Haven't made quicker work of a book in a while, but this modern office weird satire told through Slack chats really hit the spot.

One of the first book club selections this year, and I liked it but found the pacing to be slow and the characters to be frustrating.

Also mixed on this other book club selection, partly because of the lighter/superficial writing style, some predictable elements, and the narration/tense choices.

Mixed on this novel (it was selected for one of two book clubs I'm in), mostly because of the unreliability of the narrator(s) and the pacing/detail/predictable elements. And the characters need help. Serious help. All of them.

'The Death of Stalin' graphic novel is a good companion to the Iannucci satire and worth a quick read.

A great collection of newer established & diverse fantasy writers.

Unfortunately, 'Refrigerator Monologues' was my first Cat Valente work. Fortunately, it was a very good choice, full of comic trope exploration from the POV of familiar yet (sometimes) dead female characters.

Lauren Beukes' 'Slipping' collection is a good mix of bleeding edge urban futuristic short stories, personal essays, and more that's well worth a read, especially if you're a fan of her novels.

If you like horror and short stories, you'll find some things to enjoy in 'Doctor Strange' & 'Sinister' writer C. Robert Cargill's 'We Are Where The Nightmares Go' collection.

Catching up on some backlogged Litsy posts from recent months. If you're a fan of Harry Dresden, you'll enjoy the Brief Cases collection.

Popped into a Hudson Books to snap this pic because I finished up 'The Outsider' (Stephen King's latest) in e-book form last night. Solid page-turner, but there's a little something else I would have wanted from the novel conclusion-wise. If you like King, you'll like his latest.

Finally finished the last 3 Chew graphic novels, and thoroughly enjoyed how everything was wrapped up, but damn, those feels ...

Finally got to reading Wytches from cover to cover earlier this week and liked it but would have wanted a little more of the supernatural and a bit more of a conclusion. #fridayreads

Plenty of music, ass-kicking, and great writing from Fletcher, artwork from Wu & Guerra, and colors from Loughridge.

First proper experience reading Black Bolt solo and Saladin Ahmed. Cristian Ward's artwork really makes the graphic novel and works with Ahmed's writing to humanize and give voice to the normally silent Inhuman king.

Finally started Nicky Drayden's 'The Prey of Gods' last Wednesday and finished it yesterday. Not quite sure how to describe it, but it has demigoddesses, diverse characters (as it's set in a not-too-far-off South Africa), abilities, and an AI/bot uprising. If that doesn't sell you ...

And finished Volume 6 of Hawkeye (Hawkeyes) the other day. Still liking how Perez is continuing with Aja's character designs, but Lemire's story isn't as compelling for me versus the more personal/building arc of Fraction & Aja's run.

Finished 'Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda' in time to review the movie (which I'd seen two months prior), so my expectations were a little colored/biased toward the adaptation. I definitely liked the book, but not quite as much on the movie, which improved on character development overall.

Next up is Brooke Bolander's 'The Only Great Harmless Thing', which is a brilliant little novella centered around radium girls, elephants, and Coney Island. I wanted a bit more from the three plot lines, but I was happy with what I got.

Next up is 'A Wrinkle in Time', which I liked aspects of but hoped for more description and less abstract concepts. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I read it as a kid.

Doing some Litsy catch-up, starting with Zoe Quinn's 'Crash Override', a great but short look into her Gamergate experience, what she learned from it, and how she's helping others.

From the author of Adulting comes Gracious, which is an amusing and worthwhile read, but I was hoping for a little more from it.

Chugging through the rest of Keatinge's Shutter trades. I still want to learn more about the alternate world through the characters, but the focus is staying solidly on the main characters.

Catching up on some of my TBR/in progress/need to return soon pile from the ... year. Goodlection of urban fantasy short stories, at least half of which felt like they were excerpts from continuing series. Some were easier to follow along with, others took a little getting used to (more so the narrative structure).

If Carmen Maria Machado isn't on your reading list, correct that ASAP. This collection is full of diverse, human, and complex female characters and a creepy narrative style that fits so well.

Finished this seasonal read yesterday. A solid short novel collection from Joe Hill with touches from some of his dad's ouevre. "Loaded” may have been the scariest, just because of the prevalence of mass shootings.

Everything I didn't know I wanted in a fantasy novel - diverse complex PoC and gender-fluid characters, post-post-post-pre-apocalyptic setting ... A choice read!

Finally finished '1984', having not read it in middle or high school. Strong core about rebelling in a totalitarian dystopia with the capabilities of a panopticon. Winston and Julia could have been a little more compelling/believable, though.

How did I not know that Mike Mignola did a Batman Elseworlds tale until now? It's well worth checking out for Mignola's 1920s style (he co-wrote & did the covers) mashed up with classic Batman rogues. #FridayReads

Good starter to a new take on Doctor Strange. Felt like something was missing; some backstory? Heft, maybe? Worth checking out, though.

Also finished Ta-Nehisi Coates' first Black Panther volume. Only 4 new issues, which left me feeling a little gipped. On the bright side, Coates starts to delve into the nation of Wakanda as a character with centuries of history through T'Challa's new crisis of leadership.

A mid-life memoir-ish book with an interesting construction/form and a unique texting component.

Never did I think I'd find the science behind military operations interesting, but by now, I should know not to underestimate Mary Roach. The science is more common than you'd think, from surgery and (penile) implants to simulation training to flies to diarrhea to sleep deprivation and more!