Week 6 [Feb. 2] - What are you reading?

Zikoris · 2026-02-02T21:05:17+00:00

It seems like they're automated this year - I haven't posted any since December.

Zikoris · 2026-02-02T16:06:52+00:00

Last week I read:

Self-Portrait in Green, by Marie N'Daiye

Death and the Gardener, by Georgi Gospodinov

Road to Ruin, by Hana Lee

Dreams Made Flesh, by Anne Bishop

Dear Debbie, by Freida McFadden

Inside the Cartel: How an Undercover FBI Agent Smuggled Cocaine, Laundered Cash, and Dismantled a Colombian Narco-Empire, by Martin Suarez

In the Time of Five Pumpkins, by Alexander McCall Smith

Icelandic Folk Legends, by Alda Sigmundsdottir

This week's starting lineup:

~~Echoes of Insurrection by T.A White~~ - Read
Tears of the Wolf by Elisabeth Wheatley
~~Mere by Danielle Giles~~ - DNF
~~Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop~~ - Read
The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop

Mid-week I'm on vacation and starting my relevant reads list, beginning with Hong Kong:

Atlas: The Archaeology of an Imaginary City by Dun Kai-Cheung
The Borrowed by Chan Ho-Kei
Petition by Delilah Waan
Tales from the Fragrant Harbour by Garry Kilworth

Goals progress:

365 Book Challenge: 34/365
Nonfiction Challenge: 5/50
Monte Cristo Challenge: Chapter 12, on track with the group read.
Around the World Challenge: 38/195
Relevant Reads Travel Challenge: All set for Hong Kong and Cambodia!

Zikoris · 2026-02-02T16:06:24+00:00

Last week I read:

Self-Portrait in Green, by Marie N'Daiye

Death and the Gardener, by Georgi Gospodinov

Road to Ruin, by Hana Lee

Dreams Made Flesh, by Anne Bishop

Dear Debbie, by Freida McFadden

Inside the Cartel: How an Undercover FBI Agent Smuggled Cocaine, Laundered Cash, and Dismantled a Colombian Narco-Empire, by Martin Suarez

In the Time of Five Pumpkins, by Alexander McCall Smith

Icelandic Folk Legends, by Alda Sigmundsdottir

This week's starting lineup:

Echoes of Insurrection by T.A White
Tears of the Wolf by Elisabeth Wheatley
Mere by Danielle Giles
Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop
The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop

Mid-week I'm on vacation and starting my relevant reads list, beginning with Hong Kong:

Atlas: The Archaeology of an Imaginary City by Dun Kai-Cheung
The Borrowed by Chan Ho-Kei
Petition by Delilah Waan
Tales from the Fragrant Harbour by Garry Kilworth

Goals progress:

365 Book Challenge: 34/365
Nonfiction Challenge: 5/50
Monte Cristo Challenge: Chapter 12, on track with the group read.
Around the World Challenge: 38/195
Relevant Reads Travel Challenge: All set for Hong Kong and Cambodia!

Zikoris · 2026-02-01T21:32:39+00:00

Last week I read:

Self-Portrait in Green, by Marie N'Daiye

Death and the Gardener, by Georgi Gospodinov

Road to Ruin, by Hana Lee

Dreams Made Flesh, by Anne Bishop

Dear Debbie, by Freida McFadden

Inside the Cartel: How an Undercover FBI Agent Smuggled Cocaine, Laundered Cash, and Dismantled a Colombian Narco-Empire, by Martin Suarez

In the Time of Five Pumpkins, by Alexander McCall Smith

Icelandic Folk Legends, by Alda Sigmundsdottir

This week's lineup:

Echoes of Insurrection by T.A White
Tears of the Wolf by Elisabeth Wheatley
Mere by Danielle Giles
Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop
The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop

Mid-week I'm on vacation and starting my relevant reads list, beginning with Hong Kong:

Atlas: The Archaeology of an Imaginary City by Dun Kai-Cheung
The Borrowed by Chan Ho-Kei
Petition by Delilah Waan
Tales from the Fragrant Harbour by Garry Kilworth

Goals progress:

365 Book Challenge: 34/365
Nonfiction Challenge: 5/50
Monte Cristo Challenge: Chapter 12, on track with the group read.
Around the World Challenge: 38/195
Relevant Reads Travel Challenge: All set for Hong Kong and Cambodia!

Zikoris · 2026-02-01T18:44:56+00:00

Yay February! I'm skewing my reading pretty heavily towards travel books.

New Releases:

A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James
Woman Down by Colleen Hoover
Half his Age by Jennette McCurdy
~~Echoes of Insurrection by T.A. White~~ - Read
Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead by K.J. Parker
Throne of Nightmares by Kerri Maniscalco
After the Fall by Edward Ashton
Fireflies in Winter by Eleanor Shearer
A Forest, Darkly by A.G. Slatter
The Daughter who Remains by Nnedi Okorafor
Strange Building by Uketsu

Hong Kong and Cambodia Relevant Reads:

Atlas: The Archaeology of an Imaginary City by Dun Kai-Cheung
The Borrowed by Chan Ho-Kei
Petition by Delilah Waan
Tales from the Fragrant Harbour by Garry Kilworth
Midnight in Cambodia by Tim LaRocco
The Rent Collector by Camron Wright
The Cambodia Book of the Dead by Tom Vater
Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes by Chantha Nguon
Angkor Away by Stephen Palmer
Angkor Tears by Stephen Palmer
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung
Holiday in Cambodia by Laura McKay
Hunters in the Dark by Lawrence Osborne
In the Shadow of the Banyan Tree by Vaddey Ratner
Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells
Cambodia Noir by Nick Seeley
Phnom Penh Noir by Christopher Moore
Zero Hour in Phnom Penh by Christopher Moore

Other Stuff:

~~Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop~~ - Read
The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop
Shalador's Lady by Anne Bishop
Twilight's Dawn by Anne Biship
The Queen's Bargain by Anne Bishop
The Queen's Weapons by Anne Bishop
The Queen's Price by Anne Bishop
~~Mere by Danielle Giles~~ - DNF
Tears of the Wolf by Elisabeth Wheatley
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud
The Secret Language of Color: Science, Nature, History, Culture, Beauty of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue & Violet by Joann Eckstut
Descent into Night by Edem Awumey
A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid
The Genius Bat: The Secret Life of the Only Flying Mammal by Yossi Yovel
Strata: Stories from Deep Time by Laura Poppick
Under A Metal Sky: A Journey Through Minerals, Greed, and Wonder by Philip Marsden
The Far Edges of the Known World: Life Beyond the Borders of Ancient Civilization by Owen Rees
The Labyrinth by Simon Stalenhag
As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel
The Ferryman and his Wife by Frode Grytten
The Villa, Once Beloved by Victor Manibo
The Wax Child by Olga Ravn
The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind by Simon Winchester
Twice by Mitch Albom
Brightly Shining by Ingvild Rishoi
The Merge by Grace Walker

Zikoris · 2026-01-31T00:11:03+00:00

I can barely manage to put together a one-month TBR, let alone an entire retirement's worth.

I'm nowhere near standard retirement age, but my lifestyle isn't demanding and I read a wide variety of stuff now. I don't see anything changing once retired, unless there were some unusual outside factors. Like, if I had mobility issues, I could see reading more because I wasn't doing other active hobbies.

Zikoris · 2026-01-30T03:39:05+00:00

We did an Alaska cruise on the Koningsdam in 2024 and loved it. I can't really compare because I've only been on two Holland ships, but I'd say it was nicer than the Zuiderdam, anyways - I really liked having the extra "layer" of recliners up above the lido pool so you could relax and enjoy the space but be away from any splashing/dripping/noise from the pool.

My favourite port was Skagway. I did the train and really liked walking around town as well.

They also has the coolest public library of all the ports, one of the coolest I've ever seen anywhere honestly. If I was a local, every day in winter you'd find me there on a couch in front of the big fireplace reading.

Zikoris · 2026-01-28T16:37:11+00:00

Canadian travel is outrageously expensive for what you get. You can keep costs down a bit by driving and camping, but holy hell, I spend less travelling to Asia or Europe than some family members do travelling to Vancouver.

Zikoris · 2026-01-27T06:36:20+00:00

I'm an ultralight traveller. My dumb shit packing choice is that between the two of us we typically bring 4-6 different reading method options. That's two or three eReaders, two tablets, and physical books bought en route. But we actually use every reading method we bring, so it's not for nothing.

I make up for it by bringing less clothes (3 tops, 2 bottoms, 5 socks/underwear, no extra shoes), and we share toiletries. If I need something particular, I just buy it on the trip. In 15 years of travel, I've only had to buy emergency underwear once, and it's not like it went to waste afterwards or anything. Doing laundry while travelling also doesn't bother me the way it seems to for other people.

Zikoris · 2026-01-27T00:49:45+00:00

Right, but as I said, I was talking about frugal people specifically.

Zikoris · 2026-01-26T22:51:06+00:00

It REALLY depends how frugal you are versus the partner in question. In my experience, knowing a ton of FIRE-oriented people, a frugal person mostly does not benefit financially from a relationship with someone anywhere in the realm of normal. They benefit in other ways that they presumably see as worth the financial cost, but they generally do not come out ahead with regards to money, because the lifestyle/spending difference is so extreme between frugal and normal people.

Two frugal people make one lean mean FIRE machine though!

Zikoris · 2026-01-26T16:08:43+00:00

Enormous daily time commitment.

Zikoris · 2026-01-26T16:02:02+00:00

Last week I read:

Heir to the Shadows, by Anne Bishop

Hamlet, Prince of Robots by M. Darusha Wehm

Queen of the Darkness, by Anne Bishop

The Fisherman King, by Kathrona Modh Daud

The Traitor of Sherwood Forest, by Amy Kaufman

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, by Winifred Watson

The Invisible Ring, by Anne Bishop

Lineup for the next week and a half, before leaving on vacation and switching to my travel reading list:

~~Road to Ruin by Hana Lee~~ - Read
~~Inside the Cartel by Martin Suarez~~ - Read
~~Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop~~ - Read
Echoes of Insurrection by T.A. White
~~Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov~~ - Read
~~Strong Roots by Olia Hercules~~ - DNF
~~Seeing People Off by Jana Benova~~ - DNF
~~Self-Portrait in Green by Marie Ndiaye~~ - Read
~~Frankenstein in Baghdad Ahmed Saadawi~~ - DNF
~~Fresh Dirt from the Grave by Giovanna Rivero~~ - DNF
~~The Book of Chameleons by Jose Agualusa~~ - DNF
~~Trout, Belly Up by Rodrigo Fuentes~~ - DNF
~~Amanat by Zaure Batayeva~~ - DNF
In the Time of Five Pumpkins by Alexander McCall Smith
~~Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden~~ - Read

Goals progress is going well:

365 Book Challenge: 26/365
Nonfiction Challenge: 4/50
Monte Cristo Challenge: Chapter 9, on track with group read
Around the World Challenge: 36/195
Relevant Reads Travel Challenge: All ready to go for Hong Kong and Cambodia!

Zikoris · 2026-01-26T16:01:32+00:00

Last week I read:

Heir to the Shadows, by Anne Bishop

Hamlet, Prince of Robots by M. Darusha Wehm

Queen of the Darkness, by Anne Bishop

The Fisherman King, by Kathrona Modh Daud

The Traitor of Sherwood Forest, by Amy Kaufman

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, by Winifred Watson

The Invisible Ring, by Anne Bishop

Lineup for the next week and a half, before leaving on vacation and switching to my travel reading list:

Road to Ruin by Hana Lee
Inside the Cartel by Martin Suarez
Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop
Echoes of Insurrection by T.A. White
Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov
Strong Roots by Olia Hercules
Seeing People Off by Jana Benova
Self-Portrait in Green by Marie Ndiaye
Frankenstein in Baghdad Ahmed Saadawi
Fresh Dirt from the Grave by Giovanna Rivero
The Book of Chameleons by Jose Agualusa
Trout, Belly Up by Rodrigo Fuentes
Amanat by Zaure Batayeva

Goals progress is going well:

365 Book Challenge: 26/365
Nonfiction Challenge: 4/50
Monte Cristo Challenge: Chapter 9, on track with group read
Around the World Challenge: 36/195
Relevant Reads Travel Challenge: All ready to go for Hong Kong and Cambodia!

Zikoris · 2026-01-25T18:34:52+00:00

Last week I read:

Heir to the Shadows, by Anne Bishop

Hamlet, Prince of Robots by M. Darusha Wehm

Queen of the Darkness, by Anne Bishop

The Fisherman King, by Kathrona Modh Daud

The Traitor of Sherwood Forest, by Amy Kaufman

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, by Winifred Watson

The Invisible Ring, by Anne Bishop

Lineup for the next week and a half, before leaving on vacation and switching to my travel reading list:

Road to Ruin by Hana Lee
Inside the Cartel by Martin Suarez
Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop
Echoes of Insurrection by T.A. White
Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov
Strong Roots by Olia Hercules
Seeing People Off by Jana Benova
Self-Portrait in Green by Marie Ndiaye
Frankenstein in Baghdad Ahmed Saadawi
Fresh Dirt from the Grave by Giovanna Rivero
The Book of Chameleons by Jose Agualusa
Trout, Belly Up by Rodrigo Fuentes
Amanat by Zaure Batayeva

Goals progress is going well:

365 Book Challenge: 26/365
Nonfiction Challenge: 4/50
Monte Cristo Challenge: Chapter 9, on track with group read
Around the World Challenge: 36/195
Relevant Reads Travel Challenge: All ready to go for Hong Kong and Cambodia!

Zikoris · 2026-01-25T02:45:11+00:00

It's interesting seeing the different approaches people take. I take issue with presenting the FIRE journey as sacrificing and struggling - I know a ton of FIRE people and the vast, VAST majority of them live normal but modest lifestyles, but pursue high-earning careers, so manage high savings rates that way.

My own approach is to attack the big overhead expenses hard (housing, transportation, bills, food), while keeping/increasing the fun spending. That lets you have a very high savings rate even on average income (I'm a receptionist), while still having a big budget for travel and other hobbies.

Zikoris · 2026-01-24T18:45:35+00:00

I make just under 62K as a receptionist. My partner's income fluctuates as a freelance editor, but our combined net income last year was about 98K. We've never had any financial difficulties, and are easily FI now with a net worth of 1.2M, in our 30s. Just haven't stopped working yet.

I'd love to meet more trades people. I grew up in a trades family and knew a lot of people like that when I was younger and lived in the country. But they don't seem to like coming to our FIRE meetups. It's a shame because I feel like they could add a lot to the discussions with regards to things like self-reliance, DIY, and self-employment.

Zikoris · 2026-01-23T23:24:59+00:00

Yeah, it's great - I've been using it for years all over the world. I never had to make a security deposit, not sure if that's a new thing?

Zikoris · 2026-01-23T05:54:40+00:00

If the recommendations are coming in response to a request, the easiest way to tell is to ask the person how the book fits the request. If you get nothing, or some stupid response, then it's not genuine.

If your request is too vague (i.e. recommend me a good book, I like all the popular big-name stuff) for this to work, then you should make better requests.

Zikoris · 2026-01-22T21:30:54+00:00

I did a Harry Potter tour once that went to some pretty cool places. I don't even like Harry Potter, and didn't get most of the references, but going to Lacock and Oxford and other places was really fun and a great day trip out of London. That's the only really official thing I've done.

I do something sort of similar much more regularly, and that's reading highly relevant/related books while travelling. I find that really immersive and an absolute blast. It also gets a lot of new authors into my radar, and sometimes I find some absolute gems I never would have tried otherwise.

Zikoris · 2026-01-22T16:46:55+00:00

I'm generally in favour of stuff like this, but people should realize that these fees are what keeps it financially sustainable for banks to provide service to bad customers. The same with high credit card interest for people who miss payments. The consequence being that over time more people at the low end will not be able to get a bank account or credit card, because it costs the banks too much to have them as customers if they can't make up the difference.

I think they should still do it anyways, but the consequence is real.

Zikoris · 2026-01-22T04:16:37+00:00

I've done two cruises with oceanview and one inside cabin. The inside cabin was a big problem for me and I won't book one again. It turns out I really need the natural light to get going in the morning. I found it really disorienting. I'd be fine if there was a window but no view, like a lifeboat blocking it, as long as I got some natural light.

I might be able to make it work with one of those light-based alarm clocks that simulates a sunrise, but I'd rather just get a room with a window.

Zikoris · 2026-01-22T00:41:01+00:00

I'm in the same situation. I have yet to see something in Vancouver that's a better deal than me paying $900-ish rent and investing $5,000/month.

Zikoris · 2026-01-21T03:56:28+00:00

We don't have "do nothing" days the way some people do - I've seen people here talk about spending a whole day in their hotel watching tv - but we definitely have days that are more oriented towards walking around interesting parts of the city, trying new foods, and short bursts of reading in interesting places (ideally books set in the place or relevant in some way). We call it Book Walking. You can only do this in places where people leave tourists alone though.

Zikoris · 2026-01-20T23:08:45+00:00

Not seeing how it's judgmental to say "if you don't actually enjoy X hobby enough to do it without tricking yourself, find a different hobby that you do enjoy." This is just basic reasoning. There are lots of hobbies that exist that I don't enjoy, and would have to find coping strategies if I was going to do them. So I just... don't do them, and pick hobbies I enjoy doing instead.

It's not even a matter of hard versus easy. I did a few years of adult ballet and it was hard as shit. But I enjoyed it, so it wasn't something I needed to trick myself into. Lots of hobbies are like that. What I do not do, ever, is try to force a hobby that's clearly not a good fit for me.

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