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Rated A Blink of the Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction 6/10

Much to my surprise, I didn’t enjoy this collection as much as most of Pratchett’s other works. Most likely, his short stories are just not my thing. In fact, the longer the story, the more I enjoyed it.

The Sea and Little Fishes was the clear standout for me, but I also liked The Hades Business. Stephen Briggs’s narration is excellent, as usual, and Michael Fenton Stevens handles the non-Discworld pieces well.

Full review: https://puf.io/books/a-blink-of-the-s...

Rated Slaughterhouse-Five 8/10

I first heard of Slaughterhouse-Five back in Dutch high school where it was on the allowed-reading list for English class, and it took me four decades to finally get to it. 😅

I found it an interesting read. The absurd mixture of styles made Vonnegut's lived experience and the absurdities of war easier to take in.

Full review: https://puf.io/books/slaughterhouse-f...
All my reviews: https://puf.io/books/

Rated Witches Abroad 6/10

I’m reading Discworld starting from the highest rated subseries and working backwards, and Witches Abroad was an interesting point in Pratchett’s evolution.

The deeper moral ideas are very much there in this book, especially around good intentions, expected roles, free will, and self-restraint. His treatment of them still feels a bit more obvious and less nuanced than in many of the later Discworld books I’ve read, but it’s already a long way from the earliest works in the series.

Pratchett wrote 41 Discworld novels in 32 years, and I find it fascinating, if not always satisfying, to backtrack through his evolving style and craftsmanship.

Full review: https://puf.io/books/witches-abroad--...

Rated Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling 8/10

I found the first third of *Hitman* hard to read, as it often felt more like a bullet-point summary than a personal memoir. Luckily, that changed as the book went on. Hundreds of wrestling personalities make an appearance, as Hart interacted with so many of them throughout his long and storied career.

Hart comes across as self-centered and bitter, always judging other people's actions while justifying his own. The book does not paint him as a very likable person, which is an interesting choice in an autobiography.

Luckily, the author doesn't have to be likable for this to be a fascinating, personal view of a long, eventful period of pro-wrestling history.

My full review: https://puf.io/books/hitman---bret-hart/
All my reviews: https://puf.io/books/

Rated Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley 8/10

Despite having lived through much of this history, it was fascinating to read the personal takes from so many insiders. I also learned plenty of new things - like how influential Alan Kay was on Apple, and how much early startup history happened around South Park in San Francisco.

The interview style wasn't my favorite, but it’s still a fascinating collection of perspectives.

Full review: https://puf.io/books/valley-of-genius...

Rated Wyrd Sisters 6/10

The usual plot twists, jokes, and mockery of established practices and tropes are all here. But I found the plot of this book a bit less interesting than the standard set by Pratchett’s later books.

I listened to Indira Varma’s narration, and by now I’ve stopped missing Stephen Briggs’ voice. There isn’t a bad Discworld novel out there, but this wasn’t my favorite.

Full review: https://puf.io/books/wyrd-sisters---t...

Rated The spellshop 9/10

Rated The Regicide Report 8/10

It is impressive how Stross pulled so many characters from the other books into this story. Each of them has fairly little to do, but it was still nice to have them back for the grand finale. Not a bad end to the series at all.

Added Aromantic (love) story - tome 3 to Read Books

Added Aromantic (love) story. 5 to Read Books

Rated The Three Coffins 6/10

showed up on a “best detective stories of all time” list, so I decided to read it. I must admit that this was not my personal favorite detective story of all time. The story is not bad, but its age shows, and the writing style came across as rather snobbish to me. It makes me wonder how this mystery would read if it was rewritten by a modern writer.

Rated The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life 8/10

I often find myself smiling at small things in daily life: a funny dog dragging a piece of cardboard around, patterns in flower petals, the colors of houses. Finding joy in everyday experiences is something dear to me, so The Small Stuff was very much in my wheelhouse.

As I often find with books built around a single central idea, the entire idea could probably have fit in a single essay or a series of blog posts. At 240 pages it is already a relatively thin book, but it still felt a little stretched in places. I still enjoyed reading it though, and hope it helps more people find job in the small stuff.

Full review: https://puf.io/books/the-small-stuff-...

Rated The Amber Spyglass 8/10

Much more philosophical than the previous two books, *The Amber Spyglass* explores concepts like free will, divine authority, and how love can take many different forms.

I found some characters and their choices a bit too obvious and over-the-top, while others were a bit too subtle and drawn out. But overall, I enjoyed the story. Given how explicitly it deals with religion, I get how it may be hard to stomach for certain folks. For me, though, it was a fascinating exploration of these ideas and a good ending to an interesting trilogy.

Full review: https://puf.io/books/the-amber-spygla...

Reading Dungeon Crawler Carl

Rated A Conventional Boy 6/10

At 150 or so pages, Derek’s story is a bit shorter than it deserves (in my opinion). The story is interesting though, and the diverse cast of (mostly new) characters is fun.

I’d already read the two included short stories. The Satanic Panic background was interesting, but overall, the book felt padded.

A fun but skippable entry—I’m more excited for The Regicide Report.

Full review: puf.io/books/a-conventional-boy---cha...

Rated Mother Dearest 6/10

*Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books, who provided an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.*

This is the second epistolary novel I’ve read this year. Is there a 2026 trend that I don’t know about? 🤔

It’s interesting to read Imogene’s explanations of her behavior and choices, and her surprise at ordinary life outside the overbearing environment she grew up in. The deeply warped rules and expectations she has learned make for an unusual perspective.

The prose is easy to read and the epistolary format works well. The plot was a bit too predictable for my taste, but it rolls along nicely, and the final letter was a nice touch to wrap the story up.

Rated "What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character 8/10

I read this book after some folks said that his second memoir was better. I liked this book better than his first memoir, largely because each part felt more like a single narrative. Three and a half stars, rounded up.

Rated Not Till We Are Lost 6/10

I love how the series continues to evolve, with the Bobs now at the center of a complex, post-human ecosystem of (often competing) intelligences.

The shift toward fewer arcs with more progress on each works well for me, and the mix of exploration, new technologies, and emerging threats keeps things moving. The Skippies thread also adds an interesting angle for future books in the series.

Meanwhile, the relationships with the humans and other societies keep everything more tangible than a pure "we're all computers" type of story.

A good page-turner, and I look forward to seeing what happens with the Skippy-AI, the species that ascended, and the danger they fled from in future books.

Full review: https://puf.io/books/not-till-we-are-...

Rated The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents 6/10

Compared to most Discworld novels, the plot here is more straightforward and the humor more direct - it's YA, after all. I read preferred the Tiffany Aching YA series too, but they also skew older and came later. Maybe Pratchett was finding his stride. Either way, I found this book a fun read and Briggs' narration was great - as always.

Finished reading The Raven and the Nightingale

Rated Aan het einde van de oorlog 8/10

A very interesting, fresh take on a deservedly well-covered period of history. Including many perspectives on the same events the book gives it breadth and depth, and make for a compelling read throughout its 640 pages. Easy four stars.

Full review: https://puf.io/books/aan-het-einde-va...

Rated Golden Gate 6/10

I knowingly read this children's book, because it caught my eye at a local book store with its focus on San Francisco. It was as quick a read as expected, but the focus on San Francisco (in the second half of the story) made it fun and worthwhile.

Rated Daisy Jones & The Six 8/10

A few years ago I bounced off the TV series Daisy Jones & The Six… turns out I just didn’t like it in a visual format.

The audiobook? Loved it. Full cast, great cadence, and a real page-turner. Even if the reveal felt a bit anticlimactic, the ending was well timed and satisfying.

Full review: https://puf.io/books/daisy-jones-&...

Rated Tooth and Nail: A Steampunk Sleeping Beauty 6/10

Fast-paced YA steampunk pulp that mixes classic fairy tales with vampires, gargoyles, and other traditional lore. The initial mystique of the setting is wearing a bit thin by book 3, and the romance is a bit overindulgent, but I still immediately put book 4 on my Kindle. 😄

Full review: https://puf.io/books/tooth-and-nail--...

Rated The Final Meeting 10/10

Thoroughly enjoyed. This whole series could very well be a TV show.