What Fiction are you reading this week, December 7, 2025?

[hermetic]

This discussion thread is pinned.

I'm reading To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose. 2023 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE ASTOUNDING, NEBULA, AND LODESTAR AWARDS • FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AND BRITISH FANTASY NEWCOMER AWARDS • A coming-of-age story that is cozy and hair-raising in equal measure.
"The remote island of Masquapaug has not seen a dragon in many generations -- until fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon's egg and bonds with its hatchling." This is a wonderful story and it reminds me a lot of another I recently read, I Inherited a Mixed Animal from Uncle Living in Woods. They're both about living with an unusual creature and are full of word play that makes you laugh out loud. Like the dragon has to learn "witskraft."
I got this book as a birthday gift from my son a couple of months ago. It came from Birchbark Books in Minneapolis, that wonderful shop owned by Louise Erdrich. So, another treasure for me.

Listening to The Guncle by Steven Rowley, a warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer. Another wonderful story, full of laughs and tears.

[viva la]

1. I'm reading the Rivers of London series--

Ben Aaronovitch. It's kind of police procedural with magic. I love London, so it's fun to track on Google maps where each of the magic murders happen.

[hermetic]

2. Sounds good

He has A LOT of books.

[cbabe]

3. John Sandford/Kidd series

Painter/computer hacker and jewel thief partner help friends in jeopardy, solve crimes, wreck havoc on bad guys and the government. Cons and sabotage.

Four titles:
The Fool’s Run
The Empress Files
The Devil’s Code
The Hanged Man’s Song

Kidd and LuEllen make cameo appearances in some Lucas books.

Vintage Sandford. Best caper, thriller writing ever.

[PittBlue]

4. Reading Buckeye by Patrick Ryan.

[mentalsolstice]

9. I'm reading it too. Hopefully I'll finish tonight. nt

[Goonch]

5. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order by Samuel P. Huntington

"The classic study of post-Cold War international relations, more relevant than ever in the post-9/11 world, with a new foreword by Zbigniew Brzezinski.

Since its initial publication, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order has become a classic work of international relations and one of the most influential books ever written about foreign affairs. An insightful and powerful analysis of the forces driving global politics, it is as indispensable to our understanding of American foreign policy today as the day it was published. As former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski says in his new foreword to the book, it “has earned a place on the shelf of only about a dozen or so truly enduring works that provide the quintessential insights necessary for a broad understanding of world affairs in our time.”

Samuel Huntington explains how clashes between civilizations are the greatest threat to world peace but also how an international order based on civilizations is the best safeguard against war. Events since the publication of the book have proved the wisdom of that analysis. The 9/11 attacks and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have demonstrated the threat of civilizations but have also shown how vital international cross-civilization cooperation is to restoring peace. As ideological distinctions among nations have been replaced by cultural differences, world politics has been reconfigured. Across the globe, new conflicts—and new cooperation—have replaced the old order of the Cold War era. ........."

[Bayard]

6. Finished, "Dead Mountain," by Preston & Child

"The story centers on the "Dead Mountain" case, where nine hikers vanished in a blizzard, leaving behind a scene of inexplicable terror. When two more bodies are found years later in a cave, Kelly and Swanson reopen the cold case, uncovering a supernatural or ancient threat." I like the whole series with Nora and Corrie.

Just started, "Bloodless," another Preston & Child, featuring the enigmatic Agent Pendergast. Bodies drained of blood showing up in Savannah.

[hermetic]

8. Love their books

I don't see either of those on my already read list. Oh well, more to look forward to.

[rsdsharp]

7. I'm reading The Last Kind Words Saloon by Larry McMurtry.

It’s a tongue in cheek western featuring Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Charles Goodnight, among others. I’m not sure where it’s going, and that may well be the point.