2026 - Tane’s Adventures In Reading

I have a low bar for reading this year, life beyond the written page (with all of its many ups and downs) is definitely in the driving seat at the moment. But, I am going to note everything I read in 2026. It’s been a while since I’ve done this… here goes!

Written On The Dark - I am a big Guy Gavriel Kay fan, but this one didn’t grip me quite as much as his other stories. Perhaps it’s just me, but it felt… thin, somehow.

His lyrical prose is still beautiful, though.

>1 Tane: Holy smoking turd balls! Welcome back! I'm so pleased to see you.

Happy new thread. Happy reading.

>3 clamairy: thank you! I’m pleased to be here. Life has been… hectic over the last few years (this year is intensely busy too, but I’m getting into the swing of it). I’m pleased to be here.

How are you?

>4 pgmcc: Thank you. I can’t promise this will be a very busy thread, but I am feeling inspired right now.

>6 Tane:
Everything starts with inspiration. Let the inspiration take you wherever.

Just so happened to have one that hasn't yet been posted in the flurry -

>1 Tane: Happy New Thread! Happy reading :)

Happy new thread, and happy new year (belatedly).

Happy new thread

>7 pgmcc: such sage (and much needed) advice. Thank you!

>8 Bookmarque: thank you!

>11 hfglen: thank you so much. Here’s to whatever 2026 has in store!

A Night of Strange Dreams - by SF Russell. It's a bit unfair to put this on here, but I'm going to anyway. This is my book, under my pen name. It'll be released in mid-February, but I've just been through the proof and fixed any snags that I've found.

It's a collection of 18 short stories, but they all link together in some (hopefully) unexpected ways.

Modern Classics of Fantasy - this is a fine collection of short (and sometimes not so short) fantasy fiction. It covers stories from the late 1930s up to the early 1990s. Lots of very interesting tales from famous authors (L Sprague de Camp, Roger Zelazny, Poul Anderson to name just a few).

I enjoyed this one, though I will confess it took me a while to get through.

Happy new year and Happy new thread! I hope this year brings you many good things!

>17 Sakerfalcon: thank you! It’s going to be busy, but at least I have some time to read. So that’s good!

>15 Tane: Yeah, it's okay to mention it here. You are a long time member, and didn't just join LibraryThing to spam groups with your book.

>15 Tane:
It sounds like a book I would like.

>19 clamairy: Thank you. I appreciate that 🙂

Welcome back! Glad to see someone else coming back to this wonderful place.

>22 GeorgiaDawn: and to you. It’s good to be back.

The Emperors Soul by Brandon Sanderson. Thank you @clamairy for the recommendation. I enjoyed this, and I think I can see the Sanderson appeal. It’s a good story, an interesting setup and I am pleased to have read it. But…

It took me a while to put my finger on why I’m not gushing about this one. It’s because it’s science fantasy. The use of a “hard” magic system is what puts me off. I found the AI subtext a little too modern for me. A magic system that allows you to create different personas, to change personality in an instant. To basically become something new, fresh, changed, but unaware of that change. That felt like a take on AI to me. But then perhaps that’s just my own sense of the world overlaying onto whatever Sanderson was really getting at?

I just want my fantasy stories to be a bit more fantastical, a bit more magical, and a little less scientific in their makeup. But that’s just me.

It hasn’t put me off though. I think I will tackle the first Mistborn book soon.

>24 Tane: Ah well. I'm glad you enjoyed it, at least.

>25 clamairy: I definitely think there's room in my library for some Sanderson, I just need to go into it with the right mindset :)

Happy new thread and welcome back! I enjoyed Written on the Dark, but I can't disagree with your impression. Still very good, just a little less than expected from Kay.

So I've just started A Cavern Of Black Ice by JV Jones - I have a memory of reading this decades ago, but no real memories of the story itself. We shall see.

Also listening to God's Junk Drawer which I am enjoying - though I am about half way through, so there's lots to go yet. I like the central concept, it's a fun idea to explore.

>28 Tane: I read the first 3 or 4 books in the Sword of shadows series and enjoyed them quite a lot. Now I'm wondering why I didn't finish the series. I remember the wintry world being very vividly depicted.

>29 Sakerfalcon: Yeah, it's enjoyable. I suspect it'll take me a while to get through - but slow and steady wins the race!

I've now completed God's Junk Drawer - I enjoyed it. Had a real John Scalzi vibe for me. I was perhaps a little disappointed in parts, but I'll pop those thoughts over on the group reading chat.

I'm not sure where to go next with my audio reading? I've got a long drive coming up at the weekend, so will have to find something to keep me going there.

>30 Tane: I found it a bit disappointing in places as well. Still mostly entertaining, though.

You could do a lot worse than another Clines book. Maybe 14 which is great or maybe The Broken Room. The first has way more of a Scooby Doo vibe, and the second lots of conspiracy and black ops.

Just hopping on here to say that my book is published today! A Night of Strange Dreams

Does anyone know how to sort out a book giveaway here in LibraryThing?

(This is @Tane in his Author alter ego)

Hey >33 sfrussellwriter: get back to work 😀

>31 clamairy: Yeah, I’m pleased to have read it. And >32 Bookmarque: that’s a good idea. Might check out 14 next.

>33 sfrussellwriter:
Congratulations and good luck with the new book!

ETA: I have acquired the Kindle version.

>33 sfrussellwriter: Do you mean in the Early Reviewers group? You should talk to @Karlstar as his wife recently participated as an author.

Congrats! I'm very excited for you.

>36 pgmcc: Thank you so much! That really means a lot. If you want to leave a review on Amazon that would be outstanding! Apparently reviews = higher chances of being spotted by readers. I am truly honoured. I hope you like it, but also I am very open to any honest feedback.

>37 clamairy: There's a way of doing an author giveaway... or so I'm told. Will definitely reach out and take any advice!

>37 clamairy: Thank you, it is an exciting thing to have achieved. Now I (and @sfrussellwriter) need to knuckle down and carry on with the next one!

If you look at the Early Reviewers page you will see how to do an author giveaway. Here's the link

https://www.librarything.com/ner/howitworksofferer

Good luck with your book.

>41 calm: Oh fantastic! Thank you so much. I will go there right now.

UPDATE: I think I have now sorted this out, ready for a March giveaway (presuming it gets picked up in the next month's offerings?)

>42 sfrussellwriter: Congrats and good luck!

>43 Karlstar: Thank you, it is genuinely very exciting (and quite daunting, too)!

>33 sfrussellwriter: Congratulations! 🎉

Are you planning to have your book on Kobo, by any chance? 😊

>33 sfrussellwriter: Congratulations! I hope your book finds many enthusiastic readers! I will be seeking it out myself.

>45 Alexandra_book_life: I have to stick with Amazon for 90 days (I enrolled into the Kindle Unlimited scheme), but after that I am free to put it wherever I like. I have a kobo version of the manuscript ready to go.

>46 Sakerfalcon: Thank you so much, it's been a labour of love and a huge learning experience. To have anyone take a look is deeply humbling. I'm working on the next book (aiming to be publication ready this time next year).

>47 sfrussellwriter: I understand, good to know! I'll keep an eye out. Thank you and good luck 😊

Yay! My book is in the March giveaway - this is very exciting! (I promise to return this thread back to Tane now)

>50 sfrussellwriter: WooHoo!

>50 sfrussellwriter:
Excellent. Good luck with it.

>50 sfrussellwriter: Woohoo! I hope it gets some nice reviews!

>51 clamairy: Thank you!
>52 pgmcc: Thank you very much, we'll see how it goes
>53 Sakerfalcon: I will keep my fingers crossed, honest feedback is worth its weight in gold (though I would definitely settle for nice ones)

I've started A Philosopher's Stone, the new Audible full cast versions. I'm not sure how they can compete with Stephen Fry's versions, but I'm happy to give it a go. Has anyone else tried them? Thoughts?

>33 sfrussellwriter: How exciting! Congratulations!

>50 sfrussellwriter: Sweet Baby Cheeses! I won your new book through the Early Reviewer giveaway! :o) I am shocked because I have not participated for YEARS! I think all of the SF & F in my library paid off.

>57 clamairy: oh brilliant! I’ll be sorting out the sending of the files soon (I haven’t been sent the list of winners yet). I know I can’t ask for an Amazon review, so I’m totally not asking you for that 😉 - but I would really appreciate your feedback: good, bad, or ugly. I am working on the next book (more of a novel in stories than a short story collection) so your views will directly help me to make that one even better!

I have now had the list! Emailing soon (just putting the children to bed)

UPDATE: @Clamairy it should be with you now.

Got it!

>59 clamairy: I’m in some fine company there! 😀

>60 sfrussellwriter: You are!

I don't believe Amazon will let me review the book as I did not purchase it through them. (But I will try.)

>61 clamairy: Thank you so much for your review, and for everyone's kind reviews. I can't believe, across multiple sites and geographic locations that my little book is getting such consistent feedback. It means more than I can possibly explain, and as absolutely spurred me on for the next one.

As for my own reading, I am working my way through the remaining Audible Harry Potter performances, currently about to start Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. They're ok, worth a listen - but if I were forced to choose, I'd still go with Stephen Fry's readings.

For other books, I've paused A Cavern of Black Ice not because I'm not enjoying it, but because I'm struggling to give it the time it deserves.

I have read The Overstory for something completely different. Did I enjoy it? I'm not entirely convinced, but it's my first pulitzer prize winning read, so I felt the weight of importance it carried, the message was not lost on me. But was it an enjoyable read? Not so much.

So what's next? I'm looking for suggestions, whilst also reading up on London in the 19th century (currently researching 1848, which was a particularly interesting year!)

I've just started The Nature of Middle-Earth, I quite like the History of Middle-Earth books, although I find I have to dip in and out of them. It still amazes just how much work Tolkien put into his world. A staggering effort.

>64 Tane: "A staggering effort" is a very apt description!

>65 Alexandra_book_life: I can’t imagine anyone getting anywhere near it again

>65 Alexandra_book_life: oops wrong login! But I agree, can’t imagine another author ever matching it. I’m sure there are those with big ideas and a lot of lore written down, but will they have that Tolkien approach, as though documenting real history?

>67 Tane: I haven't yet met an author who could match that!

>67 Tane: I remember reading that Tolkien did not believe he was inventing Middle Earth and its goings on, but that he was simply setting it all down on paper. Now that was one hell of a Muse...

>69 clamairy: Absolutely. The fact that there can be new books, uncovering even more of his thoughts and ideas on Middle-Earth, more than half a century after he died is incredible.

Just hopping on here to say that A Night Of Strange Dreams will soon be available on many other digital platforms (not just Amazon) - including Kobo for those interested. I believe the launch is on the 25th of May.

https://books2read.com/u/mvAagX

>71 sfrussellwriter: Awesome. Congrats again. By the way, I am not sure if I told you but I was able to add my rating and review on Amazon without having bought it from them. I put it on Goodreads as well.

>72 clamairy: thank you, and that would be great! It all helps with the various algorithms (or so I’m told).

>71 sfrussellwriter: That's great news!

I've now completed the audible all-cast versions of the Harry Potter books. I did enjoy them, although the more grown up Harry was a little annoying (though I wonder if that was intentional?) I still think the Stephen Fry versions are the peak audiobook editions though.