Silvercrow Reads, 2024

Hello hello! New to this group and to LibraryThing, but figured I'd start a thread here and update the good folks here on where my reading is at.

I'm Jordan (or Verix, for my furry alter-ego), 22 years old, an IT guy at my university in western Canada. Video games, board games and (of course) reading are all in my wheelhouse. Come on in and chat, the water's warm!

Fantasy and science fiction are my favourite genres, but I branch into other genres particularly under the fiction umbrella, and occasionally a bit of nonfiction as well.

I'll do my best to be chatty here; I'll bring up books and give them a review as I read them, but may also talk about different hobbies, depending how I'm feeling. If you send a reply, I'll answer when I'm able!

My general standards for star reviews, which I keep in my profile, are as follows. They're not specific, and reviews from earlier than my finishing This Is How You Lose the Time War don't properly fit the scale. (Thanks to rretzler via Humouress for the coloured stars!)

- Shortlist for all-time favourites; on my shelf permanently on its own merit.
- Longlist for all-time favourites, or a 5 in a series that doesn't quite stand on its own.
- Much enjoyed, recommend to others in general; not a consideration for a favourite
- Enjoyed the book, recommend to those interested in the genre
- Enjoyable but nothing special. Might recommend but wouldn't come to mind.
- Not particularly bad or good; mostly forgettable.
- I appreciate the author's effort. Stays on the shelf to collect dust.
- Didn't enjoy, won't keep in my library.
- Strongly disliked. Often low quality relative to genre standards.
- A book that I would get into a shouting match with the author for.
(No rating / zero stars) - I'm not the type to burn a book, but if there ever were one...

I also, with rare exceptions, now default to not giving books a perfect five-star review immediately after a first read unless they gave me a strongly positive reaction after reading. Most books reach a 4.5 and may be reviewed at year-end for five-star consideration.

>1 VerixSilvercrow: Welcome to the group, Jordan. I am also an avid board gamer as well as an avid reader. I am a bit lacking in the fantasy and science fiction genres, but have been trying to expand my reading in those areas so I look forward to seeing what you are reading!

January 2024
1. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig. Philosophical read that unifies artistic and scientific schools of thought while following the narrator and his son on a motorcycle trip. It will do nothing for some and speak volumes to others.
2. The Humans - Matt Haig. An alien comes to Earth and takes the place of a scientist who makes a discovery humanity is deemed too dangerous to have, but grows to love humanity while he's here. A nice book, if a bit predictable.
3. The Gunslinger - Stephen King reread. The first book in a sprawling fantasy-western epic. Say true.

February 2024:
4. The Anthropocene Reviewed - John Green. A series of essays written during the 2020 pandemic about topics relevant to our modern day. A great way to stay positive in bad times and gain appreciation for the world.
5. Legends & Lattes - Travis Baldree. What happens after the player character leaves the D&D party? Coffee, that's what. Lovely comfort read.

March 2024:
6. Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut. A man unstuck in time writes a book about his experiences, including living through the firebombing of Dresden in the second World War and many deaths around him. So it goes.
7. Old Man's War - John Scalzi. Military science fiction. "John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army." Excellent sci-fi.
8. The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune. A care worker for magical children is assigned to an exceptional house and finds a family and a romance there. Delightful characters and a natural romance.
9. The Martian - Andy Weir reread. Watney's stuck on Mars and the world rallies around to bring him home. Humour throughout and a book built on well thought-out scientific accuracy.
10. The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett. The first in the massive Discworld series, and a parody of the sword-and-sorcery genre of fantasy. Plenty of humour to go around, but don't start the series with this one.
11. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card reread. Young gifted children are brought to Battle School to be trained to defend Earth from an alien invasion; Ender is the best of them. Possibly my favourite book, though note to only read the book used as the author is bigoted and does not deserve support.
12. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches - Sangu Mandanna. A third comfort read for the year; a colorful, diverse main cast, young witches and a "grumpy-and-sunshine" romance that come off as delightful, if not "high-brow."
13. Guards! Guards! - Terry Pratchett. Another Discworld book, this one a police procedural featuring a dragon (aren't they supposed to be extinct?), and one where Pratchett shines brilliantly. My recommendation for an entry book into the Discworld series.

April 2024:
14. Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb. This is a brilliant piece of fantasy - gripping plot, fantastic characters and a novel take on a magic system that draws deep interest. Every word felt deliberately placed; descriptions were lavish without verging on purple and dialogue was rife with subtext where needed. Deserves to be called a modern fantasy classic.
15. This Is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone. A novella written beautifully, dripping with prose so adoring of every context, and epistolary pieces between the leads that grow and swell, and make their relationship as concrete as any I have read even without a proper physical meeting. I will enshrine this on my shelf and recommend it to anyone who might appreciate a time-traveling, epistolary lesbian romance. Further review below at >58 VerixSilvercrow:.
16. The Other Side of the Mirror - Dana Evyn. Romantasy with straight-up smut. I'm not personally a fan of that kind of writing, and even ignoring that the book was a bit tropey for my tastes, but the premise on this one is good; if you're looking for a soulmates story with smut and featuring the fae, you'll enjoy it.
17. Red Rising - Pierce Brown. I bloodydamn loved this book. The characters felt real, visceral, and yet nobody felt invulnerable; the consequences felt real, for every character, even for those the reader comes to love. The protagonist is complex, and has complex relationships with many characters; and this is so clearly an anti-totalitarian, pro-class solidarity novel that I highly recommend. Break the chains! I'll be reading the sequels.
18. And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie. Absolutely brilliant murder mystery; it's my first foray into the genre and a good one. It's kept to a reasonable length and the reader is on the edge of their seat at all times. The symbolism of the Ten Little Soldier Boys nursery rhyme throughout is well incorporated; the mystery is deep and difficult to solve, yet brilliant once the killer is revealed. Not near an all-time favourite, but strongly enjoyed and recommend to anyone for the sheer efficiency of the story's web.
19. The Drawing of the Three - Stephen King reread. Continuing the grand scale of the Dark Tower series, this one offers a better look into what the series will become than The Gunslinger does, while offering a brilliant, compelling story and introducing characters who will become hugely important to the rest of the series and in the hearts of the audience. Highly recommend to any looking for epic western fantasy with a mythos of its own, as I recommend the rest of the series.

May 2024:
20. Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson. My first Sanderson didn't disappoint, with great characters, an enjoyable story and fantastic worldbuilding, including an excellent system of hard magic. Love it and eager to get onto more Sanderson in future.
21. The Hedge Witch - Colleen Delaney. This one felt like it had even less substance than Evyn's piece earlier - at least that one had some interesting worldbuilding! This one was a shut-your-brain-off vehicle for smut, with pastiched main characters and basic writing; this book has a particular audience and it's not me.

books 3

books 4

>2 alcottacre: Thanks for the welcome! It's good to meet you. Board games are something I wish I had more opportunity to partake in, but scheduling a meetup is often tough. Root is a big favourite of mine, but of course that one is one of the hardest to put together. I'll definitely make sure to make recommendations; any particular genres that you're big on yourself?

For a few quick recommendations:
- Within fantasy: Assassin's Apprentice, by Robin Hobb is one I hear is brilliant and which I'm slowly working on now. I can recommend several books with "cozy" vibes (Legends and Lattes; The House in the Cerulean Sea, with a sequel upcoming; The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches). Discworld is easily the biggest recommendation I can offer; practically any book in the series is good, but Guards! Guards!, Small Gods or Mort are good starting points.

- Within sci-fi: Ender's Game is an all-time classic, though with the caveat of buying the book used, because the author is (unfortunately) a bigot; the bigotry doesn't show up in the slightest within the book, which carries a potent message of acceptance and care for even those very different from you. I recommend Speaker for the Dead by the same author as well. The Martian and Project Hail Mary give a more "grounded" point in science fiction, as the actual science within is well-explained in ways that a layman can understand. I also recommend Old Man's War in the realm of sci-fi war novels.

Hiya Verix (if you dont mind me calling you that). Welcome to LT!

>8 Owltherian: Totally don't mind you calling me that! Thanks for the welcome Owl :) I don't know if I call myself therian, but I understand the feelings and definitely identify strongly with my sona, so I'm glad to see folks who understand that. :)

>9 VerixSilvercrow: I have a neighbor whom is a furry & one of my friends is one so i understand that a lot, and your very welcome!

>7 VerixSilvercrow: I am a very big Euro fan. Uwe Rosenberg is one of my all-time favorite designers. For some reason, his games just click for me.

I have not read any of the Hobbes books, but I have read both of the Legends and Lattes books as well as The House in the Cerulean Sea. I have tried Terry Pratchett, but his sense of humor and mine do not seem to be on the same page. I have never heard of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches so I will have to see if I can find a copy of that one.

Funny you should mention Ender's Game as I just picked up a used copy in the past few weeks. I will have to look for Speaker for the Dead too. I loved The Martian but have not yet read Project Hail Mary. I have read Old Man's War and its sequels although it is probably high time for a re-read.

Thanks for all your suggestions, Jordan!

>11 alcottacre: Totally get the Euro enjoyment; I wish I could say I enjoy them more often, but oftentimes I find they aren't my type of game. Rosenberg looks to have a lot of great games in general - Patchwork, Bohnanza, Agricola, Le Havre, A Feast for Odin? That's a great selection.

Definitely recommend grabbing Speaker for the Dead. As with Ender's Game, that's one of my favourite books of all time. If you enjoyed The Martian I understand you may enjoy Red Mars, though you very well may have read that one. For other fantasy, I've heard a lot of good about Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

Welcome to the group, Jordan.

There are plenty of Science Fiction and Fantasy buffs here to keep you company even though sadly I cannot quite claim to be amongst their number.

>13 PaulCranswick: Glad to meet you, Paul.

No problem on the lack of sci-fi and fantasy recs. Do you have any books that you would recommend in general, from your tastes?

Good afternoon/morning/whatever your time is Verix! How are ya?

>15 Owltherian: Doing alright! It's morning here, I start work at a miserable 8am. How about you, Owl?

>16 VerixSilvercrow: Im pretty good, although stressed from the amount of school i missed in one day

>17 Owltherian: Sorry to hear, I totally get it :( I hope today goes better for you in that regard

>14 VerixSilvercrow: My favourite ten books read over the last couple of years are:

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshanathan
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
The British are Coming by Rick Atkinson
The Brothers York : An English Tragedy by William Tenn
Pet by Catherine Chidgey
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

>18 VerixSilvercrow: I hope so, im in History now so it will be an interesting class.

Nope- my day has already gotten worse- i checked my grades and all i have are F's and my parents will figuratively kill me

>19 PaulCranswick: No Country for Old Men is high on my list among books I own, and East of Eden is one I keep hearing brilliant things about, so it's high on my list to buy. Small Things Like These seems like a great read, I've got that one added as well, and I'll look into The Brothers York : An English Tragedy as well. Appreciate the recommendations!

>20 Owltherian: Here's hoping! I was never a huge history buff myself, I gravitated more towards math and computer science.

>22 VerixSilvercrow: Welp, heres to already failing two classes and probably will get grounded for life + summer school!

>12 VerixSilvercrow: The great thing about games is that, just like books, everyone has their own tastes and there are a wide variety available! I love A Feast for Odin and Le Havre. I prefer Caverna to Agricola.

I have ordered a used copy of Speaker for the Dead. Thanks again for that recommendation. I have read both Red Mars and Neverwhere. I did not care overmuch for the first, but I very much enjoyed the second.

Have a terrific day!

>23 Owltherian: :( I'm really sorry to hear that Owl, I'm sending better vibes. I know you can get through this!

>24 alcottacre: Yeah, absolutely! My tastes are a bit more eclectic as after Root, my favourites are more than likely Wingspan and Carcassonne. If I had more shelf space for my games, or more opportunity to play, I would likely enjoy other games as much. I did get to play Pandemic Legacy seasons 1 and 2 with friends before the pandemic started, which was a fantastic experience. Cheers!

>25 VerixSilvercrow: I hope it gets better before my parents find out.

>25 VerixSilvercrow: Playing Pandemic Season 1 with my husband and daughter is, bar none, the best gaming experience of my life. I played all 3 of the Pandemic Legacy games and enjoyed them all, but nothing comes close to that experience for me.

I also enjoy Wingspan especially the Wingspan Asia incarnation as most of my gaming is 2-player. Have you checked out Wyrmspan yet?

>27 alcottacre: Pandemic Season 1 was the best one for me as well; we were completely hooked throughout. Our group couldn't get into Season 0; couldn't quite put it into words but we didn't enjoy it as much.

Haven't checked out Wyrmspan, but heard good things! It's releasing tomorrow at my LGS, might have to pick it up.

>28 VerixSilvercrow: Season 0 was my least favorite of the three as well. Not sorry I played it but I definitely preferred seasons 1 and 2.

I will be curious to see what you think of Wyrmspan if you do pick it up.

>29 alcottacre: Will definitely let you know. No idea how much space I have on my shelf for it, but I'll see what I can do!

>30 VerixSilvercrow: Oh, I hear you about shelf space! I currently have between 7 and 8 thousand books in my home as well as about 600 board games, lol.

>31 alcottacre: Yeesh! I don't have nearly that many, although I only have the one room to myself so shelf space is limited by that anyway. I can't imagine how many walls are just stacked with books or games where you're at `:D

Welcome, Jordan! Looks like we share a fair number of books. I'm an sf/fantasy reader, as well as horror, and pretty much anything. 😀

>33 drneutron: Thanks for the welcome! Glad to see another sf/fantasy enjoyer. :D Any particular recommendations you'd make?

>32 VerixSilvercrow: Let's just say - lots.

I wanted to let you know that we do have a board gaming thread here in the group in case you are interested in checking it out: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356197#

Have a super Saturday, Jordan!

Hiya Verix! How is ur saturday?

>36 alcottacre: Sweet! Appreciate the recommendation.

>37 Owltherian: Hey Owl! Sorry about not giving a reply for a while - I wasn't checking this thread throughout most of the day. My Saturday has been good if lazy; how about you?

>38 VerixSilvercrow: Its totally fine, people have lives, and things happen! Mine is doing great, and technically its Sunday for me right now, so I'm pretty tired.

>39 Owltherian: Well, it's Sunday for me too, now, and I'm definitely on the "tired" train as well. To the point that I'm heading to bed, anyway. Hope you're having a good night, or probably a good sleep by now.

>40 VerixSilvercrow: Yep, I ended up falling asleep, and a few minutes earlier I woke up, so I'm still pretty tired plus I woke up with a somewhat bad headache.

>41 Owltherian: Ugh, that's brutal. Take care of yourself today, take it easy. It's Easter, that's the best thing to do, right?

>42 VerixSilvercrow: I will try, but i have to leave for my mamaw and pappys at a random time and its been raining all day.

Just finished The Tainted Cup recently. Bennett’s been a reliably good world builder and this one’s no different. It’s a mix of Holmes/Watson mystery and Kaiju monster attack. As weird as that sounds, I really enjoyed it!

Hi Jordan, welcome to the 75ers.

>3 VerixSilvercrow: Your list of books includes some I've enjoyed a lot.

>44 drneutron: Sounds like a good recommendation! I'll put that on my TBR list, cheers.

>45 ArlieS: Glad to be here! Any books you would recommend given what I've read?

Offering a quick update considering it's been a couple of days - I'm still working on Assassin's Apprentice, but I've also picked up a couple of books for my bingo sheet for the Fantasy subreddit and will be going through those soon. Assassin's Apprentice and Snow Crash, both in progress, are on there; high on the reading list otherwise are Red Rising, This Is How You Lose the Time War, Watership Down and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

>47 VerixSilvercrow: Oooh- interesting. If you like fantasy you might like Nora Roberts or JRR Tolkien and maybe even Neil Gaiman

>48 Owltherian: I have a seven-volume copy of The Lord of the Rings on my shelf and read it a few years ago, although I should probably give it a re-read at some point. Gaiman is another great shout - I have a good few of his books already, I've read American Gods and have The Ocean at the End of the Lane on my bingo card, but Anansi Boys, Stardust and Neverwhere are all on my TBR. With those recommendations under your belt I'll definitely take a look at Nora Roberts' stuff!

>49 VerixSilvercrow: I already read Stardust, in my opinion its alright, i think the movie is better than the book though.

>50 Owltherian: Didn't know there was a movie! I'll look at watching it after I read the book.

>51 VerixSilvercrow: Okay!

It's been some time! Between work, personal affairs and other hobbies (Magic: the Gathering just had a new set release), reading took somewhat of a back seat for a while, but I'm back to update this thread, finally.

After a good three weeks, I finished book #14, Assassin's Apprentice - a brilliant piece of fantasy that deserves to be called a modern classic. Full review attached, and I will edit it into the posts above.

The next books on my docket are continuing Snow Crash, and starting This Is How You Lose the Time War.

- - -

Recently I heard some reviews stating this as a modern classic of fantasy; after finishing the book, I cannot help but agree. Fitz is a brilliant character, with much nuance in his personality and ethics, and the reader becomes completely sympathetic to his struggles. His relationships to other characters, both positive and negative, are both deep and believable; the cast throughout the whole book are well-constructed, and characters both male and female are deep and well-written. The book's descriptions are lavish and beautiful, without bogging down the story; the dialogue is well-written with clear subtext and intent behind every word; the magic system is innovative and fundamentally intriguing, a novel take I've never seen before. The plot itself is brilliant, full of depth and politicking without reaching the absurd complexity of the ASOIAF political layout, and I found myself hooked throughout. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and will be reading the rest of the trilogy in future.

Oooh- Snow Crash sounds intresting!

>54 Owltherian: It definitely is! Though it kind of hits you strongly with its cyberpunk-ness (I'm not sure if that's quite an adequate description, but it's the same vibe, with the sort of neo-noir vibe and the hyper late-stage capitalism) right off the bat, it's super interesting. Fun fact - the book is both the inspiration for the whole "metaverse" thing that we have going on, and a source of inspiration for some of the people who worked on Google Earth.

>55 VerixSilvercrow: Woahhh- that is interesting, also...do you know what the sayori challenge is? I keep being told by the same person to do it...

>56 Owltherian: Block that person, and report them to whatever site you're on. It's a reference to Doki Doki Literature Club, which is a psychological horror game disguised as a dating sim, and the character Sayori's fate. This person doesn't wish you well, and there are some people it's better not to interact with.

I've just finished my fifteenth book of the year, This Is How You Lose the Time War. I'm not sure whether this is the immediate impact of the story or whether it will indeed last, but I cannot state properly how strongly I enjoyed it. I wrote this review, longer than even my longer-form reviews on Goodreads, and still don't feel that it can truthfully sum up my thoughts on the novella; but it is all I can do, for now.

- - -

15. Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone - This Is How You Lose the Time War:

Gods, how do I begin with how I loved this book? This book spoke to me, *now*, more than almost any other book I have read - not the young, familiar, gifted child "me" or the tired, penitent "me" to whom *Ender's Game* still speaks, but the... romantic, desperate, *hungering* me that I so often find at my weakest times, that I am so often ashamed of, yet not so ashamed that I would ever dream of purging. The dancing between the agents, the power and constancy of the metaphors for the two, the entwining of their lives at every point in the story, the way that entwining is revealed and pieced together by the reader... It's all delicious, honey and nectar and ambrosia on my tongue, and I scream aloud at my inability to imitate it, my failure to reach the same interlacing with someone else. I have only an ululating agonizing moan to respond to this story, a spiritual pain that creates the words of this review as it echoes off the ceiling and the cupboards and the monitors of my workspace, yet I revel in the pains and loves and scars of the narrators, and dream of a small place, with a dog, and of enjoying tea for the first time in my life.

Five stars, for lack of being able to give six, and a permanent place on my shelf.

>57 VerixSilvercrow: Its this site actually. Ahh, ive been told to do it a bunch of times but i have never listened tbh, i wish people didn't say it at all.

Update after a while! I got an Early Reviewer copy of a book through LibraryThing, and put it up at the top of my reading list; just finished it today.

16. The Other Side of the Mirror - Smutty romantasy with the fae. The story is interesting enough, particularly in the last third, but the book is a bit tropey for my tastes throughout, and smut isn't my preference when I do read books with romance. (See "This Is How You Lose the Time War" for my idea of a dream novel featuring a romance.) The premise of the book itself is interesting enough, definitely, but I'd prefer it without the smut - three and a half stars from me.

Going to be continuing with Red Rising, and probably starting a shorter book like And Then There Were None soon as well.

Oooh interesting the book i just finished is about romance and stuff, and it was just the right amount.

>61 Owltherian: Was that Heartstopper? I've heard really good things about it as a queer romance.

>62 VerixSilvercrow: Heartstopper is amazing but it was a book named The Ghosts We Keep and it was a nice, but tearjerker of a book

After much work, I've got another book to review!

17. Red Rising: I bloodydamn loved this book. The characters felt real, visceral, and yet nobody felt invulnerable; the consequences felt real, for every character, even for those the reader comes to love. The protagonist is complex, and has complex relationships with many characters; and this is so clearly an anti-totalitarian, pro-class solidarity novel that I highly recommend. Break the chains! Four and a half stars, aspiring to five.

Next up: Probably And Then There Were None, but I might pick up The Ocean at the End of the Lane instead to get onto Gaiman.

>3 VerixSilvercrow: I recently finished Song of Susannah by King and am hoping to finish the last of the Dark Tower books before the end of the year. Personally, I think Wizard and Glass from the series was the best--a gripping western mixed with sci-fi and fantasy.

>65 ocgreg34: I managed to make it through about a third of Wizard and Glass in high school before falling off the Beam. I'm in need of continuing the series; I read Gunslinger earlier this year.

As I said, it's a shorter one this time! I did indeed pick up Christie for my first foray into mystery, and it proved a good idea.

18. Agatha Christie - And Then There Were None: Absolutely brilliant murder mystery; it's my first foray into the genre and a good one. It's kept to a reasonable length and the reader is on the edge of their seat at all times. The symbolism of the Ten Little Soldier Boys nursery rhyme throughout is well incorporated; the mystery is deep and difficult to solve, yet brilliant once the killer is revealed. Not near an all-time favourite, but strongly enjoyed and recommend to anyone for the sheer efficiency of the story's web. Four stars.

I have a few books on the docket next: Speaker for the Dead thanks to a revelation in a therapy session, The Drawing of the Three to continue my trek to the Tower (thanks to ocgreg34 for bringing it up!) or Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries for a bit of romantasy. (Not that it's been long since I finished that early review copy of Evyn's book...)

>65 ocgreg34: You'll be glad to hear that I did take up and finish The Drawing of the Three; my review's attached to this post and a shorter one given above.

19. The Drawing of the Three - I'm of two minds about this review, as the book does not necessarily stand on its own merits (as The Gunslinger does; TDOTT calls back to that book several times) but perhaps better represents the series as a whole (showing much more strongly than The Gunslinger how Roland's story stretches beyond Mid-World and into our own). But that doesn't detract from the true feeling of this book, the one that King describes in the foreword as what inspired him to write the book thanks to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly -- the sheer, unadulterated size of the world, the epic mythos of the story, even though this is only one chapter, one volume of seven. What I have read of the Tower makes it a masterpiece of a series; The Waste Lands is high on my list of upcoming books.

On my first trip to the Tower, in high school, I only made it partway through Wizard and Glass, the fourth book, before I fell from my metaphorical beam. With my start to reading novels again this year, I resolved myself to see the series through to its conclusion and climb the Tower for myself.

This book is the second step on the way, a step I had already climbed once, and perhaps the going was easier and quicker because of it. I seem to recall that when I first read this book, in high school, it took me a week and a half; this time, it took me only four days. I can't say whether that bodes well or poorly for the rest of the journey, but like Roland, I see no reason to stop - ka is ka, and what will be, will be. Money talks and bullshit walks, and this time I remember the face of my father.

Five stars, and a permanent place on my shelf with the rest of the series.

Twenty down!

20. Mistborn - My first Sanderson didn't disappoint; really intriguing worldbuilding, a hard magic system, and characters that drew me in immediately. Absolutely loved this one and look forward to the rest of the Mistborn series and the other Sanderson books I own (Tress of the Emerald Sea, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Way of Kings.

Next up is my early-reader copy of The Hedge Witch, then probably Speaker for the Dead, which I've been meaning to reread for quite a while.

Well, I finished it.

21. The Hedge Witch - You know, I expected this to be on par with The Other Side of the Mirror, but frankly I wasn't expecting a nothing-burger of a story. This book is for an entirely different audience than me; it's an easy-read romance with pastiches for the main trio of two love interests and one antagonist, a very basic supporting cast and a plot that never developed anything particularly interesting. The juvenile tone didn't do much to encourage me either, and what little potential fit into the small page wasn't written interestingly enough for me to want more. It's a pretty basic book that presumably mostly exists as a conveyance for smut -- at least Evyn's piece had some interesting premise! Two stars, and only so high because it's a good fit for those who want fluff and smut in one book.

Hi Jordan! I'm returning your visit to my thread. Welcome to LibraryThing and the 75 group.

You've read some interesting books. I'll avoid the horror and smut ones but I think I should give Sanderson another go since he gets a lot of love on LT - if I can work out where to dive in. And you make a case for This is How You Lose the Time War.

>71 humouress: Thanks for the welcome!

Definitely agree on avoiding the smut ones - not only are they not my bag of tea, The Hedge Witch is just a poor showing in general. At least The Other Side of the Mirror had something to interest me, even if the smut did put me off.

And Then There Were None isn't so much horror as it is a mystery... although there is a tone of horror throughout, since the only perspectives you get through the whole piece are those who are going through the ordeal itself, so I understand. If you want to start with Sanderson, I'd give Mistborn a try - it's a much more reasonable start on the size factor than The Way of Kings and gives you a solid understanding of the magic system in his worlds. If you want to try a standalone, you could try Tress of the Emerald Sea or Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, both from his Secret Projects done while isolated in 2020, but I think you'd appreciate them more having read Mistborn. (Granted, though, that opinion is mostly based on what a friend of mine has said about Sanderson's works.)

As for This is How You Lose the Time War - absolutely, give it a try! It's been a month and a half since I read it, but it still has a place in my mind, and I can't recommend it enough -- it's easily my favourite non-reread book that I've read this year.

>68 VerixSilvercrow: I have one book left of the Dark Tower series...they tend to get longer as the near the end. The last two were both over 700 pages, so I'm trying to psyche myself up for the last one.