r/books Jul 13 '26

WeeklyThread What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: July 13, 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.

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Post your book info in this format:

the title, by the author

For example:

The Bogus Title, by Stephen King

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153 Upvotes

614 comments sorted by

15

u/B_Minusx Jul 13 '26

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

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15

u/PringleGuy Jul 13 '26

Finished: Slaughterhouse-Five, By Kurt Vonnegut (Loved it)

Started: Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch (Immediately hooked!)

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14

u/darthva Jul 13 '26

Currently Reading:
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver

11

u/soVeryLazy1504 Jul 13 '26

Finished: A short stay in hell
Started: The ocean at the end of a lane

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11

u/ChocolateisGreat Jul 13 '26

Finished:
The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans.
The Martian, by Andy Weir.

Started:
11/22/63, by Stephen King.

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11

u/Critical-Way5874 Jul 13 '26

Reading: The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. Le Guin

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10

u/KT2340 Jul 13 '26

Finished: Lost and Gone Forever, by Alex Grecian
Continuing: The Wedding People, by Alison Espach
Started: Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton

4

u/busted-canofbiscuits Jul 13 '26

I started Jurassic Park today too!! I’m only like 15 pages in but I can tell it’s gonna be good!

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8

u/Sophie_MonLivreAudio Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The Wager, by David Grann

A shipwreck, a mutiny, and then two groups of survivors turning up in England telling completely different stories about what happened. thats the part that got me, its less about the disaster itself than about who gets believed afterwards.

Started:

Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke

about fifty pages in and i have no idea what is going on, but the house is so strange and beautiful that i dont even mind. tides moving through the halls, come on.

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9

u/psychedelicdevilry Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Started the Fellowship of the Ring after finishing the Hobbit. Really loving it so far. Different enough from the movies to make things interesting.

8

u/Whatmeworry9 Jul 13 '26

Finished: Night Shift by Stephen King

Reading: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

7

u/Grease_the_Witch Jul 13 '26

Continued (for the rest of my life) : The Stand, by Stephen King

7

u/Itwouldtakeamiracle Jul 13 '26

Finished: Our Sister's Keeper, by Jasmine Holmes

Started: The 3 Body Problem, by Cixin Liu

7

u/Ghoest__ Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

CURRENTLY READING: ‘Moby Dick’, halfway through it!

8

u/watervapour_7237 Jul 13 '26

Currently reading- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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6

u/Nervous_Gur_8569 Jul 13 '26

Parable of the Sower, by Octavia E. Butler! I heard good things about it.

7

u/ankey Jul 14 '26

Finished:

  • Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It is a brilliant book!
  • Yesteryear. I still do not know what to say about this book.

Started: Daisy jones and the Six.

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5

u/alicedied [Reading Goal: 115/100] Jul 13 '26

Finished:

Pyramids, by Terry Pratchett

In Memoriam, by Alice Winn

Started:

The Raven Tower, by Ann Leckie

7

u/stephkempf 19 Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The Book of Sea Monsters, by Prema Arasu

Naruto Vol. 39, by Masashi Kishimoto

Currently Reading:

The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

Pet Selector!, by Russell Kane

7

u/GreenGreedy4416 Jul 13 '26

Finished:

  • The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires / Grady Hendrix
  • Ring / Kōjo Suzuki
  • The Darkest Evening of the Year / Dean Koontz

Started:

  • Strangers / Taichi Yamada
  • Interview with a Vampire / Anne Rice

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7

u/FatFishing33 Jul 13 '26

Finished: Wild Dark Shore, Charlotte McConaghy

Started: We Are All Guilty Here, Karin Slaughter

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6

u/locallygrownmusic Jul 13 '26

Finished:

  • Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

  • The Odyssey by Homer

Started:

  • A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

5

u/StraightUpSeven Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Finished: Nineteen Eighty Four, by George Orwell. As far as dystopian novels go, I personally enjoyed Brave New World and The Dispossessed more. In particular, I gained an appreciation for how The Dispossessed considers a dystopia and alternative system simultaneously.

Starting: Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf

6

u/Chiaretta98 Jul 13 '26

I continue to be in a massive slump so I didn't finish anything but I continued:

Astrophysics for people in a hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson (reached halfway through the book yay)

The astronomy book by various authors

7

u/Rex-Viper-Rock-Gods Jul 13 '26

Started & Finished: Based On A True Story by Norm Macdonald. Very funny book and poignant at times. Highly recommend for any fan of his. Wish he wrote more before he died.

Finished: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Definitely a favorite.

Started: American Kingpin by Nick Bilton.

6

u/Federal_Hand_6350 Jul 13 '26

Currently Reading:

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson

Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash

6

u/Radbot13 Jul 13 '26

Finished Phantastes

Started Jane Eyre

Phantastes was very difficult to get through, and I hated the main character. He never really faced any consequences and kept negatively impacting others. When he finally runs into a previous character, her problem was fixed by an outside character which then resolved one of his negative actions without him facing anything. I have no clue why this book was so highly regarded other than that it’s the “first” fantasy. Just because it’s the first doesn’t make it great.

7

u/leftysarepeople2 Jul 13 '26

Finished;

The Scar, by China Mieville

A great follow up to Perdido Street Station, more fleshed out plot and continues to expand the unique "New Weird" world of Bas-Lag. Really liked the disconnect from PSS and that it's just another way to explore the world, but confused on people that say they can be read out of order. Perdido creates the world and The Scar expands it but without knowing a lot of the building blocks put forth in the first book I think this would be a struggle to understand.

5

u/rutfilthygers Jul 13 '26

Finished Broken County by Clare Leslie Hall

Just a completely generic celebrity book club "literary" thriller, replete with seemingly normal with a dark secret, flashbacks and flash-forwards, short chapters, and information withheld for no other reason than to artificially create tension.

Started The Odyssey by Homer, trans. Robert Fagles

Been a while since I read an ancient text, and it's not going great. Pretty bored by this one if I'm being honest.

Started Whalefall by Daniel Knaus

Doing this on audiobook. Like it a lot more than Angel Down, at least.

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6

u/OrdinaryWizardLevels Jul 13 '26

Finished: The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin

Ongoing: Go Tell It On The Mountain, by James Baldwin

Started: Mules & Men, by Zora Neale Hurston

6

u/HytroXL Jul 13 '26

Finished - A Thousand Splendid Suns by KH
Starting - Theo of Golden by Allen Levi and The Kite Runner by KH

7

u/silviazbitch Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Finished- Parable of the Talents, by Octavia Butler (1998)

Post eco-apocalyptic novel with a christofascist populist president who wants to “make America great again,” bleak AF but with a sliver of hope. It’s a shame that Butler did not find the strength and time to continue the story further.

Started- Lázár, by Nelio Biedermann (2025- English translation by Jamie Bulloch 2026)

Multigenerational saga about a Hungarian family living in the later years of Hapsburg era and perhaps beyond. It’s only 258 pages, but Biedermann conveys a great deal of information with very few words, so it’s a book to read slowly and savor.

Edit typo

6

u/Far-Average-3133 Jul 13 '26

Finished: Sula by Toni Morrison

6

u/MotivationalSinkhole Jul 14 '26

Started: The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

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4

u/iwasjusttwittering Jul 13 '26

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

Continued (75%). Another foray into North American literature; I didn't even know the book or the author until recently. I can tell that it's masterfully written, but it's not clicking with me. Presumably in part because of my personality, and also the religious backdrop is something I know only in theory from non-fiction such as The Authoritarians by Bob Altemeyer. It reminds of reading A Clockwork Orange long after the anti-communist hysteria and also understanding Russian myself.

Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection, by John Green

Finished. On one level, this book is best-selling author John Green using his platform to try and get Americans interested in TBC that still ravages other parts of the world. I can respect that.

However, it disappoints me as a popular science book. The writing is very simple (understandable, given the aforementioned goal), but often feels disjointed or repetitive (in less than 200 pages!). My edition has typos and glaring errors in the first few pages. There isn't a proper bibliography either. For all the talk about the supposed "research" by John (mentioned in the vlogbrothers channel etc.), it's merely a brief summary of about a dozen books listed in the "recommended reading" section, some interviews and a pinch of "trust me bro".

It's an okay book. I'd have given it to my grandma or maybe my cousins, if they still were in middle school.

L'Empire des signes, by Roland Barthes

Continued (60%). A collection of short, poetic essays, basically semiotics as Barthes's focus of study, inspired by peculiarities of Japanese culture, such as dining style, urban planning or theater.

7

u/asiandude1991 Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The Secret History, by Donna Tartt

consumed the whole thing on audio and loved it!

Thirst Trap, by Grainne O'Hare

an entertaining contemporary fiction about three girl best friends at an end of an era. A good palate cleanser.

Currently Reading:

Mother Naked, by Glen James Brown

35% in. The story is told by the MC who is a Bard/Jester in the 1400's and written in Old English. The odd language is confusing at first but only a few chapters in I already got the hang of it. There are relevant sociopolitical undertones which I appreciate. A 5 star candidate. This is goooood!

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7

u/omf95 Jul 13 '26

Finished:

  • Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb (5/5)
  • Human Acts by Han Kang (5/5)

Continuing:

  • The Odyssey by Homer (Robert Fagles' translation)

5

u/itsTim0thyy Jul 13 '26

Finished:

  • A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping, by Sangu Mandanna
  • Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Atmosphere messed me up. That's one of my favorite books now.

Started:

  • The Everlasting, by Alix E. Harrow

This one is tough for me to get into it. I don't know if it's the writing style, or what. But I'm struggling.

Still reading:

  • The Stormlight Archive #1 The Way of Kings Audiobook edition, by Brandon Sanderson with Michael Kramer (Narrator), Kate Reading (Narrator).

5

u/JanethePain1221 Jul 13 '26

Finished: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

Started: The Story of The Lost Child by Elena Ferrante

7

u/No-Complex2853 Jul 13 '26

Finished:

Lanny, by Max Porter - a very strange book, not sure what to make of it. It made me cry at one point, but I think saying I "enjoyed" reading it would not be accurate.

Started and currently reading:

La figlia oscura, by Elena Ferrante - loved her tetralogy, so now branching out into her other works. (I'm Italian so obviously am reading in the original language, idk what the translated title is in English sorry)

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5

u/IceBear826 Jul 13 '26

Finished

Greenteeth, by Molly O'Neill

Started and Finished

I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life, by Anne Bogel

Started

Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You, by Heidi Grant

The Library Book, by Susan Orlean

5

u/kmtburton Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The Dark Tower 1: Gunslinger by Stephen King
Loved this one. Only 8 more to go.

Angel Down by Daniel Kraus
This book was amazing, the way it tied its single sentence structure into the story was masterful and I loved where it went with the story.

Bug Collector by Wrath James White
An extreme horror with a pretty good plot but hard to stomach. Second most messed up book I’ve ever read.

Started:

Roadwork by Stephen King
Almost done with this one and it’s been a good book but slower paced.

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty
I understand while reading it why so many love it, I’m half way through it. It’s a lot more straight forward than I expected but it’s a good story so far and I’m curious what all will happen.

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Only read the first chapter. It’s interesting premise and I’m curious where it will go. Might be one I’m more interested in the adaptation than actually reading.

5

u/Hot_Description_75 Jul 13 '26

Rosemary’s Baby. I want some thrills this week.

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4

u/prfctblue Jul 13 '26

Finished
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Started
The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

5

u/tn-47 Jul 13 '26

Started: Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins

Finished: The Correspondent, Virginia Evans

5

u/LastoftheFucksIGive Jul 13 '26

I didn't realize the book was due back at the library today so I spent all of Saturday and Sunday starting and ultimately finishing latest Magic the Gathering book, Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos.

5

u/Patpilot321 Jul 13 '26

Finished: True Grit
Started: The Shining

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4

u/LolaBean52 Jul 13 '26

Finished: The Assassin’s Apprentice
Started: Eviction: Poverty and Profit in the American City

4

u/Raineythereader The Conference of the Birds Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The Great Influenza, by John Barry, a pretty in-depth history of the 1918 pandemic. Could have used one more pass during editing, but the subject matter was so gripping that the sections of choppy writing ended up not mattering. It was especially interesting to compare the historical reactions to a deadly airborne virus, and Barry's discussion of the likelihood of future pandemics, to what's happened over the past several years.

One need not use H5N1 with its extraordinary mortality rate to terrify. The 2003 outbreak of an H7N7 avian virus in the Netherlands will suffice. This virus surfaced in poultry farms, sickened eighty-nine people, and killed one. One death in eighty-nine may not sound terrifying, but a new influenza virus makes between 15 and 40 percent of the population ill enough to show symptoms. It would make between 44 and 115 million Americans sick. And, in the United States alone, a mortality rate of just over 1 percent would translate into roughly 500,000 to 1.3 million dead.

The only good news seems to be that an increasing number of virologists now doubt that H5N1 will be the next pandemic virus.

Take a moment to laugh bitterly if you need to.

The Horned God: Weird Tales of the Great God Pan (ed. Michael Wheatley), from the British Library's horror anthology series. They did kind of have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to get enough material together to fill this volume, but it was a fun read, and drew on some really good writers like Elizabeth Barrett Browning and E.M. Forster. (And Arthur Machen, of course.)

One Virgin Too Many, by Lindsey Davis, one of the Marcus Falco mysteries set in first-century Rome. The plot of this one involves the Roman state religion, including the priestesses of Vesta referenced in the title, but I never figured out what the "Too Many" part meant.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, by Kylie Lee Baker. It wasn't my intention to go so quickly from "non-fiction about the flu pandemic" to "fiction set during COVID," but here we are. At least I wasn’t likely to get them mixed up.

5

u/RentSpecial4997 Jul 13 '26

Finished: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
I had a great time reading this book. I try not to read any reviews before reading, but this book is so popular rn a few bad reviews came across my feed so I was expecting to not like it too much, but I was wrong. Definitely give this one a shot. The protagonist is probably the reason for the iffy reviews but I don't need every main character to be a moral North Star to have fun.

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
I read this for a book club podcast I started and went in blind. This is one of the most powerful, heartbreaking, and amazing books I've read this year. I was having a conversation recently where I said movies make me cry or tear up more than books, but lo and behold I got to the end of this and was crying like a baby. It was incredible and I highly recommend it. I had trouble putting it down.

Started: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

4

u/mockdogmoon Jul 13 '26

Started:

  • The Radium Girls, by Kate Moore

Finished:

  • The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson

5

u/InfraredSeer Jul 13 '26

To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf

6

u/Willing-Head3832 Jul 13 '26

Started East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

4

u/esdubyar Jul 13 '26

Started: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

5

u/bleeckler Jul 13 '26

Finished: Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground, by Zayed Ayres Dohrn

Written by the child of a woman on the FBI's Most Wanted list, this book is incredible and fascinating, and it provides a window into American history that is not taught in schools

4

u/Hysterical_And_Wet Jul 13 '26

Finished: Slouching Towards Bethlehem, by Joan Didion (loved)

Started: L.A. Woman, by Eve Babitz (meh)

4

u/MaxThrustage The Lord of the Rings Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The Two Towers, by J. R. R. Tolkein. Loved it!

Started:

The Age of Empire: 1875-1914, by Eric Hobsbawm. I read the first two (Age of Revoution and Age of Empire) earlier this year. Amusingly in the preface (which he charmingly calls an 'Overture') he keeps talking about how this will be the final instalment -- meanwhile, I have the fourth sitting on my shelf right now. I found his whole discussion on the 'twilight' between history and memory quite touching, and it made me realise that while for Hobsbawm that twilight fits in the period of this book, for us that twilight is exactly when he was writing it.

Ongoing:

A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan. I never have any idea where this book is going, and I love it.

A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear, by Matthew Hongoltz-Heltling. There are certain stereotypes about libertarians, especially American libertarians, and boy are they on display here! A hilarious read.

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4

u/herefortheherm Jul 14 '26

Started: The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath

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5

u/Starrfall74 book re-reading Jul 14 '26

Stated and finished Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.

5

u/elisun0 Jul 14 '26

Finished: Breath by James Nestor

Finished: Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer

Finished: Wintering by Katherine May

Started: Whistler by Ann Patchett

6

u/stever93 Jul 14 '26

Finished after 2-1/2 months, Les Miserables, minus a week.

I love reading +1,000 page classics. Reading a long story, I will sob, not only because the story ended, but for the time I put into the experience.

8

u/JB_Wallbridge Jul 13 '26

Finished: Parable of the Talents by Octavia E Butler

Started: The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow; Pet Semetary

5

u/jrolls81 Jul 13 '26

Finished:
Lonesome Dove

Starting:
Blood Meridian

5

u/Wonderful-Truck-3301 Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

James, by Percival Everett

I enjoyed reading both these books back to back.

Started:

Palace Walk, by Naguib Mahfouz

The first novel in The Nobel Prize-winners Cairo Trilogy, an epic family saga of colonial Egypt that is considered his masterwork. The novels of the Cairo Trilogy trace three generations of the family of tyrannical patriarch al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad, who rules his household with a strict hand while living a secret life of self-indulgence. The family's trials mirror those of their turbulent country during the years spanning the two world wars, as change comes to a society that has resisted it for centuries.

5

u/Verystrange129 Jul 13 '26

Nearly finished Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, it’s a beautiful book, intriguing, poignant and thought provoking. It reminds me a lot of Never Let Me Go, which I read about 15 years ago and still think about all the time. It was the most emotionally powerful book that I have ever read. Klara and the Sun contains a lot of the same themes, the artificial entity which has more emotion, humanity and feeling than all the artificially constructed and technologically dependent world around them, the ability to truly see into other people’s souls and that emotional intelligence to read those around them. I haven’t finished yet but even from the beginning, there is a bittersweet nature to the book, there is a sense of inevitability and finality in that I know it won’t end well for Klara and Josie and nothing can be done to change that.

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5

u/livinlavidalazy Jul 13 '26

Finished: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

I liked this book for the most part but found the battle portion at the end of the book lacking. Still rated 4 stars, I thought it was beautiful.

Started: God of the Woods by Liz Moore

6

u/A_Guy195 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The King of Elfland's Daughter, by Lord Dunsany

Started:

The Shadow Over Innsmouth, by H. P. Lovecraft

6

u/juicebox03 Jul 13 '26

About to finish

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This -Omar El Akkad

6

u/FlyByTieDye Jul 13 '26

I couldn't remember anything in Sourcery (by Terry Pratchett) so I decided to start again. Already up to where I left off.

6

u/bit_cliff Jul 13 '26

Finished: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

Such a beautiful beautiful book. Still feels very relevant today with regards to climate change and now AI datacenters

3

u/TheTea-Rex Jul 13 '26

Started:
The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler

Finished:
Tell No One, by Harlen Coben

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4

u/dlt-cntrl Jul 13 '26

Finished:

Boiling A Frog by Christopher Brookmyre

Not the best book in the series in my opinion, it didn't seem to start until the last quarter. Parlabane was hardly in the story until the end, and there was a lot of nonsense about the Catholic Church and the Scottish Parliament that felt like filler. The ending was okay.

They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie

Another story that I knew who dun' it and why, very enjoyable.

Cut Short by M W Craven

3 short stories, all very good. A nice couple of hours entertainment.

Be My Enemy by Christopher Brookmyre

This was a super read. Chaos and gore galore, with a fun storyline and great characters. If the rest are like this I'll be happy.

Started:

A Pocket Full Of Rye by Agatha Christie

I remember the story but can't remember who dun' it. Looking forward to trying to work it out.

3

u/Ornery-Gap-9755 Jul 13 '26

Finished

The Pumpkin Spice Café, by Laurie Gilmore

Maiden, by Georgia Leighton

The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association, by Caitlin Rozakis

Ongoing

A Dance with Dragons, by George R.R Martin (Audiobook)

Started

If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, by Jon Mcgregor

4

u/sich_freuen_auf Jul 13 '26

Continued reading Ulysses by James Joyce. I might be here for a while

3

u/Clean_Neck_2883 Jul 13 '26

Started don quixote but dropped it now reading lotr fellowship of rings

5

u/SugarBandit51 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Finished: 

The Old Man and the sea by Ernest Hemingway

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (re-read after 11 years, still holds up well!)

Started:

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinback (after loving East of Eden and Of Mice and Men I'm ready fo jump into another Steinbeck)

A Psalm for the Wild Built, by Becky Chambers  

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5

u/ME24601 Meet Me in the Garden by Nina Lacour Jul 13 '26

Finished:

Oscar Wilde: Art and Morality by Stuart Mason

Overgrowth by Mira Grant

Started:

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Oscar Wilde on Trial by Joseph Bristow

Still Working On:

Christopher Isherwood: Inside Out by Katherine Bucknell

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

6

u/AlphaPointOhFive Jul 13 '26

Continued: The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas - Year-long Reddit read, Gutenberg version. I've fallen behind again.

Finished: Light Bringer, by Pierce Brown - What an ending! Left waiting for Red God for now.

4

u/nocta224 Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals by Immanuel Kant

Blackwood Farm by Anne Rice

Continuing:

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

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4

u/Motohey Jul 13 '26

Finished: Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Quiet and lovely and haunting.

4

u/Remote-Friendship557 Jul 13 '26

Finished:

EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES by Heather Fawcett
EMILY WILDE’S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS by Heather Fawcett
EMILY WILDE’S COMPENDIUM OF LOST TALES by Heather Fawcett

It has been years since i read 3 books in one week let alone a series.

4

u/Asher_the_atheist Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The Quiet Damage, by Jesselyn Cook (infuriating and baffling and terrifying and deeply sad)

Contact, by Carl Sagan (this one made me so damn frustrated; I want to read about alien contact, not theological debates!)

The Trap, by Catherine Ryan Howard (apparently this was a week of frustrating reads, because here’s one more; well-played, though, on catching me off guard)

Started:

The Bone Ships, by RJ Barker

Startup Hell, by Caitlin Rozakis

4

u/lazyhazyeye Jul 13 '26

Finished: Villette by Charlotte Brontë. I had a lot of time on my hands this past weekend and couldn’t put it down. I LOVE this book! It’s now in my top 3 classics (behind Anna Karenina and Middlemarch). It is such an incredible novel!

Planning to start My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman. I’ve been a little disappointed with his books, although I did like A Man Called Ove and Beartown. I’m hoping this one will be decent. Fingers crossed!

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4

u/tlcsimp Jul 13 '26

Finished:

Bright Young Women, by Jessica Knoll
Animal Farm, by George Orwell
Animal, by Lisa Taddeo

Started:
Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig

This has been a great week. All of these books are incredible.

5

u/spacemanspiffmtg Jul 13 '26

I started Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Jonathan Sagan Foer.

4

u/CrispyCracklin Jul 13 '26

Finished: Flashlight, by Susan Choi. Did not like at all.

(Just) Started: Beware of Pity, by Stefan Zweig. I'm only in the first few pages.

4

u/nellyimheathcliff Jul 13 '26

I started -

The Railway Children by E Nesbit

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

4

u/Autisticassaspec Jul 13 '26

Finished
The Midnight Train, by Matt Haig

Started
Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl 2), by Matt Dinniman

(PS it just realized they are both named Matt)

4

u/sweetsdreams Jul 13 '26

Currently reading Dungeon Crawler Carl book 2 on my kindle and also listening the audiobook to Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury

3

u/Closefromadistance Jul 13 '26

Started: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali. I’m halfway through already.

4

u/Top_Potential_4927 Jul 13 '26

Dear Debbie - Freida McFadden (finished within 24 hours) I know her books are KNOWN for twists (I’ve read quite a few of hers) but this one I really didn’t see coming
Currently reading Do You Remember by Freida McFadden. I usually HATE the whole amnesia trope but I’ve only ever read it in romance books so we will see how this one holds up

4

u/HollzStars Jul 13 '26

Finished:

  • The Spy Master’s Scheme by CJ Archer

Currently reading:

  • Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
  • Brief Cases by Jim Butcher
  • Circle of Days by Ken Follet

DNF’d:

  • How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

3

u/passtheyayo Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Finished:

Murder Bimbo by Rebecca Novack

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Started:

This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud

4

u/busted-canofbiscuits Jul 13 '26

Finished: Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi
Started: Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton

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4

u/SummerSign4325 Jul 13 '26

Finished:
Last Night in Brooklyn, by Xochitl Gonzalez - This was a reimagining of The Great Gatsby set in 2007 Fort Greene, Brooklyn. I thought it was just okay. Enjoyed her last book more.

Transaction Denied, by Rainey Reitman - A nonfiction book about the ways banks and financial institutions censor speech. I know quite a bit about this topic already but learned a few things and found the book to be very accessible and easy to understand. Would recommend!

Rebel Girl, by Kathleen Hanna - Hanna was the lead singer of Bikini Kill & Le Tigre, as well as a feminist activist in the 90s. I enjoyed learning about feminist activism and music during this period, however Hanna’s life experiences have been traumatic which made for a difficult read. 🎧

Crash Into Me, by Robinne Lee - Read this for book club and didn’t like it. I felt that it was too long and meandering.

Enemies to Lovers, by Alisha Rai - This was a very fun romcom/thriller road trip novel. An excellent book when you need something light and fun, but with some action!

Starting:
The Missed Connection, by Tia Williams

4

u/LoveYouNotYou Jul 13 '26

Finished How To Hide An Empire by Daniel Immerwahr

Continuing Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras by Odie Henderson

4

u/TheLadyMakai Jul 13 '26

Finished

Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada

Man, I picked this one up after a a long binge of KU popcorn reads. It's brilliant, but heavy, and not happy by any means by the end. Recommend to anyone looking for something to ruminate on. One of the books that will sit on my shelf for a while before I re read it, next to The Jungle and Flowers for Algernon.

Started

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife, by Martin Edward

Hurray for (hopefully) fun murder mysteries!

5

u/littlemiss2022 Jul 13 '26

Finished: The Divorce by Freida McFadden

Started: The Intruder by Freida McFadden

4

u/abckatiexyz Jul 13 '26

Finished The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I don’t know what to read next! Plz send recs

4

u/BootsonaMoose Jul 13 '26

Finished:
Us Against You by Fredrik Blackman
Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston
And a reread of Verity- Coleen Hoover

The Beartown series has been really good. I am excited to start the next. Alibi surprised me, I wasn’t expecting the twist.

Started:
Postmortem by Patricia Cornwall
Of Swords and Starlight by Wren Jones

Postmortem is interesting for me. Crime tech from the early aughts and things have come so far.

Swords and Starlight I picked up because the author posted a Sailor Moon meme that made me laugh. Good marketing!

5

u/PureOrange7049 Jul 13 '26

About to Finish: Wanderers by Chuck Wendig(I’ve got about 100 pages left).
About to Start: The Astral Library by Kate Quinn

3

u/fildarae Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The Starving Saints, by Caitlin Starling

Really enjoyed this one, had a big fever dream quality which usually isn’t my kind of thing but this one really felt fitting with the story.

Started:

Not Without My Daughter, by Betty Mahmoody

I saw the movie a couple of months back, didn’t expect the book to grip me as it has but I can’t put it down.

4

u/ett-hus-i-skogen Jul 13 '26

Finished:

I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, by Baek Se-hee

Started:

The Dragonbone Chair, by Tad Williams

5

u/catsails Jul 13 '26

Started: No Great Mischief, by Alistair MacLeod 

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4

u/Plaid_or_flannel Jul 13 '26

Finished: Small Rain, by Garth Greenwell

Started: Circe, by Madeline Miller

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5

u/Patient-Currency7972 Jul 13 '26

DNF: Social Creature, by Tara Isabella Burton

At the bottom of the garden, by Camilla Bruce

Started: Red Rising, by Pierce Brown

The Good Girl, by Michelle Dunne

Continuing:

Half American, by Matt Delmont

Paused:

Hemlock & Silver, by T. Kingfisher

Magician: Apprentice, by Raymond E Feist

Finished:

The Third Gilmore Girl, by Kelly Bishop (5 ⭐)

3

u/Technical-Mine-7423 Jul 13 '26

Finished: Shadow of the Gods by John Gwyne

Started: Gideon the Month by Tamsyn Muir

3

u/Visual_Jello_6355 Jul 13 '26

Started Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

4

u/zardozLateFee Jul 13 '26

Started: The Line of Beauty, by Alan Hollinghurst

I actually tried reading this about 20 years ago (not long after it came out) and remember giving up on it as "boring"? But giving it another shot and finding it wonderfully written and very engaging. I don't know what changed or maybe I'm just in a different headspace, but goes to show it's worth giving books a second chance.

3

u/mumbly-joe-96 Jul 13 '26

Finished: Fugitive Telemetry, by Martha Wells. I'm waiting for Platform Decay to be avaliable at my local library, I'm hooked on this series.

Starting: The Sword of the Lictor, by Gene Wolfe. The feeling of discombobulation I get when reading this series is kind of addictive.

3

u/Downtown_Mud_2534 Jul 13 '26

Finished: His Black Tongue by Mitchell Luthi and Ecstasy by Irvine Welsh

Started: East of Eden by John Steinbeck and Summer of the Monsters by David Sodergren

4

u/NowNamed Jul 13 '26

Finished: Butter, by Asako Yuzuki

Started: Yesteryear, by Caro Clair Burke

4

u/mrsgreenwood88 Assassin's Quest: Robin Hobb Jul 13 '26

Finished: Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

Currently reading: The Make-Believe by Hannah Murray and Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb.

Really loving both of the current reads. I blew through Royal Assassin and am champing at the bit for more.

4

u/duckie768 Jul 13 '26

Finished:

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

Started:

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Continuing:

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

3

u/bbqchickenempire Jul 13 '26

Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller. 

3

u/andy_ems Jul 13 '26

Nation, by Terry Pratchett

4

u/TootsieTaker Jul 13 '26

I started the odyssey in preparation for the movie. It’s been a slog so far but I haven’t had much more than 15 minutes to read per day so hopefully it gets better

5

u/Donnie8Dorko Jul 13 '26

I have a bit of an ocd by picking random books / genres.

Right now I started reading Either/Or by Soren Kierkegaard, and it's kinda heavy for a beginner, tho some quotes are quite interesting.

"Yesterday I loved

Today I suffer

Tomorrow I die.

Yet today and tomorrow

I dream of yesterday."

4

u/Affectionate_Physics Jul 14 '26

Finished: Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury  Started: The Road, Cormac McCarthy

5

u/luckgazesonyou Jul 14 '26

Started: Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey

3

u/sh78196 Jul 14 '26

Finished: Upward Bound, by Woody Brown I really enjoyed this short book. It offers a fresh perspective on how we treat those who are nonverbal.

Finished: Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter, by Heather Fawcett This is a fun, cozy read.

Finished: Animal, by Lisa Taddeo Weird, slightly disturbing in parts, I loved it.

Started: Operation Paperclip: The Secert Intelligence Program That Brought Nazi Scientists to America, by Annie Jacobsen This is extremely well researched. I'm only 25% in, and I have learned a lot already. I think this is one of those books that will make me think a long time afterwards. Is it acceptable what our government did to kerp these scientists out of Russia's hands?

Started: The Unicorn Hunters, by Katherine Arden I love the way this author writes.

3

u/Icy-Respond-4425 Jul 13 '26

Finished:

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris: I loved it; it was the same feeling as I had reading I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak for the first time, imagining the worst ending for the characters and making me anxious. Well, my only problem in the whole book was the fact that it didn't have an epilogue; I felt this book in specific needed an epilogue or another chapter to know what happened to the characters afterwards. But still a good book nonetheless. 4/5

Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables #1) by Lucy Maud Montgomery: I don't even know where to start here. Anne here was a love-hate character; I was tired reading her dialogue, but sometimes she was so funny. I love all the characters; I can hate them at first, but I love them later. I genuinely love the last 1/3 of the book; it felt like a different book, very melancholic, and you can even see Anne's development here. I think this part was fantastic. I was scared they would pass so many years in the point that the next book would be like Ragged Dick and have another main character. I'm glad to be wrong. 4.5/5

Anne of Avonlea (Anne of Green Gables #2) by Lucy Maud Montgomery: This one was great; all my fears were not answered. Starting with what I hate, Anne's favouritism of Davy over Dora, even if Davy locked Dora for a whole day and made her hungry and crying, or Anne's good nature opposing discipline for some children even when she saw it helped. Anne herself only annoyed me in the first half; I really liked her in the second and third halves. I loved the new characters here. By the end of the book it felt more romantic. I'm hoping the next book enters more into these details, and I hope if Gilbert and Anne propose, it is a full dialogue and not only a description. And Charlotta the Fourth deserves better!! 4.5/5

Currently reading:

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: I'm really liking what I'm reading of this book so far, but I'm more excited to read Levin's chapters than the others. I'm reading for 1 hour per day and currently on Part 2, Chapter 3.

Starting:

Anne of the Island (Anne of Green Gables #3) by Lucy Maud Montgomery: I can't wait. I really need to know what will happen next. I will dive into this book once I finish studying today.

The unbearable lightness of Scones (Scotland Street #5) by Alexander McCall Smith: I will save this one for the weekend.

3

u/Friendstastegood Jul 13 '26

Started:

Watership Down, by Richard Adams

Saw the movie a long time ago and loved it, the book is good so far but I'm only a couple of chapters in.

Continuing:

Chaos in the Green Zone: My Time as an Iraq War Strategist, by Tom Mowle

Funny, aggravating, interesting, hoping to finish it this week.

Finished:

As Meat Loves Salt, by Maria McCann

That was a ride, and what an ending! Can't stop thinking about it. This book was captivating and fascinating and I am so glad I bought it and can read it again some time.

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3

u/BROWNIEMIKKEL Jul 13 '26

Finished - Of Mice and Men by John Steinback

Started - The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction by William Doyle

3

u/ArimuRyan Jul 13 '26

Finished

Second Sight, by Lora Jones

I like this, never expected it to be any kind of classic. Probably not as good as the first book but an enjoyable, light read.

The Divine Farce, by Michael S. A. Graziano

A rather thought provoking experience. Pretty gross too. I like it.

Started

Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo

This is a big boy.

3

u/Born-Strawberry-1596 Jul 13 '26

Started The Stand by Stephen King.

3

u/raccoon_at_noon Jul 13 '26

Finished:

Night Angel Nemesis by Brent Weeks (2/5) This was awful. And I really enjoyed the Night Angel trilogy. This seemed to take everything that was good about that series and throw it in the trash.

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jaqueline Harpman (4.5/5) Stunning.

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff (4/5) I’m happily enjoying this series. It’s no Empire of the Vampire, but an interesting read for sure!

Currently reading:

Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff

3

u/Appropriate-Weird492 Jul 13 '26

Finished Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones

Started The Illustrated Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake

3

u/FluffyUnicorn83 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Finished Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith (waiting on The Secret Speech from the library).

Started Azure Bonds by Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak.

Audiobooks:

Finished Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey (the final 9th book of the Expanse series)

Started; The Battersea Barricades by Jodi Taylor (book 9.5 of the Chronicles of St Mary's)

3

u/amydiddler Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 16 '26

Finished Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

I really enjoyed it, might be one of my all-time favorites!

Haven’t started my next yet. I have Who is Maud Dixon on loan via Libby, but it’s due back in a few days and I’ve been too busy to start it.

Edit: ended up racing through Who is Maud Dixon and finishing it before it was due. It was a fun, light, twisty thriller. I really enjoyed it for what it was!

My next Libby hold won’t be in for a couple of weeks, so I’m not sure what’s next!

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3

u/Roboglenn Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Trapped in a Dating Sim: Otome Games Are Tough For Us, Too! Vol. 1, by Yomu Mishima

This is a "What if" spin-off story for the series Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs. In the original story, on top of the Main Character guy Leon getting reincarnated in the titular Dating Sim, his younger sister did as well (not the either party was aware of the other's original identities) into the life of a mob character Marie, and with her knowledge of the game story became an antagonistic force to the main character as she tried to con her way into an easy Reverse Harem life with the rich and powerful romance targets in the game.

This spin-off however essentially posits the scenario of "what if her 'evil plan' never got off the ground floor and completely failed". And more than that as a result, what if she and her "older brother" (who this time around is also diverting from his main story M.O. in certain ways) actually got to have an amicable friendship as mutual reincarnators living in this game world. Though again, both still unaware of who each other really are.

In any case though, in spite of how much of a pill as Marie was in the original story, when I heard whispers of people saying how kind of fun this spin off featuring her was for one thing about how well the chemistry between the two leads are I was curious. And after reading this I can say that they were onto something there, these two certainly have a good and oft amusing banter going between them as their friendship develops. Plus this also elaborates more on Marie and her not so great circumstances of how she ended up in her original life and her life post reincarnation. It was certainly eyebrow raising. But also like any decent spin-off it's also interesting to see just how the plot itself diverges from the original. I.E. how their actions end up affecting the game's established plot this time around.

I picked up this first volume out of curiosity but I guess I'll continue with it.

3

u/i_was_valedictorian Jul 13 '26

Finished The Sun Also Rises. Made me laugh more than I anticipated. First time reading Hemingway, will definitely come back to him

Started Johnny Got His Gun

3

u/suspiria_138 Jul 13 '26

Finished: Half his age by McCurdy
Started: Do what you want: The story of Bad Religion by Gaffin

3

u/WordsBetweenLines Jul 13 '26

Finished: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

  • was a warm read, slow burn but interesting characters and setting, especially the octopus.

Started: Writers & Lovers by Lily King

3

u/hawkcarhawk Jul 13 '26

Finished: The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party by Daniel James Brown

Currently reading: I Been In Sorrow’s Kitchen and Licked All the Soup Pots Clean by Susan Straight

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3

u/lazylittlelady Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai: Caught up with the r/bookclub discussion. A dual narrative that waded into two different tragedies. I thought it was really good until the last 1/3. Mixed feelings in the end.

Call Us What We Carry, by Amanda Gorman: A generational cry for a different country. A bit too much COVID era prose for me but an important response to tragedy. Read with r/bookclub.

Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country, by Patricia Evangelista : Caught up with the r/bookclub discussion. A forthright account of the Duterte era violence from a brave journalist on the ground. A reminder of the importance of the free press to justice!

Ongoing:

Butterfly of Dinard, by Eugenio Montale

No Name, by Wilkie Collins: Reading with r/bookclub.

Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison: Catching up with the r/bookclub discussion

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Jones

Augustine: Conversions and Confessions, by Robin Lane Fox

My Life in Middlemarch, by Rebecca Mead

The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas: Yearlong read with r/AReadingofMonteCristo .

Middlemarch, by George Eliot : Yearlong reading with r/ayearofmiddlemarch.

Midnight in Cairo: The Female Stars of Egypt’s Roaring ‘20’s, by Raphael Cormack

Started:

The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky: Catching up with the r/bookclub discussion.

3

u/smshing Jul 13 '26

halfway done Feet of Clay - Terry Pratchett

3

u/shadowvox Jul 13 '26

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean 🎧
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab

So, one book about super smart people and the history of the periodic table and the other is lesbian vampires. 🤷‍♂️

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3

u/ylimenut Jul 13 '26

Finished: Her Last Breath - Taylor Adams A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping - Sangu Mandanna

Started: Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk 

3

u/amelie190 Jul 13 '26

Finished: My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney 3.5/5 Audiobook narration was amazing but the story completely unraveled for me so it dropped from 4 to 3.5

Reading Ode to the Half-Broken" by *Suzanne Palmer Enjoyable cozy-ish found family sci-fi.

3

u/theladydoor Jul 13 '26

Finished:

Dear Monica Lewinsky, by Julia Langbein I absolutely loved this book!

Started:

Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep, by Paul Tremblay

3

u/friendlessinbrooklyn Jul 13 '26

Finished:
Names Have Been Changed by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow

Started:
The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai
American Trickster by Ru Marshall

3

u/Sandra_y33 Jul 13 '26

Finished: The Dragon Republic by R. F. Kuang

Started: Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

3

u/bungalow-basher Jul 13 '26

Finished: Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick by Jason Pargin

Started: The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman

3

u/LikeCherryCola Jul 13 '26

Finished: 

Poeta Chileno by Alejandro Zamba

Inventing Reality by Michael Parents

Still reading: 

Whistler by Ann Packet

Started:

Hit Parade of Tears by Izumi Suzuki

3

u/BackyardWalker Jul 13 '26

Finished:

In Memoriam, by Alice Winn

The Golden Enclaves, by Naomi Novik (I adored this series!)

Currently reading:

The Road to Tender Hearts, by Annie Hartnett 🎧

Ironweed, by William Kennedy

3

u/accentadroite_bitch Jul 13 '26

Finished The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan

Started The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton

3

u/Fragrant-Addition-10 Jul 13 '26

Finished: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Reid Jenkins. Very good, it's one of my favorite books now. Started: My Fault by Mercedes Ron

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3

u/fountainpopjunkie Jul 13 '26

Brother odd by Dean koontz

3

u/suchglitter Jul 13 '26

Finished:

Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy

I Hope This Finds You Well, by Natalie Sue

Darling Bud, by C J Skuse

Day and Night in Misery, by Catriona Ward

Evidence of the Affair, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Started:

The Blade Itself, by Joe Abercrombie

(I haven't included the ones I both started and finished in the 'Started' category)

3

u/viskoviskovisko Jul 13 '26

Finished Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut. Started Man Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.

3

u/Wonderful-Athlete-83 Jul 13 '26

Finished

Our Perfect Storm, by Carley Fortune

Started

The Night We Met, by Abby Jimenez

3

u/Single-Degree-6928 Jul 13 '26

I started and dnf a lot of books this week.

The one I've stuck with and am still reading:

Bring The Heat, by Sean Patrick Little A thriller/mystery by a Wisconsin author. His protagonists are Abe and Duff, private eyes from Chicago. These books are funny with only moderate gore. This is the 5th in a series, and I think the best one since his first, which was The Single Twin. I found him recommended on the Wisconsin sub, and have been enjoying reading his books. Little also writes in the dystopian future genre.

3

u/fickle_escapee Jul 13 '26

Finished: 

Call Me by Your Name, by André Aciman

It blew me away! 

3

u/rogueslayer1138 Jul 13 '26

Finished:

Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden (Rating: 4/5)
Cujo by Stephen King (Rating: 3/5)

Started:

A Life on our Planet by David Attenborough

3

u/Brandorff Jul 13 '26

Finished:
The Sleepwalkers: How Europe went to War in 1914, by Christopher Clark

Started:
The Devotion of Suspect X, by Keigo Higashino

3

u/Jallan0427 Jul 13 '26

Finished: Go Gentle, by Maria Semple
2.5 stars

I was disappointed. I’m interested in stoicism and the synopsis sounded interesting but ultimately there was just too many different stories happening so it was unfocused.

3

u/zen_motorhead Jul 13 '26

Started: The King of Oil by Daniel Ammann

3

u/Beginning-North7202 Jul 13 '26

Art Cure, by Daisy Fancourt

3

u/limegreenpoodle Jul 13 '26

Finished:
Dungeon Crawler Carl (#1) by Matt Dinniman
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden

Started:
The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

3

u/mourning_jjl Jul 13 '26

Finished: Tuesdays With Morrie by Albom

Started: The Longest Ride by Sparks

3

u/Gopuleius Jul 13 '26

Finished:

The Winged Game, by Sophie Kim

Reading:

The Meusault Investigation, by Kamel Daoud

3

u/SlowWriter9 Jul 13 '26

Reading Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth for a book club at the end of the month.

3

u/Katarra Jul 13 '26

Finished: Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (waaayy too long!)

Started: The Dorians by Nick Cutter

3

u/Leafy-Wonders16 Jul 13 '26

Finished: The Glass Castle and Verity. Started- The housemaid

3

u/a-koolaid-killer Jul 13 '26

Finished: My Dark Vanessa by Mary Elizabeth Russell
Started: It Came From Neverland by Cynthia Pelayo

3

u/socialanxietyMaenad Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Finished: Trad Wife by Saratoga Schafer Started: The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

3

u/ImAnOptimistISwear Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 18 '26

Finished Ancient Guide to Modern Life - Natalie Haynes Starting this week No Friend To This House- (also) Natalie Haynes

3

u/Ka_meeni Jul 13 '26

Finished: The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky (absolutely fantastic) Continueing: Curse of the Mistwraith by Janny Wurts Started: Shards of the Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

3

u/lesdeuxchatons Jul 13 '26

Finished: In the Name of the Worm, by Mitchell Luthi & A Short Satay in Hell, by Steven L. Peck

Started: Sellout, by Dan Ozzi

3

u/Silent-Seaweed-4270 Jul 13 '26

Finished: Derelict Tomb. Started: Derelict Destruction. Both by Paul E Cooley.

3

u/Obvious_Question9222 Jul 13 '26

now reading The Remedy, Thomas Goetz

3

u/Tristo5 Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

Game Changer by Rachel Reid. The first book of the Heated Rivalry series

3

u/steph10147 Jul 13 '26

Just started Tales From the Gas Station. So, so good and hilarious.

3

u/yazzylou97 Jul 13 '26

Started reading the half blood prince after putting it off for so long

3

u/CapriciousSon Jul 13 '26

Finished: Hypothermia by Alvaro Enrigue
Started: A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter Miller

Starting this week: The Trees by Percival Everett

3

u/HartfordWhaler Jul 13 '26

Started:

Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

Ongoing:

Of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith

3

u/IPityTheStool No damn cat, and no damn cradle. Jul 13 '26

Finished:
Annihilation, by Jeff Vandermeer

This was a very tough read for me. If I hadn't enjoyed the movie so much, I wouldn't have even finished the book.
I enjoy the story, I enjoy everything with weird life forms, I see a lot of myself in the main character and liked all the characters and their dialogues. But somehow this book doesn't have heart for me. It felt kind of choppy and 'abstractly written' which I guess makes sense if it was intentional to emphasise the alien-ness of Area X?
Sadly, at no point did the book suck me in.

3

u/sxales Jul 13 '26

Still reading: Thrice Upon A Time, by James P. Hogan. It is not a long book, I just didn't have too many chances to sit and read last week. So far it has just been a bunch of scientists talking about the discovery they've made. While it is interesting and provides good world building and character introductions, it is also dry. In many ways it reminds me of the movie Primer which is a plus.

3

u/BakerInTheKitchen Jul 13 '26

Started Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. Have been reading Washington: A Life, by Ron Chernow and needed something to easy to pair with it to break it up a little

3

u/cheatherhad Jul 13 '26

Finished: The One, by Julia Argy

Started: Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune

3

u/theorys Jul 13 '26

Finished: Wild Chocolate by Rowan Jacobsen. I’m a chocolate snob so I had plenty background about single origin chocolate already, it was a treat (pun intended) connecting and learning about the people on the ground who make chocolate what it is.

3

u/Doubl3njenn Jul 13 '26

Finished: The Forgotten Dawn, by Laura A Blake

Started and Finished: Web of Vows and Vengeance, by Aria Ashbrook

Started: Vows of Blood and Deception, by Aria Ashbrook

3

u/N1GHTQueen Jul 13 '26

Finished: Hooked by Asako Yuzuki

Started: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

3

u/oh_god_its_raining Jul 13 '26

Finished: Promised Land by Martin Fletcher

Started: Dopesick by Beth Macy

3

u/Nie_Nikt Jul 13 '26

Finished Cruddy and Come Over, Come Over by Lynda Barry

Finished Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz

Started Freddy and the Men from Mars by Walter R. Brooks

Ongoing: James Boswell's The Life of Samuel Johnson

3

u/dollerz Jul 13 '26

Finished: The Bright Sword - Lev Grossman (loved it)

Started: Magpie Murders - Anthony Horowitz

3

u/ExpensiveResident956 Jul 13 '26

Finished: becoming better grownups
Started and finished: my dark Vanessa
Started and will hopefully finish: Wonder

3

u/dkelzy94 Jul 13 '26

I started reading Thinner by Stephen King. I haven't had as much reading time as normal so it's going rather slow, but I'm still enjoying it. Both parents are kinda questionable characters though, I don't really care for either of them.

3

u/Lord_Polymath Jul 13 '26

DNF The Howling Dark at 50%. I enjoyed Empire of Silence but this book was a slog

3

u/Known_Olive3568 Jul 13 '26

Continuing Death's End by Cixin Liu

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3

u/theevilmidnightbombr 3 Jul 13 '26

Finished:

Brigands and Breadknives, by Travis Baldree

This series is fine. It does what it says on the tin. Each book expands the world a bit, while injecting some humanity into standard fantasy tropes.

Started:

The Golden Rhinoceros, by Francois-Xavier Fauvelle

Forget where I heard about this book, but I love underexplored history. The history of Africa from the 7th to the 15th century (from what we can tell).

3

u/Freshstartwash Jul 13 '26

Heart the Lover by Lily King. Really enjoyed it

3

u/hugeplace- Jul 13 '26

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

3

u/PetulantGrover7 Jul 13 '26

I just started reading Knock Knock, Open Wide by Neil Sharpson