My first DNF of the year, a rare re-read and much more - June 2024 in a Nuttshell! 

I hope Kushiel's Dart appears in your reading vlog. It's spectacular and is overlooked by too many epic fantasy fans.

Kushiel's Dart is a victim of terrible marketing. That series is much more high/epic fantasy than it is romance/BDSM. If you have a good go with it I strongly recommend you read the entire trilogy - Carey can go toe to toe with Robin Hobb in terms of the emotional situations/dilemnas she subjects her characters to, and she always wraps up the trilogy with a situation that makes you feel like you got disemboweled with a rusty icepick. Hope you have as good a time with it as I did!

I completed reading Eiji Yoshikawa’s The Heike Story. This was my first book by this author, though I have read several volumes of Vagabond which is based on his novel Musashi. Enjoyed it tremendously and am looking forward to attempting the original version, as well as Eiji’s other books. I aldo finished Sailing to Sarantium by GGK. Under Heaven was my book of the year last year but I have tried three other books of Kay’s since then and didn’t like them nearly as much as Under Heaven. Thank you so much to Read by Kyle and Jake Bishop for championing these books. It was pretty damn good! Under Heaven remains my favorite GGK novel but this lies at a close second. Looking forward to reading Lord of Emperors.listened to Childten of Ash and Elm, a history of the Vikings, in the car this week and was really enjoying it up until the section on Biking funerals which made me feel a bit ill. As the only first hand account of a Viking longship funeral we have is Ibn Fadlan’s (if you’ve read Michael Chrichton’s Eaters of the Dead you’ve read it word for word) the writer of this nonfiction book quoted it quite a bit and then had to add some extra context which is really quite lovely to hear at 6:30 in the morning driving some the highway before one has has near enough coffee.completed the Jack London novel The Sea Wolf 🐺 this man can bloody write. I would strongly recommend any of his works for anyone who feels they would like to start reading more classics, or just anyone in particular. I also finished the Martian Chronicles by Bradbury which I read with my mom. I think she enjoyed it a bit more than I did, maybe because she grew up during the Cold War era and this reminds her of the books and shows she grew up with. I liked it though. Good stuff. on top of al this nonsense I have been attempting to finish the Legend of the Galactiv Heroes series. Well, happy reading!

Expanse isnt overrated. Its not crazy technology or concepts. It's a story about humanity and relationships wrapped in a near future Science Fiction setting. Agree book 3 is the weakest of the first 3. Keep going, it just gets better and better. Book 5 is incredible, as you know if you've seen the show.

Gardens of the Moon really feels so different on a reread. So many series wide hints dropped in this book. But if you get to Deadhouse Gates, that is one of the most satisfying books for a reread, you will enjoy it so much more this time.

Glad you enjoyed You Like It Darker! I agree that it's one of King's best works of the last 5 years or so. You reread GOTM and I'm giving Memories of Ice another shot after last year's DNF. I'm enjoying it a lot this time around! I need to get to the Expanse at some point too. Have a great July!

Its always fun for me when people pick up Tad Williams and rave about him. When i first got into fictional stories as a very early teen he was one of the first authors i picked up and adored, not knowing that he was incredibly respected. I've loved every book I've read of his, including his less poopular series, like his Bobby Dollar books. It's just fun seeing other people read his books 20 year after I read them and love them. Keep it up!

Empire of Grass is going to make you jump right into Brothers of the Wind and Into the Narrowdark. Last King of Osten Ard is as good as Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. It's so strange that two series in the same world can be so vastly different, as well as intimately similar.

Did I just hear the year of the tusk being flat out provided in GotM ? Inrithism ? Shrial Censures ? All this Empire cavorting dialogue being merely jnan set to practice rounds? Truthfully, I find this unceasing. Looking sharp as always dude :) TtH is making rounds, can’t wait to reach the discussion on yo channel and witness the appropriate amount of Linkin Park references.

Wow that's crazy. I just finished book 3 of the expanse too. I read a new book in the series every other month.

You also see how much is foreshadowded and set up dor the entire series on a GotM reread. Especially the prologue. Loved Curse of Chalion and almost done with Paladin of Souls which is a close second.

I think Gardens of the Moon is the only book I've ever re-read. So satisfying the second time

Hi Jimmy. June for me was The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson, about how and why the American Civil War began in South Carolina at Fort Sumter. July and beyond will include books by Virginia Wollf, John Steinbeck, GRRM, and Dan Simmons. Happy reading.

I managed to do 5 in June: *The Predator, Animorphs Book 5 by K.A. Applegate: reading this series is for me a way to understand a phenomenon I missed as a kid by like a year and so far it doesn't disappoint, the twist in this would melt 10-12 year old me's mind. *Ax, Book 18 of the 87th Precinct by Ed McBain: only 37 more books to go! I dug this one because McBain takes his usual crime novel and makes it part Gothic fiction. * Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle: this is a strange one, the first half is a pretty good Holmes mystery set in a brooding old manor house and the second is the back story of a character when he lived in America and how he got involved in a murderous gang of Free Masons. They don't quite mesh but the second half is at least fun so I'd say overall it was pretty good. *Taran Wanderer, Book 4 of the Prydain Series by Lloyd Alexander: I was mixed on the first three of these but this one impressed me. It starts as a daring quest but for a younger audience aimed book gets more introspective, at times sad, etc. later on as the farm boy protagonist is basically stripped to his core being and built up again. *Navigator's Children, Book 4 of the Last King of Osten Ard: this doesn't release until November but the ARC popped up this month on Netgalley to my surprise so I abandoned everything else once I was cleared. After about 5 days I finished feeling like my eyes were going to fall out from reading so much, just squeaking in by finishing it around 2 hours before July 1st. It's going to take me a while to digest it, there was just SO much going on even in the post climax wrap up, but it succeeded in giving me the same feeling as when I finished the first trilogy: I was going to miss hearing about this world and the characters in it and we had all gone on quite a journey.

Long live the re-reads!! Also, I really need to get some Tad Williams in my life, it sounds like such good comforting epic fantasy. My standout for June was Sundered Moon by Zammar Ahmer, the sequel to Riven Earth. One of my new favourite duologies, absolutely exceptional! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Kushiel's Dart, happy reading ;)

I loved Lapvona. I found it a unique experience and full of irony and metaphor. It's artful perversion. Very relieved that this was not the dnf of the video, haha.

Will be reading the Final Two «The Expense» Novels over the Summer (as well as Tad Williams’ «Memory, Sorrow & Thorn» & Bakker’ «Prince of Nothing» trilogies), glad you are returning to the series! And «Lapvona» sounds exciting too! In June I read: «A Princess of Mars» (John Carter of Mars/Barsoom #1) by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Sword & Planet: I received a library copy from 1920, the British 4th Edition, 104 years old!) «All Tomorrow’s Parties» by William Gibson (Cyberpunk) «The Dragonbone Chair» (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #1) by Tad Williams (Epic Fantasy) «A Brightness Long Ago» by Guy Gavriel Kay (Fantasy inspired by the Mercenary Wars of Renaissance Italy: Book of the Month AND Book of the Year so far!) «The Darkness That Comes Before» (The Prince of Nothing #1) by R. Scott Bakker (Grimdark/Dark Epic Fantasy)

After sitting on my shelf for years, I am finally reading 'The Forgetting Moon' by (fellow booktuber) Brian Lee Durfee. I am really enjoying getting immersed in an epic world-building fantasy series. I expect I will read the following two books immediately after I finish the first one. I get the sense that the 'The Five Warrior Angels' trilogy is a woefully underrated set of books.

Sitting through hearing about Malazan was worth it to hear about Witchwood 😂

Dude The Expanse is great. I don’t know why but I seem to read it in bursts. I smashed through books 1 -3 quick then had a massive break and read 4-7 in another burst. Currently waiting for the final stretch to finish it off. For me it reads exactly like a TV show and I appreciate the short snappy chapters. Both of those things lead me to devour them in a matter of days

I’ve had Kushiel’s Dart rattling around my brain the past few days this is definitely gonna get me to try and read it this month! I’ve heard basically nothing but good things about it!!

A win for Amanda is a win for me. I’m so glad that you enjoyed Lapvona! My favorite read of June is a toss up between The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon.

The Expanse gets better and better the more you get into it. The last three books to me are something really special.

Just started reading The Dragonbone Chair... Kushiel's Dark is another one of those on my long list, if getting to it soon proves possible.

If, depending on the day you could answer it either way, that almost certainly puts you in the free will camp. Kushiel’s Dart is unfairly neglected. It’s a good series, and gets even better in the second series. It’s not particularly dense. Rather it’s written in a style that some may find too florid and archaic. That usually puts me off, but I liked it here. Otherwise I think people have a hard time with the masochism that’s crucial to the first three books. But I dismiss that criticism as simply shallow reading. I doubt it will bother you (at least not dispositively).

And Lapvona jumped way high on my TBR. Thanks, Jimmy.

OMG!!!! Kushiel’s Dart is one of my favorite books/series of ALL TIME! Love the way it explores body (esp female) autonomy, love in all forms from friendships to mentors to romance to lust, loyalty and honor, class and civil rights. It’s so good! Yes, dense, but being an experience fantasy reader, I think you’ll be fine. So so excited to hear your take!

I will never look at grapes the same after reading Lapvona. I picked up PDK last month and read Do Androids Dream... and Ubik. Thanks for recommending Ubik. What a mind bender and I surprisingly understood everything that was happening. I see how some people are a bit disappointed with the ending but I loved it. Awesome video my man.

The "Raffler" sounds like a d-list Batman villian. 😂

I adore Leviathans Wake and for some reason I haven't moved on to the next book just yet 😂 I have been holding off on watching the show until I read the books but... 🤦‍♂️ Maybe soon 😅

Kushiel’s Dart is a book that’s been on my radar for a while. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it. I just got done re-reading Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. Now I’m reading another David Mitchell book, Slade House.

Oh hey, I was already planning on reading Kushiel's Dart next month!! Nice!! I do remember DNFing it about 12ish years ago because I was not on the right headspace to read period let alone a book that long (I do remember enjoying what I read), but I picked it up the other day to try the first paragraph, and I found the prose very beautiful. I am sooo looking forward to it! While I'm more a fantasy reader than anything, i always appreciate your non-Fantasy recs--and these ones are no exceptions. After reading Kindred earlier this year, I'm feeling like exploring that era of the US's history is more important than ever!

Glad to hear you enjoyed Lapvona mate, it’s vile but so engrossing at the same time. Im also interested in reading Lamentation, might get to that in the next couple of months! Hope you’re doing well my friend and happy reading!

I'm glad you enjoyed You Like It Darker- rattlesnakes was my favorite of the collection as well. Thanks for the video Jimmy!

Hi Jimmy, thanks for the wrap-up! I’m in the middle of reading Tad Williams’ Shadowmarch series, which I don’t hear about very much on here (I think it may be one of his earlier series?) and I’ve really been enjoying it. I love his writing style. Have a great July!

Jimmy, only you can make me want to read a book with a lamb on the front that I've never heard of is described as grotesque😂. Well played, on the TBR it goes!

You always do an awesome job Jimmy! Thanks for everything you do! June was primarily a Suneater month for me. I read "Kingdoms Of Death" (talk about BRUTAL!), "Queen Amid Ashes", "Ashes Of Man", and "Dregs Of Empire". Ruocchio is definitely building up to an "explosive" conclusion. I also finished "We Are The Dead", the first book in The Last War trilogy by Mike Shackle. Lastly, I began my reread of The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson in anticipation of the December 6th release of Wind And Truth. I got through about 20% of The Way Of Kings. I'm really hoping to read Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn sometime this year. I've mostly heard great things about it. Good luck with your July goals!

Sounds like a cool reading month! I've heard lots of great things about Kushiel's Dart. Been on a good reading streak lately as well, finished Kindred by Octavia E. Butler and currently reading The Three Body Problem. Trying to get to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms this month.

The Expanse is awesome, and you’re gonna be in for a real treat with the final trilogy which goes past the show. Abaddon’s Gate was my least favorite of the whole series (though still liked it), and like you I didn’t fall in love with some of the new POVs. Oh man now I can’t wait for my own reread of Gardens of the Moon. And I am eager to dive into Osten Ard at some point soon! Kushiel’s Dart has been sitting on my shelf for a while and I don’t see much about it so I’ll be very interested with your reaction and if it can bump up on my tbr. Happy reading!

As a science geek, i believe in determinism in my head but not so much in my heart. Very mind-f*ckery.

"This is not an awful book" my favorite selling point of a book. 🤣 Glad overall it seems to be a decent month for you!

Love Kushiel's Dart.

Just picked up Speaks the Nightbird from the library after it was mentioned in chatting with nutts, it’s huge so hopefully I can finish it this month before I need to return it haha

I am black man in Texas and a fan of your channel. I found you through Lost in Roshar and I just feel happy, because you read book black people. I started Black Leopard, Red Wolf because of you.

Hell yeah Malazan.

I went with the audio book of Gardens of the Moon for my 2nd reading. Moved on to the audio book of Deadhouse Gates for round 2 now. I get a ton out of the audio versions after having already read the hardcopies.

I picked up Lapvona from the library b/c I saw you were going to read it, so I’m so relieved this wasn’t the DNF lol. But first I’m reading My Year of Rest and Relaxation because I’m in My Year of Depression and Existential Crises 😂. I’m definitely interested in Kushiel’s Dart b/c I’ve heard good things! I’ll probably read it too!

As always, I highly enjoyed your video, thank you for all you do! My favourites of the month were the Jasmine Throne and the third Beartown, the Winners. I’m still reading the Winners and I just can’t stop, it’s been a while that I read a book I don’t want to put down even for a minute. So far it has been an absolutely great reading experience (although it is very emotional, sentimental and heavy). I’m interested to hear how you like Kushiel. I think it has some really great parts to it, especially in the first book. I wasn’t so keen on the third book, because it had a journey that dragged and changed the setting and also included a very horrific sexual scene, that was very much not consensual and too much for my taste. I also thought it was gratuitous. In my memory there is a time gap between the second and third book and I think it’s okay to stop with book 2 (if I remember correctly, it has been a while). The third book does provide answers, however, to some open plot points from earlier in the trilogy. Aaaanyway, that might only become relevant if you actually want to read the entire trilogy 😅 so for now I wish you a great reading month for July!

Of the Malazan books Ive read, Gardens of the Moon is my favorite and one of my favorite fantasy books ever. I've read it four times and plan on rereading it again this year. I loved Lapvona when I read it. I think I've read every novel by Ottessa Moshfegh but My Year of Rest and Relaxation, so I'll have to check it out if it's better than Lapvona. I read Kushiel's Dart twenty years ago and really enjoyed it, but it was so long ago it's kind of hazy. Ive been hoping to reread it soon. Maybe, I should start it this July so that there is a couple of us checking it out.

On day I will get to Kushiel’s dart. Hope it works for you!

I am glad you liked lapvona, i thought you wouldn't finish it 😂. I am currently reading the 3rd book of rainwild chronicles and really struggling with it.

Yeah mate, GotM (wut? 😂) also rocked me on a re-read. I can totally relate to the “I want to be in the Malazan world” feels. Just finished my Reaper’s Gale re-read and dayyyum, that book. 😳❤️

Stellar video Jimmy! I also tried out starfish in june and I managed to finish it. You're right, there is a cool twist or two, but the problems you have with book doesnt go away. It felt a bit disjointed and rushed in parts in my opinion. I might try the sequel down the road. I also started the Dragonbone Chair yesterday, only 80 pages in, but I'm lovin it! 🥳

I have Malazan on my 2025 series list, but with a question mark. With all the big series I'm reading/rereading this year (Cosmere & Osten Ard), I am looking forward to focusing on trilogies and other short series. If I do start Malazan again next year, it will probably be toward the end of the year and will continue into 2026. I will have to reread the first 4 before continuing. I didn't stop the series years ago because I wasn't liking it. In fact, I loved it; chain of dogs still haunts me 10 years later. My life just got really crazy and difficult when I started book 5, and I had to put it down for easier reads.

i just finished book 8 of book of the fallen. doing the audio, it was tough to get use to but so worth it. cant wait for a reread and highly recommend the audio, they do an excellent job.

Guy Gavriel Kay's A Brightness Long Ago was my book of the month, I did read 3 of his books in June so he'd the advantage 😅

I finished The Expanse series earlier this year, all audiobooks. My thoughts by entry: #1 - excellent #2 - excellent #3 - very good #4 - ok #5 - good #6 - ok #7 - very good #8 - excellent #9 - good I also read all the short stories intermixed between the books, they added a layer of world building I really appreciated.

I have started The Dragonbone Chair three times. I can't get past around page 150 or so. This was three attempts years apart from one another 😭. Maybe someday I will get over the hump of neverending boredom that is the first 150 pages of that book. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is so damn good. I have been to his gravesite in Rochester, NY. Susan B. Anthony is buried in the same cemetery. I got a guided tour of all the great historical stuff from a local a very long time ago, it was amazing. That fantasy series by Ken Scholes sounds pretty badass. I need to check it out. I will give the Patreon pick a try. It is free on audible and I know the narrator isn't the best but I will still give it a go. I'm starting the month by finishing A Song for Arbonne and then I'm reading Lonesome Dove so we I will check it out later in the month. Great wrap up!

What a month!

I swear I don't understand some people's takes on The Expanse. It's WAY high up there in Sci-Fi series for me, and easily tops so many of the examples I see hardcore sci-fi nerds rave about. Would never call it popcorn sci-fi personally.

Gardens of the Moon was excellent, but I never got far into the second book. Kinda surprising how people say Gardens is one of the weaker books in the series, it really worked for me. I will get to the others eventually! Needless to say, they are chonkers haha

I read few things in June, but all of them were phenomenal in different ways. I started with The Exile and Of War and Ruin which both were great examinations of heroism and were just incredibly fun to read. I then read Cloud Atlas which knew exactly how it wanted to convey its themes in such a brilliant way but I think a lot of it went right over my tiny little head. I then read A Song For Arbonne which was just an extremely powerful emotional read. This month I will probably read Herald by Rob J Hayes, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk, Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb, The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell, and Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. Yeah, last month was my worst reading month of the year.

Kushiel’s Dart is often mislabeled as a erotica because of BDSM elements, but they make a small portion of the book and the political intrigue is the main part, the names are a little hard to keep track of but there is a character list to help you. As for the language, the dense writing can put a lot of people off but I personally liked it because the character voice is strong and distinct. Also, Kushiel’s Dart has one of the best villains ever written and of course has one of my favorite female protagonist Phedre ❤ Book 2 is even better and book 3 has a great conclusion

Jimmy, staring into my soul and at my audible TBR: have you started Osten Ard?

Theatrical is a great way to describe Lapvona. My June looked like: The Trees by Percival Carpentaria by Alexis Wright Look at Me by Anita Brookner Emma Lion vol. 4 by Beth Brower In July I'm mood reading from: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar The Vet's Daughter by Barbara Comyns Emma Lion Vol. 5 by Beth Brower Lords of Uncreation by Adrian Tchaikovsky Those Below by Daniel Polansky

Glad that you like the Witchwood crown. Both series are criminally underrated. Were there any particular characters you grew attached to, in specific any of the newer characters?

💚

Didnt realize you also read Frederick Douglass this month, that book is phenomenal. Interested in your thoughts on Kushiel's Dart for sure.

Hope you give wandering inn a try

Jimmy you might as well just call it “the money shot” No reason, the phrase just kinda popped up into my head, very randomly.

I'm currently rereading AGOT, and planning to finish the series by November when Winds will come out! Right? ...right?... I had Kushiel's Dart on my bookshelf for quite a while. I guess now is the time to start this trilogy.

Opening words about Expanse. You just described space opera vs. hard sf.

🎉🎉

I love the Expanse. Like, it's a top 5 series for me. I guess I understand the criticism of the series, but those people are wrong. Lol. I read an article today about new SFF releases, and I saw that Keanu Reeves and China Mieville have a book coming out this month called The Book of Elsewhere. I thought it sounded interesting.

Slightly unrelated but I'm early to the comments so hoping I can get an answer since I trust your opinion. Just got back into reading a few months ago by blazing thru asoiaf and totally obsessed - I'd seen the show like 6 times before but I now dont even care about the show at all because the books are so much more. I'm inclined to pick up new series now but one of my favorite aspects of asoiaf was even though it was a fantasy setting (which made it way cooler for me) the best part is that (presumably until end of winds/dream if those will exist) it's very rooted in realism and characters. So now I've got all these series I want to read (malazan, wheel of time, dark tower, greenbone, hyperion, expanse, kingkiller...etc) but im not sure where to start because i dont know if the fantasy community is hyped on these series because of epic fantasy elements or because theyre great well rounded stories. Where would you say I should dive in?

Glad to see your still posting I found you from your manga channel originally. Question are you still posting on that channel it's been a couple months?

I tried Blindsight via audiobook and just couldn't keep up. It didn't grab me in the first few chapters and it felt like I was missing a bunch of context or details that just were'nt written. It was a early DNF, but maybe i'll try it again someday 🤷‍♂

I was just gifted Kushiel's Dart for my birthday last week. Is this a sign? Should I read with you?

Hi Jimmy! Could you give me few words about Pillars of the earth please? I didn’t find anything about it on the channel. I read it now, I wonder why is it only 3 star read for you. Is it overlong?)

I read 10 books in june

Hi Jimmy. Would you please write the names of the books you read in the wrap up in the description box? It would make it easier to find in the future. Just a suggestion 😀

Jimmy, I'm reading Cloud Atlas and it took me a week to get through that first story, it was a struggle. Is the rest of the book more like that?

I looked for Amanda's author name on Amazon and was unsuccessful in my search. Anya Dillon?

The sheer amount of… everything in the Malazan books is kinda silly 😅

Abaddons Gate and Cibola Burn are the weakest in the series imo. I highly recommend you read Nemesis Games soon, it’s where the series really takes off and we get Naomi’s pov for the first time. The Expanse is a fine example of great Space Opera!

Woohoo I hope you love it. It's more political intrigue imo than BDSM

First! I think!