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I can keep a tally of users and total books they've read, just drop in here and say what you read and what you thought about it, should be a fun discussion I think. Oh, and I guess let me know how many systems you own or something. Maybe you'll win a prize! Probably not. Read books because it's the Chad thing to do on a website about trading videogames.
I finished Upward, Inward, Outward: Love God, Love Yourself, Love Others a few weeks back. It was worth a read because it had a few really good parts that I appreciated, but I didn't care for the book as a whole. The author is way too "look how much of a bro I am". I don't know if that makes sense, but I don't know how else to describe it.
I picked up and I finished Bad Golf My Way by Leslie Nielsen this week. Co-authored by Henry Beard from National Lampoon. Completely in line with that type of silly and light humor. The various pictures of Leslie Nielsen and his wacky golf antics are the highlight.
Rex is also seven foot tall at the shoulder, bulletproof, bristling with heavy calibre weaponry and his voice resonates with subsonics especially designed to instil fear. With Dragon, Honey and Bees, he's part of a Multiform Assault Pack operating in the lawless anarchy of Campeche, south-eastern Mexico.
Rex is a genetically engineered Bioform, a deadly weapon in a dirty war. He has the intelligence to carry out his orders and feedback implants to reward him when he does. All he wants to be is a Good Dog. And to do that he must do exactly what Master says and Master says he's got to kill a lot of enemies.
But who, exactly, are the enemies? What happens when Master is tried as a war criminal? What rights does the Geneva Convention grant weapons? Do Rex and his fellow Bioforms even have a right to exist? And what happens when Rex slips his leash?
I finished up Joe Vs. ELAN School. A friend of mine ran into this randomly and got hooked. I checked it out and decided to read the whole thing as well. What a crazy story that had real-world impacts as a result. The whole thing is told as an illustrated web-comic/graphic novel that unfolded many years after the author’s experience at ELAN School. The opening half of it is gut wrenching. While the project has diminishing returns in the later chapters the final stretch and conclusions is fascinating. Such and interesting project. I commend the author for his dedication throughout the story. The whole project can be found at the below link.
Once you get a few chapters in to the story it is easy to go down a long rabbit hole related to ELAN. So many things sound so far-fetched so it is easy to cast doubt and write this off as fictionalized/embellished early on. By the time you get through it you can’t believe how something like this existed. The wikipedia related to the school is just the tip of the iceberg.
Gone Girl - Good stuff, but Gillian Flynn wrote the screen play for the movie and there wasnt much difference. Still a good book if its been a while since you watched the movie.
I just finished up A Damn Near Perfect Game by Joe Kelly (MLB pitcher). An old coworker of mine apparently was his college roommate so it seemed worth reading before baseball season. Nothing special really. Most interesting part was that he shared the official MLB letter and umpire report with a little personal background from his suspension after his "incident" against the Astros. Nothing really groundbreaking though. I'm a little bummed he basically let's Rob Manfred off the hook after having a couple conversations with him saying basically "he's actually a really cool guy who is a good listener". So many people I know hate Rob Manfred's stance and what he has accomplished as commissioner outside of the pitch clock essentially.
I guess I'm prepared for baseball season with a month of spring training left still?
17. Livability: Stories (Jon Raymond) - Read through this one based on Bill's comments - really enjoyed it. Some well-told, beautiful, and sometimes heartbreaking, tales of human experience.
18. If We're Being Honest (Cat Shook) - Couple times throughout the year, I'll take out a book from my library via Libby that I know absolutely nothing about. Just totally blind, check out the book, and go. Sometimes it works out really well and I find a new author I love. Not so much the case this time.
The narrative concerns the Williams family and opens with the loss of the father/grandfather Gerry. The family's heartbreak is then turned to confusion and anger after Gerry's best friend Fred drunkenly reveals in his eulogy that he and Gerry had been living a lie and had been lovers throughout their entire friendship.
It wasn't a "bad" book. There were just a million familial characters introduced throughout the book and the whole thing just felt... shallow. It read more like the author was using a fictional setting to deconstruct their own experiences of growing up, which is fine, but this one just wasn't my cuppa.
I really slowed down this month. It's Baldur's Gate 3. Finally picked it up and started playing and it's just really got its teeth sunk into me right now.
19. Dracula (Bram Stoker) - Another classic that I'd never picked up and read through. Dracula is so well-known within culture that I just never bothered with the source material and I really think I did myself a disservice there, as I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Doctor Van Helsing is such an incredible character. And Seward's description of him in: "He is a seemingly arbitrary man, this is because he knows what he is talking about better than anyone else." That's solid, and still, Van Helsing comes across to me as humble and he's bloody stalwart to the hilt.
A classic, for sure. Now I emphatically know why and an easy suggestion to anyone like me that previously never bothered.
I love the situational tension that is created in the gaps. I generally like when a story lets me pal along in the narrative and leaves space for me to knit together subtext threads.
Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein - This was honestly incredibly boring. I know it's basically nothing like the movie but I'm gonna try to watch it at some point.
I've read Heinlein's Moon is a Harsh Mistress which wasn't bad, lots of libertarian ideas he makes a case for. Also, Stranger in a Strange Land, but I honestly don't remember it that well, but I think I liked it.
The Starship Troopers movie was campy fun, mostly a military story with alien bugs to fight, low-brow but enjoyable.
Very good. Very short! It's nice to have something you can pick up and finish quickly and still get a good time out of. Now for Horus Heresy 2 Appreciate the recommendation
Weird book, I've liked everything I've read by Murakami. This wasn't as strong as Wind Up Bird but still really enjoyable. He has a way of articulating the angst and unknowns of coming of age without overdoing it. Something about the way he writes makes me think of this as a literary form of a Studio Ghibli film for a little older audience. Grounded in reality with a bunch of whimsical concepts woven in. This book is full of symbolism and references, plenty of which I'm sure I didn't pick up on but still quite enjoyed.
> I listened to the audiobook of that, didn't really like it
>
To me this sounds like something better handled by an internal dialogue, especially if you can empathize with hating everyone you know except for that one chick who gets you
I recently put "Wind Up Bird" on my list of books to buy at some point... it's cool to see someone here say it's good too.
I just finished re-reading 5 graphic novels by Adrian Tomine. Killing and Dying, Shortcomings, Sleepwalk: and Other Stories, Summer Blonde, and Scrapbook: Uncollected Work. They are all collections of short stories. The writing is high-quality and the art is mostly clean and appealing (he does New Yorker covers too). I was really into him like 10 years ago. So, I'd saved these. Now, we're clearing out our bookcase and I'm giving them a final read before I give them away. I recently noticed that Shortcomings is a Netflix movie, so I'm planning to watch that too.
re: Murderbot - I listened to all of the books(novellas) so far. Most are quite short (except for one, I think). I liked them, though I wouldn't say they are great. I think the sci-fi world-building stuff is well done and I found them funny. So, that's a nice combination. There's a lot of detailed description of tactical combat that's done well, but I got a little tired of it too.
20. A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles) - This one was a gift from my mom for Christmas, as it's her favorite book. (Which I believe largely is influenced by Casablanca being referenced at some length between two characters, then returned to again in the closing - Casablanca is mom's favorite movie too.)
Wouldn't be a book that I would have picked up intuitively had I not asked for everyone's favorites, but it wound up being a really delightful read. I took my time with it and chewed away slowly. It opens with the titular gentleman being sentenced to house arrest at his beloved Moscow hotel and a wonderful yarn unfolds from that point onward. While a work of fiction, loads of Russia history unfolds throughout the narrative, so I would regularly have to take breaks and go read about Russian history, because honestly, I was just passingly familiar and woefully ignorant.
There's some touching moments in here and it might just be because I'm a relatively young dad (our eldest is three and the youngest will be two come May), but there were some moments where I was getting unexpectedly choked up while I was reading.
>> I finished Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
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> Have you read Norwegian Wood or Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki?
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>
Not yet. I added a couple more Murakami books to my to-read list. I have a handful of other books I want to get to before I go back to Murakami but suspect I'll read 3-4 more of his through various recommendations.
Okay now that I’m back into reading I figured I’d check this thread out.
I have 6 systems (ps5,switch,steam deck, pc, Xbox, and quest 3)
Audible and Kindle app have been a real game changer for me. I can listen to and from work and then easily pick up where I left off on my iPad or phone.
I’ve read 3 books so far just this month and I’m halfway through the 4th book of a series called Cradle. Genuinely hooked
21. Out of the Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis) - First time I'd picked up any of Lewis' sci-fi and I enjoyed my time with it. It's pretty short and as I understand, the second in the trilogy is about the same, but the third is longer than the first two clapped together. I like sci-fi that jumps into waxing and waning philosophy about humanity's role in the universe (like the latter books in the Ender's series) and Lewis gets into that a bit here. It was engaging enough that I'll likely finish the trilogy throughout the year at some point.
22. Shuna's Journey (Hayao Miyazaki) - I loved this, but I love Miyazaki in general. (Who doesn't?) Plenty to love here if you're familiar with Miyazaki's catalogue and it was really engrossing to see some of the influence that this story had his film work that followed the original Japanese printing of this story. And the art. Goodness gracious. I'll regularly flip through this one just to appreciate it visually.
23. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop (Satoshi Yagisawa) - This is one of those "cozy" books that I've seen people talk about here and there online, and hot dog, this one just hit me at the right time this week. It's a tender little slice-of-life. It's one of those books that hits you with book suggestions passively within the narrative itself, so I've got some more Japanese translations to track down. Got teary-eyed towards the end due to personal life experience connections, but I'd recommend this one. Goes down quick, goes down smooth.
> 23 books so far this year?! Damn that’s impressive
To be fair, I typically read a lot of shorter stories and collections, so I chomp through 'em fairly quickly. I made the mistake of starting three or four heftier books all at once towards the beginning of March that I need to get back to and finish out.
24. The Empress of Salt and Fortune (Nghi Vo) - Incredibly quick read. Partially because it's just 120 pages, but also because it was really engrossing. Follows a cleric chronicler listening to and recording the stories of a recently deceased empress. The writing is vivid and the mystery unfolds so beautifully. Will absolutely track down the remaining books in this series.
Started Wind Up Bird, haven't read this since Modern Japanese Lit in college. It's bringing back some memories and some details. But still feels like a fresh read.
Binged Three Body Problem S1 this weekend on Netflix, started the first book on audiobook.
Huh. Apparently someone already recommended this and it was cheap enough to put in the pile of shame. Guess I'll give it a go, I've got everything but book 12
I've got piles of books to read, re-read, and probably already read but don't remember so need to re-read them again. I also have a current pile of books I've read/finished up this year.
Currently reading - "How to Disappear" by Frank M. Ahearn w/ Eileen C. Horan
Books I've read so far in chronological order this year:
"The Sexual Life of Catherine M." by Catherine Millet "Pathfinder Tales: Reaper's Eye" by Richard A. Knaak "The Spook's Apprentice" by Joseph Delaney (book 1) "Pathfinder Tales: Bloodbound" by F. Wesley Schneider "The Spook's Curse" by Joseph Delaney (book 2) "Ghosts of Punktown" by Jeffrey Thomas
25. American Gods (Neil Gaiman) - This is a re-read for me. (I think it's the fourth or fifth time I've read it, actually.) But! This time, I listened to the audiobook version while working on renovating the living room and making some new fixtures/furniture pieces during the evening. Neil Gaiman is one of my all-time favorite authors and I love American Gods. There's some scenes in here I could leave out and am not crazy about, but I do think it serves the narrative without feeling superfluous. The overall writing and storytelling here is fantastic.
The last time I read American Gods was back in 2020 after my wife and I had closed on our house - which just so happens to sit at the foot of the the very real mountain where this fictional narrative hits its climax. That was kind of a surreal and wonderful experience too. A storm was starting to roll in just as I closed the book.
This won't be the last time I read American Gods. I'll probably read it again in another three of four years.
Sega Genesis Xbox One S Playstation 4 Gamecube Nintendo Switch (if we're considering that a system) and while technically I haven't played with it in a long time, I do have Xbox 360 as well...
I read some of this years ago, but when I searched a couple years ago I saw they were reprinting it in Deluxe hardcovers. Super violent, bloody with great artwork. Fudge Shira. That guy sucks.
26. Bushido: The Soul of Japan (Inazō Nitobe) - Found out that there's a huge list of audiobooks via Amazon Classics that are included in a Prime subscription, so I took advantage of that to read (listen) to this lil book while working around the house over the last couple evenings. There's some interesting historical information herein, but I wouldn't call this electric by any means. There is a bit where it discusses how Japan's external cultural influences have never really been a result of subjugation, but rather a humility inherent in their existing culture that's open to learn and continually grow.
27. To the Lighthouse (Virginia Woolf) - This one. Where to start? Finally getting around to this after a good friend recommended it a couple years back. I just finished it a couple minutes ago by our little fire pit and with a nice scotch. (Appropriate, as the book centers around the Isle of Skye in Scotland.) This is my first Woolf book. I'm not overly familiar with her writing, just passingly familiar with some of her personal tragedy and history. To the Lighthouse is written in a stream-of-consciousness style where the reader is constantly jumping one ship directly onto another character's ship that's sailing in the opposite direction. A mashup of prose and poetry. There's a whole section comparing Mr. Ramsey's intellectual achievements by comparing the totality of human thought to the predictability and order of the English alphabet. And the sucker, well-accomplished and bright, is "stuck on Q" and we read his own struggles against the thought that he might never move beyond it. I'm going to have to come back to this one again in the future and re-read it. It meanders and wanders along. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, it's so here-and-there that it feels a bit like whiplash. (In a good way.)
re:Woolf - I'm ashamed to admit that I've done very poorly with my attempts to read some of the great author's stream of consciousness masterpieces. I just can't follow what they're writing to be honest.
James Joyce is another big one that I just can't even. Faulkner too. I did read every word of Orlando by Virginia Woolf. I was hoping it would somehow come together for me if I kept reading, but it never did. Ah well. Now, I just mostly avoid such things. Maybe if I took a course about a book like that I could get enough insight to understand them.
Some random comment I read on Amazon was talking about how some (most?) people read purely for entertainment. While others might also pursue writing that challenges them or enlightens them, broadens their mind. I do this, but I have my limits as well.
> re:Woolf - I'm ashamed to admit that I've done very poorly with my attempts to read
> some of the great author's stream of consciousness masterpieces. I just can't follow
> what they're writing to be honest.
>
> James Joyce is another big one that I just can't even. Faulkner too. I did read
> every word of Orlando by Virginia Woolf. I was hoping it would somehow come together
> for me if I kept reading, but it never did. Ah well. Now, I just mostly avoid such
> things. Maybe if I took a course about a book like that I could get enough insight
> to understand them.
>
> Some random comment I read on Amazon was talking about how some (most?) people read
> purely for entertainment. While others might also pursue writing that challenges
> them or enlightens them, broadens their mind. I do this, but I have my limits as
> well.
Yeah my brother reads like that a lot, to broaden the mind or for enlightenment haha, but then again he was a philosophy major. I’m def in it for pure entertainment, nothing more, nothing less :)
Appreciate the recommendation
