What book are you reading, and what do you think of it?

[Mr_Northside]

I'm just about a dozen pages or so from finishing "The True History of The Black Adder" - Always have been a big fan of the series (except the first "series"/iteration).  I had no idea this book existed until I stumbled on it in a trip to Half-Price Books.  I've found enjoyable, and very informative

[kurumi]

A recent one is 14, by Peter Clines (no relation to the "Ready Player One" author). Single guy around 30yo moves into an apartment building that's quite strange; but the rent is really cheap and it's an intriguing set of puzzles to solve.

It's a fun science fiction / cosmic horror read, with a deliberate, analytical tone. One issue is the author's male gaze. If he meant that to stick to the protagonist or narrator instead, it didn't quite work.

"The Fold" is a similar book, same author, also fun, and I'd prefer not to spoil anything about it.

[Takumi]

Teach Yourself Afrikaans. It's my fiancée's native language and phone apps aren't doing the job.

[1995hoo]

A couple of weeks ago I finished a book called Rock 'n' Roll Soccer, a history of the old North American Soccer League many of us remember from the 1970s and early 1980s. I'm now reading Brandon Sanderson's The Lost Metal, the seventh of his "Mistborn" books (the fourth one featuring protagonists Wax and Wayne).

[JKRhodes]

"Granite Mountain" by Brendan McDonough. So far have only thumbed through it but seems to be a very raw and frank account of his experiences.

**EDIT** Getting about 2/3 of the way through, and Eric Marsh according to Brendan is way kinder and way less cocky than the movie "Only The Brave" made him out to be. Seems like the read is going to be much tougher to get through than the movie, and that says a lot considering that the movie is one of the few things in the world that brings me to tears every time.

[Rothman]

The Holy Bible

[Big John]

The Holy Bible

critque?

[Rothman]

The Holy Bible

critque?

Well, 2 Samuel 21 does refer to God approving of human sacrifice to end a famine, so maybe every word shouldn't be taken literally.

[vdeane]

I'm currently reading the online serial Heretical Edge.  From the about page:

Most easily classified as an urban fantasy/detective/action, Heretical Edge revolves around Felicity 'Flick' Chambers, a teenage girl who is brought into the hidden world of the supernatural when she is accepted as a student at Crossroads Academy, a place where humans known as Heretics train to hunt and kill the creatures known as Strangers, monsters from mythology who secretly prey upon humanity. Heretics fight these Strangers using a combination of fighting prowess and a unique blend of magic and technology.

Soon, Flick learns that not everything at this school, or her own past is as it appears to be. Questions continue to mount, as Flick and her new classmates struggle to survive in this dangerous new world, while discovering the truth about the connection between Heretics and Strangers.

I feel like I've finally found something new to scratch the urban fantasy itch I've had since I finished watching Motherland: Fort Salem last year.

[stanwoods]

I'm currently reading the online serial Heretical Edge.  From the about page:

Most easily classified as an urban fantasy/detective/action, Heretical Edge revolves around Felicity 'Flick' Chambers, a teenage girl who is brought into the hidden world of the supernatural when she is accepted as a student at Crossroads Academy, a place where humans known as Heretics train to hunt and kill the creatures known as Strangers, monsters from mythology who secretly prey upon humanity. Heretics fight these Strangers using a combination of fighting prowess and a unique blend of magic and technology.

Soon, Flick learns that not everything at this school, or her own past is as it appears to be. Questions continue to mount, as Flick and her new classmates struggle to survive in this dangerous new world, while discovering the truth about the connection between Heretics and Strangers.

I feel like I've finally found something new to scratch the urban fantasy itch I've had since I finished watching Motherland: Fort Salem last year.

Oh, I've heard about it but haven't read it yet.
Now I'm reading this. Because reading this book is a part of my final paper. And I need not only to read it but also to write a review of it. I have some parts ready, but now I face some difficulties and the deadline is coming. I think I'll use some help from https://edubirdie.com/write-my-essay-for-me because that service has never let me down yet, and I'm sure it's the best option to finish my writing.

[J N Winkler]

I've long been a fan of Jack Reacher, but I have a nagging sense of "unclothed emperor" as Lee Child hands the reins over to his younger brother.

Right now I have a stack of books checked out of the public library to bed me in for the Christmas holidays.  James Ellroy (The Enchanters) has been reliable for me, as has Don Winslow (Satori, a sequel to Trevanian's Shibumi that he was commissioned to write).  I've finished the first volume in Daniel Abraham's Dagger and Coin high fantasy series and have the second (The King's Blood) on the pile.  In the back matter he mentions being inspired by the history of the Medicis as bankers to kings during the Renaissance, as well as Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond books, and I can certainly see how that is so, though his stuff is definitely more accessible than the latter.

I also have several books out by authors new to me to see whether I like their stuff:  Megan O'Keefe (The Blighted Stars, first volume in a planned space-opera trilogy), Charles Cumming (Kennedy 35, second in a spy thriller series--he's being marketed as the heir to John le Carré), and Luke McCallin (The Man from Berlin, part of a series of historical mysteries set in Nazi Germany that is similar in concept if not necessarily approach to Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther books).

The sole nonfiction book in the pile, which I'm looking forward to, is Liza Mundy's The Sisterhood, about the evolving role of women at the CIA.  I've already dipped into it and seen a wealth of fascinating detail from the OSS days onward, though the last quarter or so seems oriented toward redeeming the reputation of Jennifer Matthews, who led the team that was wiped out in the Camp Chapman attack in 2009 and who was subsequently portrayed as out of her depth.