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Angel Down by Daniel Kraus wins Pulitzer for Fiction
“Feminism play Liberation and first world war novel Angel Down among Pulitzer winners” - The Guardian
The award is meant to represent the best American fiction published in the calendar year of 2025.
Have you read the book? What do you think?How does this compare to previous winners of the prize?
https://redd.it/1t3u5ig
@r_books
Early lies of HH in nabokov lolita
I read the book around 3 years ago and it absolutly blew my mind because it was the first time the narrator took me for an idiot. I realised it with that paragraph
Dante fell deeply in love with Beatrice when she was nine. Petrarch fell madly in love with his Laureen, she was a fair-haired nymphet of twelve running in the wind"
The thing is i absolutly knew dante was a kid when they met but he made me doubt myself so much i had to google it. After that i didn t trust any of his retelling at all. The funny thing is the dante line made me bugged so much that i didn t even question the rest. I just learnt today that the petrarch line is apparently a lie as well! They met when she was 17! It amazes me that i didn t even question it. Do you know if they are some other well known lies or approximation?
https://redd.it/1t3j85l
@r_books
Modern Greek mythology retellings and the fetish for oppression.
I recently completed Ovid's Metamorphoses and went on a Greek mythology spree. Having read a few classics in a row— Metamorphoses, and two Proust volumes— I wanted to read something light and fast. I decided to pick up a modern Greek mythology retelling. It was A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes. I think everyone knows the fame of Lore Olympus and the unending Persephone/Hades love stories it has inspired. There has been a lot of criticism of this trend but something I generally see missing from the said criticism is what I want to talk about. I think it's missing because perhaps it might not be the most politically correct thing to say. Please understand that this is not a screed against wokeism or anything.
There seems to be a fetish for oppression in these retelling. A need to highlight the stories of the wronged, the ignored, the judged, the forgotten and in that trend it seems like something original and genuinely subversive is missing. A lot of these women in these books, despite being feminist retellings, are quite lacking in their own agency, a lot of them rendered passive. Powerful female characters like Athena rarely get a perspective because she holds the fate of the heroes in her hand and because it is impossible to show a romance with a famous virgin goddess. Stories that obscure faithfulness to the classic sources are mostly seen in the retellings of Hades/ Persephone in order to tell a romantic story. The claim is that they wish to reclaim the narrative and push agency into Persephone's hands. I don't see how.
I can't help but feel that these retellings seem to lack diversity and an interesting perspective.
One of my favourite classical myths is that of Hylas and the nymphs. It is depicted in the beautiful and dark painting by John William Waterhouse (1896).
Hylas is a beautiful man, Hercules' companion, part of the Agronauts who, when he goes to fetch some water for his men after a tired journey, happens upon a pond filled with naiads. Enchanted by his beauty and— he by theirs— gets submerged in the pond to live enternally with the nymphs, losing his mortality. The painting depicts the darkness of this tale. There's a psychosexual almost sadomasochistic tone to this story and if someone were to write a retelling they could write a lyrically beautiful and horrifying tale dealing with the cruelty of beauty, seduction and surrender.
There's no feminist exploration of something like this. This painting is seen by modern scholars as depicting the anxieties of men living during the women's suffragettes' movements. These anxieties are generally depicted in the form of the femme fatale archetype. Yet the subject is not passive. Yet the man in the depiction is surrendering not trying to conquer. So why is a subject like this not interesting to modern myth retellers?
It seems to me that these retellings are less about the myth and more about a very specific contemporary subjectivity projecting itself backwards. A lot of the writers come from a middle class backgrounds, somewhat of an elevated class position but still not obscured from the material constraints of reality. These authors project their somewhat liberal fantasies in order to write a Greek mythology fanfiction. It's a bad thing in the sense that now these retellings are rendered to merely escapist literature. It cannot explore the psychosexual dynamics of these myths, cannot write stories where women have agency and power like in the case of Athena.
To me all this seems to be a part of what I consider consolatory fiction to make up for the lack of historically absent and marginalized position women have had in the sphere of intellectual debates. But the problem is that this consolatory stuff just flattens women and makes them submissive– a well known technique used by men on women.
I wonder if this is simply an ignorant take and a mere projection of my taste or if there is something real here. It's a trend that has been noticeable to me for a while
What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: May 04, 2026
Hi everyone!
What are you reading? What have you recently finished reading? What do you think of it? We want to know!
We're displaying the books found in this thread in the book strip at the top of the page. If you want the books you're reading included, use the formatting below.
Formatting your book info
Post your book info in this format:
the title, by the author
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The Bogus Title, by Stephen King
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NEW: Would you like to ask the author you are reading (or just finished reading) a question? Type !invite in your comment and we will reach out to them to request they join us for a community Ask Me Anything event!
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Opening of the circle: Stephen King's "The Stand".
Been tackling another of King's epics for the past several days now, and have at long last finished it! This is "The Stand"!
Things start off with a patient who escapes from a biological testing facility, and he is carrying, without even knowing it, a mutated form of super flu that kills off 99 percent of the population of the world.And the few that remain are frightened, confused and in desperate need of a leader.
But two emerge: the benevolent Mother Abagail, who seeks to form a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado. And then the "Dark Man", Randall Flagg, who is only interested in chaos and destruction. And as they gather their power, the will have to choose between either of them which will eventually decide the fate of humanity.
I tried to read and finish this at high school a long time ago, and it was the revised and expanded edition (and not the original 800+ version originally published in 1978). Of course I had to check it out from one of the classes I had, and ultimately wasn't able to finish it. But recently I was able to get my own copy and now I finally got to finish it!
When I initially started to read it I was very enamored with how epic it was, especially the expanded version of it. It's got a lot going on with it's massive story, the multitude of characters in it. There is so much going on in it, even for a post apocalyptic dark fantasy! Dark, funny, romantic, terrifying and fantastic, all wrapped up in one big package! The expanded and uncut version probably would've been the first big Stephen King novel I've ever finished years ago, but that honor would go to "It". But "The Stand" (particularly with the expanded version) is a bit longer than "It". Really love this one, and it's also great to read King after a long while!
https://redd.it/1t34ycp
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'Bookless bookstore': audio-only book shop opens in New York
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260502-bookless-bookstore-audio-only-book-shop-opens-in-new-york
https://redd.it/1t2pt10
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The way of kings
I’m about 250 pages in and I really just might not finish it. Should I put in the time? Does it evolve? I find the writing to be sort of…predictable? Flat maybe? Not hating on Brandon Sanderson really. It’s just not to enjoyable for me. But if the story unfolds in a really cool way later I’ll stick it out to the end.
https://redd.it/1t2o5h6
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The Iron Druid Series (Books 1-5, including short stories and novellas)
I started reading The Iron Druid Series awhile ago, I was looking for fantasy books that didn’t feeling overly fantastic (one of the reasons I won’t touch Tolkien, no there is no point debating his point, you won’t convince me to give him a shot). So, I chose the Iron Druid since it mostly takes place in real locations (when he isn’t traveling through other planes with deities.
Atticus is a decently interesting character, I enjoy reading his adventures with Celtic deities, and The Morrison has been my favorite so far. She seems like a really fun character, and someone I would probably enjoy talking to. Oberon (his Irish Wolfhound) is fun too, and I love their inner monologues.
As a person who likes to fully complete things, I have also read the other short stories and novellas surrounding the first five books in the series. I feel like it adds more depth to the characters.
I have also enjoyed the deities that have appeared so far, Celtic, Norse, Greek, Roman, Christian, Russian etc. They have all brought something to the stories that make it even more fun for me.
Anyway, the story so far has had a really good balance of fantasy, reality, and the romance isn’t overwhelming, turning it into pseduo Romantasy, which is a genre I have little to no interest in.
If you haven’t read the series, I recommend picking it up. If you haven’t read, I would love to know what your thoughts are on it!
https://redd.it/1t2gx4f
@r_books
How Is the Persian Invasion of Greece Like the Iran War? In these books, an emperor, an officer and an orphan look for anything that resembles a clear victory in the fog of war.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/24/books/review/military-history-persia-iraq-us-civil-war.html?unlocked_article_code=1.dVA.pagR.zKqScNp8dH2m
https://redd.it/1t24i2d
@r_books
Can someone explain this paragraph from Moby Dick for me? This isn't homework, just me trying to read a book
For be a man’s intellectual superiority what it will, it can never assume the practical, available supremacy over other men, without the aid of some sort of external arts and entrenchments, always, in themselves, more or less paltry and base. This it is, that for ever keeps God’s true princes of the Empire from the world’s hustings; and leaves the highest honors that this air can give, to those men who become famous more through their infinite inferiority to the choice hidden handful of the Divine Inert, than through their undoubted superiority over the dead level of the mass. Such large virtue lurks in these small things when extreme political superstitions invest them, that in some royal instances even to idiot imbecility they have imparted potency. But when, as in the case of Nicholas the Czar, the ringed crown of geographical empire encircles an imperial brain; then, the plebeian herds crouch abased before the tremendous centralization. Nor, will the tragic dramatist who would depict mortal indomitableness in its fullest sweep and direct swing, ever forget a hint, incidentally so important in his art, as the one now alluded to.
https://redd.it/1t1uqxb
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Update: 9 months later - I can't believe I ever felt like this was an obstacle
https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1m8k265/what_are_some_strategies_to_overcome_reading_a/
https://redd.it/1t1k9ur
@r_books
I never read the introductions to Classics
Before reading the novel. I always find they are full of spoilers and are utterly useless for someone who has not yet read the book. I don't understand why publishers insist on printing introductions at the beginning of the book. They should come at the end, be called something else. Because after reading the book, it's a totally different story. Now, these few pages provide additional significance to the whole story and give valuable insights about the author, the context, the characters...well, about everything. And then, you get the urge to re read the book, with this new now available information.
Most people that read classics may already know this, but for the people who are just starting to delve into this side of literature, reading those introductions may deter them from further reading these type of works. Why? Because if you don't know what it's all about, the introductions drag, they are tiresome, you read them in a hurry barely understanding anything, trying to go through them as fast as you can so you can finally start reading the actual book.
So, if you don't want to read the introductions, don't do it. Don't feel like you should read every page just because it's printed in the book. Once you finish the book, you're going to want to come back to those pages anyway, because you'll be eager to find out more.
Also I wanted to add that, most of the time, introductions are full of views and interpretations that will most definitely influence the way you approach the book, and in a way, lend you partial to these opinions without giving you the proper opportunity to shape your own. Introductions are valuable, but your own reading experience is definitely more valuable.
https://redd.it/1t1crp9
@r_books
those. Science dump and a half the both of them, and I am not a very scientifically minded person. Exposition and flat characters that serve as functions. But damn...those are at least interesting and exciting page turns. Kind of like Da Vinci Code was. Or as I remember it. That was like 20 years ago. I know that Dan Brown likes exposition, but his timing was just way off in this one. It was literally tacked in during intense scenes. Repeatedly. It was the literary technique. "Then Robert Langdon ran away from the bad people who he couldn't identify, and as he was winded walking across this famous street, he regretted that he couldn't pause and admire the history of the brick three to the left of the boot of the statue donated by the Pope's friend's best friend’s roommate. Then he made it to the place he was going, and he saw the most inspiring symbol of all time: a green square with a white phone in the center, telling him that he was receiving a phone call."
Thanks for attending my Book Rant.
https://redd.it/1t16o91
@r_books
Transient by Zachry Wheeler
Hi all,
I just finished reading Transient by Zachry Wheeler and although it's not a literary masterpiece I really enjoyed reading it. I really like stories about immortality (I really liked The Postmortal by Drew Magary and Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman is my favorite series) as well as the ideal of vampires in the modern world (like in True Blood) so I recommend this book to anyone who shares these feelings.
What I didn't understand is why the vampires spoke Russian. I thought it would be explained at some point but it never was...
Thanks
https://redd.it/1t143dc
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Animal Farm Is Not for Kids but They Made It a Kids’ Movie Anyway
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2026/05/fun-family-movies-like-animal-farm/687032/?gift=jQN1t1D1nkO2TQodBiz5KAjbiysb2ByRZvTfzS4fZgo&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
https://redd.it/1t3pz68
@r_books
Weekly Calendar - May 04, 2026
Hello readers!
Every Monday, we will post a calendar with the date and topic of that week's threads and we will update it to include links as those threads go live. All times are Eastern US.
---
Day|Date|Time(ET)|Topic|
-|-|-|-
^Monday|^(May 04)||^(What are you Reading?)
^Tuesday|^(May 05)||^(New Releases)
^Wednesday|^(May 06)||^(LOTW)
^Thursday|^(May 07)||^(Favorite Books)
^Friday|^(May 08)||^(Weekly Recommendation Thread)
^Sunday|^(May 10)||^(Weekly FAQ: How do you get over a book hangover?)
https://redd.it/1t3d7lw
@r_books
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - A painful, saddening, but ultimately bittersweet and cute little novella that made my day!
I picked up White Nights a few days ago, and finished It in a couple of days, given how short it was, and I really liked it!
It was my first Dostoevsky read, because I heard it was a good introduction to his writing style. It can be so elegant and gorgeous, but sometimes sentences and paragraphs can be so, so long, causing me to re-read every few sentences more than I usually do! This book had a paragraph that lasted 7 and a half (small, albeit) pages!
I adored learning about our protagonist, a loner with no friends or partner, who's slowly losing the only engagement he ever has : there are fewer and fewer strangers for him to greet as he walks through St Petersburg since they're all leaving to go to their dachas (which I recently learnt is a name to describe Russian holiday homes), with their family and friends, something our protagonist unfortunately lacks.
The companionship and connection he shares with the sweet young stranger he meets, Nastenka, is so human, so heartwarming: there's something so relatable at how he interacts with this woman he's never met before. It was heartbreaking when he opens up to her, revealing that the only real relationships he forms are those in his own dreams and fantasies, causing him to fumble real life acquaintanceship as he's lost in his dreams, and yet this makes the moments he shares with Nastenka so much more special, as it might be the first moments of genuine connection he's experienced in a long, long time.
And it is because these moments are so precious to him personally, that the ending of the novel hits you right in the gut. Despite them both falling in love with each other, Nastenka goes on to marry the man she has been waiting for, for over a year, and she's basically lost to our protagonist forever (she says in her letter that they will still always be friends, but the friend-zone is not some place anyone particularly would want to be in).
However, at the very end of the story, he doesn't feel anger at Nastenka for leaving him behind, he doesn't feel jealousy for the guy marrying her, and he doesn't feel despair for the lonely life he will lead in the future. Instead he feels grateful that in his entire life of solitude, Nastenka, this sweet human being, had given him a moment of real, true, happiness, as potentially his only genuine, close companion. And it ends with the famous, bittersweet quote "My god! A whole minute of bliss! Is that really so little for the whole of a man's life?"
8/10, I want to read more Dostoevsky now.
https://redd.it/1t38zkk
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Putin goes after books — even the classics — and their publishers
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/05/02/putin-dials-up-repression-against-bookstores-songs-classic-poetry/
https://redd.it/1t2u2zi
@r_books
'A remarkable time capsule': The enchanting history of Oxford University's 750-year-old medieval library
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20260423-the-enchanting-story-of-oxfords-medieval-library?fbclid=IwdGRzaARkQ3ZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR5HCFwacSjAVomNXsWroP8lnsfaI3tBabZJ2zUyKBH0ifVNthYUCprha35m3g_aem_Ar3Uaeq8S0mT-rVIMq-UQg&sfnsn=mo
https://redd.it/1t2nwu0
@r_books
Weekly FAQ Thread May 03, 2026: How do you discover new books?
Hello readers and welcome to our Weekly FAQ thread! Our topic this week is: How do you discover new books? Do you use local bookstores, publications, blogs? Please post them here!
You can view previous FAQ threads here in our wiki.
Thank you and enjoy!
https://redd.it/1t2icsp
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'Lunch on a Beam' explores mystery surrounding iconic photo of Rockefeller Center workers
https://www.bunkhistory.org/resources/a-seat-at-the-top-book-review-of-lunch-on-a-beam-3-quarks-daily?__cf_chl_tk=hENTWLk8ORtxOw_ISOxXH_xZxWgmw5dsVCiBO.MCNYY-1777792233-1.0.1.1-8chYeMOCY7tY4kddAQdeAgzKHtyjzdSGI.gL23CSE50
https://redd.it/1t2eh6p
@r_books
My god, I cannot stand Rabbit, but also I can't stop following along?
I recently read Rabbit, Run by john updike, and what an I sufferable ass his everyman is. After finishing the book I was warily thinking the book was an indictment on that kind of man and his actions. Now starting Rabbit Redux, and reading his argument with the Greek fellow over politics, I think I'm probably right. It's so frustrating how insufferable he acts yet is given unending allowances on his behavior. But still knowing there 4 or 5 books, I am curious about where his life goes and if consequences eventually bite him.
Anyone have similar thoughts on Rabbit?
https://redd.it/1t250i8
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Simple Questions: May 02, 2026
Welcome readers,
Have you ever wanted to ask something but you didn't feel like it deserved its own post but it isn't covered by one of our other scheduled posts? Allow us to introduce you to our new Simple Questions thread! Twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday, a new Simple Questions thread will be posted for you to ask anything you'd like. And please look for other questions in this thread that you could also answer! A reminder that this is not the thread to ask for book recommendations. All book recommendations should be asked in /r/suggestmeabook or our Weekly Recommendation Thread.
Thank you and enjoy!
https://redd.it/1t1knw9
@r_books
Finally read on to Children of Dune, glad I did.
Holy hell what a strangely compelling but verbose and nonsense filled book. This guy writes in a way that makes you feel like you're reading some philosophical and human truths but at the same time you're questioning whether these characters are just speaking nonsense. I think that's the allure though. These internal musings and monologues spark profound introspection, you don't get too bogged down in them having to make perfect sense, they are imprinting on you anyway.
Very frustrating characters, very contrived personal conflict in many ways. You're jumping up and down screaming at these fuckers to just talk to each other. But he does a decent job having everyone believably wall each other off due to the immense stakes of the massive, galaxy wide implications of the mind games and political manoeuvrings going on in this book.
We once again get characters who are wise beyond their years due to some spice magic fuckery. While it felt like you were on the journey to grapple with this with Paul in Dune, Ghanima and Leto feel alien, they were born this way, you haven't been with them long enough to empathise like you could with Paul. You watch their plan unfold as a largely uninformed observer. I suppose this puts you somewhat in the position of everyone else who is manipulated by Leto and Ghanima. As the reader, you get infinitely more detail about what they're up to than those in universe and you still can't make heads or tails of it.
I was a little disappointed with Leto and Pauls reunion. You build up in your head that this will be the clash between their philosophies. They they'll have some sort of satisfying war of words and one will be convinced or won over. Leto doesn't seem to give Paul the respect necessary for this to be a thing though. It's like Paul is just another pawn to use on his golden path. I guess Herbert had already so reduced Paul by this point it wouldn't make sense for his input to have too much bearing on Leto's actions.
Alia was moustache twirling evil in this book. Irrational, emotional, rage filled. Very frustrating to read her make every situation worse for both her and the empire. You can believably chalk it up to her condition though. Herbert's focus clearly wasn't on fleshing her out maybe up until her final scene where some of her true self may have fought through.
I'm left wondering why I'm agreeing with Leto's actions. He's seen the Golden Path, anything is justified to avoid the alternatives, we're told. He certainly believes it, but then again, so do most megalomaniacal despots. If we had a figure like this, would we trust he knew the way? I suppose it might help if he had worm armour, could toss busses around and run really fast.
All in all, loved the book. It had me fully captured almost the whole time. I was one of those who was satisfied with Dune and who was put off reading on by the mixed reviews you see online. I picked up Messiah eventually and then Children of Dune years later. I'm glad I did, i'll read on.
https://redd.it/1t1e3x0
@r_books
Check out r/bookclub's May Menu!
May the books be with you this month. If you see anything you like on the menu, join us for the discussion or just get some inspiration on what to read this month!
(With permission from the Mods)
SCI-FI
###2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
(TBD)
[TRANSLATED NOVEL]
###Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
(May 5-May 19)
READ THE WORLD: AZERBAIJAN
###Ali and Nino by Kurban Said + Days in the Caucasus by Banine
● Ali and Nino (May 8-May 22)
● Days in the Caucasus (May 26-June 9)
[QUARTERLY NON-FICTION:BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY]
###The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcom X
(May 1-June 5)
EVERGREEN
###Beloved by Toni Morisson
(May 16-June 6)
[May-Jun DISCOVERY READ: PULITZER PRIZE WINNER]
###See nomination post 1st May
(TBD)
MOD PICK
###Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta
(May 18-June 1)
[RUNNER-UP READ]
###The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
(TBD)
BONUS READ
###The Ice by Ryan Cahill (Book #3.5)
(May 22-May 29)
[BONUS BOOK]
###Chapterhouse:Dune by Frank Herbert (Book 6)
(May 11-June 8)
BONUS READ
###The Horse and His Boy + The Magician's Nephew + The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
● The Horse and His Boy (May 7-May 21)
● The Magician's Nephew (May 28-June 4)
● The Last Battle (June 11-June 25)
[BONUS READ]
###The Secret Commonwealth by Phillip Pullman (Book of Dust #2)
(May 6-June 17)
BONUS READ
###This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman (Book #7)
(May 3-June 21)
[BONUS READ]
###Planet of Exile by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle #7)
(May 17-May 24)
BONUS READ
###Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse (The Sixth World #2)
(May 22-June 5)
**CONTINUING READS**
EVERGREEN
###The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (Discworld #1)
(April 23-May 14)
[Apr-May DISCOVERY READ: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage]
###Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng
(April 30-May 14)
MOD PICK
###Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
(April 20-May 11)
[BONUS READ]
###The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov
(April 24-May 8)
BONUS READ
###The Children of Strife by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Book 4)
(April 19-May 17)
[BONUS READ]
###Leviathan Falls by James S. A. Corey (Book 9) + The Sins of Our Fathers (Short Story)
●Leviathan Falls (April 18-May 23)
●The Sins of Our Fathers (May 30)
THE BIG SPRING READ - PUBLIC DOMAIN
###Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackery
(March 18-May 20)
For a full list of discussions, schedules, additional info and rules, head to the **May Menu**
https://redd.it/1t0va5d
@r_books
Dan Brown's The Secret of Secrets: A Rant
Spoiler Warning: I will address mild spoilers for this book (The Secret of Secrets), reference The Da Vinci Code but don't think I spoiled anything. I also mention The Expanse novels and other things I have read recently in comparison to Brown's book. I do spoil one of the Expanse novellas by oversimplifying a summary for it. I also mention a few other books, but I don't really go into any details beyond allusion.
I just finished Dan Brown's The Secret of Secrets and need to vent. I never considered him a fantastic writer, but I did enjoy reading most of the Robert Langdon books. At least part of each book was solid if you accepted them for what they were and what kind of writer/storyteller Dan Brown is. It's like watching a horror movie. You're not expecting a masterpiece. You're expecting a slasher, to jump, and to go home. But man. This book felt...painful. It was slow. Langdon's symbol knowledge felt pointless. >!Starbucks. Exit stairs. The A in the Prague card was the only one that felt clever.!< The main character was pointless. The story happened without him. The exposition over explained facts, which felt awesome and interesting in Da Vinci Code, felt like Yelp quotes. I struggled to finish this book. I only did because I hate leaving things incomplete after I've read more than a few chapters.
Now, to be fair to Dan Brown I'm currently reading through all of The Expanse novels and novellas. So, I have a current "standard" in my mind as I read through this...thriller. No spoilers for those please. I'm not ready to discuss the whole series. But these books feel intellectual and purposeful. I'm almost halfway through the entirety of it, and I am genuinely hooked and having a great time. I've read everything (publication order) up to The Churn (novella). Out of all of those, only Gods of Risk felt like it was a bad story. I don't think it was poorly written, but it was not something I was personally interested in. >!It was a low stakes story about content I don't get excited about. The rest were very engaging. Gods of Risk was like...YA Breaking Bad. On Mars for some reason. Oh yeah, and the Mars Marine Bobbie Draper is there. I do like Bobbie, so I was hopeful.!<
In comparison, this Secret of Secrets book was an absolute chore. Don't get me wrong, there were a few chapters that were page turners. >!The split personality twist wasn't one I predicted. He got me to think it was indeed the Dimitri guy that supposedly died but then we thought didn't.!< But like...Langdon used to be a somewhat “cool” different kind of protagonist because his old adventures were history and religion stuff that felt learned and earned. I get it, he’s a Gary Stu with a Ph.D., but he felt less impactful than Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The characters in general just kind of frustrated me. >!I also hated that Brown literally had someone use ChatGPT in an attempt to solve a serious conflict, and then it came up again as a “well I could have solved this thing if I wanted it with my good ol’ GPT pall in my pocket.”!< It also made Prague feel like a cartoon city. The book also FELT like it's knocking on some Scientology wannabe science, which no matter how valid or true all of >!the nonlocal consciousness!< ends up being, it reads like Brown audited a philosophy class and wrote it at some Starbucks in Prague because his hotel comped him a week for some PR. In fact, even if all of the >!nonlocal consciousness!< stuff was 100% true, this book managed to make me LESS interested in it. I'm literally not interested in researching anything about the "smart" stuff in this book, whereas in his other texts I was at least mildly interested in fact-checking some of the history. This time it just turned into "If you say so, Dan," and I turned the page. He shot the information in the foot by burying it in a steaming pile of excr...exposition.
For the record, I don't think all exposition dumps are terrible. I really liked Andy Weir's The Martian and Project Hail Mary; in fact, I can happily reread
What are some actually good movie or tv-show adaptations of a book?
I hear a lot about the worst book-to-movie adaptations, especially with the new Wuthering Heights that has just come out (and the new War of the Worlds, well, let's not talk about that one), but people rarely ever talk about good ones. E.g. personally I thought The Godfather film was better than the book, and Hunger Games was decent too, though it's been a few years since I've seen it so my memory may be faulty there.
And because I have just gotten an HBO subscription for the first time and have seen a few adaptations there that I haven't watched yet (the other Wuthering Heights from 2011, Dune, Clockwork Orange), I'd be curious to hear what you think of those and which movie or show you guys would consider a decent adaptation :)
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@r_books
My 2026 Reads so far...update.
Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1rxe5gu/my\_2026\_reads\_so\_far/
Hello, Molly!: A Memoir
Salem's Lot
The Devil in the White City
Kitchen Confidential
Cold Storage
Berserk Deluxe Edition Vol. 1
Rogue LAwyer
A Heart That Works
So my reading challenge for this year was one book a month. I love the idea of reading, but never really committed to it in my younger years. As I got older, I read more, but I would also be tired and fall asleep as I read. This year, I'm pushing myself to read/listen to as much as possible. Above are the books I read between Jan-Mid March. These are the books I've read/listened to since then.
My commute to and from work is 3 hours. So I do a lot of audiobooks in my car, but I try to read physical books as much as I can. Feel free to add books to my TBR list.
Berserk Deluxe Edition, Vol 2\- The artwork is still stunning, and the story is progressing rather well. Some really cool moments. Starting to get to know more of the characters and having more depth to their backstories.
Dungeon Crawler Carl \- Really fun, inventive, and fast paced. Dungeons and Dragons meets Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Looking forward to continuing the series.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing \- Listened to Matthew Perry read his own memoir after his death is weird, especially when he keeps saying "this should have killed me". There is some admiration here for how honest he is, but the book is repetitive. It's ALL about his drug addictions.
Desperation \- Stephen King. One of his 'lesser' known books, I think. It starts with a bang as our scary villain collects everyone for the first 100 or so pages. It loses a bit of steam for me towards the end, typical King fashion, but I enjoyed this one for the most part.
We Used To Live Here \- Great premise and just the right amount of creepy. It was heading in a direction that I usually hate, but it turned around in the last chapter or so. I dug the interactive nature of the book, too.
The Nice House on the Lake, Vol 2. - Really love the first vol, and this one took a bit to get into, but towards the end all the elements came together. The artwork is memorable and a little 'out there" at times, which might make it hard for people to follow along. I dug it, just a bit less than the first volume.
The Silent Patient \- I think this was a middle-of-the-road thriller that fell apart for me at the reveal. It was a quick and easy read. I also love the 'love it or hate it' nature of this book. People really love to hate on this one. It's not terrible, but not great.
Calypso \- I read this book because a few people online said the funniest author they read is David Sedaris. I read this book and found it...amusing at best. I didn't really laugh at any moments except maybe one or two. The stories themselves are forgettable or chuckleworthy. I am surprised this book is well-liked, to be honest.
Berserk Deluxe Edition, Vol 3. \- Really liked this one, it feels the most plot-heavy, and I appreciated that after the first book of repetitive carnage and the second being a lot of backstory set-up. Of course, this entry also has trigger warning content. Eagerly await the next volume.
I Who Have Never Known Men \- Love the set-up, the writing is decent, but consider me lost on the message. I knew early on that we would never get answers, so I prepared myself for that aspect. Yet I couldn't help but wonder why
\-SPOILERS- Once the men leave and the women are given their freedom, they start dying off. - END SPOILERS-
Except for our POV character and the doctor character, everyone else was white noise. A little disappointed in this one, to be honest.
So what are people's thoughts on some of these books? Interested to know people's opinions on some of them.
So...yeah. Trying my best to get diverse books too. Way ahead of my goal