Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. The prose is beautiful and mesmerizing. It forces me to read it at the speed of speech, to let it flow. I'm a sucker for long and winding sentences (when they're done well), and this doesn't disappoint.

It's also quite disgusting, just as everyone says about it. If you can't handle brutal senseless violence, don't pick this up. It's pretty interesting to see the racism/xenophobia of today reflected in American history (1850-ish). It reminds me of the Dark Forest theory from Three Body Problem: these guys go around killing not just out of a love of violence, but because it's the only guaranteed way to come out on top. If you aren't the killer, someone else will be. Capitalism and greed work like this too.

I just finished listening to We Are Legion (We Are Bob). It was a fun one to listen to and easy to follow even whilst working which meant I blitzed through it.

Now I’ve gotta wait almost a month for my next credit :( Not sure what I’ll try next though, I don’t usually bother with sci-fi but I’ve been on the lookout for something after finishing The Three-Body Problem trilogy. Nothing is really hitting the mark currently.

I'm currently reading the first book of the 3 body problem series. Still trying to decide if I like it or not even though I'm almost done with it.

Just started listening to the audiobook version of Robert Caro's "The Power Broker," about Robert Moses and New York. Will also check out the book from library in case it has pictures or diagrams.

99% Invisible did a 10-part series on the book this year, so will be toggling back and forth to hear the commentary as well.

The audiobook is around 60 hours. Guessing this all will keep me busy for a couple of months.

Just finished "The Message," by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Highly recommended.

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I've been on a bit of a Tchaikovsky binge lately. I read Children of Time years ago and enjoyed it, but for whatever reason, didn't read anything else by him then. I had a copy of Made Things knocking around though, and I finally read it a few weeks ago and was so impressed I started reading him in earnest. This is the... let's see... seventh book of his I've read lately.

He sort of reminds me of Michael Crichton. He's not a particularly notable prose stylist - his writing is entirely competent and sufficient, but not in any way really remarkable. But he tells very imaginative stories very well, so he's a satisfying read.

This one is a sort of political thriller wrapped around a mystery that plays out a bit like a science fiction update of a Lovecraftian eldritch abomination story, leavened a bit with Emily St. John Mandel style misfit spaceship crew slice of life. I'm enjoying it.

Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson. It's the Third book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. I just started it but the second book blew my mind. I really enjoyed the first book, Gardens of the Moon but at times it came across as a bit generic fantasy perhaps aimed at a bit of a younger audience but Deadhouse Gates fully flipped that on its head. For a high fantasy series the battles of 'the chain of dogs' in Deadhouse Gates particularly stood out to me as some of the best depictions of historical warfare I've ever read. While a few battles from the entire wheel of time series stick with me I don't think I'll ever forget the chain of dogs. Looking forward to seeing what's to come from book 3. Highly recommend the Malazan Book of the Fallen if you're into high fantasy. Don't be intimidated by the crazy wordcounts, they're easy reading so far.

Two books:

• Bullshit jobs by David Graeber
• Crack-up capitalism by Quinn Slobodian

Finished Rhythm of War. The end hit hard, and I'm definitely impatiently waiting for Wind and Truth now.

I have used hard copies of Edgedancer and Dawnshard that should be showing up today to add to my collection, so I'll probably start into those.

In the meantime I read book 5 of CJ Archer's Glass Library series, The Secret of the Lost Ledgers. I think I prefer Glass and Steele over Glass Library so far, but that's partly because magic was more secretive at the start of the arc.

edit: the novellas are itty bitty.

Radicalized by Cory Doctorow. It's an anthology of four short stories that all share a common theme of dystopian applications of technology. So in other words... Pretty much on brand for the author and it's well done so far.

October by China Mieville