Alannarae

I read a bit of everything and a ton of sci-fi/fantasy

880 points

0% overlap

My Taste

Going Postal (Discworld, #33; Moist von Lipwig, #1)

Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, #1)

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1)

Reading...

See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England

Alannarae is interested in reading...

In Defense of Looting: A Riotous History of Uncivil Action

Vicky Osterweil

A radical argument for why rioting and looting are our most powerful tools of dismantling white supremacy. Looting--a crowd of people publicly, openly, and directly seizing goods--is one of the more extreme actions that take can place in the midst of social unrest. Even self-identified radicals distance themselves from looters, fearing that violent tactics reflect badly on the broader movement.However, in this deftly argued corrective, Vicky Osterweil argues that while looting is often maligned in today's society, it is, and has always been, one of our most powerful tools of dismantling capitalism and white supremacy. Stealing goods and destroying property are a direct means of wealth redistribution and a practical, immediate way of improving life for the working class-- not to mention a brazen message to the police, the state, and an unjust society. All our beliefs about the innate righteousness of property and ownership, Osterweil explains, are built on the history of anti-Black and settler oppression--meaning that belief in the right to own property is innately, structurally white supremacist.From the slave revolts that started a social revolution in the South to the more recent #BlackLivesMatter and climate change movements, Osterweil makes a convincing case for rioting and looting as weapons that bludgeon the status quo while uplifting the poor and marginalized. In Defense of Looting is a history of violent protest sparking social change; a compelling reframing of radical activism; and a practical vision for the redistribution of wealth, a new relationship to property, and a radically restructured society.

Alannarae made progress on...

Tress of the Emerald Sea

Brandon Sanderson

15%

Alannarae finished reading and wrote a review...

Alannarae

Jan 08, 2026

3.0

Enjoyment: 3.0Quality: 3.0Characters: 3.0Plot: 3.0

🦌

☀️

⚔️

A solid but uninspiring follow up to Godkiller, Sunbringer picks up right where its predecessor left off. Kaner does an excellent job maintaining the immersive feeling of the world she created and juggling the broad cast of characters without flattening any out, but the found family element is mostly gone and the mood is consistently grim with fewer flashes of light or humor than the first book. I was very invested in how the book would wrap because there were at least two characters I loved and was rooting for working at cross purposes but the constant stress and misery made actually reading it fell like a slog. Sunbringer also struggles with the classic trilogy struggle in that it's trying to set up a lot for the grand finale in the next book. Overall if you liked the first one this is worth reading whether because you like dark books or because you want to know how the series as a whole wraps.

Alannarae is interested in reading...

13h

Poverty, by America

Matthew Desmond

Reimagining the debate on poverty, making a new and bracing argument about why it persists in America: because the rest of us benefit from it. The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages? In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty, designing a welfare state that gives the most to those who need the least. And we stockpile opportunity in exclusive communities, creating zones of concentrated riches alongside those of concentrated despair. Some lives are made small so that others may grow. Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem. It also helps us imagine solutions. Desmond builds a startlingly original and ambitious case for ending poverty. He calls on us all to become poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and, at last, true freedom.

Alannarae is interested in reading...

13h

Moon of the Crusted Snow (Moon, #1)

Waubgeshig Rice

A daring post-apocalyptic thriller from a powerful rising literary voice. With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south. Soon after, others follow. The community leadership loses its grip on power as the visitors manipulate the tired and hungry to take control of the reserve. Tensions rise and, as the months pass, so does the death toll due to sickness and despair. Frustrated by the building chaos, a group of young friends and their families turn to the land and Anishinaabe tradition in hopes of helping their community thrive again. Guided through the chaos by an unlikely leader named Evan Whitesky, they endeavor to restore order while grappling with a grave decision. Blending action and allegory, Moon of the Crusted Snow upends our expectations. Out of catastrophe comes resilience. And as one society collapses, another is reborn.

Alannarae is interested in reading...

13h

Less Is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World

Jason Hickel

The world has finally awoken to the reality of climate breakdown and ecological collapse. Now we must face up to its primary cause: capitalism. Our economic system is based on perpetual expansion, which is devastating the living world. There is only one solution that will lead to meaningful and immediate change: degrowth. If we want to have a shot at surviving the Anthropocene, we need to restore the balance. We need to change how we see the world and our place within it, shifting from a philosophy of domination and extraction to one that’s rooted in reciprocity with our planet’s ecology. We need to evolve beyond the dusty dogmas of capitalism to a new system that’s fit for the twenty-first century. But what about jobs? What about health? What about progress? This book tackles these questions and offers an inspiring vision for what a post-capitalist economy could look like. An economy that’s more just, more caring, and more fun. An economy that enables human flourishing while reversing ecological breakdown. By taking less, we can become more.

Alannarae TBR'd a book

13h

Witch King

Martha Wells

"I didn't know you were a... demon." "You idiot. I'm the demon." Kai's having a long day in Martha Wells' Witch King... After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well. But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence? Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions. He’s not going to like the answers.

Post from the The Color of Magic (Discworld, #1; Rincewind, #1) forum

13h

Alannarae

Book Recs?

I recently learned the barbarian/hero characters here and in the later Rincewind books play with 'sword and sorcery' tropes instead of modern/post LOTR tropes. That's not a subgenre I've read at all, does anyone have some good recs? I'd love to read a few fun ones and get more familiar with the inspiration material.

Alannarae commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

18h

beffierae

Rereading

I very rarely reread books. I can name maybe a handful over my lifespan. Mainly, it's because I think a lot of the books I've read and enjoyed would have a different impact if I am at a different point in my life.

Example: a few years ago I reread 13 Reasons Why for a book club, about a decade after the first time reading it. I remember it being really impactful and moving the first time. But the reread was like reading a different book. Instead of sympathizing with the girl, I kept thinking about how selfish she was being.

So, I am pretty much a no on rereading....thoughts?

Alannarae commented on a post

19h

softwall

Thoughts from 23% (page 148)

So far I dare say I am getting on swimmingly! But whenever I start getting too confident I come across a passage that confuses me and makes me detest having to read anything further:(

Alannarae commented on a post

19h

hamshta

Thoughts from 20%

I feel like I’ve read enough about this series to say that I’m bored with TOG. Don’t shoot me, please lol. I’ve heard so many good things about this series and I will be pushing through, but I feel like I don’t particularly care about any characters right now. Celaena’s not doing much for me. Definitely not a Rowan fan atm. Chaol is in the back burner for me. I guess I’m sort of rooting for Dorian/Sorcha? And so far the only interesting character to me is Manon, like will she become Celaena’s enemy or will she help her?

I’m a pretty fast reader - I’ve slowed down a lot but I used to read 200-300 pages a day, but it’s taking me 2 weeks to get to 20%. Is this happening to anyone else? Like I said, I’ll continue this series, but give me some encouragement or please tell me it’s not just me going through this 😭.

Alannarae TBR'd a book

Empire of Ivory (Temeraire, #4)

Naomi Novik

Tragedy has struck His Majesty’s Aerial Corps, whose magnificent fleet of fighting dragons and their human captains valiantly defend England’s shores against the encroaching armies of Napoleon Bonaparte. An epidemic of unknown origin and no known cure is decimating the noble dragons’ ranks–forcing the hopelessly stricken into quarantine. Now only Temeraire and a pack of newly recruited dragons remain uninfected–and stand as the only means of an airborne defense against France’s ever bolder sorties.Bonaparte’s dragons are already harrowing Britain’s ships at sea. Only one recourse remains: Temeraire and his captain, Will Laurence, must take wing to Africa, whose shores may hold the cure to the mysterious and deadly contagion. On this mission there is no time to waste, and no telling what lies in store beyond the horizon or for those left behind to wait, hope, and hold the line.

Alannarae made progress on...

Tress of the Emerald Sea

Brandon Sanderson

Alannarae finished reading and wrote a review...

In the Labyrinth of Drakes (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, #4)

Alannarae

Jan 07, 2026

4.0

Enjoyment: 4.0Quality: 4.0Characters: 4.0Plot: 3.0

🐲

🐪

🥚

Book 4 of the series seemed to ask that we trust the process more than others, with the usual slow start but focusing on a breeding program that seems like it must be doomed to fail from the outset. The politics are as opaque as ever, but I enjoy the balance of confusion from the young Isabella vs the side note commentary after the fact from the old Isabella writing the memoir. The time in the desert was probably my favorite of the journeys so far, and I loved several of the twists and discoveries in the book. Well worth the read if you're continuing the series, especially if you're listening - Kate Reading does a fabulous job and absolutely brings the books to life.

Alannarae made progress on...

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England

Brandon Sanderson

Alannarae commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

Alannarae

HarperCollins using AI translations

Hey all, did you see this news? It looks like just a trial so far, but thoughts on how we can push back and get them to rehire their human translators?

https://goodereader.com/blog/digital-publishing/harpercollins-is-using-ai-for-book-translations

Alannarae commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

bugiam08

Interested VS TBR

I put the books that I already own but haven’t read yet in my TBR tab. In the interested tab I put the books I want to read by I don’t have a copy of.

I was just wondering if anyone else sorts it this way. Or if you don’t, how do you sort it? If you do at all that is to say.

Alannarae started reading...

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England

Brandon Sanderson

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson—creator of the smash-hit science fiction and fantasy series Skyward, The Stormlight Archive, and Mistborn—comes a new science fiction adventure. A man awakens in a clearing in what appears to be medieval England with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or why he is there. Chased by a group from his own time, his sole hope for survival lies in regaining his missing memories, making allies among the locals, and perhaps even trusting in their superstitious boasts. His only help from the "real world" should have been a guidebook entitled The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, except his copy exploded during transit. The few fragments he managed to save provide clues to his situation, but can he figure them out in time to survive?

Alannarae is interested in reading...