So I’ve only read the first 3. The 4th just came out recently, hence my reread. Each of the books I’ve read had a non-cliffhangery ending and was self-contained enough that I’d be satisfied even if the series didn’t continue.

I finished Grendel by John Gardner. There were some parts I really liked and some that were just ok. Overall a decent read.

I’ve started rereading the Lady Astronaut books by Mary Robinette Kowal. They are just as gripping and bingeable as I remember them being. I finished the first one (The Calculating Stars) and am currently on book 2 (The Fated Sky).

Icosahedron is the term for a 20-sided polyhedron, such as a D20

I finished The Laat Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor. It’s a fictionalized retelling about a British ship carrying evacuated children to Canada that was hit by a torpedo from a Nazi U boat. One lifeboat was not rescued for many days. I usually don’t enjoy fictionalized retellings like this, but I actually really enjoyed this one. The author took the facts surrounding the lifeboat and populated it with entirely fictional characters, giving her more leeway to properly plot the story out and give depth without having to make up things about real people.

I just started Grendel by John Gardner, a retelling of Beowulf from the monster’s point of view. Too early to say how I feel.

If you like sci fi, I love The Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal. It takes place in the 1950s and centers women fighting to become astronauts.

He just won a Higo award for The Tainted Cup, so that might be a good place to start!

I finished The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett. This was one of his early works and it shows in the character work and the romance. The atmosphere, worldbuilding and plot were on point though.

Now I’ve just started The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor. This is based on the true story of an evacuation boat during WWII that was sunk by the Nazis. It’s still early to really judge it, but so far I love how one of the main characters is written, so hoping it lands for me.

I’m reading The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett, one of his earlier novels. It’s an alt history mystery noir set in the 1920s. It’s super atmospheric and kinda reminds me of the show Severance. I’m less than a third of the way through but am hooked and absolutely loving it so far.

It’s a collection of 3 short stories called Silo Stories. It came with the box set of the books I got. The first two are fine, but honestly, I don’t you’re missing anything by skipping them altogether.

Coming back after reading the last short story to say that it was awful and put a bad taste in my mouth overall. If you’re reading this series, do yourself a favor and ignore In the Woods. It didn’t make sense from a story/logic perspective AND was deeply unsatisfying.

I’m wrapping up with the Silo seeies by Hugh Howey. I finished Dust and have one short story left in Silo Stories.

I’ve enjoyed the series more than I expected to based on reviews I read. It wasn’t perfect but the ending of the main novels left me mostly satisfied. There was one sequence that I think should have been left out and one thread I wish we had gotten a more in depth look at (staying vague to avoid spoilers).

I am working my way through the Silo series by Hugh Howey. Currently halfway through Dust, which is book 3. I had heard less good things about books 2 and 3, but I’m finding that I’m really enjoying them. I think most people expect the story in Wool to continue immediately and are disappointed that Shift first focuses on backstories and giving the reader behind the scenes information before continuing the main thread. I had the luxury of being warned about the change in perspective so I feel like I was able to go in with the right mindset to enjoy the story for what it was.

What did you dislike about them out of curiosity? I thoroughly enjoyed all 3 books.

I’m reading Wool by Hugh Howey, the first of the Silo series. I’m liking this book more than the show! It’s much faster-paced and makes the show feel needlessly full of fluff. Hoping the series stays this good but have heard it goes downhill.

Having recently finished Stormlight, I am very curious to read the Sunlit Man now!

I just finished Assassin of Reality by Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko (book 2 of Vita Nostra). It honestly kind of felt like an afterthought to capitalize on the popularity of the first book. I didn’t feel like it added much and preferred the open endedness of the first book.

Now I’ve started Wool by Hugh Howey, the first of the books the Silo show is based on. Too early to give my thoughts but the first few chapters were very closely followed in the show.

I finally finished Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight book 5). I feel a bit divided about this book. There was a lot that I liked but also a lot that didn’t really work for me. I might have enjoyed it more if I had read certain other cosmere books first.

After that I wanted to read something short, so I’ve been binging The Impossible Times series by Mark Lawrence, which is YA scifi set in the 1980s. Book 1 was awesome, book 2 less so, and so far book 3 is somewhere in between. Overall a good change of pace!

I just finished Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. It was really enjoyable and had me hooked! I’ve never seen the movie and am pretty excited to watch it now.

Now I’m reading King of Assassins by RJ Barker (book 3 of The Wounded Kingdom trilogy). This whole trilogy has been a bit rough around the edges but has some very unique world building. Over all I’ve been enjoying it.

Would baby wipes work? I don’t use wipes to remove makeup but I’ve heard of people using them and if they’re formulated for babies they might be more gentle?

Not quite. I’ve been mostly alternating with books for my book club.

Oh interesting! I’m on season 4 now and have been bothered by River’s inconsistent levels of competency. I wonder if he’s more consistent in the books now.