What book(s) are you currently reading or listening to? June 16

Reading Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie, a standalone part of the First Law series, after the initial trilogy. I really like the whole “nothing matters everything is what it is” sad and depressing vibe, it feels incredibly relatable.

Also doing a first listen (but not first time through) Wheel of Time, this time with a buddy of mine. We’re just about at the end, so going to need another book to listen to while I run, though probably gonna be DCC.

Re-reading Varley’s Gaea trilogy after about 30 years. I had only a vague recollection of it so it’s more like an initial reading than a re-read. I’m not sure what to think of it. I mean, it’s by no means bad, but… I dunno. I think one of my problems with it is that it’s quite soft sci-fi, and I prefer mine harder.

I just finished Henri Troyat’s Ivan the Terrible, a biography of the 16th century Russian tsar Ivan IV. The book is written in a lively and engaging style that made it feel more like a story than an academic book. From what I gather, it’s fairly historically accurate though. I think I’ve actually read this exact book some 30 years ago, possibly for a school essay. My father recommended Ivan IV as a subject. My father was a weird dude. Anyway, Ivan the Terrible and his brutal reign has eery echoes with modern Russian leaders and society. I wonder, will Russia ever find its way? Or has it perhaps accepted this is its lot and will travel this road to the bitter end?

Next I’ll be reading Junji Ito’s manga Remina. I have some familiarity with Ito’s style, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually read any of his work. Should be interesting.

Twelve Months by Jim Butcher, book #18 in the Dresden Files

Re-reading the John Dies At The End series in preparation for the upcoming release of There Are No Giant Crabs In This Novel: A Novel Of Giant Crabs

Making my way through Star Wars legends book Darksaber, it’s NOT about the sword, so interested to see if it spins into that, how I don’t know.

After the next book in the line up is Dungeon crawler Carl #2.

I finished up the Lord of the Rings trilogy today, loved it. Now I’m about a third of the way through a reread of Battle Ground (Dresden Files) so that I can get to Twelve Months, probably starting on Thursday. I also listened to ~40% of the last Alex Verus book, I’ll be finishing that in the next two workdays too. This is the one good thing about working night shifts in security.

I just finished Hench after reading about it on the Ask a Manager site. It was so good! I highly recommend it.

So, I was a big Heartbeat fan back in the day; I really liked the contrasts the programme did - city vs country attitudes, the mod 60s against the more staid older generation, women fighting for their rights, the occasional minority (it was rural England in the 60s), mods vs rockers, etc. And I’ve finally got around to listening to the Constable books by Nicholas Rhea (Peter N. Walker).

Honestly? I know that there are always differences between tv series and novels, and I know Walker is 90, but I’m disappointed in the books. Many of the little anecdotes are fine, but there’s a casual sexism that’s becoming increasingly annoying - though I don’t know if that’s me becoming more sensitive or him becoming less inhibited in his writing.

He explains things behind the scenes at the police station, like if a woman reported her purse stolen, they didn’t take it seriously because women were always leaving their purses in odd places and forgetting them - especially if they were were “older”, like over 40. If a woman reported seeing something, they always questioned her carefully, because they were prone to mis-seeing things.

There’s an older woman, like mid-80s, who prefers her own company; decades earlier, her husband had been a constable. The police station is having a party for all the kids of the police officers, but the officer’s wife who was handling things had to go support her ill mother the day before the actual party. So instead of the officers handling the party itself - pulling stuff out of the fridge, handling out food and drinks, cleaning up afterward - he goes to the 80 year old. She repeatedly says she doesn’t feel like she can handle the work involved, she’s old and tired and even minor stuff drains her energy; he repeatedly tells her that it’ll be fine, she can handle it, they really need her. So he just keeps badgering her until she eventually gives in and handles the party, and all the men and children have a lovely time.

He becomes increasingly judgemental as well: that woman doesn’t keep her house clean enough, that other woman keeps it too clean; that woman doesn’t spend enough time making herself “presentable”, that woman is always “well put together and well-spoken”. He has at least two chapters where he details women whose behavior he disapproves of, because they’re too “haranguing”, oppressing their innocent husbands, not “paying proper attention” to their kids - and I’m not disputing that these things happen, but he spends several pages lavishly (and lovingly) detailing the history of the scold’s bridle and how all the women absolutely deserved their punishment. And given the other misogyny inherent in the books, I’m not convinced by his narrative.

There’s an obese woman who falls in the bath, and he details her obesity in way more detail than needed.

He encourages his wife (with 4 tiny kids) to go give a public talk, absolutely assures her that he’ll be home to watch his own kids for the evening, and has no backup plan. When he inevitably gets delayed, he gets annoyed that his wife doesn’t have backup childcare plans and tells her to foist the kids onto a particular neighbor; when the wife protests that they’ve imposed too much, he just tells her to impose anyway.

…

Again, I know it’s from a different time, and he’s from a different era with different norms. But a bunch of these books were written within the past 10-15 years, and the inherent sexism and judgementalism is really grating.

I only have a couple more books to go through. I’m glad I’ve read them, but I’m also looking forward to finishing the series and moving on to the next book in my pile.

Zombie Fallout 20: Shores of Despair by Sean Runnette (Written by Mark Tufo but the narration is what brings it to life. The books was written explicitly to be an audiobook.)

Zombie Survival Book that is mostly a comedy, mostly a daytime drama read by a Radio DJ.

Re-read Persepolis. RIP Marjane Satrapi :(

Still reading The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell. It’s still fine, I just haven’t been reading more than 5-10 minutes a night.

Currently reading Bloom by Delilah S Dawson for the podcast which is a sapphic-themed horror.

Also dipping into Ursula K LeGuin’s short story collection The Real and the Unreal, which is very good.

Currently posting from alt account as my usual account’s instance is down.

Reading and listening to multiple books as i cant just stick with one book till it finishes. So I’m finishing up Butter, Reading Dungeon crawler carl book 3 on audio and i read a couple of entries from John Steinbeck’s journal he kept during east of eden everyday before i go to bed.

Just finished I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 by Robert Brockway . It was so fun and creatively written, scary and heartwarming at times. One of the comments said “Sesame Street meets Stephen King”.