WWW Wednesday – September 4, 2024

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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

The TruthIt’s feeling rather late in the year for this considering I used to try to read one every quarter, but I’ve finally started the next Discworld novel I need to get to: The Truth. I’m expecting this one to feel a little refreshing because it’s been a long time since I’ve read one that wasn’t a part of a subseries like the Witches or the City Watch. This follows a similar yet more open-ended structure to some of the previous ones, about the world being effected by the arrival of a new innovation in some way. This book sees a machine printing press coming to the city of Ankh-Morpork and with it widespread print media. This would have a profound effect anywhere, so I’m really curious about what will unfold in this unique setting. I’m only 30 pages or so in so far, but I’m hoping I can get a lot more done soon.

Stung with Love Poems and FragmentsI also started reading Stung with Love: Poems and Fragments by Sappho, a book collecting all of the surviving poems and fragments by the well-known Greek poet. I’ve only read a section on poems about Goddesses so far, as there was actually a good deal of front matter to this book giving more context to what we know about Sappho as a figure. I found this most interesting as a look into just how fragmentary surviving art and history can be. There are plenty of references to her work and skill as a great poet throughout histoyr, but comparatively little of her actual work has survived up to now. It’s surreal to see ancient Roman sources cited, who would’ve had direct access to her work, and having to base our understanding of it off of theirs. I don’t know how quickly I’ll finish this, it’s not very long, but I likely won’t give full updates like this each week if my progress is slow.


Recently Finished

AuthorityLast week I finally finished reading Authority by Jeff VanderMeer, the second book in the Southern Reach trilogy. Things finally came to a head in the story in the final chapters, and in true Southern Reach fashion I had only a vague understanding of what was really going on, except for a few certainties that were quite apparent. I really liked that a prevailing feeling I had throughout the book without a single explicit indicator to it was made to be right. I know it’s a 10-year-old book, but I don’t want to ruin it for anybody who may be interested, so I’m being vague myself. Despite the fact that I had trouble finding good momentum with reading this book, I did really enjoy it, and I’m happy with how it concluded. I’m wondering if Acceptance will hold any real, concrete answers or if I should resign myself to being in the dark about a lot of it, even at the very end.


Reading Next

I’ve not decided anything that I want to read next with certainty, but with October just around the corner I am starting to consider what horror books I think I can get through. My reading speed has been a little stunted this year, which is really bothering me, so I’m worried I won’t be able to do more than one average-sized novel. We shall see.

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

Book Review – The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett

The Fifth Elephant

The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett is the 24th novel in the author’s Discworld series and the fifth novel in the “City Watch” sub-series. Sam Vimes, commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, lives a life fraught with danger, pursuing hardened criminals throughout his notorious and modern city and dodging assassins sent by those with distaste for such a committed man of the law. He is about to face his toughest challenge, however, when made to step into his role as a Duke and play ambassador to the mysterious and filthy-rich country of Uberwald, a place that follows its own rules in deference to the various figures who hold power there. Politicking may not be his forte, but with a sacred dwarf artifact going missing and murders piling up, a no-nonsense policeman may be just what the place needs, if only he can keep the wolves from snapping at his heels.Read More »

Top 5 Books I Read in 2023

It’s that time of year again where I start reflecting on the past year’s reading endeavours and determine which among them were my favourites. As always, this isn’t about books that came out in 2023, just the ones that I enjoyed the most among all the books that I finished, listed in no particular order.

Surprisingly, I found this list a little more difficult to put together than normal, as somehow I didn’t really have the pool of books to pull from that I thought I did. Though I made a great effort to get a lot more comics read, I didn’t actually read much more novels than last year, and unfortunately I think there were a few more middling books than is usual for me. In any case, let’s get to this year’s list.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – January 3, 2024

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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’m between books, taking some time to cool off in the new year.


Recently Finished

The Fifth ElephantThough it took until pretty much the eleventh hour, I finished reading The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett during New Years. Though I took time away from the blog to visit family for the holidays, I actually got a fair amount of the book read while I was away, which is uncharacteristic of me. Still, it wasn’t quite enough to stop me from needing to read up until the last minute, but I’m happy I got it done all the same. Though I don’t like it as much as others, my opinion on this novel really turned around, despite taking a little while to get going. Ultimately, I just needed to be a little patient, as the first half of the novel did lay a solid foundation and build toward something really compelling. I love how much he’s able to make this world funny, yet have the funny little details matter beyond just being humour.


Reading Next

The Employees (2)At the moment, I don’t really have a solid plan for what I want to read next. I kept alluding to a book I would maybe squeeze in at the end of the year, and obviously I did not do that. That book was The Employees by Olga Ravn. It’s a short science fiction novella about the crew of a ship, both organic and synthetic alike, becoming fixated on strange objects they take onto their ship. The story is told in employee memos and reports, which sounds like a really interesting format, and it also looks like it won’t take me long to read at all, so I’ll hopefully get through it soon now that I have a clean slate. Other than that, I still want to read All My Friends Are Creeps by Count D. soon, since I’m borrowing it from a friend.

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

Book Review – Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett

Carpe Jugulum

Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett is the 23rd novel in the author’s Discworld series and the 6th book in the “Witches” subseries. It’s a time for celebration in the kingdom of Lancre, as King Verence II and Queen Magrat are celebrating the birth and naming of their first child. Everybody and their mother is invited, from far and wide, though it seems a certain Granny’s invitation has gotten lost in the mail. More’s the pity, as the guest list includes a family of vampires from nearby Uberwald, invited in the name of good diplomacy. Only a fool would invite a vampire into his home, no matter how modern their sensibilities; an invitation from a king into a kingdom puts nearly everybody at the mercy of their influence, meaning the witches of Lancre may have finally met their match.Read More »

WWW Wednesday – August 16, 2023

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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

This is How You Lose the Time WarI’m back after a week away! I spent a week in Mexico for my brother’s wedding, and while I was there I started reading This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal Eh-Mohtar & Max Gladstone. It was incredibly hot and spending time with people kept me quite busy, so I only set aside a little bit of time to get any reading done. Still, I was able to get almost 50 pages into this book, which is pretty good for me considering my track record with reading at travel destinations. So far, I’ve just been getting to know Red and Blue more and more as they continue to correspond; I really like how dizzying yet captivating their journeys through time are, with some of their missions lasting for decades before they receive another letter. There are a lot of wonderfully imaginative depictions of periods of the distant past and future that are not over-explained yet are described enough to leave a good impression.


Recently Finished

Carpe JugulumBefore I left last week, I managed to finish reading Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett, the 23rd novel in the series and the sixth book about the Witches. Though I’ve said as much already, I really enjoyed this novel. Since I was so close to finishing it in my last post, I’m not sure what I can say here that hasn’t been said already, except that a nice touch was how it felt like a proper passing of the torch between Magrat and Agnes as the new “maiden” of the coven. Magrat’s absence from Maskerade felt a little too conspicuous for me from what I remember, so getting to see a more mature version of her fully realized and having (presumably) one last adventure with the other witches felt really good. I’m going to try to have a review of this up soon.

The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess 5I also managed to finish reading the fifth volume of the manga adaptation of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess by Akira Himekawa before leaving, which gave us an even greater shift in the relationship between Link and Midna. What I especially loved in this volume though were the references to the Hero of Time; there is a flash of imagery when Zelda learns Link’s name, hinting at her knowledge of the events of Ocarina of Time, and later on while on their way to retrieve the Master Sword it is more directly confirmed that the Skull Kid who guards the way is the very same that knew the old hero. I really do wish all of the games greater emphasized their connections like this.


Reading Next

I’ve no concrete plans on what I want to read next, as there are a few candidates now that I didn’t read as much as I might have while on vacation. Stay tuned!

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

WWW Wednesday – July 12, 2023

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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

Carpe JugulumThe other night I started reading Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett, the 23rd Discworld novel. This book sees the return of Granny Weatherwax and the other witches of the Ramtop Mountains, their last novel appearance having been in book 18. I’m excited to read about these characters again, they’re among my favourites in the series, though for some reason I had trouble getting into it during my first reading session, though I’m chocking that up more to me feeling tired than I am anything to do with the book. I’m not very far into it right now, only about 30 pages give or take, but their little kingdom being invaded by a family of vampires and (apparently) little blue men from outer space has me invested.


Recently Finished

The Sea and Little FishesThis was an odd week, because what I did read through I don’t even feel really counts as a book for Goodreads (hence me not adding it there), but I still want to talk about it here anyway, even if I read through it in a notepad file. What I read was “The Sea and Little Fishes” by Terry Pratchett, a short story set between Discworld books 22 and 23. It involved Granny Weatherwax and the Ramtop witches, which made it great for whetting my appetite for Carpe Jugulum. In it, witches are gathering from far and wide to participate in the Witch Trials, which takes on a humorously altered meaning here. It didn’t take me very long to get through, but it was a lot of fun, further emphasizing Weatherwax’s notorious status as a force to be reckoned with, even among other witches.


Reading Next

I’ve got a good idea of a handful of things I want to read next, as per usual, but I haven’t really settled on anything definitively yet. This is mainly because I ought to be able to finish each of them by the following week, so it often comes down to mentally committing to one. As it seems to turn out, however, I leave myself so undecided that I end up choosing none, and then on we move to another week. Stay tuned, I suppose.

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

WWW Wednesday – July 5, 2023

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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! I’m between books at the moment.


Recently Finished

Jurassic ParkMonday morning I managed to finish my reread of Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton; I’m really happy I was able to follow through on my prediction that I’d be able to do so by this week’s post. It was an excellent book, and I have gained the greater appreciation for it that I was hoping I would compared to when I read it back in middle school or high school. Something glaring about what motivated me to read it though was the fact that I’d seen so much hyping it up as a scarier story than the film, but it really isn’t. It’s definitely darker and a little more violent, but it doesn’t really give a horror atmosphere. Maybe I’m just harder to scare, but it still felt pretty firmly science fiction to me. Still, I’m happy for the refresher, as I want to move on to The Lost World soon.


Reading Next

Vermis II can’t remember how certain I’ve been about what I’ll read next lately, but the other morning I apparently committed to starting Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett, as I brought my copy with me in case I wanted to start it after finishing Jurassic Park. With my new-found reading time, I’m hoping I can finish this book within the month of July, but we’ll see. I’m also really considering reading through Vermis I by Plastiboo, which is a rather unique art book I recently purchased a copy of. It’s a guide book to a dungeon-crawling game that never existed, and it’s full of art that I simply adore. It probably won’t take much longer to read than a comic, and I’d really like to make myself read through it, as it’s something I could easily just let sit on a shelf like any other art book, but I really want to fully appreciate it.

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

WWW Wednesday – May 31, 2023

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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

Jurassic ParkI’ve made some decent progress in Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, though I’m still in the early phases of the story. I have finally met most of the main cast, however, and it won’t be long now until they arrive at the island. I’m actually surprised how much the first hundred pages or so are focused on the effects InGen’s experiments are already having on the world and the corporate landscape in general with respect to genetic engineering. It’s a sentiment I’ve shared already, but I really do appreciate how much the recklessness of all that’s being done is emphasized. I’m so much more familiar with the film adaptation, and while I continue to think it is a great film, I can’t help but find it a little tacky how much more they sideline the more cynical aspects of corporate negligence in favour or wide-eyed naivete.


Recently Finished

Nothing this week; I’m really letting the comics I keep meaning to read languish for some reason.


Reading Next

Carpe JugulumI haven’t solidly made up my mind about what I want to read next, but I’m fairly certain I haven’t read a single Discworld novel in a least a year, which I find troubling the more I think about it, so there is a good chance the next book I read will be Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett. I’m sure Jurassic Park won’t take me as long as American Psycho did too, so hopefully it’ll be sooner than later, but I do still have a ways to go in that book, so it’ll be a while yet. Nevertheless, I think I’d like to start mentally committing now.

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

Book Review – The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett

The Last Continent

The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett is the 22nd novel in the author’s comic fantasy Discworld series and the sixth in the Rincewind sub-series. Following the events of the previous novel, Interesting Times, Rincewind finds himself once again to be a stranger in a strange land, this time in Fourecks (or XXXX), a continent relatively unknown to the rest of the Discworld. It is a desolate and arid place full of surprisingly jovial people and terrifying wildlife. Though at first simply trying to survive as best he can, it would seem destiny once again has a mission for the put-upon, subpar wizard, one that will have him embarking on a odyssey across the landscape, making him a hero among the locals whether he likes it or not.Read More »