2023 Reading Challenge

Selaws

Selaws

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Following the fantastic 2022 Reading Challenge thread that @sarcasticfairyprincess kindly set up and hosted I thought it was about time we set up one for this year!

I really enjoyed the challenge and I was able to add quite a few books to my list from seeing those which were posted here over the course of 2022.

So, lets gooooo.
 
Book 1: Command Authority: Jack Ryan by Tom Clancy (Putnam Pub Group, 2013)

This was the first Tom Clancy book that I have read and after devouring the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, this certainly filled the gap. A pretty chunky read at 739 pages but really gripping and I found myself trying to find the time to read it. I have seen the Jack Ryan films (The Hunt For Red October, Patriot Games, Clear And Present Danger, etc) but never made the connection to Clancy and the book series. I tend to see these a lot in charity shops (which is where I bought this one) so I will definitely be picking up a few more to read this year.

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Book 2: Jazz Kissa 2015-2019 by Katsumasa Kusonose (Self Published, 2022)

This is the latest in what has built up to be a fantastic series by Katsumasa Kusonose. It's less of a 'read' as it's actually a photo book, but I found myself just staring at these pages in wonder, there are some amazing tiny little venues out there in Japan and I can't wait to hopefully one day experience some myself! On a side note, I have ordered every one of these (there's quite a few now, maybe 6-7) direct from Japan and they turn up incredibly fast, without any damage, and cheaper than some orders I have placed domestically here in the UK!

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Book 1
Star Wars: The High Republic - Starlight Stories by Justina Ireland, Cavan Scott and Charles Soule
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Collects five two-part short stories originally published in Star Wars Insider magazine, prefaced by an article on the 5 authors who collaborated on the creation of the High Republic Phase One storyline and concluded with a short article/interview with each of the five authors originally published throughout Phase One. The stories themselves were great, adding more to the rich tapestry of storytelling seen throughout all the branches of the High Republic publishing initiative. Quality material, and nice to get to know the authors a bit more.
 
Joining in this year. Made a promise to myself to read more books so I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone is reading.

Book 1: Stephen King ~ Finders Keepers

Second in the Bill Hodges trilogy. Haven't read much modern King since he wrapped up the Dark Tower series (although 11/22/63 is a fantastic read). But got Mr. Mercedes on a kindle deal, and enjoyed that so I figured I'd work my way through this trilogy. Quick read, was interesting to see how King brought all the characters together since they were very independent for most of the book. I'll get to the last one soon enough, but just started a different book for now. I guess that's the good thing about Stephen King, you can always go back to his stories and slip right back in.
 
imtheocean said:
Joining in this year. Made a promise to myself to read more books so I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone is reading.

Book 1: Stephen King ~ Finders Keepers

Second in the Bill Hodges trilogy. Haven't read much modern King since he wrapped up the Dark Tower series (although 11/22/63 is a fantastic read). But got Mr. Mercedes on a kindle deal, and enjoyed that so I figured I'd work my way through this trilogy. Quick read, was interesting to see how King brought all the characters together since they were very independent for most of the book. I'll get to the last one soon enough, but just started a different book for now. I guess that's the good thing about Stephen King, you can always go back to his stories and slip right back in.
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One of these days I'm gonna finish the Dark Tower series... I swear!
 
Here’s the three books I’ve read so far this year:

Book 1: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
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A fun morder mystery with a crazy twist. Kind of like Agatha Christie meets Quantum Leap

Book 2: The Community by N. Jamilya Chisholm
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I have no idea why this is sideways and I can’t be bothered to fix it right now. Memoir about being taken to a cult as a young child and the after effects. It’s not particularly well written but very thought provoking.

Book 3: Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca
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This collections of short works of horror is pretty good. Very much like if King and Palahniuk wrote something together. Goes to some deep dark places.

FYI: I put 23 as my mark in Goodreads.
 
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Lee Newman said:
Here’s the three books I’ve read so far this year:
View attachment 164342

A fun morder mystery with a crazy twist. Kind of like Agatha Christie meets Quantum Leap

View attachment 164343

I have no idea why this is sideways and I can’t be bothered to fix it right now. Memoir about being taken to a cult as a young child and the after effects. It’s not particularly well written but very thought provoking.


View attachment 164344

This collections of short works of horror is pretty good. Very much like if King and Palahniuk wrote something together. Goes to some deep dark places.

FYI: I put 23 as my mark in Goodreads.
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Not even the end of Jan and 3 down, well on track to hit your target there mate!
 
Lee Newman said:
Here’s the three books I’ve read so far this year:
View attachment 164342

A fun morder mystery with a crazy twist. Kind of like Agatha Christie meets Quantum Leap

View attachment 164343

I have no idea why this is sideways and I can’t be bothered to fix it right now. Memoir about being taken to a cult as a young child and the after effects. It’s not particularly well written but very thought provoking.


View attachment 164344

This collections of short works of horror is pretty good. Very much like if King and Palahniuk wrote something together. Goes to some deep dark places.

FYI: I put 23 as my mark in Goodreads.
Click to expand...
I tried Evelyn Hardcastle last year and gave up a couple of chapters in. Everything about the premise should have made it an easy sell for me, but I couldn't get into it. Was it a satisfying read?
 
Indymisanthrope said:
I tried Evelyn Hardcastle last year and gave up a couple of chapters in. Everything about the premise should have made it an easy sell for me, but I couldn't get into it. Was it a satisfying read?
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Mostly. It was confusing in the middle to be honest. It got hard to keep track of who was who… possibly intentionally given one of the reveals. It was also one of those books that seemed like it should end several times and you’re all like well what is the rest of the book then. I enjoyed it.

It’s premise shifts quite a bit as well.

It’s not high art or an important piece of fiction.

If you couldn’t get into it, I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.
 
I read a book.

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I'm in a book club, but I hardly ever read or finish the selected book in time for the club meeting. This time, since I selected the book, I had better finish it! Glad I did. It is a fun read! If you are into superhero stuff, this story looks at it from a different angle. It's from the perspective of a henchman, the people who do the dirty work and are overlooked/overshadowed by the main superhero. Superheros often leave destruction and despair in their wake of saving the day. This is a story about the repercussions of their actions.
 
Looking it up on Amazon, the title makes total sense now, haha. Still want to know if it was worth the read.
 
Lee Newman said:
Looking it up on Amazon, the title makes total sense now, haha. Still want to know if it was worth the read.
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I am a big Mogwai fan so it was an immediate purchase for me. Stuart interviews well so I am hopeful it is a good read. The first couple of chapters were very good. Hi love for The Cure is immense and really comes through
 
Book 3: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (Fleet, 2021)

400 pages.

After reading Colson Whiteheads "Harlem Shuffle" before Christmas after being drawn to the cover as I was browsing my local charity shop, I was really excited to have found this in the same shop a couple of weeks ago. Its a pretty incredible book, harrowing, sad, terrifying, and hopeful. Really quite amazing. I saw that there is a tv show of it and I will be watching that soon, although I imagine it will be hard to capture the same level of raw emotion that Whitehead is able to highlight within his writing.

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Book 2
Star Wars: The High Republic - Path of Deceit by Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland
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Officially entering Phase 2 of The High Republic publishing initiative!

We are now around 150 years before Phase 1 (or, roughly 350 years before the Skywalker Saga) and the intrigue fires up immediately as we explore a group called The Path of The Open Hand who live communally on the Outer Rim planet Dalna, they are believers in the force but approach these beliefs differently than the Jedi, and a couple of its members have a surname that ought to be rather familiar to anybody who has made the trek through Phase 1.

I am absolutely enamoured with any and everything I've checked out from The High Republic initiative so far (which is very nearly everything at this point.) They have a great team of writers involved and it's refreshing to have stories that aren't beholden to the Skywalker Saga in any way - they allow for a true sense of wonder and intrigue. The only downside to being mostly caught up will be having to wait for the additional waves to roll out - at least coming late to Phase 1 allowed me to binge pretty spectacularly! But, anticipation is a good thing, right?!
 
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