May 16, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
Finally got around to reading Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. Completely blown away, don’t know why I waited so long. Picking up the sequel next!
Really like his turns of phrase that are poetic, but somehow different from his song lyrics.
I recently enjoyed this horror book, The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. Very creepy, but driven by non-traditional protagonists that are super-compelling.
Also recently read the first George Smiley book by John LeCarre (Call for the Dead) and yes I am officially an old man. All the Dad, none of the children.
May 16, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
I’ve primarily been rotating between the Atticus Kodiak novels by Greg Rucka and the Parker novels by Richard Stark. I also read Dave Grohl’s autobiography Storytelling, which was excellent. My next novel I’m going to read is Miracle Monday by Elliot S. Maggin.
May 16, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
I had put off reading George R.R. Martin's Dunk and Egg stories for a long time (at first because I wanted something to look forward to reading in the down time between the release of A Dance with Dragons and Winds of Winter and then because it just kept slipping to the bottom of the pile) but I finally read all 3 stories collected in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms earlier this year and I quite possibly enjoyed it more than some of the Song of Ice and Fire books. They just have so much heart and humor between Dunk and Egg and you can tell George is having a lot of fun world building through them and around them. There are also amazing illustrations by Gary Gianni littered throughout the collection which are some of my favorite interpretations of the Seven Kingdoms.
May 16, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
Loving the endlessly mysterious Spectators panels as usual! Can’t wait to see where it’s headed next!
Currently reading The House in the Cerulean Sea and This Is How You Lose the Time War. Both are fantastic reads thus far. Finished The Poppy War last month (definitely a dark book with some hefty TW) recovered from that with Legends and Lattes, (my favorite book of the year. Super chill and cozy) it was a perfect follow to The Poppy War.
Can’t wait to read what everyone else is getting into. My dust collecting stack at home is getting out of control but I can’t resist adding more of you guys recs.
I've been making my way through the Lonesome Dove books by Larry McMurtry, now on the last one Comanche Moon. The way he subverts the legend of the Old West with the mundanity of its reality is good stuff, although boy howdy do these books not pass the Bechdel test.
I've been reading the Survivor Journals by Sean Patrick Little. It's your typical post-apocalyptic story of a world that dies from a virus.. but what makes this story different and compelling to me is for the majority of the first two books, the Hero is alone. Completely alone other than his dog or another random survivor here or there. And this isn't a Road Warrior story of warring factions or mutant humans monsters or zombies.. it's one single guy and how he copes and survives virtually alone. Many might find this boring but I found it fascinating.
Reading ALL OF THE MARVELS by Douglas Wolk; the author has an interesting thesis that Marvel Comics, with its shared narrative continuity creating an interconnected "Marvel Universe," is the longest continuous work of fiction ever created. Wolk read over 27,000 comics to write the book, and I keep reading it, expecting him to go mad by the middle chapters, writing "NUKE THEM ALL!" or some such. It's well written; here's what one guy write about it: "What sounds like a madman's quest turns out to be a deeply emotional hero's journey. The best work yet from the best writer about the medium of comics." - Brian K. Vaughan
I started the year with Leviathan Falls, the final The Expanse novel from James S.A. Corey, which was a phenomenal, perfect end to that nonology.
After some nonfiction, I’m now reading Anne of Avonlea, he second of the “Anne of Green Gables” books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. It is—not science fiction, but it shows me a world similarly alien from my Georgia in 2022.
Oh man, non-comics reading has been few and far between lately, but I did recently read John Darnielle’s new book Devil House. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but once I broke through I read a majority of it in a day.
It’s really painfully unfair he’s so good at making music and read novels, but I’m glad I get to enjoy it all!
Just finished "True Biz" by Sara Novic. A terrific novel about the Deaf community. And Alyssa Cole's departure into thriller/horror "When No One is Watching".
I have been reading (listening to on Audible) all of The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski. The series is doing a pretty good job, but things in the books are way different.
May 16, 2022·edited May 16, 2022Liked by Brian K. Vaughan
Having read (and loved) Station Eleven years ago, pre-pandemic, I just read Emily St. John Mandel's The Glass Hotel followed immediately by her newest, Sea of Tranquility. I was delighted and blown away by how deftly she's constructed a multiverse spanning all three books. You'll find recurring characters, and nods to plot points in previous books....but with alternate outcomes. Plus, in Sea of Tranquility, some really well-executed time travel. I can't recommend the collection enough.
So many good books lately but three standouts are Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, John Scalzi’s The Kaiju Preservation Society and Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer.
Finally got around to reading Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. Completely blown away, don’t know why I waited so long. Picking up the sequel next!
Spectators is so good! When substack jumped off, I thought I'd be super-frustrated reading it in bites like this, but it's really satisfying. Kudos.
Been reading John Darnielle (of Mountain Goats) new novel.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57693663-devil-house
Really like his turns of phrase that are poetic, but somehow different from his song lyrics.
I recently enjoyed this horror book, The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. Very creepy, but driven by non-traditional protagonists that are super-compelling.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52180399-the-only-good-indians
Also recently read the first George Smiley book by John LeCarre (Call for the Dead) and yes I am officially an old man. All the Dad, none of the children.
I’ve primarily been rotating between the Atticus Kodiak novels by Greg Rucka and the Parker novels by Richard Stark. I also read Dave Grohl’s autobiography Storytelling, which was excellent. My next novel I’m going to read is Miracle Monday by Elliot S. Maggin.
I had put off reading George R.R. Martin's Dunk and Egg stories for a long time (at first because I wanted something to look forward to reading in the down time between the release of A Dance with Dragons and Winds of Winter and then because it just kept slipping to the bottom of the pile) but I finally read all 3 stories collected in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms earlier this year and I quite possibly enjoyed it more than some of the Song of Ice and Fire books. They just have so much heart and humor between Dunk and Egg and you can tell George is having a lot of fun world building through them and around them. There are also amazing illustrations by Gary Gianni littered throughout the collection which are some of my favorite interpretations of the Seven Kingdoms.
Loving the endlessly mysterious Spectators panels as usual! Can’t wait to see where it’s headed next!
Currently reading The House in the Cerulean Sea and This Is How You Lose the Time War. Both are fantastic reads thus far. Finished The Poppy War last month (definitely a dark book with some hefty TW) recovered from that with Legends and Lattes, (my favorite book of the year. Super chill and cozy) it was a perfect follow to The Poppy War.
Can’t wait to read what everyone else is getting into. My dust collecting stack at home is getting out of control but I can’t resist adding more of you guys recs.
Honestly? Re reading Fables as it is apparently making a return. I thought it was already complete, but apparently not! Bye bye to my free time, eh?
I've been making my way through the Lonesome Dove books by Larry McMurtry, now on the last one Comanche Moon. The way he subverts the legend of the Old West with the mundanity of its reality is good stuff, although boy howdy do these books not pass the Bechdel test.
Just finished the new T. Kingfisher, Nettle and Bone, and friggin' loved it. I am a sucker for a good dark fantasy, always.
I've been reading the Survivor Journals by Sean Patrick Little. It's your typical post-apocalyptic story of a world that dies from a virus.. but what makes this story different and compelling to me is for the majority of the first two books, the Hero is alone. Completely alone other than his dog or another random survivor here or there. And this isn't a Road Warrior story of warring factions or mutant humans monsters or zombies.. it's one single guy and how he copes and survives virtually alone. Many might find this boring but I found it fascinating.
Reading ALL OF THE MARVELS by Douglas Wolk; the author has an interesting thesis that Marvel Comics, with its shared narrative continuity creating an interconnected "Marvel Universe," is the longest continuous work of fiction ever created. Wolk read over 27,000 comics to write the book, and I keep reading it, expecting him to go mad by the middle chapters, writing "NUKE THEM ALL!" or some such. It's well written; here's what one guy write about it: "What sounds like a madman's quest turns out to be a deeply emotional hero's journey. The best work yet from the best writer about the medium of comics." - Brian K. Vaughan
I started the year with Leviathan Falls, the final The Expanse novel from James S.A. Corey, which was a phenomenal, perfect end to that nonology.
After some nonfiction, I’m now reading Anne of Avonlea, he second of the “Anne of Green Gables” books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. It is—not science fiction, but it shows me a world similarly alien from my Georgia in 2022.
Oh man, non-comics reading has been few and far between lately, but I did recently read John Darnielle’s new book Devil House. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but once I broke through I read a majority of it in a day.
It’s really painfully unfair he’s so good at making music and read novels, but I’m glad I get to enjoy it all!
Just finished "True Biz" by Sara Novic. A terrific novel about the Deaf community. And Alyssa Cole's departure into thriller/horror "When No One is Watching".
I have been reading (listening to on Audible) all of The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski. The series is doing a pretty good job, but things in the books are way different.
Having read (and loved) Station Eleven years ago, pre-pandemic, I just read Emily St. John Mandel's The Glass Hotel followed immediately by her newest, Sea of Tranquility. I was delighted and blown away by how deftly she's constructed a multiverse spanning all three books. You'll find recurring characters, and nods to plot points in previous books....but with alternate outcomes. Plus, in Sea of Tranquility, some really well-executed time travel. I can't recommend the collection enough.
So many good books lately but three standouts are Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, John Scalzi’s The Kaiju Preservation Society and Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer.