WWW Wednesday – December 2, 2020

December 2, 2020 Ryan8 Comments

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

As of last night I’ve gotten just over 100 pages into Maskerade by Terry Pratchett, the 18th Discworld novel. Surprisingly, I’ve found this novel a little slower-going than a lot of the previous books in the series. Despite how far I am into the book, I don’t feel I have a full grasp of what the story will be about just yet. Nevertheless, I am really enjoying the introduction of Agnes Nitt, a character with a good head on her shoulders that would make for a great witch if not for her desire to be a singer. The only thing I’m a little iffy about with her is how much the book likes to make fun of her weight. It doesn’t feel incongruous with how Discworld stories are told, but it has happened with a frequency that has started to feel a little mean-spirited. I do enjoy how she is actually characterized, though, so perhaps it’s just me.

Recently Finished

Over the weekend I finished reading Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn. I’m not over-the-moon about the book, but I really enjoyed it as a solid reading experience. The problem of the Then/Now story line still persisted, with the “Then” story being less interesting, which I can attribute to the fact that it was connected to the Clone Wars itself. So, while it did have some surprises in store by the end, ultimately I knew that the events of this story would be of no consequence to the greater war. “Now”, on the other hand, is a side story taking place in the Imperial era but unconnected to the war with the rebels, with my only foreknowledge being that Vader and Thrawn must survive, keeping the stakes of everything else appreciably higher. I should have a review up for this novel soon.

I also read through The Immortal Hulk: Hulk is Hulk by Al Ewing et al, which reminded me of just how much I love this series. I wish I’d been able to read it a little sooner, in fact, as it was a direct continuation of the action from the end of the previous volume, which introduced a new villain. In this, Hulk’s very identity becomes compromised as an alien monster who, on the behalf of the Roxxon corporation, alters everyone’s memories of what the Hulk even is. It wrapped up a little too neatly at the end for me, but nonetheless had some great exploration of the Hulk’s various personalities within his mindscape, as well as some genuinely harrowing moments that left me shocked to remember this is a mainline series about the character.

Reading Next

I’ve got a good handful of books to choose from next, so I shouldn’t be paralyzed by choice when the time comes. That being said, I haven’t quite made up my mind yet, but I’ve still got a good bit of Maskerade left to read anyway. I will likely reading Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren by Charles Soule as my next comic book read, though, which should be fun.

I wish I’d gotten this up earlier today, but I was much too tired after my night shift. I ought to adjust when I write these.

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

WWW Wednesday – November 25, 2020

November 25, 2020 Ryan14 Comments

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

Thrawn Alliances I’m about 69% of the way through Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn, which is nice, though I wanted to have it finished by now, so not quite nice enough. I’ve slacked on reading during my days off, as per usual. I’m still enjoying the book quite a bit, though of the two eras it jumps between I’m definitely preferring one over the other, which isn’t to the novel’s credit. I just find the frictional relationship between Vader and Thrawn much more interesting. There’s an appreciable amount of intrigue to the story overall, though, as in both time periods I’m not certain what the characters will ultimately discover about their respective investigations, especially since one is implied to have led to a region of a planet becoming inhospitable. I look forward to finishing it, which I ought to do soon if I’m going to stay on schedule.

Recently Finished

Nothing this week!

Reading Next

Immortal Hulk Hulk is Hulk I’ve already committed to starting Maskerade by Terry Pratchett next, so there’s nothing new there, but I suppose I ought to actually read some books from the graphic novel pile. I recently purchased the newest volume of The Immortal Hulk by Al Ewing et al, so I’ll probably read that soon to stay on top of the series. I’m still behind on my Goodreads challenge too and slacking on comics has definitely been the reason for that.

I’ve got three volumes of Berserk by Kentaro Miura just sitting on my shelf, and manga reads especially quickly, so I’ll probably get to those soon too. I really have so much to choose from, I don’t know why I let them languish.

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

WWW Wednesday – November 18, 2020

November 18, 2020 Ryan10 Comments

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

Thrawn Alliances I started reading Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn on Sunday and have gotten nearly 30% of the way through it so far, which feels like a decent amount of progress for me. I’m enjoying it quite a bit, the story split between two different eras; the Clone War and the Imperial era. It tells of a mission Anakin underwent to planet Batuu to look for a missing Padmé in the former time, with Thrawn meeting him there and offering assistance, and in the latter Thrawn and Darth Vader return to the planet to investigate a disturbance in the Force sensed by the Emperor. Though the story has spent more time in the past with Anakin, I am enjoying the juxtaposition between the two times. It’s fascinating to see both him and Vader represented so firmly in the same story, the differences with how he interacts with Thrawn being the most dynamic.

Recently Finished

Eileen Over the weekend I finished reading Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh, and I must say the slow burn really paid off by the end. It spent a lot of meticulous time getting into the head of the character and really understanding how she ticks, which built up well toward her foreshadowed disappearance and the circumstances surrounding it. The climactic chapter had a great deal of suspense to it as well, banking on so much of the groundwork laid leading up to it. There are some pieces I was able to connect on my own before things were revealed, but it was also much darker than I had been anticipating. I meant to have my review up yesterday, but life got a bit in the way of that, as it it wont to do. I should have it up by tomorrow.

Reading Next

With my final books of the year pretty much set in stone, I have decided I will start reading Maskerade by Terry Pratchett next, the 18th Discworld novel. I haven’t read about the Witches since last December, which doesn’t feel that long ago for some reason, yet there have been three books between them all the same. I’m glad I will be meeting my Discworld quota for the year once this is done. I’m always happy to read about my favourite coven too, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to quickly read through this book during the remainder of November.

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

WWW Wednesday – November 11, 2020

November 11, 2020 Ryan7 Comments

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 just over 60% of the way through Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh. I’m still enjoying reading it, but my goodness is this story a slow burn. It is still building up toward some fateful event that has Eileen disappear from her dreary life. There has been more intrigue and new developments than the beginning of the story, so it doesn’t quite feel like the story is dragging its feet, but I’m surprised it’s still yet to happen all the same. It’s actually holding me in a good deal of suspense, as Eileen narrates in past tense and continually drops hints about what’s going to happen next. She does spend a great deal fantasizing about running away, so I really want to know what happens that actually gets her to do it, considering how miserable her life is already.

Recently Finished

Nothing this week!

Reading Next

Making a last second decision as I write this, I have decided I will read Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn next, the second book in the new canon Thrawn trilogy of Star Wars novels. Hopefully I can get it and a third book done fairly quickly this month, so I can keep to my last-minute revision to my reading schedule. This novel has Thrawn tackling a threat to the Empire alongside Darth Vader, intercut with their first encounter during the Clone Wars when Vader was still Anakin Skywalker. I’m excited to see how this pans out. I’ve still got a number of Star Wars comic book volumes to read too, so I’ll probably start chipping away at them soon as well. I mean it this time.

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

WWW Wednesday – November 4, 2020

November 4, 2020 Ryan8 Comments

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

Eileen In a last minute decision the other day, I decided to start Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh as my next book off of my to-read list for the year. It’s been more than a bit since I last read one of her books, this being earlier than the previous two, and apparently her first book to really blow up in popularity, if the number of Goodreads ratings is a good indicator. I’m only 18% of the way through so far, and it’s been fairly slow-going, but I am enjoying the way it is building out the main character and her dreary life. As with her other books, she captures a sense of human misery very well, but in a way that feels mundane in a rather haunting way. I eagerly anticipate Eileen’s impending disappearance, which she plans to enact herself.

Recently Finished

Alien Sea of Sorrows On the morning of Halloween I finished reading Alien: Sea of Sorrows by James A. Moore, and with all said and done I’m really quite fond of it. It did have some glaring continuity issues related the previous book, unfortunately, but I can forgive them. It doesn’t stand out as all that unique, especially after all of the setup is done with, but I became decently attached to a number of the characters and I really enjoyed the glimpse into the way the aliens themselves think and feel. It gave us a peak behind the curtain into their psyche without spoiling too much of their mystique. I also loved the ending and look forward to any possible sequels the future has in store (if one hasn’t come out already). I should have a review up soon.

I started Adventures into the Unknown Archives Vol. 1 on Halloween night, but I didn’t get it finished until the morning of November 2. This was my last Frighteningly Good Read and goodness was it a strange little trip. Horror comics in 1948 were weird, or at least these were. Not exactly in a good way, though. The pacing was all over the place and I could never really take any of the “horrors” seriously. One such figure called “the Living Ghost” appeared in two stories, depicted as what looked like a cross between the Devil, Dracula, and Frankenstein’s monster. He was an all-powerful demon with command over the undead who got up to such deeds as strangling switch operators and pushing cars off of cliffs. Captivating stuff.

Reading Next

Initially, I was planning to start Moby-Dick by Herman Melville instead of Eileen, but now I’m wondering if I can finish everything on my to-read list except for that book. It’s still a long shot, but we’ll see. It’s the most daunting book and if I can read all the others except that one I’ll be pretty satisfied. Don’t know what will follow Eileen yet.

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

WWW Wednesday – October 28, 2020

October 28, 2020October 28, 2020 Ryan2 Comments

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

Alien Sea of Sorrows I’m currently a good chunk of the way through Alien: Sea of Sorrows by James A. Moore. I’ve made good progress since last week, though I wanted to have it done so not quite the progress I was intending. Nevertheless, I’m happy to report I’m enjoying this book a lot more than its predecessor. It still has its connections to Ripley from the core films, but they’re removed enough from the events of this story that it doesn’t feel contrived. I quite like the cast of characters introduced in this story too, especially the main character, who is very put upon by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation as they attempt to engage with capturing xenomorphs more directly. It’s a nice change of pace for the franchise and I’m intrigued to see where things will lead.

Recently Finished

Nothing this week!

Reading Next

Adventures into the Unknown Archives Vol. 1 I’ve got one other book to finish for Frighteningly Good Reads this year, and that is the second graphic novel I chose: Adventures Into the Unknown volume one, an archive volume of old horror comics. I’m getting a lot of Creepshow vibes when I imagine reading this, so I’m hoping the collection delivers. I think I got this book for free on Comixology, but I can’t remember why. Must have been a promotion? I just hope they don’t feel too old-fashioned while reading. At any rate, I’m hoping I can get all this readings finished up by Halloween.

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

WWW Wednesday – October 21, 2020

October 21, 2020 Ryan3 Comments

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.

Recently Finished

Monday night I finished reading The Night Will Find Us by Matthew Lyons, my first Frighteningly Good Read for this year. It was quite the trip powering through it over the last week. By the end my feelings were a little mixed, though leaning more positively. Since the early chapters last week there were a lot of unexpected twists and turns in this book, which was one of its strengths. For a good while I really didn’t know where the story was going, though eventually it got a little meandering in this way. It did have some pretty creepy moments too, though the source of the horror was a little too nebulous for its own good, which became a big problem. I should have a full review up very soon.

I also read through Tremor Dose by Michael Conrad and Noah Bailey last night, my second Frighteningly Good Read. I liked this graphic novel, it had some great ideas and very unique art, but the story kind of fell apart by the end for me. There’s a tantalizing afterword by the authors that discusses how every question the book raises can be answered by the content itself, but I’m not sure I actually care to reread and dissect it. I do keep thinking about doing it, so there’s a chance, but I don’t want to be dwelling on this one book too long. It’s not a very long read, though, so I still haven’t made up my mind. I should have a review up for this book too, regardless, within the next week or so.

Reading Next

I’m staying the course with my reading plans, so I’ll be starting Alien: Sea of Sorrows by James A. Moore very soon.

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

WWW Wednesday – October 14, 2020

October 14, 2020 Ryan12 Comments

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

Since last week I’ve started reading The Night Will Find Us by Matthew Lyons, though I’m only about 20 pages in. Between my birthday last Friday and the Thanksgiving long weekend, I didn’t have a lot of time for reading. The book has all been setup so far, though I am intrigued. There’s a good handful of characters to keep track of, but Lyons has done a good job of making them feel fairly distinct off the hop. The characterization of some of them feels a little cliched, but with a bit of a twist that promises something more interesting further along in the story. I want to try to have this finished as soon as possible, so hopefully I’ll be done by next week. Where has October gone?

Recently Finished

Nothing this week, I was just too busy.

Reading Next

Alien Sea of Sorrows I’ve got a lot lined up for the Halloween season, as I’ve said before, so for once I know a lot of what I’ll be reading next. Tremor Dose by Michael Conrad and Noah Bailey will be read any day now, I just need to buy a digital copy. As far as novels go, once I’ve finished with Lyons’s book I’m going to start Alien: Sea of Sorrows by James A. Moore. The more I’m thinking about this book and refreshing myself on the premise the more I’m hopeful that I’ll like this one. It sounds like it’ll be incorporating some of the good elements from the previous book, while not making the same glaring mistake.

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

WWW Wednesday – October 7, 2020

October 7, 2020 Ryan9 Comments

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.

Recently Finished

Last night I ostensibly finished reading Thermopylae by Paul Cartledge. I’m still combing through some of the appendices, but I don’t expect that to take me much longer. I got to the end of the epilogue, so that’s the text itself done, darn it. I enjoyed this book, but I have an issue with reading ancient history, namely all the names: places, people, peoples. It’s a lot that I’m not 100% sure I’m pronouncing correctly in my head, which makes recollecting important information harder for me as I go. I liked the book, it provided some interesting insight into the societies concerned with the battle and the politics around it, but I wasn’t in love with reading it either. A pretty middle-of-the-road experience. I don’t think I’m going to review this one either, since I’m much too eager to move on from it right now.

Reading Next

Tremor Dose Since it’s now October and I’m participating in Frighteningly Good Reads, I’ve got a nice handful of horror reads lined up. As I said last week, I’m going to read the ARC copy I have of The Night Will Find Us by Matthew Lyons next, about a group of teenagers tormented by cosmic horror while lost in a seemingly infinite forest. I’m hoping it will be quite thrilling. I’m also going to read Tremor Dose by Michael Conrad and Noah Bailey soon, which is a horror graphic novel I’ve had my eyes on for a while. It’s inspired by the “Have You Dreamed This Man?” hoax, which is such a creepy idea I’m eager to see fleshed out in fiction.

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

WWW Wednesday – September 30, 2020

September 30, 2020 Ryan6 Comments

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’ve read another chapter of Thermopylae by Paul Cartledge since last week, but that’s it. Not really enough for me to comment any further on the book. I was much too fixated on reading what I recently finished.

Recently Finished

solutions-and-other-problems Over the last week I spent most of my time reading through Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh, the follow up to Hyperbole and a Half. This is one of the funniest reading experiences I’ve had in a long time. Her art style is so abstractly evocative that so many relatable sensations come across through her illustrations alone. There are certain chapters and moments from the book that can still get me laughing just by thinking about them. It touches upon some rather heavy topics too, sometimes managing to find an appreciably humorous side to things like existential dread. There could occasionally be a bit of tonal whiplash between chapters, but I highly recommend checking it out. I should have a fully review up sometime soon.

Reading Next

The Night Will Find Us I feel I should go off of my to-read list a bit for October, since I didn’t actually add many horror novels to it, despite the fact that I love reading spooky books around Halloween. I guess I thought I’d have a better handle on this list.

In any case, I’ve decided that once I finish with Thermopylae I’m going to read The Night Will Find Us by Matthew Lyons, an ARC I recently received. I’m not familiar with any of the author’s work, so I’m excited to check out some new horror. I’m also going to check out Alien: Sea of Sorrows by James A. Moore, to give one of these new Alien novels a shot after I didn’t quite like the last one.

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