Books

The making of one of my all-time favourite TV shows, as told by one of its stars. If you’re a regular Parks rewatcher, you’ll enjoy Jerry’s Garry’s Larry’s Jim’s stories about making it.

Winner of the Booker Prize 2024, so clearly a very good book, but my 3 star rating is as much a reflection of my own mindset as anything else. Orbital is a deep and introspective read with some beautiful prose, and so is slightly mismatched to my current taste for lighter fiction. A good book that I’d have likely enjoyed more if I’d read it at a different time.

Brandon Sanderson at his most whimsical - channelling no small amount of Sir Terry Pratchett (and mentioning him as an influence in the post-epilogue blurb) - in a tale written from the perspective of recurring Cosmere character Hoid. I really enjoyed Tress and the shift in tone that comes with an in-character narrator.

A suitably explosive conclusion to Mistborn era 2, packed with revelations about the Cosmere and raising even more questions about what the major players are up to 👀

I’m really enjoying era 2 of Mistborn - it’s every bit as good as the first trilogy. And, as ever, there’s always another secret…

Shadows of Self is where it really feels like era 2 of Mistborn has properly gotten underway, and is more connected to wider events in Sanderson’s Cosmere universe. It also has a jaw-dropping final act that reminded me of The Final Empire - a very good thing!

The more modern world of electricity, railways, guns, and technology is a fun setting for new Mistborn stories, and I enjoyed Wayne’s antics 🕵️‍♂️

Something of an extended epilogue for the first Mistborn trilogy, and essential reading for anyone following the story that draws all of Sanderson’s Cosmere works together. I can see I’m going to have to pick up era 2 of Mistborn next!

Another intriguing magic system and the origin story of the most darkly comic sentient weapon in the Cosmere. More good stuff from Mr Sanderson 🙌

The second book in Moist Von Lipwig’s Discworld subseries is all about money - our relationship with it, the value we assign it, and the absurdity of the whole system.

People don’t like change. But make the change fast enough and you go from one type of normal to another.