Books

I saw The Convenience Store by the Sea described as “cosy fiction”, and found it to be a gentle, easy read exploring themes of connection and community. Each chapter is like a little story in itself, linked to the others by the convenience store setting and the people who work there.

Another book in the Secret Projects series where Sanderson’s influences are clear - in this instance Yumi and the Nightmare Painter draws inspiration from anime, Japanese culture, and Final Fantasy X. I enjoyed the dual protagonists and settings, and as ever the world building was a particular highlight.

A fascinating and horrifying glimpse inside one of the most powerful companies in the world. If your view of Facebook/Meta is already a dim one, Careless People will confirm all your worst suspicions and then some.

A fun read blending science, humour, and an impending apocalypse without feeling particularly heavy. If you enjoyed The Martian, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll enjoy Project Hail Mary too.

Book 5 of Brandon Sanderson’s Secret Projects series is a treat for Cosmere fans - loads of little references to the wider universe and a fast-paced story that felt brief despite the book not actually being short. Perhaps I’ve just trained my brain to expect 1,000+ pages whenever I pick up a Sanderson novel!

As my first Warhammer Age of Sigmar novel I tried to get into Soul Wars, but in the end there just wasn’t much to get into. A straightforward plot and characters with such little depth they were basically interchangeable. Maybe there are better Warhammer books, or maybe I’ll just stick to painting the models 🤷

Another outstanding Tiffany Aching Discworld novel. I was surprised by the darker tone of I Shall Wear Midnight, but the development of Tiffany as a character as she comes into her own as a witch was a delight to read.

I’ve been dabbling in the Warhammer Age of Sigmar hobby recently, and the core book is a great introduction to the lore and history of its massive fantasy universe. There’s lots of artwork and photographs of stunningly-painted models to be inspired by too. The Mortal Realms might just fill a Cosmere-shaped hole when I have no more of those books to read 🤓

The grand finale of the first major arc of The Stormlight Archive. In a similar way to Rhythm of War before it, I felt Wind and Truth suffered from pacing issues and could have been shorter. Flashback chapters fleshing out character backstory were frequent enough to feel like a distraction, and probably could have been condensed. There was however a lot of payoff for events built over the preceding 4,000ish pages of the series so far, and I’ll be back for the second arc when book 6 has been written!

It’s coming home… To Ankh-Morpork! ⚽ A book about football. But also a book about class and social mobility and nature vs nurture and probably many other things I missed, as there’s nothing quite so densely layered as a Discworld novel, which is one of the reasons I’m looking forward to future series rereads.