Good morning Blue Sky! Hope you’re all ok? Today I’m currently reading The Big Book of Cyberpunk edited by Jared Shurin. What are you reading at the moment?
Comments
Log in with your Bluesky account to leave a comment
Morning Womble! I've just finished @singlecrow.bsky.social's fantastic roller derby romance Blood Sweat Glitter and am just starting The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo.
also read The River Judge by @slhuang.com. its a cool prequel novellette to The Water Outlaws exploring the backstory of one of the women bandits. I hope there will be one for each of our chaotic bandit friends of Liangshan!
Good morning Womble! Taking a break from my Stormlight Archive reading to read some short books and novellas for a bit. Changing genres and reading Rest Stop, my first Nat Cassidy book. Have a great Sunday!
Morning Womble, this week I finished The Library Of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson which felt like an instant classic. Now I'm starting The Water Outlaws and as a wuxia-enjoyer I'm having fun so far.
Still listening to Wind And Truth and judging by the hours remaining I always will be.
Good morning, Womble,
I’m reading the first volume of Michael Palin’s diaries, 1969-1979: The Python Years.
It really brings home what a miserable island this was for much of the 1970s. Bombs, strikes, blackouts all topped off by the arrival of Thatcher. But there are many amusing anecdotes too.
I have just read the first few pages pf the acclaimed Calypso by Oliver Longmead, and I have Leech by Hiron Ennes and Ascension by Nicholas Binge waiting.
Morning Womble. Still reading one or two stories a day from the Penguin Book of Christmas.
I’ve decided to go slow rather than trying to cram half a dozen books into one week of reading just to meet an arbitrary target I set myself in January.
Morning, Womble! I'm listening to the World Service adaptation of The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper on BBC Sounds, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley (again) in audiobook and I'm about to begin Momenticon by Andre Caldecott on my ereader.
After a very chilly (but sunny walk) I’m now curled up with a mug of tea, a mince pie & Death and Croissants by Ian Moore, not my usual type of book but it’s for a project. I am being tempted to cheat on this with the graphics novel of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl however…
Hello Womble! Yesterday I finished Loving Our Own Bones by Julia Watts Belser (important reflections on disability and religion), and started The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas (thanks to Friday's visit to Queer Lit in Manchester).
Still reading Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, though I’m almost at the end. It’s as harrowing as I remember, but I now find the parts about the epidemic in ‘modern’ day Oxford quite distressing, post Covid. Previously it seemed unrealistic!
My book group read that a few years ago! There was also some miscommunication about the title, leading one of us to query, very perplexedly, why our SFF-themed book group had selected Snow's Spell, by Loni Ree, so, in the interests of completion, we read that too.
The Night Circus. A friend at work lends me the most brilliant books - if she’s loaned it to me I always know it’s going to be great. (Just begun… strong start).
I am really and truly between books. The house move seems to have shattered my reading focus, I need to sit down, review what I’ve got, and make plans!
Evening Womble, and a Happy Christmas to you! What with all the festivity preparations and work my reading has taken a little bit of a hit. However, I am making my way through Chew on This, an anthology of horror stories revolving around food
Good morning Runny! Last working day before Christmas today, and it's normally a shitshow but luckily I can take refuge in The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni. Not at all what I was expecting but I like it, very readable. Merry Christmas everyone!
I'm into a lot of Cherryh rereading, not in any particular order, just steeping myself in her great prose style, so right now it's Finity's End and Yvgenie. I'm also reading more Clarice Bean to the Spouse. Having done Think Like an Elf, we're jumping back to Scram.
Hello Womble, happy Sunday! My current reads were a bit too chonk to be done before the end of the year so I'm catching up on my novellas reading. Right now I'm cracking up while devouring Saad Z. Hossain's The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday.
Just started the novella Grave Yard Shift by M. L. Rio. This was a spontaneous purchase whilst browsing in the bookshop so excited to see how it plays out!
Rereading Leatherfolk: Radical Sex, People, Politics, and Practice edited by Mark Thompson. Next up is Humble Pie. I just rearranged a bookshelf so that I have one shelf dedicated to upcoming reads!
I was in the middle of a series by Kate Atkinson; when I looked for the next book, the app recommended Kelley Armstrong (two writers with the initials KA - who can possibly tell them apart, amirite?) so I'm now reading "Disturbing the Dead". A nice bit of serendipity there.
A very good afternoon to you! I'm currently reading Where I'm Calling From by Raymond Carver - So Much Water So Close To Home is one of our pieces for our next Short Reads Club, but I figured I'd read a couple more while I'm at it.
Good morning Womble! Still reading my daily story from The Advent of Winter anthology. I just finished an ARC of A Dangerous Game by Mandy Robotham and I'm currently reading The Thing in Christmas Town by Iseult Murphy
Good morning! I'm about to finish my reading through of A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft. 20 more pages to go and it had been a ride that I've enjoyed! 😍
I've gobbled up New Edge Sword & Sorcery #3 and #4 in digital -- waiting on my paperbacks in the mail to read more slowly again -- and this afternoon, for reasons, tore through Euripides' Bacchae. The Greek play that speaks to me. I had to pour a glass of red to go with that in honour of the god.
I just finished the anthology Your Body is Not Your Body and am about to start a new horror antho, Tasteful (cannibalism themed, raising funds for food banks). I have a story in it but haven't read anyone else's stories yet.
I'm also rereading The Dark is Rising for the 1st time since I was a kid.
Hi Womble. I'm reading this beauty by @tcparker.bsky.social from @nefariousbatpress.bsky.social
Dark and compelling as the cover would suggest, with a topic so on the nose it could break your septum. A great deal of the pleasure of true crime, without the ethical ickiness around it.
Good morning. I’m also reading Jared’s Cyberpunk book - and have been, off and on, since I bought it in February. I’m also halfway through Truth & Dare by @suchmayer.bsky.social and the audiobook of Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams, read by Mathew Boynton - the latter a big hit with my teen son.
Happy midwinter Womble! I’m still on my Gothic kick, reading Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver and about to start listening to The Bone Diver by Angie Spoto
Oh gosh it's Sunday isn't it?! I'm listening to Mick Herron's The Secret Hours, a Slough House standalone, whilst doing all the pre-Christmas tasks, and enjoying it very much.
Good morning Womble! Back to Nicola Griffith with The Blue Place. Suspenseful enough to keep me reading past 2am and give me a few nightmares. Absolutely brilliant. The Aud series (3 books) is being re-released in June and I can't wait ⌛️
I'm currently reading Him by Geoff Ryman, in which the Christ is a trans man (and also pretty annoying to be around, although, to be fair, he is an incarnated God who is usually dismissed on matters of identity).
Have been working my way through The Wicked and the Divine over the last month or so and have now reached the last couple of volumes I'm hoping to finish before Christmas.
Good morning Womble. I have set aside Ed McDonald’s ‘Daughter of Redwinter’ as too grim for me at the moment, and am re-reading Terry Pratchert’s ‘Hogfather’ for I think the first time since I picked it up back in the 90s.
Happy Sunday, Womble. I'm in the middle of my Christmas reads. Finished A Child's Christmas in Wales last night, in the middle of Last Night at the Lobster, and the on to Small Things like These.
Also have a tree to decorate today.
Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang. Compulsively readable, though slightly more wince inducing than amusing when you've been on the sharp end of some of the aspects of publishing that she skewers.
Also just finished reading A Wrinkle in Time aloud to my kid (I read while she crochets). We are going to plunge straight in to A Swiftly Tilting Planet, which is one of the most phenomenally constructed stories I know of.
I know!! I think it gets unfairly classified as a children's book, and also even though it's SFF it never seems to COUNT as SFF in discussions of classics in that genre. I don't know why, but it's very peculiar.
The Well Lived Life by Gladys McGarey MD. It’s by a 102 year old woman who is a physician and has done so many interesting things and lives to share her wisdom. A delight.
i'm in the middle of hollywood monster, the autobiography of robert englund. it's a bit basic but the conversational style of writing makes it a really fast read. i'll soon be moving on to served cold, a short story collection by alan baxter.
Good morning! I’m in the middle of the ARC of HG Parry’s A Far Better Thing. It’s A Tale of Two Cities with fairies! Also listening to Barbara Hambly’s Iron Princess.
I love it when people say a bit about what the book is about. So many great ones to put on my list! (Reading Rachel Kushner Creation Lake which has been in so many best of 2024 lists)
Reading “Under Fortunate Stars” upon a recent recommendation from a Womble Follower and really enjoying it. I get the BEST book recommendations from this weekly thread. Thank you all!
I pulled my copy out, all prepared, but if I don't manage to finish my current very good book (House of Odysseus) before Christmas, I don't think I'll be able to put it down long enough for the Dickens! Oh, well, there's always next year…
Morning Womble! I've just started A Fire Born of Exile by Aliette de Bodard.
I bought it last night on the spur of the moment because I know the author is going through a difficult time. I had planned to get this one for some time, as I've enjoyed all her Xuya Universe stories.
Morning! In a bit of a plot twist, I am e-reading The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter, a fun romantic murder mystery set at Christmas. I am also contemplating my first blog review (spoilers included) for ages as I finished Ken MacLeod’s Lightspeed Trilogy, and the end is bugging me.
Good morning Skylarks. There is something about this time of the year where Anthologies are very valuable. Currently rereading "Dark Forces", edited by Kirby McCauley. Oldie but oh so goodie.
Morning! I mis read that title on first scan. Needless to say filth was involved.
I have found a little of my reading mojo and finished the harrowing and timely The Last Good Man by @lindanagata.bsky.social. Kobo finally fixed their android app so started Drown Deep by @fantasticphil.bsky.social
Should add read many articles on puberty blockers, the Copy right and AI consultation, Ukraine and other current events mostly not MSM. So whilst unable to deal with fiction I have been engaging with reality, appalling as it is.
I've had the Green Rider series by Kristen Britain on my shelves for far too long, mostly because of the stunning covers, so I'm cracking the pages on the first one. Am also still reading The Forest by Edward Rutherfurd - at 75% through, so *should* still finish it this year, although it's a beast!
Greetings! I'm about midway in House of Odysseus by Claire North, and I'm enjoying this second volume of the trilogy even more than the first, if that's possible!
The Forest of a Thousand Eyes by Frances Hardinge (she's always a must-read for me, tbh) and still partway through A Song of Legends Lost by MH Ayinde (still pretty good).
I'm reading The Physics of Sorrow, which is about Bulgaria in the 20th century and also about minotaurs. Almost done with my 2024 challenge to read books from authors around the world 🥳
MG Mason @onechaoticauthor.bsky.social: Spooky Salmonweird - Tales from the Village
Great short story collection that will be a bit more enjoyable if you've read any of the other Salmonweird stories, but is also perfectly readable without any previous knowledge of those.
Afternoon Womble. Currently reading Outside In Takes A Stab: a collection of 139 essays by 139 writers on every episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It's got some fun takes, and making me nostalgic for the days when I could love the show with far fewer caveats.
Morning Womble! Just finishing up Andrew Michael Hurley's Barrowbeck, a series of shorts all connected by the setting. At its best it evokes League of Gentlemen and a bit of Roald Dahl, outlandish characters taken very seriously, walking the line between sentimental and sinister.
Just when I thought this Rumpole Omnibus had run out of surprises, Rumpole's Return is an absolutely brilliant novel length story.
Mortimer doesn't waste a page. He expands the world around Rumpole without slowing the pace. He also gets the time to show just how clever & blinkered his hero can be.
Various recollections by people involved with the early days of 2000AD. Steve McManus, and Pat Mills. Interesting to have the different perspectives/memories.
Morning Womble! I'm about to start an ARC of Reap, Sow by the awesome @pippinacious.bsky.social - and am listening to to Chris Brookmyre's The Cracked Mirror
Aha, it's Wombleday! I'm re-reading Hugh Cook's The Wordsmiths and the Warguild, and I have Ayana Elizabeth Johnson's What If We Get It Right? queued up for later.
Morning Womble!
I’m nearly finished this. Good but not as good as ‘Line of Beauty’ imo. I’m waiting for the paperback version of ‘Our Evenings’ as I do love Alan Hollinghurst’s writing
Morning Womble! I'm reading Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley, which I'm hoping to finish promptly so I can also pick up some of my other reads I want to cram in before the end of the year. I've also got The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong as my audiobook, for a very different vibe.
Morning Womble! I galloped through @scalzi.com The Kaiju Preservation Society last night in one go (by-the-numbers romp), and am now prodding Glyn Maxwell's radical-anarcho poetry explainer-novel-thing On Poetry to see if it's as good as it was last time I read it.
Hi Womble! I'm currently tearing through the Harbinder Kaur murder mysteries by Elly Griffiths which are enormous fun, pacy and witty. #3 Bleeding Heart Yard is ready to go!
Hello! Just in the middle of rereading Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, because the sequel is about to come out
It's a cross between Pacific Rim, The Handmaid's Tale, and real Chinese history, featuring an angry teenage girl protagonist who burns the world down in satisfying ways. Not subtle, very fun
Morning! I'm re-reading SF Said's Tyger as it's one of my favourite books and is set at this time of year. I may make it an annual tradition.
Also reading Benjamin Zephaniah's Too Black Too Strong and sad not much has changed in 25 years.
I am enjoying Persepolis Rising (The Expanse 7), nearly finished RLS’s Kidnapped and persevering through John Prebble’s account of the battle of Culloden and aftermath. Also reread a couple of Dr Who Black Archives (18 Marco Polo and 2 The Massacre).
Comments
Almost finished and it is incredible!
Still listening to Wind And Truth and judging by the hours remaining I always will be.
I’m reading the first volume of Michael Palin’s diaries, 1969-1979: The Python Years.
It really brings home what a miserable island this was for much of the 1970s. Bombs, strikes, blackouts all topped off by the arrival of Thatcher. But there are many amusing anecdotes too.
Currently reading Dragonmeat by @angelaboord.bsky.social 😊
I’ve decided to go slow rather than trying to cram half a dozen books into one week of reading just to meet an arbitrary target I set myself in January.
I've just started Butter by Asoko Yazuki. 2 pages in, due to Christmas spirits closing my eyelids at night.
Still reading through the Brother Cadfael mysteries.
Have a great day!
In the eyes: Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood
In the ears: Brooklyn by Cólm Tóibín
A remedy for my back ache and my next holiday!
Ongoing research into what the hep young cats are up to these days (I like to stay relevant). Also, enjoying it.
I'm also rereading The Dark is Rising for the 1st time since I was a kid.
Dark and compelling as the cover would suggest, with a topic so on the nose it could break your septum. A great deal of the pleasure of true crime, without the ethical ickiness around it.
(Maybe one that looks a bit... gnawed at the edges...)
I'm reading Juice by Tim Winton
A little dark for this time of year, but I admire his environmental advocacy
Have been working my way through The Wicked and the Divine over the last month or so and have now reached the last couple of volumes I'm hoping to finish before Christmas.
Also have a tree to decorate today.
Still pissed that they cancelled S2.
A serial killer in London’s Whitechapel district in 1867 being investigated by a female doctor.
First in a series. Not too far in but enjoying it and think I’ll continue!
I bought it last night on the spur of the moment because I know the author is going through a difficult time. I had planned to get this one for some time, as I've enjoyed all her Xuya Universe stories.
I have found a little of my reading mojo and finished the harrowing and timely The Last Good Man by @lindanagata.bsky.social. Kobo finally fixed their android app so started Drown Deep by @fantasticphil.bsky.social
Saying it like that, it sounds like a new idea for an offbeat detective series...
I'm reading The Physics of Sorrow, which is about Bulgaria in the 20th century and also about minotaurs. Almost done with my 2024 challenge to read books from authors around the world 🥳
MG Mason @onechaoticauthor.bsky.social: Spooky Salmonweird - Tales from the Village
Great short story collection that will be a bit more enjoyable if you've read any of the other Salmonweird stories, but is also perfectly readable without any previous knowledge of those.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210230886-a-spell-for-heartsickness
• 1984
• Anna Karenina
• Das Kapital
• Les Miserables
• Translation State
Print
• Leviathan Wakes
• Neuromancer
And some sporadic detective/mystery stories in audio form, currently Arséne Lupin, due to the excellent animated films.
Mortimer doesn't waste a page. He expands the world around Rumpole without slowing the pace. He also gets the time to show just how clever & blinkered his hero can be.
I’m nearly finished this. Good but not as good as ‘Line of Beauty’ imo. I’m waiting for the paperback version of ‘Our Evenings’ as I do love Alan Hollinghurst’s writing
My latest read is Ink Blood Sister, the debut novel by Emma Torzs. It’s a gripping thriller about magical books!
In my excitement to post about this book I failed to finish the title.
On Kindle Koh-I-Noor by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand
And in audio Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky
It's a cross between Pacific Rim, The Handmaid's Tale, and real Chinese history, featuring an angry teenage girl protagonist who burns the world down in satisfying ways. Not subtle, very fun
Enjoyable book so far. Second in a series of 5 about superheroes in a zombie post-apocalypse
Also reading Benjamin Zephaniah's Too Black Too Strong and sad not much has changed in 25 years.
I am enjoying Persepolis Rising (The Expanse 7), nearly finished RLS’s Kidnapped and persevering through John Prebble’s account of the battle of Culloden and aftermath. Also reread a couple of Dr Who Black Archives (18 Marco Polo and 2 The Massacre).
Currently finishing this one👇