bought The Art of Fermentation.

 

[Black Narcissus]

DUNE

Just in time for the flick.

 

[Hollis Mason]

DUNE

Just in time for the flick.

Same. Finished it yesterday. What a book. I can't wait to see how Dennis adapts that novel and that world.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Picked up Twelve Kings in Sharakhai (Song of the Shattered Sands #1). Might be my next read when I finish with Starsight.

Sharakhai, the great city of the desert, center of commerce and culture, has been ruled from time immemorial by twelve kings -- cruel, ruthless, powerful, and immortal. With their army of Silver Spears, their elite company of Blade Maidens and their holy defenders, the terrifying asirim, the Kings uphold their positions as undisputed, invincible lords of the desert. There is no hope of freedom for any under their rule.

Or so it seems, until Çeda, a brave young woman from the west end slums, defies the Kings' laws by going outside on the holy night of Beht Zha'ir. What she learns that night sets her on a path that winds through both the terrible truths of the Kings' mysterious history and the hidden riddles of her own heritage. Together, these secrets could finally break the iron grip of the Kings' power...if the nigh-omnipotent Kings don't find her first.

My completed rating: ** out of ***** (2 out of 5)

 

[squeekness]

Grace will lead us home -- Jennifer Berry Hawks
Murder at McDonalds -- Phonse Jessome
Ask not -- Max Allen Collins
Deadly secrets -- Robert Bryndza

 

[tzarinna]

Alice by Heart by Steven Sater.

 

[Tigerlaws]

Oh let's see..

The Great gatsby, Lord of the Rings (again, even though I've read halfway through them it's been super long prefer the books...) I have so many books but a hard time finishing them. I love the Great Gatsby, but I don't find it difficult because I know it's considered a "highschool book" somewhat.

 

[Captain Tired]

I recently bought a collected edition of all of Joan Didion's work from the sixties and seventies, e.g., Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Play It as It Lays. Should make for some very interesting reading.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

The Gutter Prayer (Black Iron Legacy #1) by Gareth Hanrahan
About 50 pages into this fantasy/Lovecraft inspired horror so far. It starts in the middle of a heist and starts with the perspective of the building (!) telling the story written in the second person (!). Sometimes it switches perspective to a villain character, and there are of course the perspectives of the three major characters - Cari, Spar (a man turning into stone), and Rat (a 'ghoul'). It's a pretty neat spin on the genre but I can see how it's not for everyone if you want something more straightforward or typical. And I'll update this post when I finish it. Update: Took me a longer time on this one. Great originality and world, slightly above average characters, overwritten and pretty bad pacing issues in part due to the large character roster of many PoV characters and many villains vying for success. The world building is too much of great thing! - some of it should have been saved the next books, this one's overpacked. Despite there being sequel books that I haven't read, the story is complete and pretty standalone on its own which is a plus. (3.5 ***½ out of ***** 5)

Holy Sister (Book of the Ancestor #3) by Mark Lawrence

A lot of the book was one long battle scenario, I didn't like it as much as Grey Sister and the first one (Red Sister). But I have picked up The Girl and the Stars, a continuation set in the same world with new characters. (3.5 ***½ out of ***** 5)

 

[ComicChick]

preordered The Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

 

[Silvermoon]

preordered The Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

clearly I've been out of it for a while, I didn't realize the follow up to King of Scars had even officially been announced/the title released...... guess I'm putting in for a preorder as well

 

[ComicChick]

clearly I've been out of it for a while, I didn't realize the follow up to King of Scars had even officially been announced/the title released...... guess I'm putting in for a preorder as well

ive been tempted to start a thread on the Grisha series and subsequent books. i have no one to talk King of Scars or Six of Crows with, but now i know you've read them too!

 

[tzarinna]

Lovecraft Country: A Novel by Matt Ruff

 

[Lasirius]

Memorial by Bryan Washington

 

[joombo]

Leviathan- Hobbes, I like it and I'm writing an essay abut this book. I decided to buy an essay to save my time and get good gardes. I found cool writing service for proofreading and grammar check. That's convy.

 

[tzarinna]

Outdoor Life: How To Survive Off The Grid from Backyard Homesteads to Bunkers (and everything in between)

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

 

[Mandon Knight]

Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero

 

[tzarinna]

Guy Stuff: The Body Book for Boys by Natterson, Cara

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Sword of Fire (2020) (Deverry #16 currently) by Katharine Kerr

I started reading the Deverry fantasy series about 30 years ago and read them all as they released from that point on until the final book. Or at least it was the final book, until the author decided to continue the series with this new entry years later with a new character entry point.

The Poppy War (2018) (The Poppy War #1 of #3 currently) by R. F. Kuang

God Stalk (1982) (Kencyrath #1 of #9 currently) by P. C. Hodgell

Welcome to the Holy City of Tai-tastigon, overrun with thieves and lousy with gods. Welcome to the House of the Luck-Bringers, where the ale flows, the jokes are ribald, and if you're lucky, you can see the Kencyr girl dance. She's a thief, apprenticed to the Master Thief, the only living being who knows the secret of his ways. Why she stole the very britches off the Sky King himself! And if you want to hear a tale even wilder than that, just listen....

I only started reading this other old series that continues having entries up until now apparently. Thus far the book is a really weird and creepy pulp urban adventure story. But weird in a good way, so far. 9 books is another huge investment so hopefully it lives up to it or else I'll have to bail out. EDIT: Feels like introductory filler prologue to a main course coming in Book 2 or a follow-up book. A great world and lore that's a bit too detailed to the detriment of a spine of a plot and character development. Things often tend to happen without proper motivation but I enjoyed how weird it gets - much like The Gutter Prayer - and if the overall execution was better I'd have liked this book even more than that one. I liked Jame's character enough as an accidental femme fatale sort of way whether that was the intention or not. Despite my mixed review due primarily to the execution I still might some day give the next book a whirl - I read that's it's more a travelogue/adventure as opposed to this one that takes place primarily in one big location. (*** stars out of *****)

 

[Applejuice]

The Sapiens from Yuval Noah Harari were both very good although if you reflect on it are quite depressing but very direct and realistic. But they were definitely worth a try!

This one I just finished reading, is a very good book very direct and sometimes it can be a little shocking but is very honest and interesting too. I have more favorite books but they are not coming to my mind yet maybe next time.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Vespertine (2021)

The spirits of the dead do not rest.

Artemisia is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as ravenous, hungry spirits. She would rather deal with the dead than the living, who whisper about her scarred hands and troubled past.

When her convent is attacked by possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being whose extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death has come, and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the revenant itself.

As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints, secrets, and dark magic, Artemisia discovers that facing this hidden evil might require her to betray everything she believes—if the revenant doesn’t betray her first.

Haven't finished this novel yet, but it's high quality for YA so far. Extremely fast paced and action packed like a comic book. Reminds me a little bit of Monstress and the Book of the Ancestor epic fantasy series.

Edit: I finished the book. It does slow down a bit and meander a little in the middle and finishes with a big finale. There's no romance in the book which is rare for YA and is a plus for me since I don't like it taking over the story. The author may publish another one in this series though the book is enough of a standalone story. out of

 

[ComicChick]

i signed up for Book of the Month and got:

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi

i like that i can pick from multiple choices for a month, or skip the month if none appeal. and shipping is free, which is a huge plus.
Book of the Month sharing my referral in case anyone is interested. @squeekness this sounds up your alley lol