Ben Saufley - Reading

Books I've Rated 4 / 5

Ratings Breakdown

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

144

3.5

4

192

4.5

5

The Blade Itself

by Joe Abercrombie

Finished 2024-08-06
Ordinary Monsters

by J.M. Miro

Finished 2024-06-13

I liked it but I’m not sure I liked it enough to read a second (or third). I think maybe just the whatever it is, Victorian? setting doesn’t grab me. The magic hovered between system-based or even scientific, and mystical, and I kind of wish it would just pick a lane. And Marbur and Marlowe are so easy for my head to mix up, and then you add in that Jacob Marbur is nearly the classic Dickens name Jacob Marley…

Yeah. I liked it but didn’t love it. Maybe I’ll come back to the series in a while when this book has settled into my brain a bit.
Russian Sleeper Cell

by Nathan Monk

Finished 2024-04-26

I really enjoyed a lot of this book. The style is fun and smart; the way it kind of meandered into the main plot was interesting rather than insufferable, and somehow the very unavoidable presence of the author’s voice (which often takes me out of a book) engaged me and kept me reading. But the actual plot of the book was actually kind of weak/straightforward and strangely concluded (what even was the “sleeper cell” the book is so bluntly named after?). Interesting and enjoyable read that was … I don’t know, a little bit of a mess in the end.
Just Another Missing Person

by Gillian McAllister

Finished 2024-04-06
Hyperion

by Dan Simmons

Finished 2024-01-29

I really enjoyed this book and then it … ended before it was over. I know there are sequels but it felt like all the POV stories that were told, each of which I really enjoyed and I loved how they were told so differently, were leading to something at the end that the book just doesn’t provide. That’s disappointing. I’ll probably read at least one of the sequels in a while, but like … it seems like at least the first sequel would just have to be a part of this book.
Infinity Gate

by M.R. Carey

Finished 2023-08-06
Golden Son

by Pierce Brown

Finished 2023-06-26
You Are Not Alone

by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen

Finished 2023-05-07

I enjoyed it but it’s a little unsatisfying once it’s all unfolded. basically: “oh no, they’re gonna frame her—but they failed, the end”
Still Life

by Louise Penny

Finished 2023-04-23

Honestly I’d rate this book higher if it weren’t for the weird side plot with the junior detective. She seems to be on the spectrum, but she’s played as this weird, angry “kids these days only care about themselves” character that seems to have no purpose and amounts to nothing other than weird, hateful scorn. I’m probably missing some subtext but it felt very out of place.
New Dark AgeTechnology and the End of the Future

by James Bridle

Finished 2023-04-16
The Way of Shadows

by Brent Weeks

Finished 2023-04-08

Honestly I tend to enjoy Brent Weeks books and this was no exception but I have to knock it down a little because of several over-the-top “men writing women” bits and some implied or explicit sexual violence that really didn’t need to be there.
A Gathering of Shadows

by V.E. Schwab

Finished 2023-03-08
The Great Hunt

by Robert Jordan

Finished 2023-02-22
The Maid

by Nita Prose

Finished 2022-12-17
The Hidden Girl and Other Stories

by Ken Liu

Finished 2022-11-26

I really like the science fiction stories and found myself fading out during the fantasy ones. It’s a good read and I’d recommend it but I liked Paper Menagerie better

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Books I've Rated 4 / 5

Ratings Breakdown

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } The Blade Itself

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Ordinary Monsters

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Russian Sleeper Cell

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Just Another Missing Person

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Hyperion

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Infinity Gate

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Golden Son

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } You Are Not Alone

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } Still Life

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } New Dark AgeTechnology and the End of the Future

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } The Way of Shadows

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } A Gathering of Shadows

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } The Great Hunt

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } The Maid

#frontCover { fill: currentColor; } #spine { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 45%, #000 55%); } #backCover { fill: color-mix(in srgb, currentColor 78%, #000 22%); } The Hidden Girl and Other Stories

The Blade Itself

Ordinary Monsters

Russian Sleeper Cell

Just Another Missing Person

Hyperion

Infinity Gate

Golden Son

You Are Not Alone

Still Life

New Dark AgeTechnology and the End of the Future

The Way of Shadows

A Gathering of Shadows

The Great Hunt

The Maid

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories