What books are you reading for pleasure these days?

I'm midway through The Art of Revision, which is part of a series of small books by various well-known writers on different subjects of writing and creativity... they are hit or miss for me, some are gold and others are a bit self-indulgent. This one is pretty good.

I am planning on tackling a lot more books this year. The last couple years saw me finishing my associate's degree on about half time, which did interfere with reading for pleasure.
 
I'm finishing "Roosevelt's Beast", a rather intriguing - and occasionally uneven - historical fantasy by Louis Bayard, the author of "The Pale Blue Eye", the complex historical (19th century) mystery which was recently adapted into a rather interesting film (that's currently on Netflix). This particular novel is Bayard's ingenious (and well-researched) digression about an expedition to the Amazon jungle, featuring the opinionated ex-Prsident, Theodore ('Teddy') Roosevelt, and his black-sheep son, Kermit. The expedition is a matter of historical record, but Bayard's novel twists and turns through some intriguing detours and down at least one twisted rabbit-hole.
 
Just picked up the latest edition in the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells. It's called "Exit Strategy".
There are 2 more books in the series after Exit Strategy, a full length novel called Network Effect and another novella, Fugitive Telemetry. Martha Wells was interviewed last year and says she has been contracted for 3 more Murderbot books! :dance2:
 
Right now I am reading the third series in Margit Sandemo's "The legend of the ice people". The first series was 47 books, the next 15 and this one is 20 books! Things are starting to round up 😁

 
Recently finished Celine by Peter Heller. A really good novel of an aging private eye couple sensitively written, based on the author's own mother, who seems to have led a pretty extraordinary life. This guy can really write compelling narratives.


Thank you for mentioning this, Andrew. I just gave in to overwhelming curiosity and picked up a copy from my local small-town library. And you are right - Peter Heller is indeed a master of compelling narratives.
 
Thank you for mentioning this, Andrew. I just gave in to overwhelming curiosity and picked up a copy from my local small-town library. And you are right - Peter Heller is indeed a master of compelling narratives.
I'm glad you're enjoying it, Miguel! His other books are excellent as well. The Dog Stars was my first Peter Heller book. It's a little different, as a post-apocalyptic wasteland sort of book which is also surprisingly lyrical and emotive.
 
Hotel Splendide by Ludwig Bemelmans. It was a good, funny light read when I read it 70 years ago and still is. Anthony Bourdain endorses it by saying Bemelmans was the first "bad boy" of the NY hospitality business. Yeah.
 
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Finally finished Neal Stephensons 'Fall, Or Dodge in Hell' - great premise and start but really became tiresome about half-way through. Tried to reach for something epic and failed.

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About 2/3rds of the way through 'Jasmine Throne' by Tasha Suru and really enjoying it. Just a fairly standard fantasy adventure but set in a pre-colonial Indian/SE-Asian themed world.

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The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

'There's magic all over the place,' said Swires. 'An old witch used to live around here. She went a long time ago but the magic still keeps the house going.’

'Here, there's something odd about that door,’ said Twoflower.

'Why should a house need magic to keep it going?' said Rincewind. Twoflower touched a wall gingerly.

'It's all sticky!'

'Nougat,' said Swires.

'Good grief! A real gingerbread cottage! Rincewind, a real……’

Rincewind nodded glumly. 'Yeah, the Confectionery School of Architecture,' he said. 'It never caught on.’

He looked suspiciously at the liquorice doorknocker.

'It sort of regenerates,' said Swires. 'Marvellous, really. You just don't get this sort of place nowadays, you just can't get the gingerbread.'

'Really?' said Rincewind, gloomily.

Come on in, said the gnome, but mind the doormat.'

'Why?'

‘Candyfloss.'
 
Still working on the Hammers books, started Vol 2.

Reading is slower these days as I'm spending a large amount of time going through my storage room I had to move into my apartment, and napping during rests. Already made a lot of progress, but it doesn't look like it (way too much stuff crammed in tiny apartment).

Still in the queue after Hammer's Slammers is Toll's Pacific War Trilogy. That'll take some time to digest.
 
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