I like Banks. I have read Player of Games and Use of Weapons. I would have read more but the lines on Libby were months long. But now I am just acquiring them elsewhere so I intend to read more of his books.
After finishing The Fall, it’s all basically one book to me. Quality seems to be the exact same across the two. I intend to read the 3rd after a bit of a break from the world.
So much. 42 books so far and 32 movies since July. I don't know how many before that because I imported data into Letterboxd and it messed everything before July up. I feel the full lists would be too long. And Letterboxd includes my ratings and I don't feel like getting dissed. Looking over it I feel like a lot of my ratings are contentious.
I also played through all Horizon games and DLC again.
My favorite movie I saw this year is Code 3 with Rainn Wilson. It was funny and heartbreaking. Everything involving children getting hurt is extremely difficult for me to watch since I have kids and the movie has that. But as it's also a comedy it was OK. Although one image is still stuck in my brain.
I also finally watched Mars Express and loved the art and the story. I would love to see more movies like it.
The biggest disappointment movie-wise was Frankenstein. I need to care about at least one character to enjoy a movie and I couldn't give a damn about anyone in this movie.
My favorite book was Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree because it was so damn cozy. I am holding off on reading the sequel for a time when I really need something cozy again.
Another book I quite enjoyed was Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis. It's about a wizard waking up with memory loss who slowly realizes he's an evil wizard.
Sitting at over 30 books and 30 audiobooks so far. Plan on 2 more books to complete for the year then I will post my list. Shorter then 2024 but not bad.
Thanks I post my list every January and with pics. Tradition I started on Reddit years ago. 2024 I read over 100 books. Wish I had that time now. But 25 to 30 a year still descent.
My list is a wee bit longer. I listen to audiobooks most days while driving. I will often go through 3-4 books per week.
I have used everyone of my 10 audio borrows on one app. So that's 120. I also took advantage borrows on a other app for around 45-50 more. So that would put me at somewhere around 165-170 books.
Honestly I am down significantly from last year. I did 25-30 books per month last year for a total of over 325. Been too busy this year.
If anyone wants a read that’ll seriously fuck with your head, try Hardfought by Greg Bear. A somewhat small novella, it takes place thousands of years in the future where humanity is engaged in a fight for survival against an enemy that no-one can understand.
The military patois is thick and barely understandable, with turns of phrases that you are forced to figure out on your own. The physics reads more like mysticism and religious doctrine. The combatants are modified from childhood to become perfect warriors until it is debatable if they are still human. A budding romance between a particularly talented pilot and the civilian analyst tasked to figure out and replicate the successes that produced her - which, ironically, was the humanizing elements of the highly illegal romance in the first place - sets the stage for humanity’s defeat.
And yet, a project started by the enemy in an attempt to understand the humans comes within a hair’s breadth of actually ending the war… until the alien’s own hidebound and ideologically blinkered leaders kill the project out of horror at the heresy it encapsulates.
Its ideas and concepts are maximally dense while the prose itself is sparse to the point of being almost haiku-like. The descriptions alone hew strongly to Chekov’s Gun, with no excess characterizations that don’t directly contribute. I have re-read it over a dozen times in the decades since I got it and every time I have peeled back more layers to find new revelations and themes.
I just finished Bobiverse series. It was such a fun ride. I won't say anything about it in fear of spoiling the ride, but I am going to start book one again.
Oh and the last in the series in coming next year hopefully.
Bobiverse first book = We are Bob, we are legion.
I read the first book earlier this year and thought it was a very fun adventure story, but I feel like it could be doing a lot more with its premise. Books like Children of Time or All Systems Red made me think about things like the nature of life and consciousness, and different ways to run a society. Would you say I should read the rest of the series, or does it continue to simply be fun?
For anyone who hasn't read it, I want to be clear that I'm not saying it's bad by any means. I fully recommend it to anyone capable of enjoying entertainment for its own sake, especially if you appreciate gen X nerd culture.
Weee! Looking forward to looking up some books here and finding something new to read!
Used to read a lot, but struggle to find novels I like, to get back into it. So it's mainly non-fiction now.
Autocracy inc. by Anne Applebaum - very well done book
How to win an information war: The propagandist who outwitted Hitler by Peter Pomerantsev - It's pretty much the story of Sefton Dehlmer and the group of counter-propaganda he led in Britain.
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Nobody's Girl by Vrginia Roberts Giuffre
Code Name Pale Horse How I Went Undercover to Expose Americas Nazis by Scott Payne
Currently on Mysticism in the 21st Century by Connell Monette - very high quality text, picked it up after reading some of the things in the aforementioned book and wanting to dig in deeper.
Also reading some Graeber. Started with an audiobook and tried for months, but I just can't for this type of stuff.
Just finished Project Hail Mary the other day. Really enjoyed it, one of my favs this year.
Others I enjoyed were:
-The Way by Cary Groner. Reminiscent of King’s The Stand but more accessible.
-Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. Sci-fi based on a distant planet with an old lady narrator. Refreshing change of pace from teen narrators. Really enjoyed it.
-The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber. A first (well not quite first) contact story from the perspective of a missionary sent to evangelize the aliens. A bit heavy on the narrator’s inner thoughts, but very creative. Should make you reflect on your priorities and whether God and his Promises make sense outside of earth’s context.
-The Carpet Makers by Andreas Eschbach. Another one that I found to be a nice change of pace from my usual sci-fi thrillers. Beautiful writing. Worldbuilds an entire galactic universe by weaving together short stories about various citizens.
-All the Water in the World. Dystopian climate sci-fi following the child of a museum scientist on her journey away from the flooded rooftops of NYC. Narrator driven and contemplative story about finding and protecting our humanity in a broken world.
I haven’t read a lot of King either but I read The Stand in honor of the pandemic. I also typically like ‘on the road’ adventure stories so I thought it was a good bet. It’s a long book. It has a lot of characters and puts a lot of time into developing each of them so the whole thing feels very meandering at times (though not quite tedious in my opinion).
There is a list of books that I wish I could forget and read again for the first time, Project Hail Mary is one of them. I loved that book so much that I talked my father in law into reading it and he loved it. I’m probably going to reread it once before the movie comes out. I’m so excited for the movie because I love the book and I’ve been a fan of Ryan Gosling since his Young Hercules days.
It really was excellent. I was so happy with the final decision he made. I’m excited for the movie too! I thought they did a great adaption with The Martian so I’m hopeful.
It doesn’t share the thriller level intensity of Project Hail Mary, but the type of scientific speculation reminded me of Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. Slower paced but a great read if you haven’t read it.
I finally read through all 9 main books of The Expanse and I cannot recommend them highly enough. for fans of the show, the books have so much more. including a 30 year time skip. the events also happen in a slightly different order than in the series, which, to me, changes the overall story more than I expected.
if you like sci-fi that doesn't skimp on the physics, pick up a copy of Leviathan Wakes (looking at you, Andy Weir fans)
currently reading through Asimov's Foundation series of novels and I'm loving them so far
I’ll preface my comment with: I love the series and it’s probably my favorite scifi series of all time. I recommend it any time I hear someone even contemplating reading it.
I think book 4 is the worst of the series and it’s still good. The story progresses really well, I love the planet they are on, most of the characters are good. That said, I hate the chapters from Elvis’s perspective. I don’t like book 4 Elvi, but I like her chapters later in the series and I like show Elvi.
It really is where the series picks up and seriously takes off. I could talk Expanse all day, I love it so much. It’s right up there with Star Trek in my book :)
I commented above that Project Hail Mary was on a list of books I wish I could forget and read again for the first time. The Expanse is THE series I wish I could forget and read again for the first time. It’s so stinking good!
I finished it shortly after the last book came out in 2021 and I still haven’t read anything that hooked me as hard as series that did. I’ve been chasing that high ever since.
I'm waiting for that feeling to reeeally set in before I reach for book 10, which is a collection of the short stories that came out in between novels. I've also got the 4 comic book series on my wish list, too. I know Wes is helping write the current series Expanse: A Little Death and that's enough of a draw for me.
we've also been blessed with a new series from the boys behind the pseudonym - the first book is called The Mercy of Gods and I've heard good things!
Oh yes! I have the short story collection and I read them in between books on my second time through. They are fantastic! I participated in the Kickstarter for the Dragon Tooth comics, they gave out some cool little things with it. The DT comics are really good too. I will def look into Wes’s stuff, I love that guy. I know Amos is everyone’s favorite character, I like him too, but Miller is my favorite. I wish I could find more scifi noir books with characters like him.
I did pick up the first book in their new series, I haven’t read it yet though. I keep hearing good things, but I want to wait until book 2 is closer because I know I’ll want to dive right in. Unless the authors seriously fuck up the series, or any of their series for that matter, they are pretty much guaranteed to get some of my money. I adore their science fiction stories so much and they are great writers.
Miller and, by association, Thomas Jane will always have a place in my heart. I was so glad I got to witness his story wrap up in the most delightful and unexpected way.
I also just heard TJ was cast as Bones for the final season of Star Trek: SNW, and say what you will about that show, but I, for one, am* looking forward to seeing Jane back on the role of Grumpy Older Guy in Space™
I read, and I recommend this book if you like fantasy, Solaris by Stanisław Lem. It is about astronauts who are researching about planet Solaris and life on that planet.
Since I'm an audio book guy I really only read one book this year, I was a Shelby Foote on the second year of the civil war so I used it and chased down most of that battles in the VA/MD/WV area.
One of the best things I ever did for myself was realize that I'm not "less than" other readers or book enjoyers because I only have time for audiobooks.
I have been able to dive back into a hobby that was a vital part of my childhood and teenage years with fervor and I feel like I'm such a better person for it.
TV and such are every bit as good as books, and it's a real shame people get elitist about it. Different mediums offer a variety of storytelling techniques.
For male narrators I've always preferred Scott Brick, on the female side I like January LaVoy. I like both of these people so much that their voices have become the voices of the characters January is Kay Scarpetta to me.
The thing that is odd for me this year is I took a shine to westerns both classics like Larry McMurtry to moderns like the Johnstone's. I don't know what drove that switch but it seems to have tangentially stuck because there's quite a bit of C.J. Box of the bit.
Dungeon Crawler Carl books 1-7 by Matt Dinniman (twice). Will reread again when the next book comes out. Found this series last December and it's one of my favorites now
Dune books 1-4 by Frank Herbert. No interest in continuing, but I can see why they're famous. This series ate up the majority of my reading time because I found it hard to read in long blocks like I'm want to do.
The Commonwealth Saga by Peter F Hamilton. Sci-fi with a couple of interesting ideas within. Not something I'll reread. Very male gazey.
Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson. Solid entry in the Cosmere. Nice expansion to Sixth of the Dusk. Probably not a great starting point to The Cosmere, since there's a good amount of cross knowledge utilized in this book.
Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. Nostalgia reread, read this a lot in high school. More male gazey than I remembered, which is a minor shame. But overall a fun time
Night Angel Nemesis by Brent Weeks. Follow-up to the Night Angel Trilogy. Not as good, the forced first-person compared to the original Trilogy really hampers this one. Sequel is coming out next year
The Black Prism and The Subtle Knife by Brent Weeks. First two books in The Lightbringer Series. Reread, first reread since the whole series came out. The first three books are really good. The last two are a bit rough around the edges.
https://imgur.com/a/2dDS7Z6
I really wish storygraph gave us a nice wrapped list or even a grid mode..
Can you tell I have a genre?
Went on a book crawl in my city where I visited about 28 book stores and really got back into reading for fun.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
First in a series of short novels about a cybernetic construct owned by a corporation in a dystopia. I found it extremely relatable and humorous in relation to my own autism. Please do not watch the Apple TV series; it's a literal hate crime.
Other Ever Afters by Melanie Gillman
A graphic novel of fairytale stories which teach good values.
Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans
Basically cyberpunk in fantasy clothes. Rather than hacking, our heroes deal in illegal magical practices. Very light-hearted and fun, especially if you want read about boys holding hands.
Unnatural Magic by CM Waggoner
Takes the basic premise of Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett and expands on it dramatically. Especially recommended if you're into wholesome dom/sub relationships.
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
Humanity makes contact with an alien intelligence and politics ensue. More of a serious/heavy sci-fi.
You Weren't Meant to be Human by Andrew Joseph White
Extreme body horror. One of the best things I've ever read. Deals heavily with mental health, self-harm, and abuse/torture. All of this guy's stuff is great, but this is the first one written explicitly for adults, so he doesn't hold back.
Don't Let the Forest In by CG Drews
Also a horror story dealing with mental health and self-harm, but intended for a younger audience.
All of these except Three-Body Problem are explicitly LGBT-friendly and come with representation euphoria built-in.
I really enjoyed the Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee, a trilogy. Then I read everything else by yoon ha lee, mostly good, the Thousand Worlds series was a bit clunky at the start.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really loved The Martian, and although Project Hail Mary was less grounded in "hard" sci-fi, Weir's writing style was compelling as ever (on a related note: I had to take a day off work when I read Artemis). He's the only author I've read who can capture in writing the excitement that you get when you make a breakthrough in the lab or get into a flow state fixing a broken gadget.
I love T. Kingfisher books! The Horus Heresy series is good, but I'm getting tired of it. I think I'll take a break and read some other books for a bit in 2026.
70 Comments
inlandempire@jlai.lu · 16 pts · 246d
I read the following books:
inlandempire@jlai.lu · 7 pts · 246d
And then I played a bunch of games, too many actually, but here's what Steam said about me
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 246d
I like Banks. I have read Player of Games and Use of Weapons. I would have read more but the lines on Libby were months long. But now I am just acquiring them elsewhere so I intend to read more of his books.
inlandempire@jlai.lu · 3 pts · 246d
Hope you read it in a comfortable chair
Tiger@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 246d
I wish Banks could have written even more, I loved all the Culture books so much.
Lighttrails@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 246d
I also read Hyperion this year and I loved it! Currently reading the sequel.
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 246d
After finishing The Fall, it’s all basically one book to me. Quality seems to be the exact same across the two. I intend to read the 3rd after a bit of a break from the world.
state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de · 7 pts · 246d
So much. 42 books so far and 32 movies since July. I don't know how many before that because I imported data into Letterboxd and it messed everything before July up. I feel the full lists would be too long. And Letterboxd includes my ratings and I don't feel like getting dissed. Looking over it I feel like a lot of my ratings are contentious.
I also played through all Horizon games and DLC again.
adhd_traco@piefed.social · 6 pts · 246d
Could you name a book/movie or two that are among those that stuck out from the rest?
state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de · 5 pts · 246d
My favorite movie I saw this year is Code 3 with Rainn Wilson. It was funny and heartbreaking. Everything involving children getting hurt is extremely difficult for me to watch since I have kids and the movie has that. But as it's also a comedy it was OK. Although one image is still stuck in my brain.
I also finally watched Mars Express and loved the art and the story. I would love to see more movies like it.
The biggest disappointment movie-wise was Frankenstein. I need to care about at least one character to enjoy a movie and I couldn't give a damn about anyone in this movie.
My favorite book was Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree because it was so damn cozy. I am holding off on reading the sequel for a time when I really need something cozy again.
Another book I quite enjoyed was Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis. It's about a wizard waking up with memory loss who slowly realizes he's an evil wizard.
Fredselfish@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 246d
Sitting at over 30 books and 30 audiobooks so far. Plan on 2 more books to complete for the year then I will post my list. Shorter then 2024 but not bad.
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 246d
Looking forward to it.
Fredselfish@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 246d
Thanks I post my list every January and with pics. Tradition I started on Reddit years ago. 2024 I read over 100 books. Wish I had that time now. But 25 to 30 a year still descent.
The_v@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 246d
My list is a wee bit longer. I listen to audiobooks most days while driving. I will often go through 3-4 books per week.
I have used everyone of my 10 audio borrows on one app. So that's 120. I also took advantage borrows on a other app for around 45-50 more. So that would put me at somewhere around 165-170 books.
Honestly I am down significantly from last year. I did 25-30 books per month last year for a total of over 325. Been too busy this year.
rekabis@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 246d
If anyone wants a read that’ll seriously fuck with your head, try Hardfought by Greg Bear. A somewhat small novella, it takes place thousands of years in the future where humanity is engaged in a fight for survival against an enemy that no-one can understand.
The military patois is thick and barely understandable, with turns of phrases that you are forced to figure out on your own. The physics reads more like mysticism and religious doctrine. The combatants are modified from childhood to become perfect warriors until it is debatable if they are still human. A budding romance between a particularly talented pilot and the civilian analyst tasked to figure out and replicate the successes that produced her - which, ironically, was the humanizing elements of the highly illegal romance in the first place - sets the stage for humanity’s defeat.
And yet, a project started by the enemy in an attempt to understand the humans comes within a hair’s breadth of actually ending the war… until the alien’s own hidebound and ideologically blinkered leaders kill the project out of horror at the heresy it encapsulates.
Its ideas and concepts are maximally dense while the prose itself is sparse to the point of being almost haiku-like. The descriptions alone hew strongly to Chekov’s Gun, with no excess characterizations that don’t directly contribute. I have re-read it over a dozen times in the decades since I got it and every time I have peeled back more layers to find new revelations and themes.
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 245d
Interesting, I’ll be checking it out.
justlemmyin@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 246d
I just finished Bobiverse series. It was such a fun ride. I won't say anything about it in fear of spoiling the ride, but I am going to start book one again. Oh and the last in the series in coming next year hopefully. Bobiverse first book = We are Bob, we are legion.
stray@pawb.social · 3 pts · 246d
I read the first book earlier this year and thought it was a very fun adventure story, but I feel like it could be doing a lot more with its premise. Books like Children of Time or All Systems Red made me think about things like the nature of life and consciousness, and different ways to run a society. Would you say I should read the rest of the series, or does it continue to simply be fun?
For anyone who hasn't read it, I want to be clear that I'm not saying it's bad by any means. I fully recommend it to anyone capable of enjoying entertainment for its own sake, especially if you appreciate gen X nerd culture.
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 246d
Interesting, I’ll check it out.
adhd_traco@piefed.social · 7 pts · 246d
Weee! Looking forward to looking up some books here and finding something new to read!
Used to read a lot, but struggle to find novels I like, to get back into it. So it's mainly non-fiction now.
Autocracy inc. by Anne Applebaum - very well done book
How to win an information war: The propagandist who outwitted Hitler by Peter Pomerantsev - It's pretty much the story of Sefton Dehlmer and the group of counter-propaganda he led in Britain.
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Nobody's Girl by Vrginia Roberts Giuffre
Code Name Pale Horse How I Went Undercover to Expose Americas Nazis by Scott Payne
Currently on Mysticism in the 21st Century by Connell Monette - very high quality text, picked it up after reading some of the things in the aforementioned book and wanting to dig in deeper.
Also reading some Graeber. Started with an audiobook and tried for months, but I just can't for this type of stuff.
Tiger@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 246d
Thanks for the recommendation on the propaganda war book, will check it out.
reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net · 6 pts · 246d
Just finished Project Hail Mary the other day. Really enjoyed it, one of my favs this year.
Others I enjoyed were:
-The Way by Cary Groner. Reminiscent of King’s The Stand but more accessible.
-Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon. Sci-fi based on a distant planet with an old lady narrator. Refreshing change of pace from teen narrators. Really enjoyed it.
-The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber. A first (well not quite first) contact story from the perspective of a missionary sent to evangelize the aliens. A bit heavy on the narrator’s inner thoughts, but very creative. Should make you reflect on your priorities and whether God and his Promises make sense outside of earth’s context.
-The Carpet Makers by Andreas Eschbach. Another one that I found to be a nice change of pace from my usual sci-fi thrillers. Beautiful writing. Worldbuilds an entire galactic universe by weaving together short stories about various citizens.
-All the Water in the World. Dystopian climate sci-fi following the child of a museum scientist on her journey away from the flooded rooftops of NYC. Narrator driven and contemplative story about finding and protecting our humanity in a broken world.
stray@pawb.social · 3 pts · 246d
I haven't gotten around to reading anything of King's yet. In what way is the Stand not accessible?
reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net · 4 pts · 246d
I haven’t read a lot of King either but I read The Stand in honor of the pandemic. I also typically like ‘on the road’ adventure stories so I thought it was a good bet. It’s a long book. It has a lot of characters and puts a lot of time into developing each of them so the whole thing feels very meandering at times (though not quite tedious in my opinion).
dkppunk@piefed.social · 3 pts · 245d
There is a list of books that I wish I could forget and read again for the first time, Project Hail Mary is one of them. I loved that book so much that I talked my father in law into reading it and he loved it. I’m probably going to reread it once before the movie comes out. I’m so excited for the movie because I love the book and I’ve been a fan of Ryan Gosling since his Young Hercules days.
reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 244d
It really was excellent. I was so happy with the final decision he made. I’m excited for the movie too! I thought they did a great adaption with The Martian so I’m hopeful.
It doesn’t share the thriller level intensity of Project Hail Mary, but the type of scientific speculation reminded me of Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. Slower paced but a great read if you haven’t read it.
dkppunk@piefed.social · 2 pts · 244d
Thanks! That’s a book I’ve never heard of, I’ll definitely check it out.
WandowsVista@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 245d
I finally read through all 9 main books of The Expanse and I cannot recommend them highly enough. for fans of the show, the books have so much more. including a 30 year time skip. the events also happen in a slightly different order than in the series, which, to me, changes the overall story more than I expected.
if you like sci-fi that doesn't skimp on the physics, pick up a copy of Leviathan Wakes (looking at you, Andy Weir fans)
currently reading through Asimov's Foundation series of novels and I'm loving them so far
dvlsg@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 245d
I'm on book 4 of The Expanse right now. +1 from me.
WandowsVista@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 245d
I'll tell you the same thing my buddy (who originally recommended the series) told me when I was about that far in:
"you're almost to the part where it starts to get interesting!"
I can't explain how much that motivated/excited me to keep reading. he was not wrong.
dkppunk@piefed.social · 2 pts · 244d
I’ll preface my comment with: I love the series and it’s probably my favorite scifi series of all time. I recommend it any time I hear someone even contemplating reading it.
I think book 4 is the worst of the series and it’s still good. The story progresses really well, I love the planet they are on, most of the characters are good. That said, I hate the chapters from Elvis’s perspective. I don’t like book 4 Elvi, but I like her chapters later in the series and I like show Elvi.
It really is where the series picks up and seriously takes off. I could talk Expanse all day, I love it so much. It’s right up there with Star Trek in my book :)
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 245d
The Expanse series is definitely on my to read list. So is the foundation series.
WandowsVista@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 245d
dkppunk@piefed.social · 3 pts · 245d
I commented above that Project Hail Mary was on a list of books I wish I could forget and read again for the first time. The Expanse is THE series I wish I could forget and read again for the first time. It’s so stinking good!
I finished it shortly after the last book came out in 2021 and I still haven’t read anything that hooked me as hard as series that did. I’ve been chasing that high ever since.
WandowsVista@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 245d
I'm waiting for that feeling to reeeally set in before I reach for book 10, which is a collection of the short stories that came out in between novels. I've also got the 4 comic book series on my wish list, too. I know Wes is helping write the current series Expanse: A Little Death and that's enough of a draw for me.
we've also been blessed with a new series from the boys behind the pseudonym - the first book is called The Mercy of Gods and I've heard good things!
dkppunk@piefed.social · 2 pts · 244d
Oh yes! I have the short story collection and I read them in between books on my second time through. They are fantastic! I participated in the Kickstarter for the Dragon Tooth comics, they gave out some cool little things with it. The DT comics are really good too. I will def look into Wes’s stuff, I love that guy. I know Amos is everyone’s favorite character, I like him too, but Miller is my favorite. I wish I could find more scifi noir books with characters like him.
I did pick up the first book in their new series, I haven’t read it yet though. I keep hearing good things, but I want to wait until book 2 is closer because I know I’ll want to dive right in. Unless the authors seriously fuck up the series, or any of their series for that matter, they are pretty much guaranteed to get some of my money. I adore their science fiction stories so much and they are great writers.
WandowsVista@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 243d
Miller and, by association, Thomas Jane will always have a place in my heart. I was so glad I got to witness his story wrap up in the most delightful and unexpected way.
I also just heard TJ was cast as Bones for the final season of Star Trek: SNW, and say what you will about that show, but I, for one, am* looking forward to seeing Jane back on the role of Grumpy Older Guy in Space™
dkppunk@piefed.social · 2 pts · 242d
Oh that’s good to hear! I love SNW, that will be fun to see him in.
Una@europe.pub · 6 pts · 246d
I read, and I recommend this book if you like fantasy, Solaris by Stanisław Lem. It is about astronauts who are researching about planet Solaris and life on that planet.
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 246d
I’ve put it on my to read list. Appreciate the recommendation.
Eat_Your_Paisley@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 246d
Since I'm an audio book guy I really only read one book this year, I was a Shelby Foote on the second year of the civil war so I used it and chased down most of that battles in the VA/MD/WV area.
I did however listen to 261 audio books
SmokedBillionaire@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 246d
One of the best things I ever did for myself was realize that I'm not "less than" other readers or book enjoyers because I only have time for audiobooks.
I have been able to dive back into a hobby that was a vital part of my childhood and teenage years with fervor and I feel like I'm such a better person for it.
Eat_Your_Paisley@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 246d
I've been listening to audio books since they were a thing.
First it was books on tape, then on CD's, now on my phone it's just my thing.
stray@pawb.social · 2 pts · 246d
TV and such are every bit as good as books, and it's a real shame people get elitist about it. Different mediums offer a variety of storytelling techniques.
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 246d
Wow, that’s a lot. I edited top to include listen to as well. Anything that has stuck out to you over the year, either book wise or narrator wise?
Eat_Your_Paisley@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 246d
For male narrators I've always preferred Scott Brick, on the female side I like January LaVoy. I like both of these people so much that their voices have become the voices of the characters January is Kay Scarpetta to me.
The thing that is odd for me this year is I took a shine to westerns both classics like Larry McMurtry to moderns like the Johnstone's. I don't know what drove that switch but it seems to have tangentially stuck because there's quite a bit of C.J. Box of the bit.
dkppunk@piefed.social · 5 pts · 246d
I’ve read 49 books so far this year. Some of my favorites include:
Road to Ruin by Hana Lee
Consortium Rebellion trilogy by Jessie Mihalik
All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
Kushiel’s Legacy trilogy by Jacqueline Carey
I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom Com by Kimberly Lemmings
Jules & Bun series by J.M. Griffin
Run by Blake Crouch
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 246d
Awesome! I’m going to check these out.
dkppunk@piefed.social · 3 pts · 246d
I hope you find something you enjoy!
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 246d
Here's most of what I watched in 2025(not all released in 2025).
Movies
TV Shows
Games
Spungus@midwest.social · 2 pts · 245d
whatd you think of noita?
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 245d
Love it. I just wish I was better at it lol. I’ve played about 35 hours and still do poorly but I still think it’s fantastic.
chuckleslord@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 246d
Read in the last year
Dungeon Crawler Carl books 1-7 by Matt Dinniman (twice). Will reread again when the next book comes out. Found this series last December and it's one of my favorites now
Dune books 1-4 by Frank Herbert. No interest in continuing, but I can see why they're famous. This series ate up the majority of my reading time because I found it hard to read in long blocks like I'm want to do.
The Commonwealth Saga by Peter F Hamilton. Sci-fi with a couple of interesting ideas within. Not something I'll reread. Very male gazey.
Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson. Solid entry in the Cosmere. Nice expansion to Sixth of the Dusk. Probably not a great starting point to The Cosmere, since there's a good amount of cross knowledge utilized in this book.
Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. Nostalgia reread, read this a lot in high school. More male gazey than I remembered, which is a minor shame. But overall a fun time
Night Angel Nemesis by Brent Weeks. Follow-up to the Night Angel Trilogy. Not as good, the forced first-person compared to the original Trilogy really hampers this one. Sequel is coming out next year
The Black Prism and The Subtle Knife by Brent Weeks. First two books in The Lightbringer Series. Reread, first reread since the whole series came out. The first three books are really good. The last two are a bit rough around the edges.
morgenman@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 246d
https://imgur.com/a/2dDS7Z6 I really wish storygraph gave us a nice wrapped list or even a grid mode.. Can you tell I have a genre? Went on a book crawl in my city where I visited about 28 book stores and really got back into reading for fun.
keyez@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 246d
I use storygraph and get a yearly wrap up or stats for the calendar year. This is my 2024
stray@pawb.social · 4 pts · 246d
Highlights from this year include:
All Systems Red by Martha Wells First in a series of short novels about a cybernetic construct owned by a corporation in a dystopia. I found it extremely relatable and humorous in relation to my own autism. Please do not watch the Apple TV series; it's a literal hate crime.
Other Ever Afters by Melanie Gillman A graphic novel of fairytale stories which teach good values.
Notorious Sorcerer by Davinia Evans Basically cyberpunk in fantasy clothes. Rather than hacking, our heroes deal in illegal magical practices. Very light-hearted and fun, especially if you want read about boys holding hands.
Unnatural Magic by CM Waggoner Takes the basic premise of Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett and expands on it dramatically. Especially recommended if you're into wholesome dom/sub relationships.
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu Humanity makes contact with an alien intelligence and politics ensue. More of a serious/heavy sci-fi.
You Weren't Meant to be Human by Andrew Joseph White Extreme body horror. One of the best things I've ever read. Deals heavily with mental health, self-harm, and abuse/torture. All of this guy's stuff is great, but this is the first one written explicitly for adults, so he doesn't hold back.
Don't Let the Forest In by CG Drews Also a horror story dealing with mental health and self-harm, but intended for a younger audience.
All of these except Three-Body Problem are explicitly LGBT-friendly and come with representation euphoria built-in.
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 245d
Thanks! I’ll be putting at least one of these on my reading list.
starik@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 246d
When Olivia Nuzzi released her pretentiously titled book “American Canto” this year, it reminded me of the Hyperion Cantos
MonkRome@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 245d
I really enjoyed the Machineries of Empire by Yoon Ha Lee, a trilogy. Then I read everything else by yoon ha lee, mostly good, the Thousand Worlds series was a bit clunky at the start.
epicshepich@programming.dev · 3 pts · 246d
Yo! I just finished Project Hail Mary today!
calamitycastle@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 246d
What did you think? I won't say too much other than I found it to be very poorly written.
epicshepich@programming.dev · 4 pts · 246d
I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really loved The Martian, and although Project Hail Mary was less grounded in "hard" sci-fi, Weir's writing style was compelling as ever (on a related note: I had to take a day off work when I read Artemis). He's the only author I've read who can capture in writing the excitement that you get when you make a breakthrough in the lab or get into a flow state fixing a broken gadget.
calamitycastle@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 246d
Fair enough! I'm still working out what kind of hard sci-fi hits for me. This one wasn't it for sure.
I loved the Expanse though. And Starship Troopers I have a soft spot for.
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 246d
There’s a movie coming out in a few months that might not disappoint. I’m somewhat optimistic since The Martian was a good film.
_spiffy@piefed.ca · 3 pts · 246d
I started a new book series this year.
keyez@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 246d
Started reading T Kingfisher last year, really enjoyable books. The warhammer 40K books are on my list but there's so many of them!
_spiffy@piefed.ca · 4 pts · 246d
I love T. Kingfisher books! The Horus Heresy series is good, but I'm getting tired of it. I think I'll take a break and read some other books for a bit in 2026.
Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 246d
If you want a good David Brin book that isn't very serious try the practice effect.
RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 245d
I’m taking a long break from him. He frustrated me with how long it took for real pay off but I’ll make sure to check this book out.
Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 245d
All the chapter names are jokes and puns. Some in latin.