<–The State of the Reader: 9/8/21         The State of the Reader: 10/6/21–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

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Purchased: 4

• The Fifth Doll by Charlie N. Holmberg – $0.99 @ Amazon Kindle
• Piranesi by Susanna Clark – $4.99 @ Amazon Kindle
• The Moonlight Child by Karen McQuestion – $4.99 @ Amazon Kindle
• Strength Check by Katherine McIntyre (Dungeons and Dating) – $3.99 @ Amazon Kindle

Total: $14.96

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Books Finished: 0

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Books DNF: 1

Title: Something from the Nightside
Series: Nightside
Author: Simon R. Green
Date Added: July 1, 2017
Date Started: August 27, 2021

Media: eBook/Kindle
Progress: 48%

I DNF’d it the day after I posted my last SOTR.  It was the cliched “two women characters who obviously hate each other” that did it for me (which makes me look like a hypocritical asshole, but it’s why I’m planning a major overhaul of my first novel so…).  It’s such a problematic trope on so many levels and was just the icing on the tombstone for this book.  I did check the reviews before I made my official decision and found a lot of my own critiques there.  I’m at the point now where if a piece of media does not spark joy, I’m not spending more time on it.

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Currently Reading

Title: The Husband’s Secret
Author: Liane Moriarity
Date Added: August 18, 2021
Date Started: September 15, 2021

Media: eBook/Kindle (Library)
Progress: 34%

Liane Moriarity is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and it’s just so weird because this is not my typical fare, but she’s just so good at dropping the best breadcrumbs.  The way she writes is so quippy and breezy you almost miss the absolutely devastating things she’s saying.  It’s like…okay so the way I often talk about trauma is in a sort of “yeah this thing was fucked up lol” to kind of deflect from it, and if you’re not paying attention, you might miss it.  It…actually reminds me of the way one of my friends told us [redacted] while hanging out at a [redacted] and we were all like “Holy shit, that’s [redacted].  I think that’s what keeps me coming back: the familiarity mixed with intrigue.

Title: Maternal Horror Film: Melodrama and Motherhood
Author: Sarah Arnold
Date Added: July 20, 2019
Date Started: August 17, 2021

Media: Hardback
Progress: 9%

I think I just literally took a note that said “all of page 12” because everything there was useful.  I think the introduction is around thirty pages, so I’ll be here for a while.  I only read around two pages per session because it’s dense.

Title: The Wind’s Twelve Quarters
Series: Hainish Cycle
Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
Date Added: August 30, 2014
Date Started: July 26, 2021

Media: eBook/Kindle
Progress: 81%

One good thing about reading an anthology is if you’re not really into one story, there’s always one after.  “Vaster Than Empires But More Slow” was actually interesting even if it did share the same commonality as its title’s final word.  The current story “The Field of Vision” is more engaging and has aspects that remind me of Mass Effect, which is never a bad thing.

Title: The Oedipus Trilogy
Series: The Theban Plays
Author: Sophocles
Date Added: July 25, 2020
Date Started: March 18, 2021

Media: Paperback
Progress: 92%

I’m so close to finishing this, and it seems like it comes full circle.  Teiresias returns to tell a ruler he’s fucking up, but unlike Oedipus, Creon is making a conscious choice and being a total asshole about it to both his niece Ismene and son Haemon whom she’s engaged to (…).

Title: A Sky Beyond the Storm
Series: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Date Added: November 1, 2020
Date Started: March 17, 2021

Media: Hardback
Progress: 60%

This poor neglected book…

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I’m finally going to see the spine doctor tomorrow.  I’m sooooo tired right now, but I need to shower tonight.  I took a half day tomorrow so I won’t have to worry about rushing back afterwards.

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<–The State of the Reader: 9/8/21         The State of the Reader: 10/6/21–>