As per my kids' request, finally wrapped up the Harry Potter series. Not bad, not great. Won't be watching the movies. Onto Speaker for the Dead on audiobook next, and Falling Free by Bujold in print.

Wrapped up M John Harrison's 'The End of Everything'. Very readable, even with its surreal nature. It reminded me a little bit of Delaney's Dhalgren, but a vastly easier and more enjoyable book to read. I do enjoy his writing, even if its not the straightforward type narrative book that I choose.

Book blurbs are weird. On the back of M John Harrison's 'The End of Everything' New Statesman says 'M John Harrison is the closest thing we have to a present-day Wyndham or Ballard.' Ballard maybe but the comparison to Wyndham is bizarre to me.

Fun night of some Blood on the Clocktower. Gotta say, it's enjoyable but makes me feel a little bit old and slow!

Reading M John Harrison's 'The End of Everything' and so far quite enjoying it. However, I have a really important question. Why are there like a dozen blank pages at the back of the book? Is this some new publishing thing I am unaware of?

I managed to wrap up Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer today as well. I gave it as a gift to a graduating family member and wanted to read through a good chunk before doing so since I like to know what I am gifting. Beautiful, intelligent, challenging, wonderful book. Highly recommended.

Book club is tackling The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy this month. As I have read it multiple times, I am listening to the BBC radio show version this go round. First time and love it!

I have been on the hunt for a reasonably priced hardcopy first printing of The Dog Stars and it seems they do not exist. I don't imagine the movie is going to help this situation.

I must admit I really enjoy Lois McMaster Bujold's books so far. Barrayar is the second I have read and it was even better than Shards of Honor. Fairly straightforward but with characters to root for and enough drama and excitement to keep things moving nicely.

Just completed Angela Carter's Heroes and Villains. While more interested in the post-apocalyptic angle, the back of the book suggested it was a romance. Uh, what? It seemed like it totally tore down the idea of romantic relationships entirely. An interesting book, and well written, but also odd.

First audiobook of the month completed. Blake Crouch's Recursion, while containing some plot holes you can construct a building inside, and with a love story that was a bit too contrived for my tastes, was engaging, left me with some fun questions for our upcoming book club, and was a fun read.

Really struggled to wrap my head around Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. Seems like one I would get a lot more out of if I read it for academic purposes rather than to enjoy as a reading experience. Time for something a little lighter now!

The mommas may want to tear off your face but the babies sure are cute!

Lunch time walk at the Riverlot.

Very interested in seeing the Clarke shortlist tomorrow I've only read 10 of the winners, but I typically get on quite well with what is chosen (the only exception being Perdido Street which was an audiobook thing and needs another try).

Satisfying or disturbing to watch? 🤓

Kicking the month off with The Sound and the Fury in the mornings and Blake Crouch's Recursion through the day on audiobook.

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The final read for May is 'All the Fiends of Hell' by Adam Nevill and it was a ride. Consumed it in about 2 sittings and thought it was great. Never read any of his horror before but this one appealed to my post-apocalyptic tastes.

Wrapped up Venemous Lumpsucker by @nedbeauman.bsky.social on audiobook today while doing yard work. Another Clarke award winner that I quite enjoyed. Both hilarious and dark and glad I spent time with it!

My monthly online book club veered WAY off the usual path by selecting 'How to Find a Nameless Fae' by AJ Lancaster, which will be my morning coffee read for the next little while. I typically do not enjoy "cozy" books (unless they are the cozy catastrophe style which is different).

Today's run will be accompanied by The Half Blood Prince. My (now adult) kids have wanted me to read/listen to the series for many years. I am certainly a bit burned out on it at this point, and the experience is impacted by the author in real life(as can often be the case). Will be glad to be done.

After Atlas by @emmanewman.bsky.social was fantastic. my first of her books and it was an entertaining and thoughtful read from start to finish. I was missing out. Likely would not have given it a shot without coming across the Starship Alexandria podcast which is also excellent. Go read it!

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet is now complete. Cozy is not my thing and I was left feeling deeply uncomfortable with some of the decisions that were sort of hand waved away as fine at the end of the book that made the story feel a bit icky. Should be an interesting book club chat tonight.

Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E Taylor (the fifth book in the Bobiverse series) on audiobook. Completed. Much of the same as the rest of the series. It doesnt ask much of the reader but is simple and enjoyable. A good 'in between' type book for when I want something to just have on while I am busy.

Thrift store find for $3.00. Oltre Mare. This game was a Mashup of Sushi Go, Settlers of Catan, and Bohnanza and was a lot of fun! More strategic than all 3 of them for sure. Will definitely play it again.

Wrapped up Greg Egan's short story collection 'Axiomatic' this morning. Superb. Hard pressed to think of a story collection I've enjoyed more. It was my first of his books and the experience of reading it felt like some of my first read throughs of Stephen King's short works. So glad I read it.

Just wrapped up Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Was unsure headed into it if it would be something I would enjoy but I really liked it overall. Contemplative and a celebration of people and the world. Not much of a plot but I didn't care.

Just completed The Works of Vermin. Bizarre and not enjoyable for me at all. One of those "I really dont get it it" books for me.

Tore through Red Mars on the last few days of vacation. It started slow but really enjoyed the ride by the end. Looking forward to the next two books at some point.

Vacation read #2 is A Clockwork Orange. Having some idea of the content (never seen the movie either) I had put this off for a long time but finally gave it a go. While it lived up to its reputation, I found it very readable and thoughtful in ways that surprised me. Glad I read it.

Today's beach read was another of Time's top 100, this time Falconer by John Cheever and oh boy was it a ride. Quite an interesting read but still unsure how to process it.

Week long vacation begun. 6 books packed. Can't wait!

Finally got around to reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. An absolute classic and for good reason. My 29th read of Time's top 100 novels.

Wrapped up Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice and really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure what to expect going in. Knew nothing about it really but more recent SF is hit or miss for me. Very worthy of the awards it won in my opinion.

The latest episode of Starship Alexandria is such a great example of why I love the podcast. Great episode looking at the Dungeons and Dragons film. Check it out!

Been busy but still fitting in reading. Recently completed The Doloriad by Missouri Williams. Post-apocalyptic fever dream of a book that was tough to read both for its prose and its subject matter. Didn't hate it and its stuck with me a while. Lots to unpack even if I am not smart enough to do so.

This chonky boy has had my attention since the start of the year but finally finished it in February. Back to more SF. Amazing book of course.

Had a day off and decided to sit down and read 'Nuclear War A Scenario' by Annie Jacobsen. I am making more of an effort to read more non-fiction this year but this was quite a "fictiony" non-fiction book. From the moment a quote from Louis XIV was attributed to Napoleon I struggled with it.

A little swerve in my usual reading as book club decided to take on The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. A pretty standard fare mystery book that left me mostly unsatisfied by the end. I like mysteries where the twist can be deduced ahead of time by a careful reader but this felt too random at the end.

Just wrapped up Notes from a Regicide by @isaac-fellman.bsky.social and it was wonderful. While I suppose it is SF, that particular aspect of the book felt somewhat incidental. Had it been lifted out and placed in another genre, place, or time, the reading experience would have been as great.

February's first read is Becky Chambers' Psalm for the Wild-Built. My first of hers and I can see the appeal though a book with no stakes doesn't interest me much. Onto Notes From a Regicide next.

A Desolation of Peace by Arkady Martine is my final read (well audiobook listen) of the month. While I enjoyed the first in the series more, I thought this was still a well written space opera that touched on some interesting themes. I enjoyed picking back up with the characters and the empire.

Dipped into my post-apocalyptic collection to read this short play called 'After the Rain' by John Bowen. A bizarre tale which takes place a couple hundred years after a global flood occurs and the new society is reenacting, based on historical documents, the activities of a small group on a boat.

Finished up Way Station by Clifford Simak this morning. His writing has a pastoral, and in this case, optimistic, feeling that stands out. I preferred City but this was still quite a good book. A worthy award winner.

Moon Dust in my Hairnet was one of two books I picked up by a local Edmonton Publisher @mythicroads.bsky.social . I wouldn't say I was the target audience for this one, which is that hopepunk/cozy style that I don't have a lot of experience reading.

Just finished with There is No Antimemetics Division and really loved it. I would say it stumbled a bit in the end for me, though that could just be my own lack of understanding. Felt like a book doing something new(ish) in a creative way. The type of book that sums up why I enjoy SF.

Started Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. Gave it 90 minutes on audiobook. Realized I dont have it in me to give it another 24.5 hours. I've done Blackout and All Clear. I know what I am in for. Anxiety filled historians who cant do anything right and stress out over EVERYTHING.

Wrapped up Binti last night. A decent little novella that was not too bad. Bit of a cheesy ending. The audiobook narrator was great. Put on my big boy pants and tackling another Connie Willis award winner now.

Book 2 for 2026 is The Dispossessed by Ursula K Leguin on audiobook. I was a little unsure of the narration at the start but ended up really enjoying this book. Her usual long descriptive passages but they worked better for me in this one. So glad to have "read" this one finally.