If we're only seeing 20-30 posts on the monthly threads, I think we should just have an annual thread.

I read Log Cabin Lady, by Anonymous, a short autobiography of a woman who was born in a log cabin on the frontier, married a diplomat, and interacted with royalty and prime ministers from the late 1800s up to the end of World War I. I thought it was fascinating.

But then who will get the glory of being the first to finally create a new thread each month?!

I am still reading Mad Ship by Robin Hobb and still loving it, but also picked up Sons of Cain at the library, an investigative historian's take on the socio/evolutionary roots of serial killers, which is pretty fascinating. Another library grab was Fleetwood Mac: The Complete Illustrated History, which I'll crack here and there.

I have been logging a minute or two of 'quiet time' while reading Cinema Sewer Volume 4 by Robin Bougie. If you're into cinematic sleaze, Bougie does it right.

I'm reading Eric Idle's Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.

Whatever happened to the original Fist of Doom?

I started Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham.

(It's not about kinky sex.)

Started Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday.

Dad unfortunately passed. I briefly had a son, Fist of Doom III, but he was taken away far too young. Then I miraculously was raised from the dead!

Serious answer: I didn't post for years, and IB apparently removed me from the system. Then I created a new account (Jr), which stopped working. Third time's a charm, so I tried a new account (III) which eventually stopped working. On a lark, I tried logging in on my phone and voila!

Just completed Jedi Lost not to long ago and now I'm reading Thrawn: Alliances.

Finished the second book of the "Divine Cities" trilogy:

I very much like these books and will certainly read the third (City of Miracles) soon.

I'm about 1/3 of the way through Ship of Magic. So far, there doesn't seem to be even one decent person, aside from maybe Brashen. The quickened ship hasn't left port yet, so I hope it picks up a bit, and at least one person comes along that isn't a self-centered ass.

Good lord, I can see why Of Human Bondage is considered Maugham's masterpiece. I'm a quarter through the book and it's long and humorless. Every other book I've read by him had a since of humor about it. But we know that critics don't consider comedy part of Great Art.

Just finished:

It definitely picks up, and one character does emerge as more likable/heroic than not. But that’s what I love about it, the characters are all complex, and flawed, and feel very real.

Finished Tragedy of the Moon (Asimov) and started Grumbles From the Grave, which is about Robert Heinlein's correspondences and fan mail replies and other stuff I'll find out as I go. It was edited by his wife after his death - at his request. I picked up the book in 2007 at a local bookstore that was closing (landlord being a dick and raising rents to untenable levels) - but never got around to reading it. As the last part of Tragedy included Asimov's ship-bound trek to watch the launch of Apollo XVII with other SciFi authors in attendance, Heinlein was discussed, which got me thinking about this book I never read.

Avenue of Mysteries - John Irving

So far this month I've read through:
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
Silver Screen Fiend by Patton Oswalt
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Up Next:
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Asymmetry was good. Loved part 1, about quirky characters having a May-December fling, with her contemplating her future. Part 2 set up an interesting premise with an Arab-American dealing with a post-9/11 world but kind of went nowhere.

Surprised this was my first time reading Treasure Island. Loved the language and characters - A good yarn.

Starting Damned by Chuck Palahniuk.

Just finished:

Finished:

Excellent conclusion to the series. If anyone's looking for some new fantasy with a non-traditional setting (the world is like early 20th century) with interesting characters and huge action set-pieces this has my high recommendation. While each book is it's own self-contained story, it's still best to read starting with the first (City of Stairs).

After spending a month on this trilogy, I'm in the mood for something different ... a shorter mystery/thriller by an author who I recently tried for the first time and enjoyed (Ruth Ware).

Finished Heinlein's Grumbles from the Grave. Not something I would recommend to anyone other than a complete Heinlein fan. It was semi-interesting, but I'm now very burned out on reading other peoples' correspondences. With that and the essay book by Asimov behind me, I'm really ready for a novel! Not sure what yet; my selection of owned books is narrowing down.

Just finished:

Well, dang-it, just finished Mad Ship by Robin Hobb, and had to dive right in to the final book of the trilogy, Ship of Destiny.

Loves me some Hobb!

Finished:
Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher

The Second Mouse by Archer Mayor

Recently Finished:
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Wrong Kind of Women: Inside Our Revolution to Dismantle the Gods of Hollywood by Naomi McDougall Jones

Up Next:
Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson

Started The Cat Who Walks Through Walls by Heinlein

In the last few days I’ve read “The Book of M” and “This Is How You Lose the Time War.” Both were decent, but flawed, especially the ending of Book of M. I wanted to throw my iPad across the room at the 98% point.

Ending up reading her first two novels back-to-back:


Reading these back-to-back probably wasn't good for giving me the best impression (especially for the second book I read). The formula was very noticeable: plucky but troubled heroine is stuck in an isolated place with people she doesn't trust ... a murder happens but no one believes her ... the killer ends up being a predictable choice, who she eventually has to confront and escape (although Ware tends to happen a lot of key action events happen "off screen"). Review blurbs make these books sound like borderline horror, but that's very misleading. They're quick and passable reading though. Both books have been optioned for movies but it sounds like they've been stuck in development hell for a while. Without serious star power behind the movies, I don't see the concepts of the stories being enough to stand out as a theatrical release. A Lifetime tv movie seems more appropriate.