What books are you reading for pleasure these days?

I was caught out badly the Spring Into SciFi series which I suspect is a kind of vanity publishing thing. The writing was awful, truly awful. Avoid.

As an antidote to the dross above, I turned to an old favourite, Joe Haldeman's classic, The Forever War followed closely by one of his I'd not read before, Mindbridge. Both a bit dated in places but otherwise they hold up remarkably well possibly due to Haldeman's military service and science background.

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I loved The Forever War, I found it really profound. I need to read it again soon.
 
Ed McBain’s 1976 novel, Mary Mary. It’s been sat in my Kindle ‘Unread’ folder for literally years. An engaging legal / murder mystery featuring lawyer Matthew Hope. I have a horrible feeling I’ll be buying more in the series.

Edit: My apologies. Despite what the copyright notice states in the Kindle edition of this book, it was actually published in 1992. I’m not sure if that will encourage or discourage potential readers but felt the correction necessary ‘cos this kind of error bugs me.
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Currently reading Japan 1941: Countdown to Infamy by Eri Hotta, about Japan's leaders' bumbling slide into a disastrous war. Interesting insights from the Japanese side. Having read John Toland's The Rising Sun previously, she corroborates some of what he said and adds more detail. To satisfy the history buff. 🙂
 
I just wrapped up "How to Build a Car" by Adrian Newey.

I've followed Formula One for some 50 years now.

The book started out well, and then immersed itself in vernacular from the industry. I'm an engineer and most of it went over my head.

Hard to recommend.
Too bad. Hoped for something interesting from Newey.
 
The first volume of Terry Brooks' "The First Druids of Shannara" series arrived today. "Galaphile" is his first return to that universe since "The Fall of Shannara" series ended in 2020, and my first dip back into the Shannara universe since I read all 32 books in that world over a 9 month period a couple of years ago.
I hear Terry Brooks is retiring, and handing over the Shannara world to someone else. That could be a good thing for the franchise, in my opinion. I think Terry ran out of ideas and rehashed them a little too often.
 
Something special: Aztec by Gary Jennings

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Amazon blurb: Told in the words of one of the most robust and memorable characters in modern fiction, Mixtli-Dark Cloud, Aztec reveals the very depths of Aztec civilization from the peak and feather-banner splendor of the Aztec Capital of Tenochtitlan to the arrival of Hernán Cortás and his conquistadores, and their destruction of the Aztec empire. The story of Mixtli is the story of the Aztecs themselves---a compelling, epic tale of heroic dignity and a colossal civilization's rise and fall.
 
I hear Terry Brooks is retiring, and handing over the Shannara world to someone else. That could be a good thing for the franchise, in my opinion. I think Terry ran out of ideas and rehashed them a little too often.
I read today that "Galaphile" is his last Shannara book, and Delilah Dawson will take over the writing duties, while he stays on as an advisor. I will likely read the remaining "First Druids" series, and then bow out of the Shannara universe myself. They have been entertaining, but I am not sure where else that universe can go. Kind of like when Todd McCaffrey took over for his mother Anne. IMO, the writing quality of the "Dragonriders" books dropped considerably after that handoff.
 
I read today that "Galaphile" is his last Shannara book, and Delilah Dawson will take over the writing duties, while he stays on as an advisor. I will likely read the remaining "First Druids" series, and then bow out of the Shannara universe myself. They have been entertaining, but I am not sure where else that universe can go. Kind of like when Todd McCaffrey took over for his mother Anne. IMO, the writing quality of the "Dragonriders" books dropped considerably after that handoff.
I personally liked the first book the best. Despite (perhaps because of?) being a clone of The Lord of the Rings, it was an enjoyable read. I need to read it again.

I think his Magic Kingdom of Landover series is my favorite of his works.
 
I personally liked the first book the best. Despite (perhaps because of?) being a clone of The Lord of the Rings, it was an enjoyable read. I need to read it again.

I think his Magic Kingdom of Landover series is my favorite of his works.
Never read any of the Landover books. I enjoyed the Shannara prequel books in the "Knight of the Word" trilogy, and the follow-up trilogy "Genesis of Shannara". They kind of tied the chaos and madness of our world into the fictional Shannara world.
 
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