WWW Wednesday – April 22, 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 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.

WWW Wednesday – April 15, 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 currently nearly halfway through The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Shin’Ichirō Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, and Yoshie Hotta. This novella tells the original story that the 1961 film Mothra was based on. It bills itself as a novella, but really it’s really a trio of chapters by each respective author that makes up a story only about 45 pages long, so it’s really a short story in three parts, the remaining 60% or so of the book being essays on the background and creation of the story (which I’ve yet to start reading, so I’m making some inferences here). I enjoyed this little outing well enough, but it was rather simple, so I’m not exactly over the moon about it either. It has me curious about the movie, as I imagine the story may unfold better there, if the it’s more or less what the book covers. I’m hoping the essay sections of the book elevate it more for me.

I’ve also been reading the Dictionary of Fine Distinctions by Eli Burnstein. It’s a pretty straightforward humorous and informative book, highlighting the distinction between commonly confused words and phrases. I’m having a lot more fun with this book than I was expecting to.

Recently Finished

Last week I finally finished reading Night Watch by Terry Pratchett, the 29th Discworld novel and the 6th about Samuel Vimes and the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. I feel like I’ve hit upon much of what I liked about this book in previous weeks, but I will reiterate that I really loved this one, which I can more firmly say now that I’m finished it. I’m curious if Carcer will return in another book or if he’s more of a one-off adversary. Pratchett managed to make a little go a long way with him, because he’s not featured as a persistent issue as much as I thought he would, he’s just a loose end that can’t be left in the past that continually causes some trouble, finding himself on the opposing side of the revolution, but somehow I quite easily found myself utterly despising the man. I’m just surprised I felt so strongly about him considering his level of involvement. It really highlights Pratchett’s characterization skills.

Reading Next

Plans haven’t changed much since I last posted, so upcoming books shouldn’t be a surprise, unless I’m suddenly inspired to pick something I haven’t been talking about.

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

New Books & Novel Discoveries (March 2026)

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Procrastinated this too long once again, which is strange because I believe this to have been another rather singular month where I didn’t pick up much. I’m worried there’s something or other I’m forgetting, but I really don’t think that’s the case. Though I am prone to my impulses, I am considering cost and space a lot more, so I’m trying to get things from the library more often. A big case in point is how many books I read last month from the library compared to books I own.

Let’s see what I did pick up, despite always being restrained.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – April 1, 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 reading Night Watch by Terry Pratchett, the 29th Discworld novel and the 6th about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. I didn’t update last week because I wanted to get a little further along into reading this, especially as I haven’t been reading much of anything else. As expected, I’m really enjoying this novel, perhaps even a little more than the last couple of City Watch books. Taking Vimes and thrusting him 3o years into his own past and forcing him take up the mantle of another man while mentoring himself as a young man was an inspired choice that I’m really enjoying. It’s nice to get the focus almost solely on Vimes too. Though he’s typically a main character, there are usually more POVs he has to share the novel with. I’m also really enjoying the stark contrast between what the Watch was 30 years prior and what it has become over the course of the entire series. It does a good job of making fun of and highlighting the flaws in policing while also upholding a higher standard that can and should always be aspired to.

Recently Finished

Nothing for the past couple of weeks. I’ve been more singularly focused and have taken a bit of a break from the shorter books.

Reading Next

I’m not entirely sure what I want to pick up next in terms of longer reading, though I am finding myself still drawn toward finishing series that I’ve let languish for a long time. There’s the rest of my life for new books, but I shouldn’t let the series I’ve already started and bought the books for just sit there for ages. In the meantime, I do intend to read Vermis III: Old Curses & Buried Horrors by Plastiboo because I simply love these art books, and I’ve also picked up a couple more volumes of One-Punch Man from the library to keep my progress on that series steadily moving forward. Thinking about the Spring to-read list I just put out as well, there’s a really good chance my next read will be The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Shin’Ichirō Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, and Yoshie Hotta. Time will tell.

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

Books on My Spring 2026 To-Read List

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book meme run by That Artsy Reader Girl. It’s been a hot minute since I contributed to one of these, and I’m always interested in putting together a to-read list, especially as my plans aren’t nearly as concrete as I’d like them to be. So, I’m going to lay out some books here to get a better feel for what I mean to read and what I feel I ought to read. Let’s see how many I actually get to.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – March 18, 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

Right now, I’m reading Night Watch by Terry Pratchett, the 29th Discworld novel and the 6th book in the sub-series about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. Though this book was on the to-read list for this year anyway, as I’ve been reading at least a book or two from this series for literally a decade now, I picked this book right now because I’ve felt I’m in a bit of a rut with reading lately. That may be surprising considering the volume of finished books I’m about to mention, but I just haven’t felt as enthusiastic as I’d like. I figured this book would be a fairly safe bet, and for the most part that’s proven true. I’m only about 100 pages in right now, but already it’s thrown a curve ball at me, as I was not expecting Vimes to get thrown back in time. Already seeing what the city used to be like contrasted with how he has turned the Watch into a somewhat reputable police force has been good fun.

Recently Finished

In the intervening two weeks I’ve actually read six different graphic novels, as I made an effort get through the pile I’d accrued from the library. The reason I didn’t post last week was because the first three I read were volumes six to eight of One-Punch Man by ONE and Yusuke Murata. Though I’m enjoying the series well, I really feel like I’m retreading story I already know, and I don’t have any notable commentary to give you here. After those, I read Goliath by Tom Gauld, a graphic novel adapting the story of David and Goliath from the Bible, told from the latter’s perspective. I really enjoyed the books quiet, minimalist approach to subverting the story and painting Goliath in a different light.

I also read Chivalry by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran, another graphic novel adapting a short story of Gaiman’s. I was compelled to borrow this book because of how much I enjoyed Doran’s illustrations in Snow, Glass, Apples, another such adaptation. I didn’t like the story of this one quite as much, but she once again created absolutely beautiful illustrations, this time going more for illuminated manuscripts.  I hope there are more graphic novels like this. I also read Glass Town: The Imaginary World of the Brontës by Isabel Greenberg, a historical fiction graphic novel about the Brontë sisters (and their brother) and the semi-fantastical worlds they created together and the stories therein. It’s a fascinating thing to think about, as this really was just a bunch of siblings writing down their make-believe stories only for themselves, contrasted with the fact that three out of four of them are famous, enduring novelists today. It’s poignant in a way that I find difficult to put into more concrete words.

Reading Next

I’ve no idea what I want to read next. We’ll see where my mood takes me once I’m done with Night Watch.

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

New Books & Novel Discoveries (February 2026)

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While January felt unusually long, February went by perhaps entirely too fast. I am getting sick of all the snow, cold temperatures, and darkness though, so I’m not too aggrieved by it. I think I got so carried away in January with buying books that I could’ve sworn I picked up many more this past month too, but it seems that’s not the case. I definitely indulged a little, but I actually showed some restraint while also taking a chance on some books.

Let’s see what I’ve got for this month.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – March 4, 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

Nothing! Once again, I am between books.

Recently Finished

Last week, I read the first volume of Absolute Batman by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta. Overall, I liked it quite well, but with all the hype around it, I wish I liked it more than I did. Ain’t it always the way with hype. I think their more grounded approach to the character this time around is fun, presenting him with a lot more physicality and less hi-tech at his disposal. They do work in gadgets fairly well in their own way, however, as the story emphasizes Bruce’s genius and ingenuity as an engineer, able to do a lot with limited resources. His reworked backstory was interesting, I especially like the way a number of his typical rogues got retooled into childhood friends, but what I had trouble getting into was the scale of the villainy at play right from issue one, basically involving a shadowy, global organization destabilizing Gotham with extreme violence. I would have preferred it starting off more scaled down.

This week I finished reading When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen, and goodness I really wanted to like this book. I believe I said so last week, but I’ll say it again, I by no means think the book is poorly written, but it is perhaps weakly put together. It felt like it was a lot more interested in social commentary than it was building a compelling story. The social commentary does do a good job of appropriately setting the atmosphere and laying the foundation for some of the themes it tries to touch upon, but the characters and plot just felt bland and basic to me, respectively. Even when the ghosts finally show up, it felt more like a tour through ghastly scenes rather than anything that added narrative tension. So much unfolds and resolves off page as well, leaving so much feeling anticlimactic by the end.

Reading Next

Next, I’m going to get back to some library books I’ve let languish for the last month or so. Specifically, I’m going to starting reading through the next three volumes of One-Punch Man that I need to get to, starting with volume six.

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

WWW Wednesday – February 25, 2026

Ryan2 Comments
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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 currently a little over halfway through When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen, and I’m sorry to say that I’m not enjoying this book all that much. The writing is by no means bad, but so far it has spent much of its time ruminating on class and racial tensions with only hints to the encroaching horror, which I can only assume is imminent at this point in the story. I was really hoping it would be a going concern well before now. The book’s themes related to class and race are not problems in and of themselves, but it doesn’t feel like they’re in service of a point beyond, perhaps, the ghosts of the past eventually coming to the fore and wreaking havoc on the living who so crassly forget their history, which I think would be a woefully obvious and straightforward direction to take things. The characters also feel a little flat, their motivations understandable but too simple. I’m really hoping a development unfolds that turns this whole book around for me; otherwise, it’s pretty middling overall.

Recently Finished

Last week I read through Set to Sea by Drew Weing, a short graphic novel about a big lug who is an aspiring poet living a down-and-out life, until one night he is clubbed over the head and shanghaied onto a vessel bound for Hong Kong. On this voyage, despite a miserable start, he learns how to be a sailor, forges bonds of friendship, and develops a passion for life and the sea that he never had before, all the while refining his poetic craft. I really liked this book’s art style, which feels reminiscent of old cartoon strips, with only a single panel corresponding to every page. It was a delightful little story and I’m grateful to the library for carrying it, as it’s likely I otherwise wouldn’t have ever come across it.

Reading Next

Continuing to read through the massive list of comics I’ve inexplicably borrowed from the library all at the same time, I’m going to read the first volume of Absolute Batman by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta. It’s due back soon and is a highly reserved book, so I really don’t want to delay giving it back any further. I’m looking forward to starting this book, as I’ve heard and seen great things about it. Batman seems to be scaled down from his usual depth of resources, and I like that a lot of the villains are being given more of a horror bent. As much as I enjoy that the main continuities of comic book universes keep going, I do love a good “elseworld” story where I can just start at volume one without having to think too much about previous titles.

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

Top 5 Books I Read in 2025

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I’ve let these posts run a little late before, but I apologize for letting it get quite this bad this time. I’ve had this list pretty much sorted out since the start of the year, I just let it slide too much after a sudden surge in work that I wasn’t expecting. It’s not really an excuse, but it is what happened.

As usual, this is not a list of five books that came out last year, just my personal top five favourite reads from last year. Normally, I list them in no particular order, but this time around I’m listing them in the order that I read them. Otherwise, there is no ranking. Let’s get to it.Read More »