The Book Thread Book • Page 194

I've read a few of Borges' short stories awhile back and found them formally inventive without really resonating with me emotionally. I def want to read more by him this year and see how I feel now

 

Is that your first Jim Thompson novel?

 

Yep! Started Pop 1280 last year but got sidetracked and lost the library loan

 

Starting Apple in the Dark

 

Enjoy, it’s a stunner.

 

These are the books I have finished in 2025, with ratings (1-5, 0=DNF). I mostly actually read literary fiction (or stuff that is adjacent to it). The fantasy books on the list have almost all been audiobooks, which I listen to fall asleep (they make me feel, uh, safe I guess?). I really only actually read fantasy around Christmas, it's kind of a personal tradition.

 

I really enjoyed Pop 1280 and The Grifters, but The Killer Inside Me blew me away. I haven't gotten to The Getaway yet, but will most likely get to it this year.

 

I picked up Drumindor, but I don't know that I remember a single thing that happened in all the books before it. Does he recap them since the gap was so long?

 

Never heard of Jim Thompson before but I saw on GR that he was a CPUSA member and writes anti-cop cop books? Sign me up.

 

It’s stand-alone

 

Arenas is rewiring my brain right now

 

It was great! Really takes a left turn about 2/3 of the way in that I was not expecting. Might read Pop 1280 now.

 

Finished the third Witcher book/the first one in the "saga". Not a lot happens but it felt like a first book in that there's a lot of setup for the series. Enjoyed the character stuff.

Starting Beartown now. Heard great things

 

You should totally do it

 

I might do another James Lee Burke just because I already started it, then jump to it

 

I always make a reading goal but this year I made a more specific goals list for myself.

Total books: 25

1 'classic' I have never read (I decided on East of Eden for this one)
1 banned book I've never read
1 Stephen King book I've never read (this winds up being like five anyway)
1 book I read a long time ago that I didn't like (to see if my opinion has changed)
1 book from Booktok (I wanna say I did it just to do it)
1 fantasy book
2 books that release in 2026
2 historical fiction
2 non-fiction, non-history
2 books recommended by a stranger at Barnes & Noble
4 Presidential biographies

 

Your BookTok should be Dungeon Crawler Carl, especially on audio.

 

You're not the first person to tell me that, haha.

 

Finished Audition. I really liked it, although I’m still processing a very unexpected second half. I may have to find some discussion about it online.

Now onto The Ancestry of Objects.

 

Late on the list post but here are my reads from 2025. Consuming less and creating more, both reading and watching movies halved but finished songs and paintings doubled.

 

ayyy Spark Bird ! that's so fucking awesome. I hope you dug it

 

Really though, genuinely touched you got a copy and actually read it. That means so much to me. Especially right now as I struggle with this new manuscript and dealing with imposter syndrome. Thanks for your support

 

You are welcome. Cant stop now the fans are waiting to hear your stories!

 

I started the first book skeptical that it would be worth it and within 3 weeks I’d finished all 7 books.

 

It has no business hiding that much depth in an idea so absurd. Instant all-timer.