It’s that time again! Check out Taking On A World Of Words to chat with everyone else who has posted what they’re reading right now!

What are you currently reading?

Non-fiction: No progress since last week!

Fiction: I’m 60% of the way through Grave Importance (Vivian Shaw), and honestly, I’m mad every time I have to put it down and double mad I didn’t get to read it at all today. Maybe a liiiittle before bed? Anyway, this series is solid comfort for me: despite everything bad that goes on, Greta does her best to be a doctor, to take care of people whether she likes them or not, whether they’re even good people or not. And she has such a good found family around her, though I’m afraid Ruthven is my favourite forever and ever. And I love the little details like the baby screaming skulls and 3D printed replacement bones for mummies.

I’m also 30% of the way through Network Effect (Martha Wells). Obviously I couldn’t just say no to my wife reading it too, so I’m waiting for her to catch up. All I have to say so far is oh nooooo.

What have you recently finished?

Er. I’m not sure. It was during the readathon on the weekend, probably, so… A Treacherous Curse (Deanna Raybourn)? Always solid fun, though I can’t quite view them as proper historical fiction with everything Veronica gets up to (without even the good taste to have more money than God in order to excuse her peccadilloes).

What will you read next?​

Who knooooows? I probably want to finish up Goldilocks (Laura Lam) and The Ten Thousand Doors of January (Alix E. Harrow). I’m annoyed I stopped reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January, because I was inhaling it, and it’s not even that I’m not in the mood — I just got distracted.

What’re you reading?

It’s that time again! How is it Wednesday already? Check out Taking On A World Of Words to chat with everyone else who has posted what they’re reading right now!

What are you currently reading?

Fiction: I’m rereading the Narnia books. They’re just such a warm childhood thing, I couldn’t resist. I’m onto Prince Caspian at the moment, and a little annoyed I don’t think I can finish it up before bed. Then it’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which in memory is my absolute favourite forever. I wonder if it still holds up! I’m also still reading Laura Lam’s Goldilocks, and currently going “yessss science” about Naomi figuring out what’s up with her algae.

Non-fiction: I’m still reading Digging up Armageddon. It’s still doing waaaay too much gossiping about the archaeologists, and not talking enough about the archaeology, which is sad.

What have you recently finished reading?

Other than the Narnia books before this in the series, I read Love Around the Corner by Sally Malcolm. Cute, though the misunderstanding stuff is normally a turn-off for me. Another book in the series is actually also on Kindle Unlimited, so I might give that a whirl!

What will you be reading next?

Once I’ve finished rereading the Narnia books, I’m pretty much planning on plunging into a reread of the Earthsea books, in the lovely collected and illustrated version. Other than that, it’s anybody’s guess as always. I feel like I should be reading books that people have gifted me… but I’m trying very hard to ignore feeling like I “should” read this, that, or any other thing. I think most people who’ve gifted me books understand that I’m also getting happiness from having them in my TBR waiting for me!

What’re you currently reading?

Here’s the usual Wednesday check-in, as hosted by Taking on a World of Words!

What are you currently reading?

Fiction: I’m still in the midst of rereading The Steerswoman (Rosemary Kirstein) for Wife Book Club. (Which is literally just me and my wife, but Wife Book Club sounds cute and funny.) I’ve also recently started The Ten Thousand Doors of January (Alix E. Harrow), which so far is lovely and keeping my attention quite well for something that I know will take me time.

I’m also partway through Laura Lam’s Goldilocks, which I should pick up for a few more chapters today. It’s on my Kindle, though, so I mostly read it on bath days.

Non-fiction: I’ve started reading Digging up Armageddon (Eric H. Cline), which is about archaeological work at the site of Megiddo. So far he’s going into all the drama about the dig headed by James Henry Breasted. It’s not uninteresting, but… I want the archaeology, not the drama about the archaeology.

What have you recently finished reading?

Fiction: Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You (Scotto Moore), which had a concept that interested me and just didn’t really reach me. It felt like it went all-out too soon and I didn’t get the tasty build-up I’d got on board for. I know it’s a novella, but still. The full review is on my blog already!

Non-fiction: The Rules of Contagion (Adam Kucharski), which was written at a rather opportune moment but is not really all about diseases — more about how disease-modelling can be used to shed light on other things that spread, like behaviours and computer viruses. Again, full review already up!

What will you be reading next?

I really don’t know. I’m really picky at the moment, even though I’m overall feeling better. As ever, I follow the Wimsey family motto: As my Whimsy takes me. I might even finish my reread of The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club, the better to reach Strong Poison et al.

What are you currently reading?

Aaaand it’s Wednesday again, for a little while longer. Here’s the usual check-in!

What are you currently reading?​

Non-fiction: I’ve circled back to The Rules of Contagion, by Adam Kurcharski. For a few weeks, it was too topical for me. Right now it’s just about topical enough to engage my brain with being curious instead of anxious. (As ever, all hail whoever once told me that curiosity is the opposite of anxiety; it often works, for me. If you think about it, anxiety is a protective thing that is keeping you from new/dangerous experiences, but on overdrive. Curiosity is all about finding out new things. Not very compatible!)

Fiction: I don’t appear to have much truly active right now. I’m still reading The Steerswoman with my wife (Wife Book Club!) but I haven’t really been making much progress. I’m holding her back! It’s a reread for me, but I really should try to catch up.

What have you recently finished reading?

I finally polished off Castle Skull last night, and I probably should have just DNFed it. I’m just not a John Dickson Carr fan, and his solutions tend to annoy me more than they satisfy. I really do not love his detectives one bit.

What will you be reading next?​

Who knows? I did get my last book order from Portal Bookshop through, though: I now have Red, White and Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston, and that sounds really, really fun right now. (Concept: the son of a fictional female US president falls in love with a fictional British prince. Shenanigans ensue as they try not to sabotage anyone’s presidential campaign. Sign me up for this reality.)

What are you reading?

Hey folks! A quick WWW Wednesday…

What are you currently reading?​

Non-fiction: Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky. I’m thinking of ditching it, though. It doesn’t feel very much like there’s a coherent narrative here; it’s just a lot of facts about salt, one after the other. It is interesting, but it feels more like reading a series of encyclopaedia entries or something.

Fiction: I’m partway through rereading Mira Grant’s Feed, which I think I talked about last week. Wife Book Club (aka me and my wife read the same book at the same time) is now The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein. It’s a reread for me, but Lisa’s discovering it for the first time. We haven’t actually discussed it much yet…

What have you recently finished reading?

It Takes Two To Tumble by Cat Sebastian. It’s just adorable; somebody described it as Sound of Music, minus some of the kids and all of the singing. That’s pretty much it. There’s also a subplot involving one of the main characters having dyslexia, as does his son, which I felt seemed well-handled? And I enjoyed the female love interest (inasfar as she was really a love interest).

What are you going to read next?​

I have no earthly idea. Honestly, I’m not managing to read much. My anxiety medication is helping, but either I’m not finding the right book or my mood isn’t stable enough yet. I’m not going to make any guesses or set any goals; I’ll figure it out in its own time.

What are you currently reading?

Let’s get back to normal a bit. Here’s my WWW Wednesday post!

What are you currently reading?​

Non-fiction: The Rules of Contagion, by Adam Kucharski. This is a bit on the nose at the moment, clearly. I’m enjoying it in little snippets, though.

Fiction: I’m rereading Mira Grant’s Feed, for… probably obvious reasons. It’s at once anxiety-inducing and anxiety-beating; it reminds me of my first experience with reading it, when I had a lot of trouble with my anxiety and this was hitting all my buttons in both good and bad ways.

Wife Book Club (AKA me and my wife pick a book and read it together, at the same pace, in the same place, at the same time): It Takes Two To Tumble, by Cat Sebastian, which is so far very cute and generally fun.

What have you recently finished reading?

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water, by Zen Cho. It’s an ARC. I enjoyed it, but felt like I was Missing Something. I haven’t read/seen/otherwise consumed much Wuxia, so I guess that’s part of it.

What will you be reading next?

Possibly The Steerswoman, by Rosemary Kirstein, for Wife Book Club. I’ve read it before, and enjoyed it, but never got onto the rest of the series.

So what are you reading?

I missed the normal check-in, but why not! Here’s a belated WWW Wednesday… on Thursday.

What are you currently reading?

Only fiction right now! I’m sort of begrudgingly reading Castle Skull by John Dickson Carr, because it’s a British Library Crime Classic and I’m a completist. I’ve never really managed to get along with John Dickson Carr’s stories, and I can’t really put my finger on why. Part of it is that I really couldn’t care less about the characters, and also the contrived plots… It’s mostly personal taste, I think. Anyway, I’m not far into Castle Skull and so far it’s alright, but I haven’t really changed my mind on John Dickson Carr in general.

One thing that really drives me wild is his detective characters sitting there and feeling clever without their observations being revealed to the reader. That kind of mystery story always annoys me, because it’s meant to make the reader feel stupid.

What have you recently finished reading?

A Fashionable Indulgence, by K.J. Charles, which was a joy. I ended up giving it 5/5 stars, which I rarely do, because I didn’t want to pick at it. Charles reliably writes stories I tear right through, even when there are some hard topics (and there certainly are those). Harry’s a joy, and Julius’ slow awakening to wanting and loving him is as well.

What will you be reading next?

I’m not sure, but probably I’ll pick up The Midnight Queen by Sylvia Izzo Hunter. It’s a reread, because I remember enjoying it and I have the two sequels, and it’s also a book club pick. So that seems like an excellent set of reasons to pick it up soon.

Of course, there’s also the next book in the K.J. Charles series I’m reading at the moment, A Seditious Affair. I’m not sure how attached I’m going to get to these characters, particularly given one of the pair’s politics are just yuck, but… at the same time, it’s K.J. Charles. I’m sure I’m going to love it.

What are you reading?

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts. Today’s check-in is here!

What are you currently reading?

Non-fiction: The Great Pretender, by Susannah Cahalan. Over the course of the book she reveals that one of the most famous psychiatric studies, “On being sane in insane places”, may have been largely faked by the man who wrote the paper, David Rosenhan. He sent “pseudo-patients” (sane people faking some symptoms) to various inpatient units in the US, and wrote about their experiences there and the bizarre diagnoses they received. However, Cahalan tried to track down the study participants and… nothing.

So far she’s only discussed the set-up, so I haven’t read the bit about trying to find the participants and figure out who they were, so I don’t know how to evaluate it. Litsy’s pretty torn about it, with mostly negative reviews, often from mental health professionals who feel the whole study is irrelevant now anyway and thus so is this book. However, I question this; I knew about the Rosenhan study, and I’m not by any means a mental health professional, so it’s still in the public consciousness at least that much. Cahalan also discusses all the ways it has impacted psychiatry and… seems pretty important to me!

Fiction: A Perilous Undertaking, by Deanna Raybourn. I enjoyed the first book — it whipped by so fast it left my objections behind — and this book seems set to do the same.

What have you recently finished reading?

An ARC of Hearts of Oak, by Eddie Robson. I’m not really sold on it, I have to admit; I haven’t sat down and had a good thing about it, but I didn’t really enjoy it. That ending felt very flat, because I should’ve cared about Iona and her fate, and I didn’t.

I think that’s my main problem with the book as a whole; it could (should!) have evoked emotions, but didn’t. For instance, there should be something incredibly creepy about realising you’re one of only four humans in your entire world, and everyone else around you is an automaton — some of whom are secretly plotting something which will change everything. But… nothing. It felt totally lacking in affect, for me at least.

What will you read next?

Well, I just got a stack of new books, so something from the stack, probably! How to Argue with a Racist, by Adam Rutherford, promises to finally engage with the question of how to demolish race science (one of the other two books I’ve read on the subject seems to just say that race science sucks and we should just say it sucks, rather than understand why it sucks; the other was from a different angle and didn’t engage with science about race, but more generally about bias).

Also in the pile is Georges Roux’s book, Ancient Iraq, which should have some of the background I’m seeking about places like Nineveh. And then of course I have two new British Library Crime Classics, which are always good fun.

What are you currently reading?

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

Fiction: Fell Murder, by E.C.R. Lorac. Normally I quite like Lorac’s books, as far as I’ve experienced them from the British Library Crime Classics reissues, and this one is appealing in several ways. My brain just isn’t doing fiction right now.

Non-fiction: When The Dogs Don’t Bark, by Professor Angela Gallop. It’s kind of bitty and disorganised, though roughly chronological through her career. I’m finding it interesting, but wouldn’t say I recommend it, because it’s pretty shallow and in some ways repetitive.

What have you recently finished?

The second Brother Cadfael book, which was a reread. I don’t think I’ve read the third book, so it’s all-new territory from here. I think. I do enjoy the historical setting of it, the fact that it could only be set exactly when it is. I don’t know how accurate the portrayal of anybody real might be, but it worked for my level of knowledge.

What will you be reading next?

I don’t know, but I picked up Susannah Cahalan’s new book this week, so that’s a possibility. The Great Pretender is about a famous study of psychiatric wards by a guy called Rosenhan, which portrayed the wards as a place where perfectly sane people sounded mad. Cahalan was curious about how the study participants felt about it, but found that she couldn’t find them… and eventually concluded they may not have existed. A lot of people on Litsy seem to hate it, which gives me pause; I guess it depends on how she presents the relevance of this study now, for me.

What are you currently reading?