WWW Wednesday – July 8, 2026

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Freelance work has continued to be fairly busy, and while in many ways I’m very happy about that, it has hindered my ability to read as a result. My priorities have perhaps been a little scattered as well. So, in the intervening two weeks I have read more of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, but I’m only further by about 70 pages, putting me at just over 100 pages into the book. We’ve a long way to go. Over the course of these pages I have learned much of the depths of the dilemma Edmond finds himself in, as well as more about French history than I ever knew before, particularly the state of politics after Napoleon went into exile and just how the re-established kingship was utterly paranoid about him trying to make moves once again (a fear not unfounded, as it turns out, but still rather inconvenient for our poor Edmond).

Recently Finished

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve read a number of graphic novels from the library; my sense of obligation to finish these more quickly has been to the detriment of Monte Cristo, so I expect I’m going to put more focus on these soon to get the rest done. The books I read were the first volumes of Absolute Flash, Absolute Green Lantern, and Absolute Superman. I enjoyed the first two about the same; I’ve never been a big reader of either character/title, but I knew enough to appreciate the twists on the idea. I liked Absolute Superman the best, especially the switch-up on his budding connection with Lois Lane and the parallels drawn between the systemic woes of Krypton and how that is reflected on Earth. His suit being somewhat technological with a degree of sentience is fun too. The only thing that has really held back every initial volume in the Absolute books for me is how tethered they are to being origin stories rather than just the beginning of the title. Once the second Batman volume escaped that I enjoyed it better, ditto Wonder Woman, and I expect the others may follow the same track.

Reading Next

I’m going to try to pluck away at Monte Cristo more this week if I can, but I really want to read the next couple volumes of One-Punch Man by ONE and Yusuke Murata before I do. Hopefully, if I clear that all away I can better refocus my efforts.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

New Books & Novel Discoveries (June 2026)

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I’ve managed to show a fair amount of restraint again this past month. There’s even a book here or there that I almost picked up impulsively but managed to return to the shelf without buying. Alas, I couldn’t help myself in some other cases, but that’s all right. I’m hoping I can get myself in a more comfortable place financially soon such that I don’t have to agonize over buying a brand new book now and again.

Let’s see what broke through my ironclad resolve.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – June 24, 2026

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Last week I started reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. So far, I’ve only read the introduction, the notes on the text, and then the first 30 pages or so. Considering it’s a book over 1,000 pages long, I’ve barely scratched the surface. Still, I have come away with a few things. For starters, it’s interesting to learn that some consider this to be a children’s book due to the nature of its plot and how it is told, no matter how long it is. Having read some of it I can kind of see where they’re coming from, however, as it is very digestible so far. Whereas I often found myself struggling with the language of Moby-Dick, I have not run into the same problems here. I’m pretty happy about this, because maybe that means I’ll finish it faster than I think I will. Also, this is apparently a rather new translation that I’ve gotten a hold of, with most English versions actually dating back to the 19th century, or so this tells me. Learning that those older English versions compromised some of the original text for the sake of prudishness, I’m happy I managed by happenstance to pick up something less concerned with such things.

Recently Finished

Last week I finally finished reading Star Wars: Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse. I feel that this novel took me entirely too long to finish, but I’m glad I did it. It doesn’t rate among my favourite Star Wars novels—not even close, to be honest—but it was not without its charm. It felt a little hamstrung by the fact that The Rise of Skywalker hadn’t come out yet, so there was only so much they could do with the characters I really cared about from this era, but it did give a surprising and modestly distinct texture to this time in the franchise’s history, which was a bit too blurred at times in the films, and the returning characters from other expanded media was a nice touch. Despite this being the sort of book I would normally skip as of late, I actually feel motivated to write a review for this, which I’ve already started. I’m hoping I can get myself into posting reviews again more often, but time will tell.

Reading Next

I’ve got a bunch of Absolute Universe DC comics from the library as well as incoming One-Punch Man volumes to read, so I will no doubt be finishing those here and there as I pluck away at Monte Cristo.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

WWW Wednesday – June 3, 2026

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I’m still plucking away at Star Wars: Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse. I’ve only managed about 100 pages or so in the last couple of weeks, which is a rather unfortunate pace. It still hasn’t quite hooked me yet, but I am enjoying it well enough too. With this being a book where characters from different books at the time were supposed to converge, I’ve had some dramatically opposing experiences with recall. With one character, Yendor Brethen, the book built up to revealing him, only for me to have literally zero recollection of who he is despite having appeared in Lost Stars, Aftermath: Life Debt, Aftermath: Empire’s End, and Bloodline, all of which I have read. Conversely, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Ransolm Casterfo from Bloodline has made an appearance, that book being a particular favourite among the new books. I’ve yet to see how involved in the plot he will be, but his appearance is promising. I really want to get this book finished soon, but with an unexpected yet appreciated surge of working coming in I’m not sure I’ll be able to.

Recently Finished

Since I last posted I’ve only finished a couple of volumes of One-Punch Man by ONE and Yusuke Murata, specifically volumes 11 and 12. Despite the number of volumes, this continues to be more of a series refresh, as I’ve yet to pass where the end of season two left off. I’m not complaining, since it’s been a rather long time since I last watched the show, but I am eager to finally see the story progress further. Maybe I’m not remembering the show well enough, but something I’m appreciating from reading it is the amount of bonus chapters at the end of each volume that show more mundane happenings in the characters’ lives, usually with even more of a comedic bent. I enjoy these little lower-stakes stories and how they fill out the world a little more.

Reading Next

I’m still planning to read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas after I finish Resistance Reborn. It’s only a matter of time. I’m worried I’ll take way too long reading it, though. Other than that, I’m waiting for a reservation I’ve got on the next volume of One-Punch Man to come in so I can continue the series.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

New Books & Novel Discoveries (May 2026)

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This past month, I actually sought to avoid buying any books, if possible. Things are hardly dire, but I’m trying to cut down on spending all the same—a not-uncommon feeling, I’m sure. Nevertheless, I couldn’t resist the siren’s song of a book here and there, though I’m happy to report that I at least picked up everything secondhand, so they still don’t even amount to the cost of a single brand-new book.

Let’s see what I wound up picking up.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – May 20, 2026

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

At the moment, I’m reading Star Wars: Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse, a novel set between the events of The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. At one point I actually intended to read this book before the latter film, but I didn’t want to buy the hardcover, so I picked up the TPB that came out later and it has languished on my shelf ever since. Admittedly, I’m not especially enthusiastic about this book. In part this is because I’m not especially enthusiastic about reading any prose right now, regrettably, but also because I’m afraid I’ve come to this book a little too late. Apparently, this was meant to be a culmination of a lot of what they had going on in the new canon novels set after Return of the Jedi, with many characters from books such as the Aftermath trilogy making appearances, but it has been so long since I read those books that I’m afraid I won’t be able to recall very many of them, though so far I’m not completely lost. I think some characters were in the Poe Dameron comics, though, which I haven’t read, so that’s a shame. I’m only about 80 pages in right now. I certainly don’t hate it, but I’m not hooked yet either. It’s mostly just dealt with the aftermath of TLJ.

Recently Finished

I’ve read a number of graphic novels in the last two weeks. First was Let Me In Your Window by Adam Ellis, a collection of short horror stories. Overall, it was a fun collection with some rather good creepy stories within, though some were rather weaker than others. It reminded me of things like Tales from the Cryptkeeper, so I’m happy it exists, even if some of them stretched credulity a little too much, and some of them were legitimately quite good. I’d like to read the first collection now. I also read The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg, which is an imagined, mythologized history of people who lived on Earth before our own history began. I enjoyed its folkloric approach to weaving its web of connected tales and the theology it crafted for its world while having elements that resemble stories familiar to us. Lastly, I read Absolute Wonder Woman: The Last Amazon by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman. Though I find the origin-story approach of jumping back and forth between past an present a little tiresome, I really loved this book and the way it introduced this version of Diana Prince. It’s a more hardcore interpretation of the character, having her raised by the witch Circe in the underworld, but she’s full of such heart and innate goodness that it was balanced out really nicely.

Reading Next

First and foremost, I’m going to read Absolute Wonder Woman: As My Mothers Made Me by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman next. I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow the second volume so soon after reading the first, so I’m going to make sure I get through it. After that, I have two more volumes of One-Punch Man on loan that I need to get through. Then, I will be embarking upon a more substantial undertaking: I’m going to start reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Maybe this isn’t the best of ideas as I’m in a bit of a reading slump at the moment, but I’m actually hoping that something a little more challenging will engage me better and help me get out of it. Time will tell, I just need to finish up these graphic novels first so I don’t let them run overdue.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

 

WWW Wednesday – May 6, 2026

Ryan1 Comment
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

Nothing at the moment! I am between books.

Recently Finished

I skipped last week because there wasn’t much to report, but since then I have managed to finish a few books. First, I was determined to read through Vermis III: Old Curses & Buried Horrors by Plastiboo, which seemed to follow a structure more similar to the second book but set things up like the first volume; namely, it told what seemed to be a singular character’s journey through these dark and strange lands with an ending unique to that character, yet it started once again with a selection of characters one presumes you’d be choosing from. It made things feel a little disjointed, as I wasn’t sure which it was truly going for at times. The settings, scenarios, and monsters contained within were truly inspiring though, and I continue to really love the art, so it didn’t detract from the experience too much. If a fourth volume is made, I hope things are taken in a somewhat different direction, however.

I also finished reading Dictionary of Fine Distinctions by Eli Burnstein. I don’t have much to say about it except that I loved it through and through. It’ll be great to have around as a reference book to recheck things, and I’m glad I read it cover to cover first so I could see all it had to offer.

Earlier this week I finished reading Absolute Batman Vol. 2: Abomination by Scott Snyder, Marcos Martín, and Nick Dragotta. I liked but didn’t love the first volume, as it had to juggle setting the stage for a new Batman origin story and tell of a compelling conflict in the present. With all of that groundwork laid, I really loved this book. I’ve not read many Bane stories before, but from what I’ve heard about how the character was presented at his inception, this seemed to me like a great return to form for a villain who is supposed to be one of Batman’s greatest rivals. Batman is so often presented as a man who can handle almost anything too, so it was great to see him put into such a vulnerable position by an adversary he is seemingly no match for physically or mentally. Seeing him overcome this challenge and the cost it incurred was sensational.

Reading Next

Next I plan to read Let Me In Your Window by Adam Ellis, a graphic novel collection of horror stories. There are some books I own that I really want to start reading, but I borrowed a bunch of library books like this one again that I really want to read and return first.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.

 

New Books & Novel Discoveries (April 2026)

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April has been something of a busier month, yet it feels like it just flew by. It’s funny, sometimes I almost forget about a book because I technically bought it online in a previous month, but I don’t count it as acquired until it arrives, so for a minute I thought I bought almost half as many books as I actually did. I think I’m going to have to start restricting my purchases to second-hand only for the near future, however, as I want to tighten the purse strings a little as expenses keep getting worse. If books are my only vice I think I’m doing okay, though.

Let’s see what I’ve picked up this month.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – April 22, 2026

RyanLeave a comment
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WWW Wednesday is a weekly book meme run by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. Check out her post and others over on her blog!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

I’m still plucking away at the Dictionary of Fine Distinctions by Eli Burnstein. I don’t have much more to say on it, as it doesn’t exactly change as you get through it. I’m simply continuing to have dorky fun learning the distinctions between similar things and ideas.

Recently Finished

Late last week I finished reading The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Shin’Ichirō Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, and Yoshie Hotta. Really I had already finished the story, as it was only about 45 pages long, but the remainder was a lengthy essay about the background of the story and cultural/literary inspirations for it, which helped to put it into a lot better context for me, especially in how it describes the sociopolitical climate in Japan at the time and how that worked its way into the story. It also goes into depth about how, of all things, the original Doctor Dolittle stories by Hugh Lofting had a huge influence on the story and Mothra in particular. One of Lofting’s stories features a gargantuan moth that flies Dr. Dolittle to the Moon to treat the animals that live there, and translations of his books had made their way to Japan some decades prior, to great success. Angles (the translator of this book) drew such clear connections that the influence is undeniable. It’s always fun to see how ideas are birthed from each other.

I also finished a couple volumes of One-Punch Man, but I haven’t got much to say on them. It’s a fun series, but each volume flows into the next in such a way that I don’t really have much of note to say about them.

Reading Next

I’m likely going to read Vermis III: Old Curses & Buried Horrors by Plastiboo soon, and I’ve also got a few more graphic novels from the library that I want to get through so I don’t hang on to them too long. Besides those, I’m not sure what novel I might start next.

Until next time, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your own post down below.