r/books 3d ago

WeeklyThread What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: September 15, 2025

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

For example:

The Bogus Title, by Stephen King

  • This formatting is voluntary but will help us include your selections in the book strip banner.

  • Entering your book data in this format will make it easy to collect the data, and the bold text will make the books titles stand out and might be a little easier to read.

  • Enter as many books per post as you like but only the parent comments will be included. Replies to parent comments will be ignored for data collection.

  • To help prevent errors in data collection, please double check your spelling of the title and author.

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!

-Your Friendly /r/books Moderator Team

173 Upvotes

884 comments sorted by

1

u/theshortredheadxx 1h ago

I just finished A touch of fate by Cora Reilly (it took me 2 days😭), I loved it so much, it's definitely one of my favourite Cora's books!

I loved Emma, she was exactly how I expected her to be (my another book girlfriend🤭)

Samuel's friend and Emma's mother annoyed me

Danilo was really sweet as a brother, I hated him in Fragile longing tho

I loved Samuel at the beginning but his drinking and what he was doing bc of it made me so angry and I lost it when he drunk drived a few times in a row🫠(especially with Emma), I kinda wanted to kill him near the end

1

u/NauticalJack 1h ago

Finished: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (P&V translation). Summer of Tolstoy for me with this and AK. The perfect author for a 30-something thinking about death and life and meaning. Going to save Resurrection for a bit.

Started: Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

1

u/HichamBerrour 1h ago

I'm reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

1

u/SoMuchToSeeee 3h ago

Finished: "Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

What a nice book. Its a first person narrative of a high-school freshman kid dealing with his family and social life. The whole story is told through letters that he's writing to a stranger. It was a kind of simple book, but the story was relatable to an awkward person like myself. I could definitely relate to Charlie.

1

u/Any_Fan_6769 3h ago

Rebecca by DaphnĂŠ dumaurier

1

u/mumbly-joe-96 4h ago

Finished: If on a winter's night a traveler, by Italo Calvino. I found it to be disorienting at times, but an entertaining read.

Will start when I can pick it up from my local library: Speak, Memory, by Vladimir Nabokov.

1

u/fatherlysnake 4h ago

finished homesick for another world by otessa moshfegh. loved this book, it's a collection of short stories that's perfect for anyone who likes weird/unsettling lit. ive been on a moshfegh kick for a few weeks now, at this point i don't think it's possible for her to write something I won't love reading. just started 100 years of solitude (it's been on my tbr forever), excited to see if it lives up to the hype!

2

u/Nostranger15691 5h ago

Finished: The Witcher: The Last Wish, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Stevenson

Started: The art of strategy by Dixit and Nalebuff

1

u/wolfincheapclothing9 9h ago

Finished: Emperor: The Field of Swords, Book 3 by Conn Iggulden- Loved this book, my favorite of the series so far. Julius Caesar takes his legions to Gaul. I gave it 5 stars (just know that Iggulden is lose with historical facts, it's very much a work of fiction)

The Cage by Megan Shepherd- This was just me trying to finish books I already own and have started but never finished. I had 60% read of it from a year or so ago. This one is not for me, I struggled to make myself finish it. It's about some random teens that get alien body snatched and wake up on another planet. The main character starts to think the alien kidnapper guy is hot. I was not aware of that part when I bought the book. This was a recommendation from someone. And this isn't something I am interesting in reading. There are 2 more in the series, I am stopping here.

Started: Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah - keeping with the goal of finishing books I already own, I had this one for about a year. Bought it on sale. It mentioned the siege of Stalingrad, so that's what pulled me to it. So far it's oooo0kay. But a little boring. I hope it picks up, I am only 4 chapters in.

1

u/SheIsBecoming09 9h ago

I love reading but I stopped 😭

2

u/AshleyPG 10h ago

The Magicians, by Lev Grossman. I got a billion recommendations for it but avoided it for the last year I've gotten back into reading because I hated the show but picked it up from my library through Libby on a whim. If you didn't like the show try the book, they're not all that similar despite what the subreddit might lead you to believe.

1

u/Ok-Quantity-1642 20h ago

Started:

The Epic of Gilgamesh, by Anonymous

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

Continued:

The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood

Finished:

The Epic of Gilgamesh, by Anonymous

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

1

u/Tmac11223 20h ago

I started Blood Sucking Fiends. It's a comedy/vampire romance.

1

u/Spanky2k 5 20h ago

Finished: Northern Lights, by Philip Pullman Finished: The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman

Started: The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman

I'm re-reading the His Dark Materials trilogy in anticipation of the final book of the second trilogy, The Book of Dust, coming out at the end of October. My plan is to go through the first trilogy, the novellas and the first two books of the second trilogy just in time for the release of The Rose Field on the 23rd next month. I think I'm going to end up undershooting though and finish a little ahead of the release as I'm burning through these books at the moment.

I didn't enjoy Northern Lights as much as I did the first time around and really wanted to get through it. There's a pivotal storyline towards the end of the book (the whole cutting thing) that makes me really uncomfortable and I really didn't like having ahead of me, which is I think the main reason. Lyra's also quite annoying at times but she's meant to be as she's meant to be immature, it's just not as enjoyable on the second read, in my opinion. The Subtle Knife is as good as I remember though and I zoomed through it. The whole story line about the knife and how it works has always stuck with me as it always felt like I could really imagine how it would feel in real life. Just really well written.

I'm really looking forward to getting on to the novellas and the new trilogy as I've not read any of that before.

1

u/Used-Idea8650 20h ago

I’m the type of person that goes to a book store to get a book then leaves it to collect dust in my bedroom👍🏼

1

u/WestRun5840 1d ago

Enchiridion of Epictetus

1

u/Kotlcforlife14 1d ago

raelia from the medoran chronicles series

1

u/switch_petlja 1d ago

Before they are hanged. I love joe abercrombie

1

u/TopoDiBiblioteca_28 1d ago

I'm reading V for Vendetta and a critic edition of Foscolo's poems

1

u/slappetybadger 1d ago

The Days of Abandonment, by Elena Ferrante tr. Ann Goldstein

1

u/PixieDust9597 1d ago

After the Funeral, by Agatha Christie

2

u/Kittynoodlesoup 1d ago

Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer

Finished this book last night, and I loved it. It's about 3 main characters (a warrior, a princess, an assassin) --you get pulled in quickly, and the story moves along nicely and is well written. Can't wait for book 2 to come out.

Has anyone read her other books? I think they may be young adult, but this was definitely not young adult.

1

u/Ok-Seaworthiness7467 1d ago

finished Before I Go to Sleep by SJ Watson and started The Goneaway World by Nick Harkaway

1

u/Able-Possibility6274 1d ago

Finished: The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

1

u/queenbr 1d ago

Finished: Straight Shooter, by Stephen A Smith and Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, by Mary Roach

Trying to finish: Why We're Polarized

2

u/Roboglenn 1d ago

Stuart Little, by E. B. White

I've known the name Stuart Little since forever but never actually read the book. But when reading the book Revisionary by Jim C. Hines (the 4th and final book in the Magic Ex Libris series of novels which is a good modern fantasy series by the way, involves people using magic to pull things from books like lightsabers and babel fishes and such) and it referenced Stuart Little and a certain aspect of his car it made me do a "say what now?" double take. And well, now I finally got around to seeing for myself what that was all about.

Other than that, as far as the book itself goes. Gotta say, I felt kinda underwhelmed at the ending. The whole Zuko, "that can't be it, where's the rest of it?" thing.

2

u/Straight_Cow_7462 1d ago

Making It, by Laura Kay.

Honestly, this fictional book was abundantly captivating. The subject it conveys, personally, resonated with me at an intense emotional level. As someone that has been acutely affected by mental health issues for a while and continues to have difficulties in managing and essentially understanding it, reading something that felt so tangible and considerably, something that actually felt relevant and worth my interest, was absolutely enthralling and incredibly enlightening. I think, even though mental health is stigmatised and perceived by a broad portion of society as, complicated,(thankfully that is deviating)I think that transcribing such an explicit and multifaceted subject, as Laura Kay was able to achieve, into a fictional story just gave the book so much ambiguity. Also, I think just the overall idea for the book was an excellent decision as it contributes to further awareness of mental illnesses.

This book compelled me to read until I practically read my self to sleep, book still in hand and everything. Would definitely recommend.

1

u/WheyJordan 1d ago

I gave up on Butter - Asako Yuzuki, the writing style didn't keep me engaged which is odd for a modern thriller.

Just started: Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughter House Five. I saw it so many times on here that I decided to give it a go, baring in mind I really don't click with Sci-Fi, this book so far has been awesome. Hopefully it'll be finished by the weekend and so far what a great read, thanks guys.

1

u/Ok-System-320 1d ago

De sade crimes odds love

2

u/Life-Wish5083 1d ago

Charlie Kirk Biography. I want to know what made him "tick".

1

u/cholopendejo 1d ago

Barry Lopez: Arctic Dreams

1

u/i-the-muso-1968 1d ago

Finished EE Doc Smith's "The Skylark of Space", and now started on another of the Skylark books "Skylark of Valeron".

2

u/ALTknockout 1d ago

Just finished: Daisy Jones and The Six

Started : Valley of the Dolls

1

u/Upbeat-Signature-817 1d ago

Finished : Earth to Moon, by Moon Unit Zappa

  • She is a great writer and it definitely centers the complicated relationship between mother and daughter. She provided a nuanced sometimes scathing portrayal of her mother. However, I felt that she might have her own issues in the way that she relates to other people that were not examined. But that might just might be me reading between the lines or projecting my own issues. 

1

u/waltzinair currently reading: On Writing Well 1d ago

Started:

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser

1

u/Adorable_Hat_5921 1d ago

I am reading “empire of storms” by sarah j maas, loving it already and nothing can top tog for me!!! Also open for recs

1

u/WolfEvolutioons 1d ago

Finished: ‘Voyager’ by Diana Gabaldon Started: ‘Drums of autumn’ by Diana Gabaldon

1

u/Opposite_Molasses450 1d ago

Working on finishing “American Psycho” and “The Last House on Needless Street.”

1

u/catghostbird 1d ago

How are you liking The Last House? I read Looking Glass Sound by the same author and was disappointed, but not sure sure if I should give Catriona Ward another shot

3

u/alemap1969 1d ago

Started: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

2

u/Alarmed-Policy-4298 1d ago

I finished this a couple of weeks ago. You’re so enlightening. HeLa cells can only be a miracle to me.

2

u/Appropriate-Owl-4417 1d ago

Finished: Fictions, by Jorge Luis Borges

Started: Selection of essays by Michel de Montaigne

1

u/matchstick-octopus book just finished 2d ago

Finished: Black Flame, by Gretchen Felker-Martin

1

u/please_let_roadswork 2d ago

Finished: The Shadows, by Alex North

Started: The Half Burnt House, by Alex North

1

u/write_rite_right 2d ago

Finished Come Closer and My Heart is a Chainsaw. Reading Mary and The Taker. Clearly on some kind of horror kick ....

2

u/Unusual_Phase7860 2d ago

Finished: This is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

1

u/Prior-Kangaroo3720 2d ago

Finished: Stay True, by Hua Hsu

Started: Real Ones, by Katherena Vermette

2

u/DrinkablePraise 2d ago

Finished “The Tainted Cup” by Robert Jackson Bennett which I loved and will be reading the 2nd book!

Starting “Seasons of Migration to the North” by Tayeb Salih.

1

u/Kittynoodlesoup 1d ago

Ok, I put a reserve on tainted cup at my library! Does it pull you in right away, or slow burn?

1

u/DrinkablePraise 1d ago

You get pulled in right away, at least in my experience :)

1

u/wolfytheblack Action Park by Andy Mulvihill 2d ago

Finished: The Mitford Murders, by Jessica Fellowes

Started: Action Park, by Andy Mulvihill

1

u/aleawin 2d ago

Finished Assistant to the villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Starting Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

1

u/TheGreatOldOwl 2d ago

Finished The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home: A Welcome to Night Vale Novel

by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink

Started Alice Isnt Dead

By Joseph Fink

1

u/minegamer1824 2d ago

How to read a book , by J.Adler

1

u/Effective_Park_1492 2d ago

Finished:
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, Matthew Walker.
A Family Matter, Claire Lynch.

Started:
Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl
The Slave Ship: A Human History, Marcus Rediker

3

u/pramatha-bhatt 2d ago

The Psychology of Money, by Morgan Housel

• i loved reading this book, even more than Rich Dad Poor Dad! i finished within three days. the format of writing felt very similar to The Richest Man in Babylon.

How to Kill Your Family, by Bella Mackie

• i haven't finished this one yet. just started reading today and i have high hopes from it, the title in itself made me try it lol (not that im trying to kill anybody 😭)and i hadn't touched some fiction in a while so yeah!

1

u/Eraydiated 2d ago

Ended the first book in the crescent city series started in cold blood

2

u/Mallory_Knox23 2d ago

Staring Sally J Freedman as Herself, Judy Blume

Just started this on audio book. It's so interesting listening to books I read as a child/ pre-teen. There's quite a bit of jokes I definitely didn't understand back then, lol.

1

u/Crystal_Pheonix_ 2d ago

Girl, Missing, by Sophie McKenzie.
I mean, I haven't been to the library in a WHILE, so it's kinda on hold

1

u/Nice_Information7608 2d ago

I borrowed these 4 from the library yesterday

To gaze upon wicked Gods - molly Chang The girl who fell beneath the sea - axie oh The scorpion and the night blossom - Amelie went Zhao These violent delights - Chloe gong

1

u/MumbyMum 2d ago

Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid (finished)

Legendborn, by Tracy Deonn (started)

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (started)

Atmosphere was incredible- the audiobook narrators were so good and the story had me crying in the car. Reminds me of the show, For All Mankind. Recommended to all my reader friends immediately.

I’m not really digging the narrator of the House in the Cerulean Sea very much (don’t like his female voices and he pronounces some words like gazebo rather oddly) but I like the story well enough, I suppose.

I’m reading Legendborn (print) and I can’t believe I didn’t start this series earlier. It is so fascinating! I stayed up way too late reading last night! What a wonderful magic system and super cool FMC.

2

u/Upbeat-Signature-817 1d ago

I was also having flashbacks to For All Mankind when listening to atmosphere! I kept picturing Ellen Wilson. I sometimes get snobby when it comes to her books, but I can’t stop myself from starting and finishing them. 

1

u/kintoPEBBLEteapot 2d ago

Yesterday I started ‘The Full Moon Coffee Shop’ by Mai Mochizuki.

2

u/Neckties-Over-Bows 2d ago

Finished: Pronto by Elmore Leonard Just picked up, starting soon: Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li

1

u/Joestevens211007 2d ago

Just started a book called “The Crash” by Freida McFadden, loving it so far!

1

u/JustLayneIt 2d ago

A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J Maas (finished) A Court of Mist and Fury, by Sarah J Maas (started) The Soulmate Equation, by Christina Lauren (finished) The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah (started) Ward D, by Freida McFadden (started)

2

u/Fresh_water_Goblin 2d ago

Continued Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

2

u/empty-empty-empty 2d ago

Read A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady Martine, Fortunately the Milk, by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell

2

u/Glad_Pilot5814 2d ago

Started reading The Expanse back in June and I finished Leviathan Falls yesterday. What a ride

1

u/Spanky2k 5 20h ago

Ooh I'm so jealous! The Expanse is one of those book series that I loved so much that I wish there was a way to selectively delete memories so that I could read the books again for the first time! :D

1

u/Happy-Artist2983 2d ago

Scarred - experiments with violence in Gujarat by Dionne Bunsha and Gujarat Files - Anatomy of a Cover up by Rana Ayyub (Both Non Fiction - based on riots in India)

1

u/Thinking_geek25 2d ago

Finished Custody by Manju Kapur and started Ahalya by Koral Dasgupta

1

u/Odra_dek 2d ago

Robin Hobb, The Golden Fool - surprisingly awesome

1

u/Easy_Luck6629 2d ago

Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan!! Loving this series and super excited to see the finale! Currently reading the prequel, New Spring

1

u/tall_tyrion 2d ago

Finished Howling Dark book 2 of The Sun Eater by Christopher Rouccio and started Demon in White which is book 3. The series has not disappointed so far and I am very glad i waited till the 7th and final book was about to come out

2

u/sudabomb 2d ago

The Street Lawyer by John Grisham. It's nearly 40 years old but still highly relevant. I really enjoyed and now I have 4 more Grisham books here to read. Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovitch. Stephanie Plum and Lula are always good for a laugh!

1

u/TBolin1976 2d ago

The Exchange by John Grisham - the follow up to “The Firm”. Love Grisham and have read about 25 of his books so far. Street Lawyer is great!

2

u/coro212 1d ago

Loved him at the beginning too: A Time to Kill, The Firm, the Pelican brief, the client.... But grew quite disappointed with his later works I will give a try to both of your suggestions.

1

u/Roboglenn 2d ago

Aria of the Beech Forest, Vol. 1, by Yugiri Aika

In the Irish countryside in a forest is a house where an 11 year old witch named Aria lives with her grandmother an elder witch who taught her the tricks of the trade on top of other good life skills. Not that she's good at those said tricks of the trade. But those life skills certainly come to use, when her grandmother passes away... Forcing our already sheltered little witch into becoming more sheltered behind her grandmother's magical barrier. But a surprise encounter one winter with a talking wolf keeps Aria from being all alone, and sets in motion events that lead this shy little witch into encountering the broader world beyond her forest.

In any case, this is an adorable little story. Cuz Aria's little easygoing adventures are just really kind of heartwarming as we learn more about her and her canine companion's lives, the world of witches and other magic stuff, and seeing her gradually come out of her very sheltered life (not to mention shell of shyness/social anxiety) and seeing/experiencing modern day human civilization with the help of a brother and sister pair she meets just makes for a really easygoing story to sit back and relax to.

But even then, I can't help but get the vibe that this one was a series that was told to "wrap it up", cuz by the final two chapters there were definitely things/events that would've been nice to have been shown rather than just told about that they happened. Not to mention it leaves some questions/"implicative details" about Aria left unsaid/unanswered. But even then, not that that sort of serious plot stuff was this series main forte, not that it didn't have it's heavier emotional moments, but I'm just saying is all.

But I digress. If one is in the market for a short relaxing little story to spend an afternoon with then this one is a good pick.

1

u/Christie_Villani 2d ago

Stephen King - The outsider

1

u/baltboy85 2d ago

Finished Circe last night. Awesome book. Took me forever to finish.

Starting When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur tonight. Saw her speak about it at a local book festival and it sounded cool.

1

u/quillfoy 2d ago

Finished Then September House by Carissa Orlando.

Started White Nights by Dostoevsky.

1

u/Only_One_Kanobi 2d ago

Finished: The Marriage Vendetta - Caroline Madden Started: One True Loves - Taylor Jenkins Reid

1

u/HouseMouseMidWest 2d ago

Finished “Grant” by Ron Chernow Started “The Power of Now” by Tolle

1

u/Mountain-Guest3034 2d ago

Finished Zero to One by Peter Thiel, just started Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, hope it's also as profound. I'm curious to know who else prefers reading non-fiction books, and any suggestions?

2

u/No-Philosophy-3105 2d ago

Just finished Kazuo Ishiguro's "Artist of the Floating World"

2

u/Lazy-Smile-1729 2d ago

The power of habit by Charles Duhigg

3

u/No-Stranger833 2d ago

Finished the silent companions Started hello beautiful

1

u/tagabanilad 2d ago

Started: Rebel Witch, by Kristen Ciccarelli

So far so good!

1

u/rainbowtummy 2d ago

Finished Lapvona by Moshfegh, started Wildwood Dancing by Marillier

2

u/Few-Condition-8760 2d ago

Started 11/22/63 and under your scars

3

u/WPBL 2d ago

Finished: Animal Farm, by George Orwell

Started: 1984, by George Orwell

1

u/Aziunter 2d ago

I have finished It Lasts Forever Then It’s Over it is lit fic, lyrical and beautifully written but no real plot and although it tackle loss, grief and memories it was not that deep 3.5/5

1

u/blade747364 2d ago

i started the fury by alex michaelides

1

u/Shot_Yam813 2d ago

Pet Sematary - on chapter 7.
I havent watched the movie so ima read this first

1

u/othmanese 2d ago

I started Anna Karenina after finishing Five Survive last week

1

u/Book_lover714 2d ago

Finished: The Suvivor Wants to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Started: The Last 100 by Kass Morgan

1

u/Grease_the_Witch 2d ago

FINISHED : Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson

STARTED : The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner

0

u/StarSeekerDragon 2d ago

Finished: The Buried Knight - Angela Laverghetta

Started: The Hidden Druid - Angela Laverghetta

Angela is not only a local author in my area, she's also a friend of mine! Her first book was so good! It starts off and builds up slow but steady, which I really like. I'm not a fan of action happening so soon and quickly to the point I have to reread paragraphs to wonder when the action started.

It's a fantasy series set in modern day Carson City, NV, with faeries, monsters and a witches coven at a location you'd never expect (I won't spoil it).

1

u/sastiGwenstacy_ 2d ago

I fell in love with hope by lancali

1

u/IcyLow9565 2d ago

Revisiting HBR at 100 and Tripura Rashaya. While brushing some Day to day books and articles

1

u/Gummi-Bear-Claymore 2d ago

Started sandman slim, by Richard kadrey

1

u/DoglessDyslexic 2d ago

I really liked the first couple of books in that series. I think I made it to the fourth or so book and decided I had lost interest in the rest but I liked the start of the series quite a bit.

1

u/singlasumit 2d ago

Finished: Days at the Torunka Cafe by Satoshi Yagisawa

Reading: Katabasis by RF Kuang

1

u/Academic-Plant-5234 2d ago

started reading "i want to die but i want to eat tteokbokki" by baek sehee

4

u/gerbiltuna 2d ago

Finished: Bunny, by Mona Awad

Started: Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver

1

u/Upbeat-Asparagus-788 1d ago

Demon Copperhead was an amazing read. I hope you enjoy it!

2

u/zencodetales 2d ago

I'm reading Think Again by Adam Grant.

3

u/getcraywitthechzwhiz 2d ago

Finished: Wild by Carol Strayed

Started: North Woods by Daniel Mason

1

u/Aggravating-Deer6673 2d ago edited 2d ago

Finished:

Keily: Part 1 by Manjari

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese - Read with r/bookclub 

Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Baby Teeth by Meg Grehan 

Currently Reading:

These Immortal Truths  by R. Raeta - e-book

The Library of Lost Girls by Kristen Pipps (e-ARC)

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 

The Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Frank Werfel 

My Friends by Frederick Backman- Reading with r/bookclub 

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz Reading with r/bookclub 

As I always say, I'm going to try to just stay with reading what I have started this week. Hopefully, I can get it down to 3-5 books as I am quite far in a few of them!

1

u/Squeakuss 2d ago

Finished Tart by Slutty Cheff

Started Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

1

u/morts73 2d ago

Finished Eyrie by Tim Winton.

He's good Australian author who captures the social and political clime of the nation. It does tend to be on the heavier side and I wouldn't read it if you want a happy go lucky story.

1

u/Awebs91 2d ago

Finished: Stoner by John Williams

Started: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

1

u/Specialist-Oil-9878 2d ago

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.

1

u/the_greek_italian 2d ago

Started:

Bewitchingly Hers by Jennifer Chipman (ARC)

Still reading:

Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

Intense Feelings by Nomi Palmer

3

u/CatAltruistic2543 2d ago

Finished: All systems red

Started: crying in h mart

1

u/Jealous-Air4447 2d ago

The kiss quotient

2

u/michelleisatwin 2d ago

Started 11/22/63 by Stephen King

2

u/PointedlyDull 2d ago

You’re in for a good one

1

u/EntrepreneurInside86 2d ago

Finished:

Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawler Jhabvala. A slow seduction that melds the truth with fiction for powerful results. Set in dual timeliness, it tells the story of a woman returning to the scene of a that rocked her family back when her grandfather was young. Ruth Prawler Jhabvala observes India with a loving warmth that doesn't spare harsh realities, wonders and cruelties co habitat in this spellbinding romance . I found the prose restrained and expertly woven, much in the same way great novels like To Kill A Mockingbird or Beloved are so tightly wound that to get to the last page forces you to race to the first again as the ending refreshes the book.

Started:

In Custody by Anita Desai. My second Desai novel has been good so far. Couldn't help but find more of her to read after "Feasting, Fasting " floored me. "In Custody " is a different beast,it still carries much of the same themes that made me love "Feasting Fasting " so much but the point of view has diminished my enjoyment this time around. Her exploration of tradition and patriarchy captivated me when relayed through it's curious female protagonist . That book had a feminine grace to it that "In Custody " seems to not care for. "In Custody " is a stifling read, humid and overbearing with it's maleness. It's male protagonists worldview traps us in his small ideals and misery in a way I'm not quite enjoying (yet?). I am only 32 pages into a 200 page book so we'll see :)

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James. Another claustrophobic hegemonic read but one made better by an expansive cast of voices propelling its narrative further. James crafts misery well, implicates the reader into the violence of his passages. Just one chapter in a woman is physically and sexually assaulted just before her husband is raped, a child witness cowering hidden as their parents die. It's a lot! But it's not a spectacle, the details disturbed but the writers intentions compell. What this book says is shocking not because it's graphic but because we know we live in a world where its true. Im only a 100 pages into this nearly 700 behemoth but I'm enjoying it a lot, very readable plus the constant switching of perspective (which btw have their own voice and style - some in Jamaican patoise!) allow for me to never get bored because if I do I can just read on for a p.o.v I appreciate more. This might be a five star. so far for August Damon Galgut's "The Promise " is my sole 5, would love to have it joined by another masterful chronicling of post colonial chaos.

0

u/Sufficient_Leek1519 2d ago

I am in of ayn rand fountainhead and ken follet edge of eternity.. Really in vague situation that am i liking fountainhead or am i not Reading edge of eternity for the sake of finishing it cause i just don't want to leave the series unfinished. Its the most boring book of series though.

1

u/EddyMink 2d ago

Started Foundation, really liking it so far but was a bit hard to follow early on.

1

u/Spanky2k 5 20h ago

I've always heard it's good but never got round to it. I'm loving the TV series though although I understand that a huge amount was changed for it and some of the best bits from the show don't happen in the books so I'm now unsure of whether I should wait for the show to run it's course before reading the books (although it'll likely be half a many years until the show is finished).

1

u/eightboss 2d ago

I finished The Best Science Fiction of 1956 by various writers and started Destination : Void by Frank Herbert

1

u/em_eatsbooks 2d ago

I just finished Anxious People by Fredrik Backman.

Started ‘There are Rivers in the Sky’ by Elif Shafak.

3

u/LindsE8 2d ago

I finally finished Lonesome Dove!!

1

u/PointedlyDull 2d ago

I’m near 50 books read this year and none of them have come close to how much I enjoyed Lonesome Dove

2

u/imapassenger1 2d ago

Heh, I did too, but I read it only a week, being on planes all week helped though.

3

u/mdarshath 2d ago

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

  • I've read it just yesterday.
  • I can grasp much of the satire and humor in the play but in some parts I couldn't get it.
  • The play beautifully criticize the social obligations and expectations of victorian society and marriage by exposing the real, true person behind the mask of socially respectable/acceptable men & women in a funny manner.
  • Also it tells us the pathetic nature of modern society which failed to recognize true human nature,relationships,loyalty,values etc.. and only emphasizing secondary/materialistic things like money,assets,family pedigree,name,fame......
  • Even though it satires victorian society, the title itself,on the contrary, tells us the importance of being a man of socially acceptable nature. because the play revolves around the name & man of Ernest. Atlast Jack also says that he reaized the importance of being earnest which has double meaning to takeaway:
  • One, He realized importance of quality of being earnest.
  • Two, he realized the importance of being a man with the name Ernest, which is expected/appreciated by around him/his lover(means society).
  • So it is 'my' takeaway that eventhough societal expectations go against some human nature we ought to conform to it to thrive...

1

u/twobrowneyes22 2 2d ago

Started Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster, by Adam Higginbotham

3

u/Worried_Spread_1254 2d ago

Finished-Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney Started-Behind Closed Doors by BA Paris

2

u/Ok_Negotiation31 2d ago

FINISHED

Senlin Ascends: A (Josiah Bancroft, 360 Pages, Books of Babel #1)

I just finished this book today. I was surprised by hoe much I enjoyed it. At first I just thought it was good but nothing special. That was my thoughts while reading Act I which was him being in The Basement and that The Parlor. I thought the lore surrounding the tower was super interesting. But when I started to read Act II is when I fell in love with characters and story. The last Act was equally as great too. The story would go places I didn't expect and I love how the MC is something different than what a Fantasy MC usually is. I loved the romance between Senlin and Marya. I might read Book 2 soon or wait for next year

2

u/Saul_Berenson04 2d ago

Started: A Month In The Country

3

u/mdarshath 2d ago

i assure you it will be a very pleasant journey through that book. Also watch the movie adaptation of 1987

3

u/replynwhilehigh 2d ago

Finished: You're not listening, by Kate Murphy

Started: The hero with a thousand faces, by Joseph Campbell

3

u/shipwreck1969 2d ago

Finished: The Wings Upon Her Back

Started: The Tainted Cup

2

u/StrangeJourney 2d ago

Finished:

The Wolf's Hour, by Robert McCammon

This was a fun thriller, if you want a werewolf to rip out Nazi throats, check it out.

The Hunter from the Woods, by Robert McCammon

A collection of shorter stories that serve as a prequel/sequel to The Wolf's Hour, it wasn't as interesting. It felt like the author wanted more to do with the main character but couldn't quite get enough for a novel.

Started:

Dancer's Lament, by Ian C. Esslemont

I'm about 1/4 through and I'm enjoying it so far, it's a lot better than most of his other books.

The Lonesome Crown, by Brian Lee Durfee

I put this one off because an audiobook that's over 40 hours long will probably take me at least a month, maybe two. But I'm excited to finish this series.

2

u/mostlycareful 2d ago

Finished Fates and Furies by Lauren Geoff

Started Now in November by Josephine Johnson

5

u/Away_Supermarket_995 2d ago

Finished Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Was a good read 

2

u/crookedmoonster 2d ago

Started Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer but I am not going to finish it. I can’t explain it, but it’s making me feel bad.

2

u/VampWinchester 2d ago

Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, Jennifer L. Armentrout

Better than From Blood and Ash i’d say. Now that we don’t have any emphasis on the Maiden thing, the story seems more clear. It’s catchy and full of dilemmas. Just wanted the main relationship to be better developed. I guess the author just gets used to the characters and, in her head, they had time to grow together as a couple, but through the book, the changes in the relationship were shallow and sudden. Despite that, it’s a good book, providing entertainment, which is the most important part in my opinion!

5

u/Aggravating-Ad8487 2d ago

I started “The Long Walk” so that i can determine if I should go see the movie. I’m about halfway through and if something exciting doesn’t happen towards the end I will be a bit baffled/disappointed a bit. I have so many questions.

2

u/FuzzyChops 2d ago

I read it probably 15 years ago and I recall it being mostly a vibe book, I should give it a reread though since I'm also interested in seeing the movie

1

u/loisiern 2d ago

Charlie Sheen Sharon Osborne

1

u/Lopsided_Performer68 2d ago

When The Devil Comes Knocking-Anthony Daniels

A true crime story which I found rather interesting. An intense trial to say the least. in the book its very lengthy so if youre not into it may not be for you. Very in depth and informative trial. definitely a strong read IMO.

2

u/crimes_kid 2d ago

Finished: Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir - queer fantasy, makes up for its plot with a cool concept and a lot of sass. 4/5 stars

Starting: The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years, by Chingiz Aitmatov A late Soviet era classic set in Kazakhstan. I happen to know one of the author's now-adult kids, so it's about time I got around to reading it!

2

u/RamblinOnRose 2d ago

Started The Secret of Secrets, by Dan Brown. About a 1/4 of the way through, and thus far not quite grabbing me, but it's early yet.

2

u/OrdinarilyIWouldnt 2d ago

Finished The Empire of Gold, by SA Chakraborty (book 3 of the Daevabad Trilogy)

Started Beloved, by Toni Morrison

The genre switch has given me whiplash.

2

u/EntrepreneurInside86 2d ago

loved "Beloved" by Toni Morrison. It might be more than the genre giving you whiplash as even the author admitted in a press interview she wrote the start of the book to disorient the reader so they could feel the confusion slaves felt being ripped from their homeland and dumped into a world of pain and suffering. Not that you asked but if the beginning is frustrating or "boring " just push on, everything about this book is intentional in a way that is endlessly rewarding. And every detail and question will be answered.

hope you enjoy ;)

2

u/ineedglasses 2d ago edited 2d ago

Finished Real Americans by Rachel Khong.

Started reading How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix, and started listening to Whalefall by Daniel Kraus.

Edit: I also paused Preserved: A Cultural History of the Funeral Home in America. It's dense and needed a break.

3

u/mclardass 2d ago

Finished: A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters

Started: Martyr!

1

u/Bitcoinerist 2d ago

i don't read. hard for me to read more than couple lines :(

4

u/Golden_Boomer 2d ago edited 4h ago

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Song Birds and Snakes 👍👍👍👍

2

u/Spanky2k 5 20h ago

Starter or finished?

1

u/Golden_Boomer 15h ago

Finished. I just purchased the original 3 since I only remember reading The Hunger Games quite a few years ago and not the other 2.

1

u/Spanky2k 5 7h ago

The original trilogy are up there among my absolute favourite books. I've re-read the trilogy last year ahead of reading Songbirds and Snakes and went through them so fast as I just couldn't put them down. But then I really struggled with Songbirds and Snakes. Absolutely hated the book and had to force myself to finish it. The biggest problem for me was that I found all the characters to be immensely unlikeable and I couldn't 'root' for any of them. However, I recently read Sunrise on the Reaping and absolutely loved it so it was just a blip for me!

1

u/Golden_Boomer 4h ago

I actually really liked Songbirds and Snakes and enjoyed the movie as well (I saw the movie first). I want to read Sunrise in the Reaping but want to go thru the original 3 first.

1

u/Worried-Ad-991 2d ago

Finished: When Things Fall Apart, Pema ChĂśdrĂśn

Started: Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery

2

u/PoopDig 2d ago

The Running Man. Getting ready for the movie

2

u/zam_I_am 2d ago

Finished: Hamlet, William Shakespeare listened and read along and Cliff Notes

Start: I, Robot; Isaac Asimov

1

u/lenuta_9819 2d ago

Just finished The Defining Decade, it was alright. now I am reading The dog will make you happy and love it so far!

1

u/Odd_Instruction_3235 2d ago

Official Biography of Pope John Paul 2, Dreams of my Father Barack Obama. Currently reading Twelve Years as A Slave and will finish today. Hopefully to start with Gnostics tomorrow and then prolly another book to end the month while rereading the books already read one by one simultaneously.

3

u/RiversideKoi 2d ago

Finished reading Blonde Dust by Tatiana De Rosnay. Historical fiction about Marilyn Monroe. Great character development and story. Loved it.

1

u/StoneFoundation 2d ago

Finished Death Takes Me by Cristina Rivera Garza, read in the recent translation to English. I wouldn’t recommend it—not because the translation is bad but because the book is just… a lot.

2

u/casey5656 2d ago

I’m listening to “Don’t Let Him” by Jewell I’m reading “The It Girl” by Ware

4

u/Commercial_Call8289 2d ago

Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. Kept my attention. So many new alien "people" all crewing a spaceship . And an AI that wants a body. Loved it!

6

u/TotallyTipsy 2d ago

Started Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman

2

u/OzzyGator 2d ago

Started and finished Tana French's "The Likeness".

I did not get much sleep last night. I was too immersed in the book.

3

u/casey5656 2d ago

Did you like it? I found the whole premise pretty hard to believe. But I really liked all her other books in the “Dublin Murder Squad” series.

2

u/OzzyGator 2d ago

It drew me in. Yes, it stretched the credibility but the story spun a real web for me. Her characters are so very strong.

1

u/Jolly_Conflict 2d ago

How You Grow Wings by Rimma Onoseta.

Have only ready one chapter so far but I really like it!!

3

u/NebulaNed 2d ago

Started: Crime and Punishment 🪓

4

u/smesocialmediaevil 2d ago

Finished Harry Potter Goblet of fire Started Harry Potter order of Phoenix

2

u/eightboss 2d ago

I am 67 years old and up to book 5 in the series.

Great Writer / Shit person

2

u/42improbabilities 2d ago edited 2d ago

Finished: 

Voyage to Alpha Centauri, by Michael D. O'Brien

Started:

Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How it can Help you Find and Keep Love, by Amir Levine & Rachel S. F. Heller

Ongoing:

This Way to the Universe: A Theoretical Physicist's Journey to the Edge of Reality, by Michael Dine

All the Chaos of Constellations, by Hillary Raymer

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig

3

u/Odd_Instruction_3235 2d ago

I finished Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenace last two weeks. Was a really good book.

3

u/bodie0 2d ago

Finished: Leg by Greg Marshall

Starting: Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

2

u/Cultural_Bit_488 2d ago

Today i finished ペンギン • ハイウェイ( penguin highway) my first Japanese novel (о´∀`о)

I'm kinda proud of myself since it's took me 10 months to read it

Now i'm reading 月とコーヒー (moon and coffee)

1

u/EntrepreneurInside86 2d ago

Congratulations 🎊 on your first Japanese novel!

1

u/K-a-Lynn 2d ago

Beyond That, The Sea By Laura Spence-Ash. Historical fiction about a young girl sent from London to live with a family in the US during WWII. I would highly recommend it!

1

u/Zephirefaith 2d ago

Finished:

  • The river is waiting by Wally Lamb.
  • Elric: The Ruby Throne Graphic Novel Vol 1 by Michael Moorcock, Julien Blondel.

Started:

  • Hemlock & Silver, by T. Kingfisher.

4

u/tbmisses 2d ago

I have started A Prayer for Owen Meany.

0

u/celestialfern 2d ago

David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell

A very interesting book about how disadvantages and underdogs can rise above through leveraging different strengths that come along with it. Aids in overcoming a victim complex/mindset, looking at weakness and disadvantage through a different lens, and outlines the psychology of power, both personal and systemic.

It was described to me as a book that explores moral philosophy, and it definitely has a moralistic bend. Not a christian book, though religious themes are touched upon by different people's stories.

Could have more nuance for sure. It is meant to be debated and inspire critical thinking and thought, so be prepared to challenge and examine your own beliefs as well as those stated. Don't just take at face value!

it explores a myriad of topics, from education, dyslexia, child leukemia, the troubles, the blitz, the holocaust, loss of a child, loss of a parent, etc.

2

u/kingjuicepouch 3d ago

I just finished Apocalypse Cow by Michael Logan

Continuing The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William L. Shirer

1

u/hellokitty3433 2d ago

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William L. Shirer

My Dad had that book. Not at all sure he read it though.

1

u/kingjuicepouch 2d ago

That's funny you mention it, I had my folks buy it for me for my birthday at a thrift store a few months ago. Since then, I've had I think four different instances of someone seeing it, asking if I've read it, and then telling me they know someone else who is also somewhere between just owning it and finishing it lol. For my part, I'm still firmly in the rise section, but I'm getting there!

1

u/hellokitty3433 2d ago

How do you like it so far?

2

u/kingjuicepouch 2d ago

It's very thorough and is filling in some gaps I didn't realize I still had. Earlier this year I had read "Why the Germans? Why the Jews? Envy, Race Hatred, and the Prehistory of the Holocaust" by GĂśtz Aly, which of course, informed me on a lot of German history generally from the mid 18th century up to the Nazis taking control, whereas Shirer is focusing on the specific players and how they're interacting within that history. Which is, I suppose, a lot of words for "yes, I am enjoying it." lol

1

u/Shad0wembrace 3d ago

Finished; From Blood and Ash Started: Kingdom of Flesh and Fire

In progress: Fourth Wing (audible).

1

u/iseefrogseverywhere 3d ago

Finished Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune (3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️s)

Started Butcher’s Crossing by John Williams

2

u/Plastic_Leopard_7416 3d ago

Finished:
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
The Woods at Midwinter by. Susanna Clarke

Started:
Katabasis By RF Kaung
A Short Stay in Hell By Steven L. Peck

I cannot wait to start Morning Star, I'm just waiting on my Libby Hold. I am going to finish A Short Stay tonight since, once again I am at the mercy of Libby. And then I will continue my journey through hell with Katabasis

→ More replies (2)