What book(s) are you reading right now?

[IndigoGolem]

I'm still reading Lord of the Rings and Journey to the West, and more recently i've started The Language Construction Kit by Mark Rosenfelder, Gesture: A Slim Guide by Lauren Gawne, and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

I've been vaguely aware of Monte Cristo for a while but only started reading it after i found out Librivox has RSS feeds for audiobooks so i can listen to them in my phone's podcast app. I think i've yet to get to the really good parts, but it's still fine so far.

Gawne's book is more technical than a lot of what i read, but not unapproachable. She's definitely not afraid to use big words or assume people reading a somewhat niche linguistics book already have some background in linguistics.

The LCK is more of a manual or guide and i'm making my way slowly through it. I don't yet have much to say about it.

LotR is still good. I like Tolkien's writing.

Journey to the West can be slow at times but it's not too bad, and it does have interesting parts.

[Null]

I recently read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and I really enjoyed it. I've always enjoyed good worldbuilding, and this one is pretty interesting. For a book written in the 1930s, it makes a few predictions that have sort of come true. I really enjoyed reading it because it's one of those books that you really have to analyze to fully understand. 
I actually wrote an essay about it for my English class, and luckily, I was able to convince my teacher to up the maximum word count from 1200 to 2000 for me 
Anyway, I suggest reading Brave New World, because when I like media I always try to get others into it as well. I guess it's human nature or something, I don't know, insert philosophical statement here I guess
Thanks for reading my ramblings :)

[Kiko!]

Recently I've tapped into a suppressed and dormant interest in books that has always been there with me, but was unachievable due to my ADHD. Now that I've gotten on a medication that works for me, I can actually read! And I love to read. 

Yeah, my excessive phone usage had given me neurodivergent tendencies, specifically executive dysfunction. I used to love to read when I was younger an the love never died it's just, one day I just couldn't bring myself to start reading anymore. I would want to read but I wouldn't. I had stopped reading for like 3 years until I had decided to finally pick up a book after like 4-5 months after quitting short for social media apps. My love has re-sparked and I've been on a reading high, although reading slower than I should be because even though I enjoy most of the books I read, picking up a book and staying focused is still difficult.

I have just finished reading "She is Always Hungry" by Eliza Clark, it has been my favorite thing I've read ever since I've started reading again. It's a collection of short stories with each being similar. The narrators or characters of the stories are hungry for something, whether that be for food, for love, or for pain. If you want to check it out, please look up the trigger warnings, it's pretty grotesque but that's just what I love about it. The writing is hilarious and ironic. Some stories don't even try to take themselves serious. Other stories are tragic. It's a treat, I highly recommend it if you are into that sort of thing.

My next eBook read will be "Beware of Pity" by Stefan Zweig. It sounds pretty interesting and like what I'm currently into so I'm very excited but I'm sort of dragging my feet to start for no particular reason ahaha.

[Kiko!]

...i'm rereading the Lord of the Rings in between borrowing other books from the library. Or i was, until i got an ereader and now i have a comfortable way to read everything on Project Gutenberg.

What ereader do you have, and how do you manage to get books from websites like this. I don't really like my Kindle and how Amazon runs it but I am against the idea of getting a new one when I have a perfectly good Kindle. I don't like spending unnecessary money. But morally, my soul is crying every time I buy a book from Amazon. :,(

[IndigoGolem]

What ereader do you have, and how do you manage to get books from websites like this.

After looking into a bunch of modern ereaders i decided i just want something simple that works and doesn't have a million extra features (also true of every electronic device i buy (or haven't bought because i can't find a simple one)). So i got a used Sony PRS-505 (discontinued 2009). It's not perfect but it's fine for most books (barring PDFs with tiny text or one really large book that crashes it). Plus it was about the same price as a not-super-old Kobo ereader.

As for putting books on it, it's very simple. I go to Project Gutenberg (https://gutenberg.org), download a book as an .epub file, and then plug my ereader into my laptop with the USB-mini cord it came with. It opens like any storage drive, i make a folder for the author (optional, to keep things organized), and copy the dowloaded .epub over. When i unplug the ereader it scans its internal storage and SD card for new books and adds them to the list.

I've never owned a Kindle so i don't know if it supports just plugging it into a computer and copying a file over.

I don't really like my Kindle and how Amazon runs it but I am against the idea of getting a new one when I have a perfectly good Kindle. I don't like spending unnecessary money. But morally, my soul is crying every time I buy a book from Amazon. :,(

See if there's some way to borrow ebooks from your local public library and download them straight to your Kindle, like Overdrive or Libby.

I also have heard you can use Calibre to convert your ebooks from Amazon's proprietary format to a regular, DRM-free epub in case you ever do get a non-Amazon ereader.

You could try to jailbreak your Kindle if you want to be able to sideload extra apps, mess with fonts and screensevers, etc. But that's not something i know anything about.

[fablefound]

TIL you can jailbreak ereaders. that sounds so cool, to be honest... though i've only hacked my old nintendo dsi and 3ds, so i also have no real idea what that'd entail 

anyways, obligatory lit update from yours truly: i have two discworld books left and when i finish this series i may be inconsolable. besides that, i'm also reading undine, the old french tale about a water spirit. it's really quite different from what i'd expected. like carmilla, it falls squarely into this box in my head labelled "could be cool to write a retelling someday but i'll probably never get around to it" lol.

[Seraphim]

TIL you can jailbreak ereaders. that sounds so cool, to be honest... though i've only hacked my old nintendo dsi and 3ds, so i also have no real idea what that'd entail 

I jailbroke my kindle recently! There are good guides out there which makes the process easier. I use it so much more often now since I got rid of ads, am able to change and add rotating cover photos, and can obtain books without fear of Amazon removing/changing them. My only gripe is that the main software, in its current state, is not super user-friendly and takes a lot of fiddling with to get a good grip on. It is overwhelming at first because you have so much power over what you can do and change. 

anyways, obligatory lit update from yours truly: i have two discworld books left and when i finish this series i may be inconsolable. besides that, i'm also reading undine, the old french tale about a water spirit. it's really quite different from what i'd expected. like carmilla, it falls squarely into this box in my head labelled "could be cool to write a retelling someday but i'll probably never get around to it" lol.

I recently finished the King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, and feel very much the same way. Like I understand how this was fundamental to the genre, but I don't think it quite reached its own potential. I'm really interested in reading what other authors have done with the idea and how far they can take it.

Right now I'm reading Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb, who I think is in a real resurgence right now. Its the second book in this trilogy, and I'm very excited to come back to it since the first one was so emotionally devastating. Which was awesome.

[kringle]

oh dude i've been trying to read house of leaves for an age now and its so hard because what nobody will tell you is that house of leaves is actually, really horny? like there is SO much of "her boobs boobed boobishly" in house of leaves to the point it kind of put me off. like i had a disucussion abt it with somebody and they were basically telling me its to show like, the state of the character but its still THERE ya kno? i still want to finish reading it just so i can experience it but,,, yeah

outside of that i admittedly read mostly fanfiction instead of official literature

the next Book book i'll probably pick up is butch blues!

[mini]

After looking into a bunch of modern ereaders i decided i just want something simple that works and doesn't have a million extra features (also true of every electronic device i buy (or haven't bought because i can't find a simple one)). So i got a used Sony PRS-505 (discontinued 2009).

Dang that's a cool design, I love it o.o but basically nobody sells it in my country. If anyone is looking for a e-reader you can buy new and doesn't suck, the Xteink X4 is like 45$ on Aliexpress and has an amazing open-source firmware called Crosspoint which rocks.

house of leaves is actually, really horny? like there is SO much of "her boobs boobed boobishly" in house of leaves to the point it kind of put me off.

I have wanted to read House of Leaves for years and this kinda turned me away from it... That's basically how Murakami writes and I hate it :c

Anyways I got done with Don Quixote part 1 :) it's sincerely amazing, I swear I have read the second half of part 1 in two days, suuuper fun book.
Aaand I got into my second try of reading The Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord. I hope I finish it this time! (it's super short but really dense and technical)

[koiitan]

I'm currently trying to read Dracula by Bram Stoker but I'm having a big struggle to focus on it. It's not that the story isn't interesting, I actualy quite like it! I guess my concetration is just terrible
I'm very slowly reaching toward the end and I'm very curious how the story will go on and what will happen with characters.

I loved reading books as a child, it was my favourite hobby no matter if it was a novel or an encyclopedia but for a good few years I just stopped, as I was with every year more strugling to focus on the book and just read it like I was used to. Yet I miss reading and I'm trying to get back to it, there are so many awesome lectures to discover and it's a nice way to spend my free time.

[virtue]

I've got a pretty expansive shelf at the moment, but I'm primarily working my way through:
- Ajin: This one is easily my biggest current literary fixation. I've ranted about the thematics and character writing for essays worth of texts at this point. Either this series randomly massively drops off in quality past the half-way point, or this is easily the most underrated manga of all time.
- Akira: I'm about 1/3 of the way through it. It's an absolute classic, and my boyfriend insisted I give it my attention, which I'd say has been largely worth it.
- Dungeon Crawler Carl: I originally developed an interest in reading through the series well before it became so exceptionally popular, but I can't say I'm not more invigorated to keep plowing through the first book with all this incredible press around
- The World After The Fall: I've read the majority of the series already and it's easily one of my favorite media series of all time, but I've got 12 full-color volumes of the print adaptation on my self, and you bet your ass I'm planning on finishing my read-through in style. But that means rereading all nearly 200 currently available chapters from scratch!
- Tower Dungeon: I was extremely pleasantly surprised by this quaint little fantasy series. It's got easily one of the blandest premises I've ever seen; I only picked up the first volume because the art style caught my eye and simply wouldn't let go. That turned out to be an excellent decision, and the series turned out to be the next (and first ever fantasy) series by the mangaka behind "Blame!". This is probably the closest dark fantasy literature comes to Dark Souls without being Berserk.

[Nerril]

Fellow ADHD e-ink enjoyer here! I've found the dyslexic font setting on mine helps my brain stay focused a touch longer. In my case, it's more getting my brain to latch on long enough to whatever I'm reading - basically if I can get it to hyperfocus hahahaa. 

I'm currently working through Liu Cixen's "Remembrance of Earth's Past" trilogy (Three Body Problem) and I'm on the second book, "The Dark Forest". And MAN am I loving it- this series is one of those rare ones that I devour quickly without meaning to . I also just finished Asimov's "Foundation", and need to pick up the next book in the series. I'm also reading "Authority", which is the sequel to VanderMeer's "Annihilation" - which is ALSO an awesome book. I only took a break from it to read the 3-Body Problem Sequel because I couldn't wait, lol.

Before this I went on a reading stint/binge of Jung and Nietzsche stuff, so weirdly enough, my current books feel a lot like "lighter reading" in comparison, even if not by topic lol.

Up next on my list are Blood Meridian, I've got it staring at me from the bookshelf now. I'm not going to pretend I'm not gonna finish the Earth's Past Trilogy first though! And of course next to it, staring at me menacingly, is House of Leaves. Which I have been slowly chewing through and meaning to read for the past ten years.

[norbezjones]

And of course next to it, staring at me menacingly, is House of Leaves. Which I have been slowly chewing through and meaning to read for the past ten years.

House Of Leaves is also staring at me menacingly from my collection.  It's one of the few physical books I was able to keep throughout the years, but I still have yet to fully read it. . .
I'm currently reading & reviewing a bunch of books for Read An Ebook Week (March 1st to 7th).  I started with Errant Wings, a story about a punk 19 year old who finally gets his (literal) wings, only to find they're the wrong ones.  I greatly enjoyed it, and am craving a sequel with all of my being--there are a lot of unanswered questions by the end, loose threads that were put aside for the protagonist's personal journey (which is fine, to be clear).
I just finished my 3rd short story to review, and after that, I want to review at least one more novel before Read An Ebook Week is up, specifically Higanbana (which, funny enough, has illustrations by the Errant Wing author/artist).  We'll see if I can finish it and write the review before the 7th.  Wish me luck!

[alexela64]

Can't believe i've never added to this thread!

Since I have trouble sticking to one book at a time, heres' the list:

- Wretched of the Earth - Frantz Fanon
- BLAME! full series
- Secret City - James Kirchik (this one is LONG so i've been reading it on and off)
- The Memory Police - Yoko Ogawa

I just finished This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno two days ago. I have mixed feelings on it, but ultimately I don't think I was the target audience. On deck is Black Punk Now (an anthology) and either Garden Spells by Elspeth Barker or whatever is available off my list at the library soonest. 

[zj]

I'm currently reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins!!
Prior to that I re-read the original Hunger Games triology [...] After this one I'll read the next book about the 50th games [...] I love Suzanne's social commentary on real life fascism through her books.

Late update: I finished the series! LOVE it. Seeing how Snow rose to power, how the regime tightened its grip on the population and made its propaganda more effective, and getting to see rebellion that one couldn't see in the original triology due to said censorship. The epilogue in Sunrise Oh The Reaping had me in tears :`) and having seen Haymitch's own point of view and experiences makes his appearance in the original triology all the more hard hitting emotionally. Would love to discuss this with anyone who is reading or has read the Hunger Games!!

Currently, I am reading Metro 2033, which my cousin sent me in the mail! He needed to discuss the ending with somebody. I saw him reading it a while back and mentioned that it's been in the To Be Read list for a while! I am really fond of dystopian fiction as one might be able to tell XD. Anyway, I find it interesting so far! I'm trying to get myself back to the point where I can read more than one book at a time without getting to slow. In the past I would keep two or three books on hand at a time, something dystopian can be a bit too depressing sometimes so alternating it with an epic fantasy is great for morale :P this book being borrowed though, I'm trying to zip through it ASAP reading only this book so we can discuss it soon, don't want to leave my cousin hanging.

executive dysfunction. I used to love reading when I was younger.the love never died, one day I couldn't bring myself to start reading anymore. I would want to read but wouldn't. I stopped reading for 3 years until I decided to finally pick up a book 4-5 months after quitting short form social media apps. My love re-sparked & I've been on a reading high, although reading slower than I should be bc even though I enjoy most of the books I read, picking up a book and staying focused is still difficult.

(Had to shorten the quote or it wouldn't let me post, sorry) This almost could've been written by me! Also finally getting back into reading. It's so frustrating wanting to read Everything and having a hard time getting just a bit of reading done at a time, when I really want to read all evening :P it's a weird experience as I've been so used to being able to plough through books. Getting there, though!