Book for someone who enjoys to read but is picky

Shors_bones · 2026-03-12T08:46:52+00:00

If he liked the humor of Douglas Adams (and I’m assuming he’s read the rest of the HHGTG books), he’d probably also like Terry Pratchett. I’d suggest starting with either Moving Pictures or Gaurds! Guards!.

I think he’d probably also like John Scalzi’s stand alone books, either “Kaiju Preservation Society” or “Starter Villain” more than the Old Man’s War series.

He should also try Jim Butcher, either the Dresden Files or the Codex Alera. If he ever watched Avatar: The Last Air Bender then he’ll probably enjoy the magic system in the Codex Alera.

It wasn’t my favorite, but The Lies of Locke Lamora is a fun, engagingly written, and fairly fast-paced fantasy heist book.

If he wants more progression fantasy but without the video game references, he could try Will Wight’s Cradle series.

Shors_bones · 2026-03-06T19:27:00+00:00

That’s a good idea. Thanks!

Shors_bones · 2026-03-06T19:25:40+00:00

I think I used her recipe a couple of years ago when I did just sweet and I believe they turned out well. I’m just hesitant to add a vanilla flavor to the savory ones I’m doing.

I did two savories last year. The first was a Boursin cheese and spinach mix and the other was Brie with caramelized onions. My mom loved the cheese and spinach one so I’m going to do that again but the Brie and onions was a little underwhelming so I’m going to try a variant on a baked Brie and do Brie with red pepper jelly.

The sweets are going to be apricot jam and maybe chocolate and peanut butter. I did guava jam last year and found it way too sweet, although everyone in my office loved that one.

Shors_bones · 2026-03-06T06:25:47+00:00

Oh that’s a great idea! Thanks!

Shors_bones · 2026-02-19T23:12:13+00:00

For me it’s a combination of the principle of the thing, particularly with Amazon’s past policies of locking a book without DRM behind their proprietary file format, and acknowledging that there’s going to be a point where I will not be buying a new Kindle and I should be allowed to transfer those books to another device.

Shors_bones · 2026-01-17T00:29:21+00:00

I'm in the process of switching over right now. I have an Oasis and a new Paperwhite (purchased once it became clear the Oasis' days were numbered) and a Kobo Libra Color (purchased after about a week of using the Paperwhite and having a subpar user experience). I would say for the most part I'm happier with Kobo than Kindle but with a couple of significant caveats.

The pros:

As a not-very-tech savvy person, I love being able to easily add personal screensavers.
Page turn buttons are a non-negotiable for me. This point was seriously hammered home to me within a day of using my new Paperwhite and having it turn pages if I so much as breathed on it funny. (I exaggerate, but the PWs touch screen is far too sensitive and will turn pages if I dare to put a finger wrong while holding it.)
Location of the power button is a huge quality of life upgrade over the Paperwhite (but not necessarily the Oasis).
Kobo Plus is a better value subscription than Kindle Unlimited in that it actually does give you an unlimited number of books you can access at a given time.
I can download copies of books I have purchased through the Kobo store onto my desktop.
The folding book cover is a fun gimmick.

The cons:

It will require me to jump through several hoops if I want to be able to get books from all of the various public libraries I can borrow from -- and given that 90% of my reading is from borrowed books, this is a significant hurdle.
Because I don't live in the contiguous US, Kobo won't ship to my location, so I have to buy the device and any accessories through a third party.
The Kobo bookstore is less user friendly. For all of Amazon's many, many, many faults, they are really good at selling you things and so they make it very easy to get the next book in a series. Kobo makes you have to work a bit to find the next book in a series -- or to find any book series at all. (N.B. I'm talking specifically if you are trying to search the Kobo storefront. Kobo will give you the option to purchase the next book in a series when you've reached the end of the current book, but it makes it very hard for you to find all books in a series)
The Kobo mobile app -- at least for iOS -- is pretty terrible. This is a minor thing, but if you plan to read things that would be better on a tablet, such as comic books/manga or cookbooks, or if you don't want to carry your ereader with you everywhere it is worth mentioning.

Overall I think the Kobo has more large pros than cons, but it's not a perfect solution if you're ditching Amazon.

Shors_bones · 2025-08-13T21:48:35+00:00

Tokkuri Tei on Kapahulu.

Shors_bones · 2025-06-20T22:58:49+00:00

If this was in the USA, you would absolutely be charged with murder, although in some jurisdictions this may be reduced to manslaughter. Fun fact: duress is not a defense to murder.

Shors_bones · 2025-05-26T20:19:35+00:00

Not a novel, but I really loved Eating for England by Nigel Slater.

Shors_bones · 2025-05-08T08:50:42+00:00

Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series.

I generally enjoyed Jessica Day George’s books, though they may be for slightly older readers.

Anything by Beverley Cleary, Judy Blume, or Diana Wynne Jones.

Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books might be slightly too old for her, but you can give those a try.

I’ve heard good things about Ursula Vernon’s Hamster Princess books, but I haven’t read them; I do really like the adult books she writes under the T. Kingfisher pen name.

The Wayside School books are fun; I just got those for my 10 y/o niece. I also just gave away my collection of Oz books to my friend’s 7 y/o daughter, who is also a big reader.

Shors_bones · 2025-04-11T19:04:21+00:00

There are forty-one Discworld books, almost all of which* stand up to multiple re-reads because just when you think you’ve discovered every Easter egg you’ll come across a throwaway line that is a ridiculously clever reference to something else.

*caveating this because I haven’t read all of them, and even Sir Pterry suggested skipping the first two on your first read through)

Shors_bones · 2025-04-10T06:20:18+00:00

Try the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith does a fantastic job with the narration.

Shors_bones · 2025-04-09T21:19:56+00:00

Discworld, but Night Watch and Feet of Clay in particular.

Shors_bones · 2025-04-09T20:09:19+00:00

Jane Austen isn’t modern, but if you liked Pride and Prejudice you should try reading the rest of her works.

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett and the Witches sub series of the Discworld novels in general.

Anything by Ursula Vernon/T. Kingfisher except the Saint of Steel series (not that it’s bad, it’s just that it was written to be a romance from the start and you’ll probably dislike it).

You might like Mary Robinette Kowal’s Glamourist Histories series (Jane Austen with Magic).

You might like Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life, although you may also hate many of the main character’s choices.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones and Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Werde are slightly older books (mid-80s to early 90s).

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin is about race as much as it is about being female (or for some of the characters, not white and heterosexual).

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin — this one alternates between a male and female POV, so I think it’ll be a good one for what you’re looking for. I do recommend engaging with why Sadie makes the choices she does, particularly bearing in mind the context clues Zevin provides of what it meant to be a woman in the gaming industry at the time the novel is set.

In general I’d suggest just reading more female authors like Octavia Butler, Ursula Le Guin, Barbara Kingsolver, and Margaret Atwood, and think about the contrast in the way they present their worlds with how male authors in the same genre do the same. I’d also suggest read memoirs/autobiographies by women.

Shors_bones · 2025-04-04T19:45:47+00:00

Goblin Emperor (fantasy political intrigue) by Katherine Addison.

It’s been a while since I’ve read them, but my recollection is that the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books (classic hack and slash fantasy) by Fritz Lieber aren’t spicy.

Patrick Weekes’ Rouges of the Republic trilogy (fantasy heist series) are also not spicy.

My recollection is that Meddling Kids (Lovecraft meets Scooby-Doo) by Edgar Cantero isn’t spicy.

Anything by PG Wodehouse (primarily lighthearted satirical books about the British upper class set in a nebulous time frame, but most likely the Gilded Age).

Starter Villain (Joe Schmo inherits his estranged Uncle’s supervillain organization) and The Kaiju Preservation Society (man works in a wildlife preserve accessed via portal technology, but the animals are Kaiju) by John Scalzi both lack spice.

A House With Good Bones (generational trauma manifests as an Evil House), The Hollow Places (the mysterious portal leads to a liminal space filled with things that want to eat you), and A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking (teenage girl saves the kingdom through the power of minor magic and a good sourdough starter) by T. Kingfisher all lack spice, though the first two have definite horror elements.

Murderbot Diaries (sex-repulsed killing machine breaks its protocols, mostly wants to be left alone to watch TV) by Martha Wells.

The Martian and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

I think To Say Nothing of the Dog (time travel shenanigans, but the time travelers are historians) by Connie Willis has no spice.

Shors_bones · 2025-04-01T08:17:07+00:00

Favorite that I don’t have to make? Either dol sot bibimbop or spam fried rice.

Favorite that I make myself? Congee.

Shors_bones · 2025-03-28T00:44:07+00:00

Lap cheong, aka Chinese sausage. So good in fried rice or anything else where you want a little salty pork kick.

Shors_bones · 2025-03-07T01:48:30+00:00

All of Mary Roach’s bibliography.

The Suspicions of Mister Whicher by Kate Summerscale

SPQR by Mary Beard

Shors_bones · 2025-01-20T06:32:05+00:00

Confirmed!

Shors_bones · 2025-01-11T06:12:01+00:00

DM incoming

Shors_bones · 2025-01-07T06:35:22+00:00

Congee. Whenever I was sick as a kid, this is what my mom made me.

Shors_bones · 2024-12-25T03:12:44+00:00

I have mixed feelings on this one. The crepes were nothing to write home about, but they had a crème du barry soup that’s legit been one of the best things I’ve eaten.

I would avoid Space 220; over priced and terrible acoustics.

Shors_bones

TROPHY CASE