WWW Wednesday – October 7, 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 still haven’t finished The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas yet, but I’m currently at page 1005, so it really feels like I’m in the home stretch now. I actually endeavoured to hit the 1000-page mark before October, since I’ve taken a brief hiatus from reading it so I can pick up some horror novels instead for the Halloween season. At this point in the story, the Count has almost completely fulfilled his revenge against Fernand, or so it seems, with his plans deviating in one crucial way due the intervention of Mercedes. I really enjoyed the scene where she confronts him, revealing she knew he was Edmond the second she first heard him speak. It’s a scene I’d been anticipating for many chapters and I found it struck like lightning, and it was very satisfying. I also appreciate that it seems their relationship will not be rekindled, though their affection for each other is as strong as it was. The damage has been done and there is no going back, and I like this poignant approach to it. I hope it stays this way by the end.

I’ve already started my second Halloween read for this year, which is A Lush and Seething Hell by John Hornor Jacobs, containing two novella-sized tales of cosmic horror. The foreword by Chuck Wendig hypes up Jacobs considerably in a way that caught me off guard a little; though this book caught my attention some time ago and I recall it being well liked, Jacobs is not an author I hear talked about all that much. Starting the first story, however, his talent as an author is very apparent. Especially compared to my most recently finished book, I found myself immediately immersed in the prose of the first story in this book. So far, I’m rather enjoying the cosmic horror elements too, evoking a bit of The King in Yellow to me so far, and I hope it pays off well.

Recently Finished

Though I didn’t quite finish it ahead of October, on the first of the month I finished reading Calypso by David Sedaris. Though full of the usual humour and wit, I enjoyed this book for its more poignant tone and he reflected a lot on loss and aging among members of his family, framed around a lot of time spent at a summer beach home called the Sea Section. It’s a bit sobering that I still regard this in my mind as one of his more recent essay collections, which is more or less true, but it’s already eight years old, and so much has happened since it came out. I wonder what he might have to say about the pandemic, for example. I’m not sure if I want to pick up his latest collection of essays or dip back to an older one I haven’t read yet.

Over just a couple of reading sessions, to kick of my selection of horror books, I read A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck, a novella about a Mormon man who dies of brain cancer and finds himself condemned to a Zoroastrian hell where he must search a literal Library of Babel to find the book containing his life story, without errors. Initially, I had a bit of trouble getting into the story, as I found the prose to be somewhat awkward at first, but I adjusted rather quickly and got really absorbed in it. Although some sequences do become horrific and violent, the most effective part of it was the existential dread it instilled in me. I found myself actually trying to bargain a little on the character’s behalf and reason a way out of his nigh-insurmountable task. I highly recommend checking it out, especially considering how quick of a read it is.

Reading Next

What I read next depends on how quickly I can finish A Lush and Seething Hell. If it ends up dragging out a little bit into the month, I will prioritize reading Angel Down by Daniel Kraus. Otherwise, if I feel I have enough time, I’m going to start reading Night Shift by Stephen King, since it’s been a while since I read one of his short story collections. Also, I have a couple of graphic novels from the library that I want to read too. First up, which I may have finished by next week, is Bad Dreams in the Night by Adam Ellis, a collection of horror stories. I’ve actually already read his second collection of stories, so I’m technically reading these out of order, but they’re standalone tales so I don’t believe that’s going to matter.

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

New Books & Novel Discoveries (September 2026)

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And so summer’s dusk passes into autumn’s evening. September felt like an especially eventful month that took its time yet also seemed to pass so swiftly (the usual complaint). It just feels so stark how warm and lush it still was during those first couple of weeks, where I could still sit outside in the sun and read while recovering from surgery (they took my wisdom teeth), and now it’s back to sweaters and long pants. I don’t miss being uncomfortably hot, though. I don’t really know how it happened, but I ended up getting quite a few books last month. I just happened upon too many, I suppose. It doesn’t feel like I was especially indulgent, but when I look back I can’t deny it.

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

WWW Wednesday – September 16, 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 making slow but steady progress through The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Last week I underwent surgery to have my wisdom teeth removed, so I spent a number of days off over the past week just recovering. Fortunately, I was still able to make myself get a fair amount of reading done, though not quite the volume that I’d been able to accomplish lately. I’m now sitting at page 733, which feels like it should be close to the end, but I know it’s only just over halfway. I’m enjoying seeing bits and pieces of his revenge come together, and I won’t be satisfied if those who wronged him are not punished, but I do feel like the Count comes across as a bit too untouchable at the moment, so I’m curious what curveballs will be thrown his way to expose his fallibility. Either way, I’ve had no further dips in my interest in the narrative, so I’m hoping I continue with strength until the very end.

Recently Finished

Yesterday I finally made myself read through Absolute Martian Manhunter by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez. I regret that I let the book run overdue, but I wasn’t going to return it without reading it. My suspicions were correct about loving this one, and it takes the character I’m only somewhat familiar with from more popular DC material and turns him into something so much more abstract. Rather than simply a shapeshifting Martian with psychic powers, our titular green “Martian” is an abstract, cosmic entity that psychically bonds with FBI agent John Jones. Together, they combat the “white Martian”, who is wreaking havoc on the minds of humanity and trying to get them to tear each other apart. The visuals are some of the most trippy I’ve ever read in a comic book before, but they’re beautifully rendered, and despite the strangeness of the story it has an emotionally resonant heart I think almost anybody could get into if they’re open-minded to the weirdness of the presentation. I can’t wait to read more of this series.

Reading Next

I don’t have any set plans right now, but there’s going to be a hard shift soon, as October is only a couple weeks away. I’m hoping I can get a good amount further into Monte Cristo before then and also hopefully finish reading Calypso by Davide Sedaris. Time will tell.

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

New Books & Novel Discoveries (August 2026)

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August was a difficult month for me. I suffered a great personal loss with the passing of my pet bearded dragon, after nearly 18 years of companionship. I got her when I was 18 and I’m almost 36 now. That’s half my entire lifespan so far, pretty much. I’ve hardly known adulthood without her. So, it’s been a little harder to find motivation for things. Nevertheless, I did pick up some books here and there in August, and I am determined to report as always, even if it is a couple of weeks late.

Let’s see what I picked up, shall we?Read More »

WWW Wednesday – September 9, 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 continue in my endeavour to read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I’ve made good, steady progress over the past couple weeks the the tune of 222 pages, though I fear this pace still won’t be enough to get it done before October. I may need to pause my reading when that month rolls around so that I can properly observe the Halloween season, which I refuse to skip. The drama and intrigue has built up considerably, as the titular Count has debuted in the aristocratic circles of Paris. His brief reunion with Mercedes was especially compelling, and it’s clear she already suspects who he really is. I wonder how long before the mask slips, if at all, and he reveals that he used to be the poor, condemned Edmond. I only wish I was better at keeping track of names; at a few points I was confused over who was who and whether somebody was supposed to be dead or not. There are just so many titles and honorifics used interchangeably with names.

I’ve read some more of Calypso by David Sedaris; I continue to enjoy it but don’t have much more to say about it.

Recently Finished

Still nothing, sadly.

Reading Next

I’m still planning to read the first volume of Absolute Martian Manhunter by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez that I got from the library, especially since it’s due back soon, I just need to set aside some time for it.

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

WWW Wednesday – August 26, 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 Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, but I’ve carved out some time for it so I’m actually making progress a little more consistently. This progress is slow, but hey, it’s better than a week or more passing with hardly any time made for it. I’m sitting at page 456 now, which isn’t crazy progress (about 156 pages), but it’s a lot better than only 80 after a couple weeks last time I wrote. The story hit a bit of a speed bump for me over the last few chapters, as focus shifted to two young French aristocrats palling around in Rome. I can appreciate how this shift is used to craft a mystique around a more worldly Edmond, now styling himself almost exclusively and enigmatically as the Count of Monte Cristo, but it took a little while for me to care about these new characters and their points of view. I came around on it all eventually, however, and it’s becoming clearer how his revenge plot may be in motion.

A couple weekends ago I went to the beach with some friends, where I actually managed to start reading something (I’m terrible at actually making myself read when I travel anywhere). The book I started is Calypso by David Sedaris. It’s been a long time since I’ve read one of his essay collections, and while some other books of his have appeared on my radar lately, I bought this copy all the way back during the pandemic (to help keep a local bookshop in business), so I really need to read this one before I think about picking up any others. I keep thinking this is one of his newer ones, which is technically true and was true when I bought it, but it’s 8 years old now. What is it with time?

Recently Finished

Nothing this week!

Reading Next

Though I’m still committed to focusing much of my energy on Monte Cristo, the copy of the first volume of Absolute Martian Manhunter by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez that I reserved at the library came in, so I’m going to make myself read that fairly soon. Though I don’t have much of any history reading this character, I’ve gotten the impression that it’s Weird in a way that I’m going to like a lot more than some of the other Absolute books. Hopefully I can write an update on how that reading goes next week.

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

WWW Wednesday – August 12, 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 The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and progress continues to be rather slow. I’m at 300 pages now, which is about 80 pages of progress, but over two weeks that’s not great, even for me. Over the last few chapters, Edmond has covertly reconnected with old friends, using his newfound wealth to assist those who were truly faithful to him while imprisoned. It was a little indulgent and melodramatic at points, but I found myself very compelled by it despite myself. Sometimes, those tropes just hit right, and it was very satisfying. With so much novel left, it’s fun to realize that, despite feeling like I know more or less what this book is about, I actually have no idea what the next 900 pages will entail. I look forward to slowly finding out.

Recently Finished

Against my better judgment, last week I took out another graphic novel from the library, which I promised not to do so I could focus on Monte Cristo. The book in question was Nowhere by Jon Claytor, a Canadian graphic novel about growing up in small towns, struggling to fit in and make friends as you move from place to place, and navigating streets populated by giant rats, vampires, and zombies. I enjoyed it as something weird and surreal, with enough coherent going on that it didn’t feel too abstract, but I do wish there had been something a little more concrete in the narrative to anchor myself to. Overall, I’m happy I checked it out, and I liked it more than I expected to.

Reading Next

I’m really going to try to not pick up anything else so I can focus on Monte Cristo, hoping that a book I have on hold at the library takes yet longer to come in.

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

New Books & Novel Discoveries (July 2026)

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July felt really long yet not nearly long enough. There’s stuff I remember doing this past month that feels like happened many more weeks ago, yet I still can’t believe we’ve reached the Sunday of summer already. I hope everybody else has been enjoying their summer, wildfire smoke and heat waves notwithstanding. I showed a fair amount of restraint this month, grabbing only a couple books early on and then another pair right at the eleventh hour.

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

WWW Wednesday – July 29, 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

Goodness, it has been a hot minute since I posted one of these. I’m in the unfortunate spot of being in a midst of an incredibly long book, as I’ve reported, with little else to focus on while I try to get through it. Yes, I am still reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and I’m sad to report that progress has been slow, though for good reasons. Freelance work has made me busier, and as much as it pains me for reading to fall to the wayside, I want to receive as much work as possible. Still, I’m at page 220 of the novel now, or 120 more pages over the intervening three weeks. That’s rather dismal progress. Still, I am enjoying the book quite a lot. Edmond has escaped his dismal confinement after 14 years and is finding his footing back out in the world. I’m really pleased with how enjoyable I’m finding this reading experience, it makes the size of this tome bearable.

Recently Finished

This week, I managed to finish Absolute Superman Vol. 2: Son of the Demon by Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval, and Carmine Di Giandomenico. I continued to enjoy this series quite a bit with this book, though my enjoyment didn’t quite reach the heights of the second volumes of Absolute Batman and Wonder Woman. I’m surprised with how well Ra’s Al Ghul worked as a villain for Superman in this universe, as he is usually an adversary of Batman’s. Though I’m not intimately familiar with other interpretations of the villain, I really like the version of Brainiac in this title too. There were some great narrative twists in this volume, and I was surprised at how affected I was by the loss of some characters. This dreary interpretation of the DC universe has some of the most heart. As promised, in the intervening weeks I also read a couple more volumes of One-Punch Man. I have now officially caught up to where I left off with the story after watching up to the end of season two. Now, each volume will be uncharted territory.

Reading Next

I haven’t the foggiest idea of what I will read next, as Monte Cristo will still make demands of my attention for the foreseeable future, but I am thinking about rearranging my reading habits around my schedule so I can get more done. We’ll see what I come up with and if I can still with it.

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

Book Review | Star Wars: Resistance Reborn by Rebecca Roanhorse

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Star Wars: Resistance Reborn is a 2019 media tie-in novel by Rebecca Roanhorse, released as a story bridge in the lead up to the film Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. Set in the immediate aftermath of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, the novel follows General Leia Organa, Commander Poe Dameron, and the other surviving heroes of the Resistance on the run, trying to find safe refuge from the First Order in order to regroup and enlist new members—especially leaders—to their cause. Things look grim, but it only takes a spark of hope to keep a movement alive, no matter the odds. Meanwhile, in the wake of the New Republic being destroyed alongside the Hosnian system, the First Order has begun to seize control of planets of influence in order to secure their power over the galaxy.Read More »