I picked up Double Whammy last night at B&N and plowed through several chapters. I am going to read the Skink series in order and then start back in order of publication for the rest.

On the recommendation of many here, I started the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I have to admit, about a third of the way in, I was thinking it wasn't for me. Finished it up yesterday and I'm hooked. Thanks to all for the recommendation.

Audible has most of the books from the Sun Eater series free until July 1. I also enjoy the Destiny game, so I'll be checking this series out (at least the first book).

Finished Dune by Frank Herbert.

Man, I can't believe it took me this long to finally read this book. Quickly jumped into status of one of my favorites. I loved the writing style (though, if I never see another sentence start with the word "presently" again, I'll be happy).

Now the decision of whether or not to keep going with the Dune series (specifically the Frank Herbert books).

I also need to get back to the next 3 Red Rising. So that's out there. May opt for a quick read while I decide which direction to go.

Books read in 2025:

January
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut (re-read)
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle (re-read)
The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
Project Hail Mary - Andy Wier
Pines - Blake Crouch
Wayward - Blake Crouch

February
The Last Town - Blake Crouch

March
Dark Places - Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

April
Red Rising - Pierce Brown
Golden Son - Pierce Brown

May
Morning Star - Pierce Brown
Echos of Reckoning - Ron Shaw

June
Dune - Frank Herbert

On deck:
Broken Reflections - Ron Shaw
Iron Gold - Pierce Brown
Light Bringer - Pierce Brown
Dark Age - Pierce Brown

We had a Stephen King, The Stand, conversation here a while back. I'm reading the long version and it's taking a while, but I like it.

lol at the "presently" comment. I said the exact same thing. He moves off of that one but definitely does fall in love with specific words. I read 1-4 quickly. Now I'm bogged down in number 5 but do intend to finish the 6 written by Frank Herbert.

I liked 5 & 6 pretty well; really like the Miles Teg character.

Finished Dungeon Crawler Carl #1. Wow. Really fun read. Already downloaded #2.

I might have to break these up with something so I don't blitz through them like I did with the Pines trilogy.

FancyKetchup14 said:

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Finished Dungeon Crawler Carl #1. Wow. Really fun read. Already downloaded #2.

I might have to break these up with something so I don't blitz through them like I did with the Pines trilogy.

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I tried that too and was only successful once. By book 4 just blew through the rest. Once done just pick up Red Rising….

Red Rising book 1. That was great.

rhutton125 said:

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Red Rising book 1. That was great.

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Book 2 is twice as good. Thank about that!

I tried Red Rising a few years ago. First book didn't really hook me much.

If you don't have the DCC or Red Rising audiobooks; you are missing out on some top notch narration.

FancyKetchup14 said:

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I tried Red Rising a few years ago. First book didn't really hook me much.

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The first time I tried it, I didn't get far. Then tried it again and rolled through the first three. The first one is really kind of just setup and world building with the academy theme. The rest are completely different, if that was your dislike.

Then initially, I didn't love book 4 and had to give it a rest and restart. Then rolled through the rest. Cannot wait for the final book.

I would say that this series is one of the more unique concepts I have come across in a long time. I find it really hard to even classify it or give comparable to it. But it has become one of my all time favorites.

FancyKetchup14 said:

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I tried Red Rising a few years ago. First book didn't really hook me much.

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Book 2 is where its at. But if you didn't like book 1, it may not be a fit. But the world opens up and becomes a much bigger book/story in Golden Son. Word too is a tv/movie is in the works which if done right will be phenomenal.

Absolute said:

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FancyKetchup14 said:

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I tried Red Rising a few years ago. First book didn't really hook me much.

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The first time I tried it, I didn't get far. Then tried it again and rolled through the first three. The first one is really kind of just setup and world building with the academy theme. The rest are completely different, if that was your dislike.

Then initially, I didn't love book 4 and had to give it a rest and restart. Then rolled through the rest. Cannot wait for the final book.

I would say that this series is one of the more unique concepts I have come across in a long time. I find it really hard to even classify it or give comparable to it. But it has become one of my all time favorites.

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I saw an interview with Pierce Brown the other day that his very limited scope in book one was intentional. He had the whole world(s) of the book in mind when creating the concept, but knew it would not have had the same impact if he introduced it all at once at the beginning. Too much and meant less without the character development and foundation already established. Explains the very two different books between Red Rising and Golden Son/Morning Star. Smart and effective approach in my opinion. I remember before I knew anything about the series that people would describe it as a Hunger Games clone. That actually deterred me (didn't want to read a 'me too' book). But based on everyone's review I gave it a shot. I enjoyed book 1, but also saw the Hunger Games comparison. Then holy crap book 2 turned into something completely different and blew me away.

Based on this thread I'm going to start Red Rising next.

Currently about a quarter way through The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes. While I know it's not for everyone, I think it's fascinating.

StinkyPinky said:

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Absolute said:

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FancyKetchup14 said:

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I tried Red Rising a few years ago. First book didn't really hook me much.

---

The first time I tried it, I didn't get far. Then tried it again and rolled through the first three. The first one is really kind of just setup and world building with the academy theme. The rest are completely different, if that was your dislike.

Then initially, I didn't love book 4 and had to give it a rest and restart. Then rolled through the rest. Cannot wait for the final book.

I would say that this series is one of the more unique concepts I have come across in a long time. I find it really hard to even classify it or give comparable to it. But it has become one of my all time favorites.

---

I saw an interview with Pierce Brown the other day that his very limited scope in book one was intentional. He had the whole world(s) of the book in mind when creating the concept, but knew it would not have had the same impact if he introduced it all at once at the beginning. Too much and meant less without the character development and foundation already established. Explains the very two different books between Red Rising and Golden Son/Morning Star. Smart and effective approach in my opinion. I remember before I knew anything about the series that people would describe it as a Hunger Games clone. That actually deterred me (didn't want to read a 'me too' book). But based on everyone's review I gave it a shot. I enjoyed book 1, but also saw the Hunger Games comparison. Then holy crap book 2 turned into something completely different and blew me away.

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Yep, that is pretty accurate.

I MIGHT just start Red Rising and read it for a 3rd time once Dungeon Crawler Carl is done. This thread is making me want to do it again. But that means I have to read it a 4th time late in 2026 before book 7 "Red God" is released

I just finished Texian Exodus, by Stephen Hardin. It focuses on the Runaway Scrape time period of the Texas Revolution. I have taught TX History at the middle school level for 30 years and read just about every book I can about this time period. It is very well-written and has enough information that was either new to me or I forgot that I new it to make the experience worthwhile. I highly recommend it if you are into this kind of thing. I don't agree with every single one of his conclusions but that is a minor quibble.

Has anyone read Red Sky at Morning by Richard Bradford? I love that book. Probably in my top 10. Read it in 9th grade and at least 2 more times.

I've also been trying to read Faulkner. I read Absolom Absolom a few years ago. The entire book was riddled with notes and definitions and time lines, but it was amazing. I've got Sound and Fury on my nightstand and same with the notes but I simply cannot finish it - I'm stuck in Oxford and trying to figure out why the manchild had the same name as the daughter. Ugh.

Don't get me wrong, I love Faulkner. But sometimes it's crazy difficult. I recall him saying "if you read it once and don't understand, read it again…if you don't understand it after the fourth time, read it again." (I paraphrase). I've found just reading Faulkner without stopping to understand or dissect, and taking it in, has best results. Same with Cormac McCarthy.

I wanted a pallet cleanser after Dune, so I picked up The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

A fantastic book written from the perspective of a 15 year old autistic boy who finds his neighbor's dog has been murdered. He decides to investigate to find out who has killed Wellington.

Such an interesting book and so well done. Would highly recommend, though I'm not sure it's for everyone.

Books read in 2025:

January
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut (re-read)
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle (re-read)
The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
Project Hail Mary - Andy Wier
Pines - Blake Crouch
Wayward - Blake Crouch

February
The Last Town - Blake Crouch

March
Dark Places - Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

April
Red Rising - Pierce Brown
Golden Son - Pierce Brown

May
Morning Star - Pierce Brown
Echos of Reckoning - Ron Shaw

June
Dune - Frank Herbert
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

On deck:
Broken Reflections - Ron Shaw
Iron Gold - Pierce Brown
Light Bringer - Pierce Brown
Dark Age - Pierce Brown

FYI, the Baseball board is doing an offseason book club and starting with Foul Ball by Jim Bouton. Come on and join us.

https://texags.com/forums/8/topics/3545428

No Country for Old Men.

Now I can watch the movie.

A Little Hatred(Age of Madness Book 1) by Joe Abercrombie. Excellent opening to his second trilogy, I love all the connections to his first trilogy and standalones as well as the characters.

This is real niche and may not mean anything to anyone but me. The start of Red Rising didn't do a whole lot for me. It wasn't bad at all, just building up. The back half reminded me of an old MMO called Dark Age of Camelot, which was sort of like WoW but there were three factions and you had an open battlefield to assault keeps and towers. Once I got to that point in the story, I was hooked.

Another way to put it is that the back half reminded me of the Iliad.

You've read a lot of books I've wanted to read, but have not yet read to this point. If you have time and don't mind, I'd be very interested to know how you rate the books you have listed here.

Seems like the Red Rising series is highly recommended here, which I also have not read.

Ag12thman said:

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You've read a lot of books I've wanted to read, but have not yet read to this point. If you have time and don't mind, I'd be very interested to know how you rate the books you have listed here.

Seems like the Red Rising series is highly recommended here, which I also have not read.

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Trying to rate the books gives me extreme anxiety but I'll give it a shot lol

Disclaimer: I'm an extremely nostalgic person, so re-reads like A Wrinkle in Time and Slaughterhouse Five are going to get some extra love

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut (re-read)
A+ for me - this book made me fall in love with Vonnegut and his writing. I've read most of his stuff at this point.

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle (re-read)
A+ I first read this book in the 6th Grade and I've probably read it 4 times since. It's definitely written for the younger audience, but I feel like it still holds up. One I can't wait to read with my daughter when she's old enough.

The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
Solid B - Really quick read and very engaging. Knocked it out in about a week (which is quick for me). Great story and well laid out to keep you guessing for the twist at the end.

Project Hail Mary - Andy Wier
I'm gonna say A- here - but that might be pressure bc so many people are blown away by this book. I thought it was good and the story telling was solid, but I wasn't as blown away as some people seem to be. It was a good book and worth the read. But I've read better...even now my gut is telling me this is a B and also this is why I don't like rating books hahaha

Pines - Blake Crouch
Wayward - Blake Crouch
The Last Town - Blake Crouch
Gonna lump these three together as a series and go A+ - I really like Blake Crouch's writing and I absolutely blew through this series and at the end I was wishing there was a 4th book. I would also recommend Recursion by the same author which I read last year and it was fantastic and was the book that lead me to this series.

Dark Places - Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn
I'll give these a B+ I read them bc I was coming off of the Pines series and needed something and these were on our shelf. Dark Places was good enough that I read Sharp Objects. Sharp Objects was good enough that I looked on our shelf for Gone Girl (which wasn't there)...but not good enough to go make me buy it so I moved on

Red Rising - Pierce Brown - A
Golden Son - Pierce Brown - A+
Morning Star - Pierce Brown - A+
As a collective trilogy, I would even push this to an A++ - Red Rising was a great intro book and did a great job of setting up the world and the characters and the direction of the story - lighting the fuse without immediately detonating the bomb, so to speak. Golden Son and Morning Star take the seeds that were planted in Red Rising and let them flourish. If you like this genre, drop whatever you're reading and pick this up. I've still got books 4, 5, and 6 to go, but I'm thinking of waiting until next year so that I can time it with the release of book 7. Read it.

Echos of Reckoning - Ron Shaw
I read this book bc a co-worker wrote it. It didn't help that I was coming off of the Red Rising series (which, if you couldn't tell, I absolutely loved). So it's like going to Eddie V's for a steak on Friday and then going to Applebee's for a steak on Saturday. I loved the concept of this book and there were some good bones to the story, but it was Ron's first book and you could tell in the writing. If Stephen King had written off of this concept, this would be a book that people talked about. Good concept, good characters, but the execution was lacking.

Dune - Frank Herbert
A+ - As I said, I can't believe it took me so long to pick this one up. It's so good, but I also haven't seen the Dune movies, so I went in with no concept of the story or what to expect, which likely made it better. You can immediately pick up on how other great SciFi/Fantasy books were inspired by Dune. There's a little bit of everything here.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
This is an A for me - but I'll warn that this book isn't for everyone. It's also not what you expect. It's funny at times, has moments where you're on the edge of your seat, but also absolutely heartbreaking if you read between the lines of what's going on in the main character's life. This one touched me.


Hopefully that's helpful. I'm pretty picky when it comes to reading bc I'll quickly put down a book that doesn't draw me in, so if I finished it I probably liked it. I'm sure many others will have differing opinions and think I'm completely off in my assessment of these books. But that's the fun of reading and why I love this thread.

Wolfpac 08 said:

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Ag12thman said:

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You've read a lot of books I've wanted to read, but have not yet read to this point. If you have time and don't mind, I'd be very interested to know how you rate the books you have listed here.

Seems like the Red Rising series is highly recommended here, which I also have not read.

---

Trying to rate the books gives me extreme anxiety but I'll give it a shot lol

Disclaimer: I'm an extremely nostalgic person, so re-reads like A Wrinkle in Time and Slaughterhouse Five are going to get some extra love

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut (re-read)
A+ for me - this book made me fall in love with Vonnegut and his writing. I've read most of his stuff at this point.

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle (re-read)
A+ I first read this book in the 6th Grade and I've probably read it 4 times since. It's definitely written for the younger audience, but I feel like it still holds up. One I can't wait to read with my daughter when she's old enough.

The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
Solid B - Really quick read and very engaging. Knocked it out in about a week (which is quick for me). Great story and well laid out to keep you guessing for the twist at the end.

Project Hail Mary - Andy Wier
I'm gonna say A- here - but that might be pressure bc so many people are blown away by this book. I thought it was good and the story telling was solid, but I wasn't as blown away as some people seem to be. It was a good book and worth the read. But I've read better...even now my gut is telling me this is a B and also this is why I don't like rating books hahaha

Pines - Blake Crouch
Wayward - Blake Crouch
The Last Town - Blake Crouch
Gonna lump these three together as a series and go A+ - I really like Blake Crouch's writing and I absolutely blew through this series and at the end I was wishing there was a 4th book. I would also recommend Recursion by the same author which I read last year and it was fantastic and was the book that lead me to this series.

Dark Places - Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn
I'll give these a B+ I read them bc I was coming off of the Pines series and needed something and these were on our shelf. Dark Places was good enough that I read Sharp Objects. Sharp Objects was good enough that I looked on our shelf for Gone Girl (which wasn't there)...but not good enough to go make me buy it so I moved on

Red Rising - Pierce Brown - A
Golden Son - Pierce Brown - A+
Morning Star - Pierce Brown - A+
As a collective trilogy, I would even push this to an A++ - Red Rising was a great intro book and did a great job of setting up the world and the characters and the direction of the story - lighting the fuse without immediately detonating the bomb, so to speak. Golden Son and Morning Star take the seeds that were planted in Red Rising and let them flourish. If you like this genre, drop whatever you're reading and pick this up. I've still got books 4, 5, and 6 to go, but I'm thinking of waiting until next year so that I can time it with the release of book 7. Read it.

Echos of Reckoning - Ron Shaw
I read this book bc a co-worker wrote it. It didn't help that I was coming off of the Red Rising series (which, if you couldn't tell, I absolutely loved). So it's like going to Eddie V's for a steak on Friday and then going to Applebee's for a steak on Saturday. I loved the concept of this book and there were some good bones to the story, but it was Ron's first book and you could tell in the writing. If Stephen King had written off of this concept, this would be a book that people talked about. Good concept, good characters, but the execution was lacking.

Dune - Frank Herbert
A+ - As I said, I can't believe it took me so long to pick this one up. It's so good, but I also haven't seen the Dune movies, so I went in with no concept of the story or what to expect, which likely made it better. You can immediately pick up on how other great SciFi/Fantasy books were inspired by Dune. There's a little bit of everything here.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
This is an A for me - but I'll warn that this book isn't for everyone. It's also not what you expect. It's funny at times, has moments where you're on the edge of your seat, but also absolutely heartbreaking if you read between the lines of what's going on in the main character's life. This one touched me.


Hopefully that's helpful. I'm pretty picky when it comes to reading bc I'll quickly put down a book that doesn't draw me in, so if I finished it I probably liked it. I'm sure many others will have differing opinions and think I'm completely off in my assessment of these books. But that's the fun of reading and why I love this thread.

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Great post! We should all try to be as thoughtful when posting here after reading a book.

Yesterday I finished Brave New World and started 1984. I had not read these books since the late 60s or 70s and had forgotten quite a bit. After reading Brave New World, I understand why I forgot them, but I'll keep up with the theme.

Finished Morning Star. Holy hell might be in my top 5 trilogies of all time. Actually top 3. Started Blacktop Wasteland (SA Crosby) before moving onto books 4-6. Want to savor the first three for a bit. Might also squeeze in A Boys Life (Robert McCammon) before as well.

Add Dark Matter to Blake Crouch's must reads as well

At my wife's insistence to "..read the books we already have on the shelf before you go buying more..", I read Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Absolutely heartbreaking book and so well written. Gave me a sense of the helplessness felt by someone suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Highly recommended, but prepare your heart.

Books read in 2025:

January
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut (re-read)
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle (re-read)
The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
Project Hail Mary - Andy Wier
Pines - Blake Crouch
Wayward - Blake Crouch

February
The Last Town - Blake Crouch

March
Dark Places - Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

April
Red Rising - Pierce Brown
Golden Son - Pierce Brown

May
Morning Star - Pierce Brown
Echos of Reckoning - Ron Shaw

June
Dune - Frank Herbert
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
Still Alice - Lisa Genova

On deck:
Broken Reflections - Ron Shaw
Iron Gold - Pierce Brown
Light Bringer - Pierce Brown
Dark Age - Pierce Brown

Didn't stick to my plan and did something random - read Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Loved it. Beautiful prose. Suspenseful. Terrifying. Thought provoking. A classic, what else can be said.

That's one of my favorites! We are currently listening to the audiobook version as a family on our summer trips.

Just finished LOTR Return of the king and Dresden files (dead beat). Really enjoyed the Dead beat story, the LOTR series was good, but some parts were too boring for me. I started Red Rising this morning.