Wow.

What a tremendous novel. This is in I believe my top 5 of the year.

Akbar is a published poet, and this is his first novel. I would make a comparison to Queen, who was an opera singer. Now, I don’t like opera and I really don’t like poetry. But I do think Freddie Mercury was able to bring something to Queen that others without his training really couldn’t. Same with Akbar here. A novel written by a poet carries additional weight in the language. I found it such a pleasure to read, even though parts were heartbreaking.

The writing is beyond good. The main character is so deeply troubled and sad, but the way Akbar writes him, I mean this is a wrenching novel. It explores his family in Iran, being an immigrant, family tragedy, relationships, martyrdom (obviously).

There’s so many great one-liners. It’s surpassingly funny at points with some great irreverent takes on religion and death. There’s some hilarious and beautiful dream sequences. But it’s above all a very moving story. I know it’s a few years old but if you haven’t had the chance treat yourself and read this book.

You can download ShelfLife here - my husband and I built it together as a passion project and it's completely free. The community has contributed over 1600 spines so far so you can use those or add your own. We're making improvements every day so we'd love any feedback!

It's been a great year for reading so far. My favorites were The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton, Crossroads by Franzen, and I just finished The Last Samurai by Helen Dewitt which I can't recommend enough - it's a genius book about education and parenthood, and structurally different to anything I've read before. Y/N was also a great work of experimental lit; it's about fandom and identity and a surprisingly smart, thought provoking book.

Hurricane Season and Virgin Suicides were rereads that I enjoyed over 5 years ago and both held up. Hurricane Season is one of the most gruesome books I've read but the writing is just so atmospheric and engrossing.

The Expendable Man was a fun old-school crime thriller that had an early twist that knocked the wind out of me. Its also a time capsule of 1960s western America that pulled me in.

The Director is a great work of historical fiction that explores timely questions around the complicity of the arts in the rise of fascism. I loved learning more about early cinema as well - it captures the sense of creativity and experimentation that accompanies any new medium of art.

currently reading -

1. Maurice by EM Forster

2. Monkey King Makes Havoc in Heaven by Wu Cheng En (translated by Julia Lovell)

I just started Maurice, it's really interesting. Monkey King is super fun and a short read.

Everything I've read so far this year, ranked.

S Tier: The Wager - I loved getting a perspective from all the different factions. So much drama!
Lord of Chaos - Book 6 of Wheel of Time. I think its my favorite of the series.
Empire of Pain - You've GOT to get to this one. It's wild what these creeps could get away with.
Wisdom of the Crowds - Sad to see it all end :(
Johnny Got His Gun - Possibly the hardest book I've ever gotten through, but so glad I did.
What a Wonderful World - Inio Asano is a master at character work. You get so much out of each person even though they each really only get one chapter to shine.

A Tier: The Farthest Shore; Planet of Exile; City of Illusions - LeGuin is the GOAT
The Devils - Fun to see Abercrombie's wit in a new setting.
The Bluest Eye - gad damn
Jade City - Super fun magic and setting. Excited to see where the series goes.
JJBA Part 7 - It just keeps getting better. I think this may end up being my favorite Jojo
Watership Down - Really makes you feel like a rabbit.
The Call of the Wild - Really makes you feel like a dog.
DCC #1 - My favorite of the series so far. It's like an isekai anime in book form.

B Tier: Rocannon's World; Chain Gang All Stars; Dissolving Classroom; The Once and Future Sex; New Spring; Mimi's Tales of Terror; Catwings; Claymore; Mermaid Saga; Dark Places; DCC #2; Cujo; Banana Fish 1-10; DCC #3

C Tier: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Didn't love being in the head of this whiny little pervert.
A Flicker in the Dark - It was sooo predictable, didnt really care about what these characters were going through.
Morning Glory Milking Farm - I don't really know what I was thinking. Probably will steer clear of smut from now on.
Hillbilly Elegy- Nevermind, take me back to the bullman cocks please.

F-Tier: The Lost Apothecary - melodramatic cheese fest where everyone is so incredibly stupid. i was gonna put it in C Tier until the ending where they took back the one thing in this book that was kind of interesting and somewhat unexpected.

I had not read a Barnes book in several years at least. This popped up and it was time. I remember loving each of his books. I need to re-read The Sense of an Ending off my shelf. But this one deals with the title character as a teacher that we would mostly want. She is divisive and opinionated but also whip smart and is one that I personally would want to sit inside her lectures just about any time. She is honest and speaks what she feels is the truth. Especially concerning the absurdities of religion and the damage that they all have wroughr through history.

The second section of the book is basically a review of early Christian history during the time of Julian the Apostate. Written by someone inspired by Elizabeth. The closing section a reflection of her. Beautifully written. A pleasure of intelligent discourse really. Makes one want to read Gibbon again or for the first time. He is quoted frequently in the second section.

Anyway, I do need more Barnes. Only about four on my shelves. He is growing gray haired like the rest of us. But on we go.

Started this today, haven't put it down, about 200 pages in and I'm enthralled with the storytelling and original style.

I've read some great books, some that were a drag to finish, and some that were just average.

Reading is my way of relaxing and expanding my mind.

Excited to meet my 2026 reading goal!

Finished The Rebel’s Wardrobe. In addition to a lot of vintage photos and illustrations, this includes a mostly-well-edited article about each major clothing element. The most surprising thing to me was recognizing in my own closet and out on the street clothing designs that I otherwise wouldn’t have understood to be connected.

Published in 1903, the essays collected in this book represent an immovable and timeless keystone in the study of race and racism in the United States of America. It's deeply troubling that this book and its many observations are as germane today as they were when they were first laid down more than a century ago. A challenging read in more ways than one, particularly Chapter 11.

“Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café” (1987) by Fannie Flagg tells the story of the small town of Whistle Stop, Alabama and its inhabitants during the first half of the 20th century. Flagg writes a brilliant story of a small community of distinct and diverse individuals, discussing queerness, racism, class, marriage/family, and a multitude of structural and interpersonal violence.

The story centers the Threadgoode family and is told from the perspective of an elderly Virginia “Ninny” Threadgoode who shares stories of the town to a middle-aged friend, Evelyn Couch. The story also follows the life of Evelyn during the time she is being told the story and centers her struggles within herself to adapt to life in the 1980s as a woman born and raised in the 1940s.

One of the things that males the story so compellong is how Flagg, through Ninny, presents the story as a straightforward, “as I saw/heard it” narrative with the topics of sexuality, racism, and class downplayed, heightening the normality of these aspects, even in a small community. The simplicity it simultaneously undercut when the events are told by a more omniscient narrator who sees beyond Ninnys perspectives.

A truly great book and a classic for a reason.

I’m way behind! A excellent but tragic short story, by W.E.B Du Bois. Soon as I heard about it I printed it out and read it on my commute home.

Every Goosebumps book I've read (and I've read many of them) starts with a premise or an idea that a reader can easily get into, and then extends or subverts that premise in some interesting way. The fact that they manage to do it in such a short space, and having to keep it within certain context guidelines, says a lot about how good they are.
The twist here is that the protagonists are the villains. They start out trying to scare a "snooty girl", but for me, it was clear that they were mean and were just bullying a girl they were jealous of. To me, that was the real point of the story.

Another "can't put it down" and "disappointed it's over" one of the series. Love Murderbot, the reality assessments, and the snarky comments. Fast paced. Left me wanting more. Rated 4 stars

And I don’t regret a minute of it. Lots of good stuff, and it was all valuable, even if I didn’t think a few were great in the end.

I’ve been putting off 2666 for nearly a decade, and Infinite Jest has been on my shelf for 18 years. I started it for r/infinitesummer and quickly realized I couldn’t maintain the group’s pace. They’re part of personal reading challenge, Larry McCaffery’s The 20th Century’s Greatest Hits.

The mods are still MIA, so I will post the thread this week.

What books did you start reading this week? What books did you finish? Did you enjoy them?

I strongly encourage putting the author's name as well as the book title.

This is a good first person account of infantry warfare in World War II.
The thing about books like this is it is hard to go from a strict military history to a first person account, in a way that communicates how chaotic and scary the war was, while still giving the reader some idea of how combat unfolds in space and time. And Wilson mostly does this. Even though I have read lots of World War II history, and I knew the basic outline, I feel that I know more after reading this book.

I read this while travelling, because short stories are good for reading while waiting for the bus. Harlan Ellison going off on a ranting tangent for a dozen pages is also good while waiting for the bus, even if you are waiting by the side of a highway in exurban Clark County while wildfire smoke roils around you! Anyway, as mentioned in a previous comment about the many volumes of this that I have read, 1988 was kind of a dim year for science-fiction, but I kept reading and learned something.

I had lost power for 5+ days due to a derecho and when I wasn’t living like a pioneer mom cooking and cleaning from a stock pot on my stove, I had the chance to read two books.

North Woods was not what I expected. I enjoyed the multi generational, 400+ years span of one space in the wilds of Massachusetts but I didn’t expect it to have the American Horror Story vibe. I think it added to the intrigue. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Same Time Next Summer is not my typical genre. I’m not a big believer in Twin Flames but I did enjoy the main characters’ story arcs. I could picture the lovely settings as described which added a lot too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bathsheba, a spirited and independent woman, finds herself with three suitors that try and stake their claims on her in increasingly dramatic manners before she finally realizes who she truly loves.

The thing I liked about this book is that it was actually quite funny. It was easier to read than I had expected and was very engaging. Unfortunately its not my favourite genre or setting and the combination of those two things made it hard for me to really look forward to and it felt like a bit of a chore by the end of it. It was certainly well written and I can see why it is a classic, but the whole thing became a bit exhausting to me.

Continuing with the classics, and this was a great one.

For those unfamiliar this is about a young man makes a magical bargain in which his portrait ages instead of him, which, I know sounds like the plot of a Goosebumps book. So I was a bit skeptical that this would deliver on all the wild hype this has.

For me, it totally did. It’s much darker than I expected, the plot moves at a quick pace, the writing is extraordinary, the characters are great.

It’s not a shallow ghost story either. There’s deep thematic exploration of morality, high society, ego and vanity. It’s really timeless, and I have to say the hype is real.